During the first open budget forum Nov. 13, K-State President Kirk Schulz answered questions about a variety of topics, including consolidating various campus units and the proper role of a land grant institution.
The forum, sponsored by the Faculty Senate, was the first held following the publication of a list of budget remedies compiled from a recent campuswide survey. The results, which are being shared at http://www.k-state.edu/budget/initiative.html, cover the gamut and include both cuts and revenue generating ideas.
"One of the reasons that we are starting early on any of these ideas is to make sure that we do reasonable financial analysis to see whether something somebody says will actually save money," Schulz said. "Certainly that's not the only factor, but we want to make sure we have solid numbers."
Schulz thanked everyone who participated and said that engaging K-Staters in the budget process now will help prepare K-State for careful, considered action when the state comes back with its final budget figures. University officials are expecting budget cuts.
Following the forum, the president's office sent out synthesized lists, which are now posted on the budget office Web site at: http://www.k-state.edu/budget/initiative.html
A second open forum will be on the Salina campus Monday, Nov. 23, and the cost-benefit analysis of the short-term ideas is under way. For a complete budget timeline, go to http://ow.ly/CSMA