Much was discussed at the recent Kansas Board of Regents meeting. The following synopsis of events was posted in K-State Today, by Kansas State Communications and Marketing.
The monthly Kansas Board of Regents meeting on June 17 included several items related to Kansas State University.
Introductions
The Kansas Board of Regents introduced three new members who have been appointed by Gov. Sam Brownback. The three new members — Dennis Mullin, Manhattan; Dave Murfin, Wichita; and Daniel Thomas, Mission Hills — will serve four-year terms.
Mullin serves on the Business Advisory Council for Kansas State University’s College of Business Administration. He is chairman and CEO of Steel and Pipe Supply, one of the largest steel service centers in the country.
The new members will replace Fred Logan, Robba Moran and Kenny Wilk, whose terms expire this month.
Council of Presidents
Lindsey Elliott, news production specialist in the Division of Communications and Marketing, and Don Stubbings, assistant director of the K-State Police Department, gave a presentation about the LiveSafe smartphone app to the Council of Presidents. The council discussed forming a Board of Regents partnership with LiveSafe to make the app available for all Regents universities.
Kansas State University is the first university in Kansas to offer the LiveSafe smartphone app, which enables smartphone users to anonymously send text, photo and video tips to campus police at the Manhattan and Salina campuses; have friends and family monitor their walks using GPS; find campus safety procedures and resources; and more.
Learn more and download the LiveSafe app.
Academic Affairs Committee
Kansas State University has added 2+2 partnerships that include a Bachelor of Science in interdisciplinary social science and a Bachelor of Science in technology management. The 2+2 partnerships allow students to complete the first two years of their education at a local community college and the second two years toward a Kansas State University bachelor’s degree through distance education.
Discussion agenda
Tuition and fees
The Regents heard the first reading of the fiscal year 2016 Tuition and Fee Proposals for each of the Regent institutions. Legislative action has limited the rate of tuition increase to 3.6 percent in conjunction with the annual consumer price index of 1.6 percent plus 2 percent.
President Kirk Schulz presented K-State’s tuition and fees proposal. He proposed a 3.6 percent increase for undergraduate and graduate resident and nonresident students for fiscal year 2016 and a $20 per credit hour fee for the College of Human Ecology, a $15 per credit hour fee for the College of Business Administration and a $15 per credit hour fee for the College of Engineering.
Before the legislative cap on tuition was imposed, K-State’s student-led committee that reviews all increases approved a 5 percent resident and nonresident tuition increase including a new Academic Building Support allocation.
Schulz explained how the increased revenue will support K-State 2025 by providing funds for faculty salary enhancements, facility upgrades in the College of Veterinary Medicine, new faculty and unclassified positions, institutional scholarships, utility rate and infrastructure support, graduate teaching assistant waiver and instruction allocation, and Global Campus.
At the Wednesday meeting the board voted to limit the combined tuition and required fees — not including program and college fees — to no more than 3.6 percent. The Regents will continue discussion on tuition and fees and vote at the meeting on Thursday, June 18.
Read the tuition and fees proposals for all universities.
Rehabilitation and repair appropriation
The Regents approved a revised distribution of rehabilitation and repair projects. The revision was presented because the 2015 revenues declined and the Legislature reduced the appropriation to $29 million.
Capital improvement requests
The Regents approved the capital improvement requests for the Seaton Hall Renovation and Addition project and the Geosciences Building project.
For live updates on all Kansas Board of Regents meetings follow @ksregents on Twitter or listen to the meeting streamed live. Agendas and complete meeting minutes are available online.
