December 6, 2024
President Linton Next-Gen K-State monthly update
Dear K-State community,
As we continue to advance Kansas State University's goal to become the next-generation land-grant university, it's essential that we build and sustain a workforce capable of bringing our shared vision to life. K-State is already home to a passionate community of faculty and staff dedicated to making education accessible to the learners and communities we serve. Our task now is to take that passion and build on it, creating an inclusive environment through systems that value, recognize and empower our faculty and staff to be the very best they can be. This requires a solid foundation focused on cultivating innovation, leadership and professional growth across our campus.
Building the next-gen workforce
I'm pleased to share that significant progress is being made on several key projects that are transforming the way we approach workforce development. One such initiative is the universal time and leave system, led by our Human Resources team. This project will streamline and standardize timekeeping practices across the university, ensuring efficiency and consistency for all employees.
Additionally, we've made great strides with the unified staff performance management evaluation process, as part of the performance management project. This new process, which takes effect with the new calendar year, will provide a consistent and comprehensive approach to staff evaluations, ensuring that every member of our workforce receives meaningful, constructive feedback. It's a critical step in supporting the growth and development of our staff, and I'm excited to share that more than 700 employees have already completed training on the performance management process. This reflects our collective commitment to embracing this new, unified approach.
Another exciting development is the Building Next-Gen Leadership Series coordinated by our Human Resources team. This series focuses on leadership development and equips our staff and faculty with the skills needed to lead in the evolving higher education landscape. To date, more than 800 members of our K-State community have attended 11 sessions, demonstrating a strong commitment to professional growth.
In addition to these workforce initiatives, we've also brought new faculty here to K-State as part of the Multidisciplinary Hiring Initiative in Biomanufacturing, a game-changing capacity-building effort that will significantly bolster our research expertise in biomanufacturing and biosciences. Starting in the 2023-2024 academic year, K-State began hiring 12 new tenured/tenure-track faculty positions focused on areas such as biomaterials development, biomanufacturing engineering, bioprocessing and more. Six faculty members were hired last year, and the search for additional faculty continues as we look to expand our capacity in this critical area. This initiative not only grows our research efforts, increases industrial capacity and provides meaningful industry engagement opportunities, but it also advances Kansas' biomanufacturing industry and prepares students for careers in this rapidly evolving sector, directly contributing to the economic development of the state.
Sustaining the next-gen workforce
As I've emphasized before, to truly be "next-gen," we must remain adaptable when facing an ever-changing world. To not only build but sustain a strong workforce, we are embarking on several exciting projects that will continue to shape the university in the years ahead.
One of these initiatives is the compensation study and career architecture development project. This important initiative will assess and refine our compensation structures for both faculty and staff to ensure that K-State remains competitive and equitable. We anticipate that committee kick-off meetings will take place in January. We look forward to sharing more details as the project progresses.
We are also nearing an important milestone with the performance management project. This project, in addition to the process I previously mentioned, involves implementing a new technology system that will integrate electronic performance appraisals for staff with professional development tools, creating a seamless platform for managing both employee performance and growth opportunities. We will be looking to select and implement a technology platform in the next calendar year and will share more information in the coming months.
While we look to see how we can advance our initiatives, it's important for us to recognize the ongoing scholarship excellence we already have at K-State. The University Outstanding Scholar Awards are designed to honor our most promising tenured faculty members who are on an accelerated path for academic distinction. This award targets those who demonstrate extraordinary achievement in research, teaching, service and engagement, and it offers a $10,000 salary increase to those selected. Up to 10 awards are made each year, with a focus on faculty members at the associate professor level, and nominations will open in early spring 2025. This program not only helps to retain top faculty but also elevates K-State's national and international academic reputation.
Looking ahead
These initiatives, both ongoing and in development, are critical to ensuring that K-State remains a leader in workforce development. We need to care about our people first. Efforts in these areas reflect our commitment to providing our employees with the tools, resources and opportunities they need to succeed and thrive at our institution. As we move forward, we will continue to focus on building a sustainable, inclusive and innovative workforce prepared for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow.
Thank you for your continued support and dedication to these efforts. I am excited to share these updates with you and look forward to continuing this journey together as we strengthen one another as the foundation of our great university.
As always, Go 'Cats!
Richard Linton
President