June 10, 2021
FY 2022 budget update
Dear Faculty and Staff,
As we transition into the "phase out" of our COVID-19 reopening protocol this summer, we can be proud of the way the K-State community faced the very significant challenges of the past year. We confronted a pandemic that affected all of us and our families while facing significant revenue losses brought on by reduced campus activity, continuing enrollment declines, and uncertain state funding. Addressing our budgetary challenges was painful, especially as we deployed emergency and administrative furloughs and laying off employees.
As difficult as it was, those actions positioned our university well for the coming fiscal year. While we will not know the full budget picture until the Kansas Board of Regents meets to consider our tuition and fee proposal later this month and we get a better picture of fall enrollment, we are beginning FY 2022 with a stable budget. For the first time in several years, we do not foresee the need for universitywide budget reductions. This year's budget represents, in some ways, the symbolic first stage of restarting many of our normal activities as a university after the pandemic.
Below are some of the key highlights of our planning for the FY 2022 budget.
- Effective with the beginning of the fiscal year, we are lifting the hiring freeze and salary cap that we deployed last year to help address our fiscal challenges. Effective June 13, units can return to their normal operating procedures for filling vacant positions or requesting base salary adjustments for individual employees.
- As in the past few years, we are using limited internal resources to fund faculty promotions, professorial performance awards, below market equity increases for unclassified professional and university support staff, and USS longevity bonuses. For the first time since FY 2018, we were able to provide a limited number of Targeted Faculty Salary Enhancement Awards.
- The Legislature did not approve the governor's proposed 2.5% cost of living adjustment, or COLA, for state employees. This means we are unable to provide any type of universitywide merit salary pool or COLA increases for the coming year. We have set a priority to create a merit pool of funds for use in FY 23 to reward employee performance.
Although we have some much-needed breathing room this year from a budget perspective, we will continue to wrestle with budget and enrollment challenges while adjusting to changes resulting from the pandemic. We must maintain a fierce focus on enrollment and growing programs to increase tuition revenue. Internally, we must persist in finding efficiencies and cost-effective methods for conducting business.
Finally, while we are extremely appreciative to the Kansas State Legislature for stabilizing our state appropriations this year, we must continue to impress upon our partners the need for enhanced funding for our university. This is essential for us to excel in serving our students and the citizens of Kansas, conduct ground-breaking research, and engage with communities near and far.
Sincerely,
Richard B. Myers
President