FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 17, 2021
Regents’ unified appropriations request highlights economic revitalization and increased access
(Topeka, Kan.) - The Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) has approved a unified state appropriations request for the public higher education system that supports the Board’s strategic priorities of invigorating the Kansas economy and increasing access for students.
“Kansas colleges and universities are uniquely positioned to revitalize our state’s economy, help Kansans earn family-sustaining wages and build the talent pipeline businesses need,” said KBOR Chair Cheryl Harrison-Lee. “The Regents’ budget request will allow our system to advance economic prosperity and increase access for students, especially those from traditionally underserved populations.”
The Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations request for the system includes a restoration of state university budgets to Fiscal Year 2021 levels, a 1.9 percent increase to state university budgets based on the Higher Education Price Index and funding to allow for a freeze of tuition rates. In addition, the request contains increased funding for need-based student financial aid, an area in which Kansas has historically lagged far behind neighboring states. The Regents are also requesting funding for state university economic development activities and the Board’s capital renewal initiative.
The Board’s request incorporates funding for community and technical colleges, including increased allocations for the Excel in CTE program, ongoing support for the Kansas Promise Scholarship and closing part of the funding gap for tiered and non-tiered courses. The Regents are also asking for funding for a student success initiative at Washburn University.
The Regents’ strategic plan, Building a Future, guided the Board’s discussion and adoption of the appropriations request. Building a Future focuses the work of the Kansas public higher education system on helping Kansas families, supporting Kansas businesses and advancing the state’s economic prosperity.
View the items included in the appropriations request.
The unified request will now be sent to the Governor’s budget office.
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, nineteen 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.