September 15, 2016
Kansas Board of Regents Sept. 14 meeting updates
Submitted by Division of Communications and Marketing
The monthly Kansas Board of Regents meeting on Sept. 14 included several items related to Kansas State University.
Introductions
April Mason, provost and senior vice president, introduced Kansas State University Student Body President Jessica Van Ranken, Student Body Vice President Trenton Kennedy and Faculty Senate President Andrew Bennett, mathematics department head, to the Board of Regents.
3 + 3 partnership
Mason spoke about the 3 + 3 partnership between Kansas State University and Washburn University School of Law. The program, known as The Rural Legal Practice Initiative, will help prepare future attorneys to serve rural areas of the state.
Land transfer
The Regents approved a Riley County land exchange that provides 13,732 square feet of land to the state of Kansas in exchange for 1,660 square feet of land to the adjacent property owners. The 2016 Kansas Legislature authorized this exchange with the passage of Section 39 of House Substitute for Senate Bill 249. As required by law, the attorney general has reviewed and approved the deed.
Innovative Career Education
The Regents discussed Innovative Career Education, or ICE, which is a pilot internship initiative in partnership with the Kansas Department of Commerce. Through the initiative, companies collaborate with universities to identify and select student interns for participation in an eight week paid internship. After the internship, students will have an opportunity to continue paid employment on a part time basis while completing their college career. Students who continue as full-time, permanent employees of the company will have an option for a reduction of up to a total of $10,000 of their college debt in exchange for either one or two years of service to the employer.
State appropriations
The Regents approved revisions to the unified fiscal year 2018 and fiscal year 2019 state appropriations request. The Regents' top priority is to advocate for no additional state funding reductions. The Regents are requesting that the 2017 Legislature appropriate $30,664,149 from the State General Fund in both FY 2018 and FY 2019 to restore the 4 percent budget allotment to the postsecondary education system imposed at the start of FY 2017. The request includes the highest priority budget item proposed by each state university. Kansas State University requested restoration of State General Fund support back to a total of $5 million per year for the Global Food Systems initiative.
Update from Provost Mason
The Regents received an update from April Mason, provost and senior vice president, on the Biosecurity Research Security Executive Committee activities. The Biosecurity Research Institute received a commendable rating, which is the second highest rating awarded by the Defense Security Assessment Program.