INSIGHT KANSAS: Could K-State court Brownback as next president?
APRIL 7, 2016 BY HAYS POST 7 COMMENTS
Last week, one of Kansas’ most visible and revered leaders, Kansas State University President Kirk Schulz, shook the state up by announcing he was leaving to take the helm at Washington State University. The move makes great sense for Schultz, who had established an excellent record at the helm of the state’s second-largest higher education institution. Washington State will pay Schulz nearly twice his salary, and while Schulz loves K-State there is only so much of a hometown discount anyone would be willing to extend to their paymaster.
That Washington State is paying Schultz so much more is unsurprising to anyone paying attention to states’ budget priorities. Kansas’s legislature has decided that education, whether K-12 or higher education, is a funding priority somewhere between paying dues to the Democratic National Committee and reserving a Tesla Model 3. Washington State, on the other hand, recently committed to increasing higher education support, making for not only a higher salary but a more supportive environment.
Schulz’s departure leaves a big pair of shoes to fill. A national search will be conducted and speculation has already begun as to who might replace him. Considering Kansas’ recent well-earned reputation for hostility to education combined with the relatively low salary will not encourage a strong applicant pool. Perhaps, then, the search committee should keep their focus inside the state.
Who may the Regents pursue? What makes a great university president? Some states have looked to former elected officials. Under former Senator David Boren, the University of Oklahoma has become one of the nation’s most respected pubic higher education institutions. Mitch Daniels, previously the Governor of Indiana, took the helm at Purdue last year and while his tenure has been more controversial than Boren’s his connections in the legislature and negotiation ability are skills greatly valued by higher education regulators.
So Kansas State may look 50 miles east, to the Governor’s mansion, for their next president. Brownback appointed every current Regent, so they are certainly comfortable with his leadership. The Governor is a Kansas State alumnus, and he will be out of a job in another two years. If he wanted to mimic his predecessor, he could even leave early as Kathleen Sebelius did to become U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary. Brownback could claim that the ‘sun is shining in Manhattan’ even on the rare occasions when the football team loses. To grow student enrollment, Brownback could use the same approach he took on taxes, slashing tuition to attract more students. If Governor Brownback’s vision is to be believed, then K-State will go from nearly 25,000 enrollment to 50,000 in a few years. If the promise isn’t delivered, he can point to being re-elected without the same level of job growth in the state as reason why he should keep the spot during his merit review with the Regents.
Furthermore, the legislature would never have to worry about providing Kansas State any regular funding, because it is sitting on a nearly $500 million endowment. Brownback and his allies in the legislature claim that K-12 school districts should accept their state funding cuts and use their reserve funds to make up the shortfall. Brownback could thus lead by example in allocating K-State’s endowment for faculty salaries and everyday operations.
Seriously, there may be an important reason to pursue Brownback as Kansas State University’s next president. After years of comfortably believing that education was a bloated money sink, a few years at the helm would show Brownback just how difficult a job higher education leadership can be. Just as the Ghost of Christmas Past showed Ebenezer Scrooge the error of his ways, taking the helm of K-State could provide the governor some much-needed empathy for the educational needs of his state.
Chapman Rackaway is a Professor of Political Science at Fort Hays State University.
