January 25, 2021
Commitment to shared governance at Kansas State University
We applaud President Myers for not utilizing the policy passed by the Kansas Board of Regents to allow the suspension or termination of employees without initiating the process of financial exigency. We appreciate the president's commitment to shared governance and we are committed to working collaboratively with the administration to work through the financial challenges we are facing.
We have concerns about the policy the Kansas Board of Regents passed and what it means for any regent institution that implements this policy. Each regent institution has policies in place relating to financial exigency as well as faculty and staff chronic low achievement and should have the autonomy to use those existing processes, if needed. This policy could be damaging moving forward as our regent institutions try to recruit and retain quality faculty and staff. Additionally, it erodes the morale and trust built between the university administration, faculty and staff. Kansas State University has a rich history of shared governance that we are committed to preserving.
Mindy Markham, Faculty Senate President
Mary Oborny, University Support Staff Senate President