November 7, 2018
Kansas Board of Regents November meeting agenda items
Dear K-State Community,
The Kansas Board of Regents will meet Nov. 7 on the Emporia State University campus. The board will consider the following agenda items during the meeting.
Kansas State University requests approval for a Bachelor of Science in educational studies. The new academic program will provide students with an understanding of the nature of human learning and skills in public education. The program will prepare students for a wide variety of career pathways outside of traditional K-12 classrooms and will be offered beginning fall 2018.
Kansas State University requests approval to amend the capital improvement plan and to accept the program statement for renovations to 114 Willard Hall. Room 114 is a 229-seat lecture hall heavily used for entry-level classes. Survey feedback indicated the room does not meet the needs of students or faculty. Enhancements will be made to heating and cooling systems, technology, lighting and seating in the space. The estimated project cost is $1.5 million and will be funded from revenue generated from the Academic Infrastructure Enhancement Fee.
The Regents will act on K-State's request to raze a maintenance shop at the Agricultural Research Center in Hays. The building needs extensive and costly repairs to the wood framework and roof. The cost is estimated at $25,000 and will be funded from K-State Research and Extension restricted use funds.
In May 2017, the Regents reviewed board policy on credit hour requirements for undergraduate degrees to determine if it met best practices for on-time completion. Since that time, 92 percent of all undergraduate programs offered by Regents universities are currently at or soon will meet the 120-semester credit hour benchmark. The Regents will approve exemptions for specific undergraduate programs that exceed 120 semester credit hours. K-State has 17 programs that require more than 120 semester credit hours in the areas of engineering and computing, health and wellness, design and education.
All state universities submitted fiscal year 2020 housing and food service rates for first reading. The board will take final action in December and approved rates will go into effect on July 1, 2019. As auxiliary enterprises, housing and food service operations must cover the total cost of operations with user fees. Housing and Dining Services staff determine proposed rates with input from the student leaders of the Association of Residence Halls. Proposed rate increases for fiscal year 2020 are recommended to cover increased operational costs for expenditures for salaries and benefits, facility maintenance, as well as for planned housing and dining building renovation and repairs. Housing and Dining Services works hard to keep campus housing and meal options affordable. K-State's room and board rates continue to remain below the national average and rank in the lower half of the Big 12 Conference. View a PDF of the proposed rates.
The Regents will take final action on nonbudgetary legislative proposals. K-State requests to sell property in Cherokee County and Saline County. Matt Casey will provide the Regents with the first reading of an additional nonbudgetary legislative proposal from K-State to sell property adjacent to the Grain Science Complex to the KSU Foundation as part of the North Campus Corridor development.
Pat Bosco, vice president for student life and dean of students, and Adrian Rodriguez, associate vice president for student life for diversity and multicultural student affairs, will attend the Fiscal Affairs and Audit Committee meeting to present the multicultural student center project and respond to questions. In addition, John Buckwalter, dean of the College of Human Ecology, and Gweneth Ferdinand-Jacob, physician assistant program director, will present the Ice Hall renovation project that prepares the space for the new physician assistant program. The first class of students in the new program is scheduled to begin January 2021.
If you have any questions about these agenda items, please contact me at cab@k-state.edu or 785-532-6226. For live updates on all Kansas Board of Regents meetings follow @ksregents on Twitter. Agendas and complete meeting minutes also are available online.
Sincerely,
Cindy Bontrager
Vice president for administration and finance