Dear Jayhawk for Higher Education:

We appreciate your dedication as a legislative advocate for the University and higher education in Kansas.

Four weeks into the Legislature’s 2023 session, budget discussions have not yet begun, but we are encouraged by Gov. Laura Kelly’s proposed investments in the state’s universities for fiscal year 2024.

The governor’s recommendations advance her goals to strengthen the Kansas workforce and maintain access and affordability in higher education. Key investments include increased funds for need-based scholarships and operations to help manage the impact of inflation. She also proposed critical one-time funds for information technology, cybersecurity and deferred maintenance.

Chancellor Girod said, “We support the governor’s higher education budget and believe that it moves higher education and the state forward,” adding that KU remains grateful for the state’s investments last year, when the Legislature and the governor approved the most favorable higher education budget in recent memory.

For fiscal year 2024, the Kansas Board of Regents also requested funds to support KU’s partnership with Wichita State University in creating a new health education campus in Wichita. Gov. Kelly’s proposal did not include direct funding for the Wichita campus, but KU and WSU leaders will continue to work with legislators—as well as other policymakers and partners—to pursue that project.

As you communicate with legislators at this early stage in the session, please emphasize these key messages:

• Thank them for their support of higher education last year;
• Express your support for Gov. Kelly’s fiscal year 2024 higher education budget proposal; and
• Encourage legislators to pursue funding for the Wichita health education campus, which will help increase the number of health care providers in underserved areas

We will send updates as the legislative session progresses. Thank you for your continued commitment to KU and higher education. 

Rock Chalk!

Heath Peterson, d’04, g’09
President, KU Alumni Association

Interested in learning more about Jayhawks for Higher Education? Visit kualumni.org/jhe.