K‑State president backs split of $7.5 million, lawmakers request accreditation and budget details

Kansas State University President Richard Linton told the House Committee on Higher Education Budget on an appropriation amendment that the university can work with a proposed split of $7.5 million — $4 million for K‑State 105 and $3.5 million for the College of Veterinary Medicine — but asked lawmakers for more time and data to confirm long‑term effects.

The committee was reviewing a change adopted in a House Appropriations report that would divide a $7.5 million appropriation between the university’s statewide economic development initiative, K‑State 105, and operational and faculty support for the veterinary college. President Linton said both uses are important but serve different purposes: K‑State 105 for statewide economic growth and the veterinary college for essential operational capacity and accreditation risk mitigation.

Why it matters: committee members flagged accreditation risk at the veterinary college and raised questions about whether K‑State 105 duplicates other small‑business support services. Lawmakers asked for documentation they said they need to judge the tradeoffs and confirm whether the split would meet both priorities.

Linton said the veterinary college is “about $12 million plus under the average of support” compared with peer programs nationwide and described two immediate needs: faculty additions and operational funding. He said the college is at roughly 60% out‑of‑state, 40% in‑state enrollment and that the university’s goal with added state support is to move that to roughly 60% in‑state, 40% out‑of‑state to better meet Kansas workforce needs. He told the committee the university would not be adding slots under the plan; rather, it would change the mix of in‑state and out‑of‑state students.

On faculty, Linton said the university’s aspirational target to be a top‑3 to top‑5 veterinary school would require “another 40 plus faculty lines over time.” He described the $3.5 million allocation as intended to address essential operational support and some faculty needs to lower an accreditation risk he said is “on the fringe.”

On K‑State 105, Linton said the program leverages the university’s cooperative extension network across all 105 counties and that the existing appropriation is $5 million; he said only about $250,000–$300,000 remains in‑house at the university for administration and that the program seeks roughly a 1:1 match from partners. He said early K‑State 105 activity produced more than 400 jobs toward a broader goal the university sets for 3,000 jobs and $3 billion in economic impact by 2030.

Several legislators pressed for specifics. Vice Chair Sanders said accreditation should be the top priority and asked whether the $3.5 million should be larger; Linton replied that both items are important and that the split would reduce the footprint of K‑State 105 but still be effective. Representative Haskins asked for the veterinary college’s accreditation status and documentation; Linton agreed to provide an executive summary or status report from the American Veterinary Medical Association review to clarify what progress is required to avoid probation or other sanctions.

Committee members also asked for budget‑model details. Linton described an institutional move away from the existing responsibility‑centered (RCM) budget model toward a model intended to better align incentives with the university’s strategic plan. He said, without dean verification, he had a working figure that approximately $3.2 million from vet‑school revenues has been transferred back to the main campus under the current model and agreed to verify that number in writing.

Other specifics raised during the hearing: - Tuition differential cited by the university: $595 per credit hour in‑state versus $1,351 per credit hour out‑of‑state (figures provided by President Linton during questioning). - K‑State 105 current state appropriation: $5,000,000; university says the majority is passed through to counties and communities. - Fiscal year 2025 State General Fund for K‑State Research and Extension: cited as $61,900,000. - President Linton said the veterinary college currently enrolls more out‑of‑state than in‑state students (approximately 60/40) and that shifting that balance is a central policy objective tied to student tuition differentials.

What the committee asked for: lawmakers requested (1) an executive summary of the veterinary college’s most recent accreditation findings and any required status reports; (2) verification of the $3.2 million RCM transfer figure and a breakdown of what vet‑school revenues are retained versus swept to central administration; (3) a budget‑implication memo showing what cuts to cooperative extension would look like if K‑State 105 were funded only from existing extension appropriations; and (4) the economic‑impact report K‑State recently provided the Kansas Board of Regents documenting K‑State 105 outcomes.

The committee did not vote on a final recommendation. Committee members and the president agreed to provide the requested documentation and data to inform whether the split is feasible and how it would affect accreditation risk and extension services moving forward.

Linton closed by reiterating the university’s willingness to work with the proposed split while emphasizing the accreditation concern at the veterinary college and the economic leverage that K‑State 105 provides across the state.