FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 18, 2022
Regents outline ways higher education funding benefits Kansans, thank Governor and Legislature for investment
(Topeka, Kan.) – Kansas Board of Regents Chair Cheryl Harrison-Lee issued the following statement thanking Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and the Kansas Legislature for their support of higher education.
On behalf of the Regents, I would like to thank Governor Kelly and the Legislature for their strong support of higher education. The state’s investment will keep education beyond high school affordable for Kansas families, strengthen the talent pipeline for businesses and increase economic prosperity for Kansans.
Affordability for families has been one of the top priorities for the Regents. We have held tuition flat for three consecutive years at the University of Kansas and kept it flat at the other state universities in two of the past three years. The restoration of funding for state universities will help keep tuition affordable for Kansas students, and the increase of need-based student financial aid funding will increase access and reduce costs for Kansas families.
The budget also includes support for state university personnel and capital resources through funding for salary increases and for the Board’s Capital Renewal Initiative. This initiative is a bold step to address deferred maintenance and right-size campus facilities. The budget will jumpstart our efforts by supporting deferred maintenance of mission-critical facilities and helping state universities demolish buildings that are no longer necessary and are costly to repair and maintain.
The Regents’ strategic plan recognizes that universities and colleges have a unique capability to drive economic growth. The recent announcement that Kansas State University is partnering with Scorpion Biological Services to help the company create 500 jobs and invest $600 million in Manhattan is a prime example of the success our system is having under the strategic plan. In Wichita, industry giants NetApp and Deloitte are just two of the roughly 50 businesses that have found homes on Wichita State University’s Innovation Campus, fueling the talent pipeline, diversifying the Kansas economy and boosting the economic prosperity of the state.
I am thrilled that the budget recognizes higher education’s role as an economic driver with more than $200 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for institutions to leverage economic development grants. Those resources will help public universities, community colleges and technical colleges, along with our independent college partners, work with businesses to create jobs and generate capital investment in the state.
Finally, I am grateful for the support for closing gaps in funding for two-year colleges, for IT infrastructure enhancements and for several other financial aid programs that support our National Guard members and encourage teachers to locate in underserved areas. That funding will ensure that our system can operate at a high level and provide students with the best possible education.
The Board’s strategic plan, Building a Future, centers the work of public higher education on serving Kansas families, supporting Kansas businesses, and advancing economic prosperity in the state. The budget for Fiscal Year 2023 will help our system accomplish those objectives and benefit Kansans and communities across the state.
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.
Visit the Kansas Board of Regents online at www.kansasregents.org.