Ensuring the successful future of K-State

Dear colleagues,

As you may have heard, Kansas State University is embarking on an ambitious project to ensure our future success as a next-generation land-grant university.

At K-State, we’ve always understood something that success teaches well: You don’t grow by accident. You grow because you plan and prepare, steward the resources you’ve been given and invest steadily and wisely in what matters most.

That is exactly what our K-State Budget Transformation initiative is about.

Why we’re doing this now

Over the next several years, we face a set of real, shared financial pressures across higher education, but they also represent an opportunity to lead. In our planning, we have identified recurring annual pressures that could exceed $100 million, alongside significant one-time investments to address aging and antiquated technology and facilities. 

We could take a familiar route: across-the-board cuts that solve for the immediate moment but reduce our ability to invest in people, student success, research competitiveness and the infrastructure that supports all of it. Or we can do the harder, proactive work now: build a budget framework that is strategic, transparent and designed to support growth. We may not be “on fire” today, but if we don’t plan, we won’t be prepared for what comes next. 

We are choosing to plan, to lead and to invest because that is what it means to be a next-generation land-grant university.

The vision: A financial framework that helps K-State grow forward

This transformation is not simply an exercise in cost-cutting. The aim is to build financial frameworks that stimulate growth, support excellence and ensure accountability while staying nimble enough to seize tomorrow’s opportunities.

In other words, we’re aligning our budgeting with who we are becoming.

Our Next-Gen K-State strategic plan calls for us to expand opportunities for learners, grow research and discovery, deepen engagement across Kansas, and pursue operational excellence as One K-State.

Budget transformation is the practical, behind-the-scenes work of making those commitments sustainable so we can keep the promises we make now and in the long term.

What budget transformation is, and how it’s organized

To date, a cross-university leadership team has been guiding this work, co-chaired by Provost and Executive Vice President Jesse Perez Mendez and Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff Marshall Stewart, alongside Vice President for Administration and Finance Ethan Erickson, Vice President for Research Hans Coetzee, all of our academic deans, Athletic Director Gene Taylor and KSU Foundation CEO Greg Willems.

From there, working groups have been addressing major components of our budget, including academics, research, engagement, athletics, the Foundation and operational excellence. More than 38 leaders have contributed input and participated in discussions during the initial development of this initiative. Thank you to these individuals and those who were part of the working groups for helping us get to this point today.

As we move forward, Provost Mendez and Vice President Erickson will be partnering to lead the planning and implementation of our Budget Transformation initiative.

At a high level, the charge has been to develop a comprehensive budget strategy that supports our vision to be a next-generation land grant university by:

• Investing in our people.
• Improving how resources are allocated.
• Increasing efficiency and reducing redundancy.
• Strengthening accountability and impact.
• Accelerating financial sustainability and growth.

A 50,000-foot view of what you can expect

Because this is a universitywide effort, it includes several levers — some focused on growth, some on reinvestment and some on operational efficiency.

Here are examples of what is being pursued, described at a high level:

• Reward growth and performance in line with our strategic plan: A key concept under development is a model that allocates a portion of incremental funding to a performance pool, distributed annually based on metrics aligned with strategic priorities. The intent is to reward achievement and progress in ways that are clear, measurable and tied to next-gen outcomes. Importantly, leaders have emphasized that colleges and my administrative team should have input on how those metrics are designed, and this is our next step as we establish them.
  
  
• Invest in people — especially compensation — through a planned, phased approach: Compensation has been repeatedly identified as a strategic priority, and transformation planning recognizes the need for a thoughtful path toward market competitiveness. From the beginning, competitive compensation has been a cornerstone in the Next-Gen strategic plan. We must communicate clearly, avoid overpromising and move forward with a plan that can be delivered. But to be successful, a plan must have the resources to reach its goals, and that is exactly what we are creating to ensure we remain one of the best places to work and learn.
  
  
• Modernize systems and infrastructure to operate as a next-generation university: We are exploring operational support approaches to help recover administrative overhead costs from select revenue sources, with a priority on addressing antiquated technology and future needs, including deferred maintenance.
  
  
• Pursue operational excellence as One K-State: Operational excellence work includes identifying process improvements across cost, time and space — such as modernizing purchasing, HR service models and space utilization standards —so we can improve service, reduce risk, ensure compliance and reinvest savings into mission priorities.
  
  
• Strengthen research competitiveness and stability: Research funding models are evolving nationally, and K-State is working toward more transparent and adaptable approaches that support core facilities, infrastructure and competitiveness. 

Investing in our excellence

Let’s be clear: This work is not about lessening the capacity of K-State. The intent is to create an opportunity to reinvest in the university we are becoming — so we can take care of our people, strengthen our infrastructure and build capacity in the areas where we have distinction and can become even better.

Leaders have recognized the importance of involving people across the university in this process and the value of transparent communication and engagement throughout implementation. 

Budget Transformation timeline and how you can stay connected

Planning and initial implementation for our Budget Transformation initiative will begin in February, with implementation beginning July 1, 2026. We have an overall goal of completing major phases during the next three years. 

A universitywide open forum is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 26, and additional engagements are planned across governance and leadership groups. These will be ideal opportunities to engage and learn more.

Our promise

The Next-Gen K-State vision is ambitious by design: to lead the nation as a next-generation land-grant university. Achieving our goals requires that we steward our resources with the same care we bring to our teaching, research and engagement. Our budget transformation is part of that stewardship — rooted in purpose, growing for tomorrow and centered on our shared success.

We will continue to share more details as decisions are made, with clarity about what is changing, why it matters and how it supports our shared future.

From the prairie to the world, we are building what comes next — together.

Go 'Cats!

Richard Linton
Kansas State University President