May 17, 2017
Kansas Board of Regents May meeting agenda items
Dear campus community,
The Kansas Board of Regents will meet May 17 at the Curtis State Office Building in Topeka. The board will consider the following agenda items during the meeting.
Kansas State University requests approval of a Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering. The program is designed for students interested in the biomedical engineering industry, a field of study focused on improving human and animal health through the use of knowledge in engineering, medicine, biology and computer science. Students develop skills to analyze and design cyber-physical systems, plan and create software programs and hardware equipment to process data, and apply content to specific areas of scientific emphases. Recruitment for the program will begin during the 2017-2018 academic year and 2018-2019 will be the first year of implementation.
The Regents will approve the fiscal year 2018 Johnson County Education Research Triangle Authority, or JCERTA, budgets. The JCERTA legislation was approved by the 2007 Legislature and in November 2008, Johnson County voters approved a 1/8 cent sales tax to support three projects at the University of Kansas, the University of Kansas Medical Center and Kansas State University. Funds for K-State support research and education programs in animal health and food safety and security at K-State Olathe.
All state universities submitted fiscal year 2018 fee proposals for first reading. Once the Legislature passes an appropriation bill for the universities, full tuition and fee proposals will be submitted to the Regents. The Regents will take final action on tuition and fees at the June meeting. View K-State's proposed fees.
The Regents will take final action on the fiscal year 2019 capital improvement requests and five-year plans. Capital improvement projects include new buildings, remodeling or alterations, annual maintenance and utility projects for which costs exceed $1 million.
The Regents will receive an update on the progress of the Title IX Workgroup. The Regents created the workgroup in May 2016 to consider Title IX related matters and share information, experiences and expertise in order to foster more robust operations and consistency across the state university system. View the workgroup report.
Information will be presented on the board policy on credit hour requirements for baccalaureate degrees to determine if the policy meets best practices for promoting on-time completion. Board policy currently aligns with the policy established by the Higher Learning Commission, which requires a minimum program length of 120 semester credits for bachelor's degrees.
The Kansas Collaborative on Military Credit brings together experts from the U.S. Army, Army University and the Kansas National Guard to collaborate with faculty to determine how to translate competencies acquired by veterans through military training and experiences toward college credentials. The Regents will receive information on how to further the implementation of credit for prior learning in Kansas by aligning with additional branches of the military with a focus on health care bridge programs.
Information on efforts underway to enhance innovation and gain greater administrative efficiency at state universities will be presented to the Regents. K-State has formed the Administrative Efficiencies Work Group to identify and recommend organizational efficiencies. The committee will prioritize recommendations to streamline administrative processes in order to achieve cost efficiency or organizational effectiveness while maintaining quality services for students, faculty and staff.
The Regents will receive an update on the 2017 veto session.
The Regents will elect the fiscal year 2018 board chair and vice chair.
If you have any questions about these agenda items, please contact me at cab@k-state.edu or 785-532-6226. The meeting may be streamed live online. 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