FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2019
Business leaders advocate for higher education funding
(Topeka, Kan.) - Representatives from numerous Kansas businesses have signed letters sent to all state legislators advocating for higher education funding. Several companies sent individual letters, and more than 30 businesses co-signed a letter outlining the importance of higher education for the state's workforce. The text of the joint letter is below.
Honorable Members of the Kansas Legislature,
We write to you in support of the Kansas Board of Regents funding request, which would add $50 million in state support for state universities and $27 million for Washburn University, community colleges and technical colleges.
Our businesses need a skilled workforce to remain competitive and grow. Increasingly, we are struggling to find enough workers with the education and skillsets required for success in our industries. Difficulties in hiring qualified workers pose serious challenges for us in both the short and long term.
This talent shortage is a crisis nationally, and particularly in Kansas. We rely upon the universities, community colleges and technical colleges in our state to provide a workforce that can help our businesses compete nationally and around the world. We believe that increasing investment in higher education will improve our talent pipeline in Kansas.
Kansas businesses have a long history of innovation, entrepreneurship and hard work. We are proud to be part of that tradition and want to see our state’s economy flourish for decades to come. We hope that you will consider the Regents’ request as a way to support business and economic growth.
Please click here for copies of letters from Garmin, Trane, Stormont Vail Health and BioNexus KC, as well as the letter signed by more than 30 other business leaders.
For more information, please contact Matt Keith at (785) 430-4237 or
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About the Kansas Board of Regents:
The nine-member Kansas Board of Regents is the governing board of the state’s six universities and the statewide coordinating board for the state’s 32 public higher education institutions (six state universities, one municipal university, 19 community colleges, and six technical colleges). In addition, the Board administers the state’s student financial aid, adult education, high school equivalency, and career and technical education programs. Private proprietary schools and out-of-state institutions are authorized by the Kansas Board of Regents to operate in Kansas. Visit the Kansas Board of Regents online at www.kansasregents.org.