[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6357803,"mediaKeyId","2213696-7f53c66ab7e4074690684e8c50c06b94","parentId",2213696,"title","Emporia State seeks regional stabilization funds after multi-year efficiency overhaul; litigation over program cuts remains unresolved","audioSeconds",3159,"startMs",2974630,"endMs",6134545,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2213696-7f53c66ab7e4074690684e8c50c06b94&start=2974&end=6134","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2213696-7f53c66ab7e4074690684e8c50c06b94/thumbnail_2974630.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6357803/Kansas/Emporia-State-seeks-regional-stabilization-funds-after-multi-year-efficiency-overhaul-litigation-over-program-cuts-remains-unresolved","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6357803-ad8072f9e744067cd9bcc4911036f714/orig.mp4?Expires=1771193431&Signature=Mvf1u9j9obq6BXUBJN-Dia~y0t5mIWZmvwi~hmIosEmKNfvaw2JCMJOAWGdKNzmkyklWBP4wP6gdSHv4-dsf7SqZUh6d~TlKQfNs1p2lpaEkIpabRhL5DBp3EYAUFgfv8y7Vv66OBLA7IRCCC1b0qLbWxRHxjs6odqLRrw66tHoM417-i4qdZUJzts4imGCpN3LhmdNjhx2dvHTNTYvagL7bRGZJNq0s4FK3X2ZA0uWo4-l-HrdwdDOWRHOlXzOqRrhdZVw8mt78Uvo7S7wCtqNCvTGeJH5wRcU09SrrzTDJHHxb4YcEpp-PgdvMVoC2Q6szxOJB95JpGc2zgcpARA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Committee on Higher Education Budget, KS","date","2025-01-31T00:00:00Z","article","Emporia State University President Ken Hush told the Committee on Higher Education Budget that after an extensive internal ‘‘cleanup’’ and efficiency drive the university is requesting regional stabilization funding and continues to manage a pending federal lawsuit related to program reductions.

Why it matters: Emporia State, a regional university that President Hush said educates predominantly Kansas residents, said it has reduced operating deficits and deferred maintenance through restructures and asset sales but still faces ongoing budget shortfalls and an unsettled legal exposure that could affect staffing and finances.

Brianna Horton of the Kansas Legislative Research Department gave a brief summary of Emporia State's FY2025 and FY2026 requests, noting a reported SGF reappropriation of about $3.6 million in unspent SGF monies for items such as cybersecurity academic programs, demolition funds and state capital renewal. Horton also explained a prior $8.1 million legislative appropriation to pay off Memorial Union debt had eliminated a student fee of $125.12 per semester and that change shows as a decrease in the revised estimate.

President Ken Hush said Emporia State's primary request is a regional allocation of $7 million for the university (a $21 million combined ask across the three regional institutions). Hush summarized a multi-year internal effort he described as an “Emporia State investment model,” which reviewed every administrative and academic function to right-size programs, optimize space and reduce liabilities. He said the university has taken actions including tearing down unused dorms, selling property, increasing fundraising and reallocating positions. Hush reported the university has reduced total debt by about 25 percent and increased philanthropy; he said scholarship giving rose substantially after outreach to the foundation.

Hush described the university’s fiscal position in detail: he said SGF is roughly 33 percent of Emporia State’s total revenue (approximately $45 million of a roughly $130 million budget, as presented) and reported headcount and enrollment pressures tied to long-term demographic trends. On enrollment, Hush said the university’s headcount is “about 4,610” and that roughly 90 percent of its students are Kansas residents and that most graduates remain in state.

The committee pressed Hush about program eliminations and legal risk. Hush said Emporia State used a Board of Regents (KBOR) policy to pursue program review and reductions that led to faculty appeals; a group of faculty sued in federal district court. He summarized two outcomes from a district court ruling: that KBOR lacked authority to adopt the prior policy (an unexpected finding) and that the court characterized tenured and tenure-track status as a property right for the purposes of the suit — a finding that could create ongoing personnel and financial obligations. Hush said the university is working with the attorney general’s office and that the issue could require legislative action to resolve or clarify policy; he estimated Emporia State’s exposure at roughly $14 million total and that the university currently carries about $2 million a year in ongoing liabilities tied to the litigation.

Hush described efficiency results and continuing needs: he said Emporia State has eliminated positions, reallocated open lines and achieved roughly $66 million in efficiencies over a three-year period in his model, while reinvesting some savings in student success. He cautioned that further large internal cuts would be difficult without harming core operations, and said the university’s remaining deficit had been reduced from about $19 million to roughly $10–12 million over the last 18–24 months and that additional state stabilization funding would reduce budgetary pressure.

On the committee’s question whether Emporia State could withstand a failure to receive a proposed $3 million regional stabilization allocation in the House budget, Hush said the absence of those funds would increase the university’s deficit and require further adjustments.

No formal vote or committee action was taken; the hearing was informational and committee members requested follow-up documents, including the university’s budget vs. actuals for prior one-time investment and additional details about legal exposure and the program-review timeline.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Committee on Higher Education Budget 01/31/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Emporia State University President Ken Hush told the Committee on Higher Education Budget that after an extensive internal ‘‘cleanup’’ and efficiency drive the university is requesting regional stabilization funding and continues to manage a pending federal lawsuit related to program reductions.","taxTitle","Committee on Higher Education Budget , Standing, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Kansas","taxId",19123,"location","Kansas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6357807,"Wichita State seeks more need-based aid, advances dental school planning and highlights research investments",532,421470,953785,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2213696-7f53c66ab7e4074690684e8c50c06b94&start=421&end=953","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2213696-7f53c66ab7e4074690684e8c50c06b94/thumbnail_421470.jpg","/articles/6357807/Kansas/Wichita-State-seeks-more-need-based-aid-advances-dental-school-planning-and-highlights-research-investments","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6357807-da8f0f145b0ebf0102af8d232c50af0f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771193431&Signature=NsezQd6aJA-3C1Awdta4IMcREgW~8mDsY2cO7skSN8Z57rwkMwUlrSjD~GuTivQEq-CwTYBqNPjVscTsI4B2N7Wjy8uXA-fjOIYOFGpwmoaECAAPn~joV8eZ55Dff6lvicnxe0VkxVk53S78K-O9y-9dd6lnyi1WjNo~GrBEXEHst8IXPV4n2NdMHtTkeM9IGIp81isPuFoqZSocMw5Pfoo4fMoa9wXBRF4yJpa54V8Cb280ykV2EANLD6v-pxzitQLAUjjTzdv3KX7dwegTPbOMV8exJt0RzUSuVWGfZWulnE8sI7jq0XCHpMwvM-gS~3LAb1jtsWreM3ndip183g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Brianna Horton, budget analyst with the Kansas Legislative Research Department, and Wichita State University President Richard Muma told the Committee on Higher Education Budget that the university is asking for additional ongoing and one-time investment to support student aid, retention and planning for a dental school.

Why it matters: Wichita State described how recent state investments have expanded research and workforce connections in south-central Kansas, but said more ongoing need-based aid and targeted planning money would help the university keep students enrolled and expand health-care training in underserved parts of the state.

Horton, presenting the agency budget summary, noted the FY2025 request shows reappropriations of unspent State General Fund (SGF) dollars — including about $6.2 million earmarked for capital renewal, demolition, aviation research and the Health Science Center — and recurring adjustments such as DEI and student financial aid. She flagged an agency request for roughly 189.2 FTE positions “primarily for research and for the public service program.” Horton said capital projects include the Wichita Biomedical Campus and special-revenue work such as the NIAR (National Institute for Aviation Research) hub for advanced manufacturing.

Muma, identified in testimony as President Richard Muma of Wichita State University, told the committee WSU aims to be “one of the nation's most innovative public urban research universities” and described three priorities: affordability and access, feeding the talent pipeline, and increasing economic prosperity through research. He said prior state investments — about $8 million in need-based aid the university previously received — have helped boost the number of students receiving aid by about 7 percent, roughly 3,047 students in the numbers he cited.

On funding requests, Muma said Wichita State supports a $14 million ongoing increase in need-based aid to reach regional averages and a $6.4 million item to support retention and student-success efforts. He said the university also is asking for $5 million in one-time funds for a feasibility study and early planning for a possible dental school, to be developed in coordination with Fort Hays State University and linked to the Wichita Biomedical Campus health corridor.

Muma described the dental school planning as a multi-site, rural-focused effort intended to train dentists who would practice in underserved areas: “We don't know exactly what that's going to entail,” he said, explaining the feasibility work would define program design, clinic locations and rural clinical training partnerships.

He also discussed research scale and impact: Wichita State reported more than $366 million in research expenditures last year and projected it could exceed $400 million in the coming year; the university said it ranks first nationally in aerospace R&D among universities and highlighted industry-funded engineering work. Regarding the NIAR hub, a committee member asked whether the $42 million listed on the capital page represented a building; Horton deferred to later testimony and Muma said the $42 million is a special-revenue funded hub tied to advanced-manufacturing research.

On workforce and compensation, Muma said the university has invested more than $12 million internally in market-based pay over the last three years but remains about 16 percent below market; he said closing the remaining compensation gap would require roughly $25 million over time (about $7 million for faculty, $18 million for staff) and that WSU has cut about $23 million from its budget over five years.

Oral Health Kansas Executive Director Tanya Brunner appeared as a proponent for the dental-school planning and urged that clinics affiliated with any new dental program be Medicaid providers and include a strong rural focus. Brunner said only about 30 percent of dentists in Kansas accept Medicaid and 41 counties have no Medicaid dental provider.

The committee asked detailed budget questions; Horton said items such as a $23 million decrease in salaries and wages reflected fund-shifts or budget accounting changes and offered to follow up with specific line-item detail.

Muma and WSU did not propose final statutory changes or seek a committee action during the hearing; the presentation and proponent testimony were informational and included specific funding requests the university asked the legislature to consider.

Looking ahead: Committee members indicated they will continue work on WSU’s budget in a subsequent meeting and invited campus representatives to provide more detailed follow-up on line items and the dental feasibility scope.","Wichita State University officials told the Committee on Higher Education Budget they are seeking sustained increases in need-based aid and one-time funding to study a dental school, while highlighting growth in research, a $42 million NIAR hub and continuation of the Wichita Biomedical Campus project.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Emporia State seeks regional stabilization funds after multi-year efficiency overhaul; litigation over program cuts remains unresolved

Wichita State seeks more need-based aid, advances dental school planning and highlights research investments