KU News Release

KU chancellor discusses university’s future at faculty/staff convocation

LAWRENCE — The following are University of Kansas Chancellor Robert E. Hemenway’s prepared remarks for KU’s faculty/staff convocation, held Sept. 4.

The beginning of the school year is a moment for reflection, a kind of gathering of forces as we look ahead to a productive year. Today, Dr. Barbara Atkinson and Provost Richard Lariviere join me in wishing you a successful year.

It is my prediction, based on early returns, that KU will have a year of special success. We will not announce the final enrollment data for a few days, but judging from applications and enrollment, students are taking advantage of one of the best educational bargains in the United States. We have record enrollments to report and vivid examples of KU faculty, students and staff being nationally recognized for excellence.

Let me share an example. Recently, the Chronicle of Higher Education surveyed 15,000 staff and faculty at 89 universities in order to identify “Great Colleges to Work For.” KU was ranked in the top four along with Stanford, Emory and Michigan. The chronicle focused on 27 categories, and their data made it clear that KU has much to be proud of, that it truly is a “great place to work.”

The point here is not self-aggrandizement but an honest assessment of KU’s reputation. Throughout the country, especially when you factor in the positive role of shared governance, KU is known as a good place to work. Because it is such a place, we have a special responsibility to preserve what has made us strong, especially if we see budget problems on the horizon that might threaten that strength.

I know you have read much about the state’s fiscal trials. Our budget conditions can be easily summarized. The governor has pledged that she will do all she can to protect education, both K-12 and higher education. To establish a benchmark, she has asked us to consider how a 2 percent budget cut might affect us. She has asked us to consider how an additional 5 percent cut on top of the 2 percent cut might also affect us. We have made these calculations and we have shared how budget cuts might be handled with the Board of Regents. No decisions have been made, but the outlines of our dilemma are clear. The state of Kansas projects a $310 million deficit as we enter the year 2009. Some combination of revenue increase and belt tightening will be necessary.

But let’s not focus on this deficit for a moment. We’ll be ready for that challenge if and when it comes. Let’s talk about state support. Kansans have long recognized the importance of supporting higher education. They know that without a strong regents system the future of Kansas is threatened. At KU, we know that our alumni will be effective advocates for continued state investment in higher education.

Over the last 10 years, increases in state appropriations for higher education have been less than inflation. State support has fallen to less than 25 percent of our budget despite strong support from Gov. Sebelius.

At KU, we will work to be effective managers. If cuts are imposed, we will be prepared to protect our students and our research mission. But reducing state support for education should be a last resort for Kansas policy makers. Spending on higher education is a time-tested, good investment. For every state dollar that’s invested in KU, we return $3 to the state.

Cuts would increase pressure on tuition and prevent KU and other regents schools from meeting their mandate: to fill the workforce needs of our state. Kansas faces very real and severe shortages. We can’t afford to ignore the shortages of teachers, nurses, pharmacists and engineers. Clearly, reducing funding for higher education sets back our efforts to tackle those shortages. How do our strong Kansas communities hope to survive if we don’t graduate a supply of core professionals?

Gov. Sebelius has asked us to protect students, and it is a noble goal. My belief has always been that students come first, so that they can make progress toward a degree. We are also a research university, and that mission serves the state well, finding cures for cancer and ways to enhance health care.

In the face of all of this, where does optimism for the future come from? No one has a crystal ball with all the answers, but ironically, KU is in a unique position to deal with the current economic crisis.

First, KU is in the right business. Clearly one thing that has to happen is that the U.S. must become a more competitive nation. We are in a knowledge economy and a knowledge economy will lead us out of this recession. The State Higher Education Executive Officers recently published a report that called for the country to restore U.S. prestige as the best educated and most competitive nation in the world.

In the next five years, the U.S. will create 3 million more jobs requiring a bachelor’s degree but will not supply college graduates to fill them. Global competition will demand research and innovation on a scale that has never been achieved before, but which will be expected of higher education for the future.

Second, Kansas and the Midwest are beneficiaries of the best results of economic growth and have escaped many of the effects of the economic downturn. Kansas personal income growth remains strong, even in a time of national unease. Unemployment remains low, and the Kansas economy has not been unduly harmed by the uncertainty of the housing market. Kansas commodities are increasing in price, and Kansas benefits from high agricultural prices. Farmers are prospering even as production costs grow. The state’s major manufacturing industry — aviation — is booming.

We will be in a position of waiting for the governor’s financial decisions this fall. Our hope is that the governor’s strong support of higher education, the robust Kansas economy and the ingenuity of KU faculty will all be reasons for a better day ahead.

In regard to this last point, it is vital that we recognize our capacity for securing external grants and contracts as a way to help us through. As you think about the future, don’t ignore KU’s success. Last year, KU faculty competed for and won 56 grants, in excess of $1 million each, with just these 56 grants alone totaling over $128 million.

Here you see this extraordinary record of success.

There is another reason I am optimistic about the future. Last year we began a strategic planning exercise, Initiative 2015, which becomes a kind of self-study for the future. Over 60 faculty participated, and they focused on what the future holds for the students we train at the graduate and undergraduate level.

I have asked the provost and Dr. Atkinson to build upon this effort by engaging our public in KU’s future. I have asked him to create a process that would help us build toward a more secure future in 2015. Dr. Atkinson spoke to her faculty yesterday about this opportunity. Today, I welcome Richard Lariviere to this forum in his annual convocation speech.

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The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.