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K-State Today

September 11, 2024

Pursuing operational excellence: Next-Gen K-State monthly update from President Linton

Submitted by Richard Linton

Dear K-State community, 

It's an exciting time at Kansas State University! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and the 2024 State of Our University is just hours away. 

As I prepared for this year's address, I knew I wanted to make it special. Over the past year, we have worked tirelessly to bring the Next-Gen K-State strategic plan to life. While showcasing all our achievements in under an hour is a challenge, today is an opportunity for celebration. 

Join us at 3 p.m. in McCain Auditorium for a celebration of the remarkable efforts of our students, staff, faculty, alumni and friends. Your dedication is driving us forward as the next-generation land-grant university, and I look forward to celebrating each and every one of you with you. 

One key effort where we are making significant strides is in pursuing operational excellence as "One K-State." This involves coming together to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of working and studying at K-State, while adding value to our university and the 2.9 million Kansans we serve. 

Transforming campus collaboratively
As we tackle various projects to address deferred maintenance, we are proud to see many of our spaces being revitalized. This transformation reflects a shared commitment across all colleges and units, with collaboration being crucial in addressing the challenges of aging infrastructure. Over the past year, teams have worked diligently to upgrade research spaces, repair building exteriors and modernize classrooms. These improvements enhance the campus experience and lay the groundwork for our comprehensive Campus Master Plan

A shining example of our success is the recent renovation of Bluemont Hall. Yesterday's ribbon-cutting highlighted the transformation of this key facility for the College of Education. The upgrades not only make the space more functional but also serve as a source of pride for our future educators. 

As we progress, we want our campus community to stay engaged in shaping the future of our campuses in Manhattan, Salina and Olathe. We will be seeking your feedback in the coming weeks to ensure our plan meets the needs and aspirations of our university for generations to come. 

Establishing coordinated universitywide systems
It's not only proper facilities that will help us to strive as One K-State, but also business processes that will provide us with opportunities for streamlining, modernizing and integrating how we do things that better position us to fulfill our land-grant mission. 

Recently, we implemented Concur, a new travel and expense management system that modernizes our travel and procurement card process. Since its launch, more than 11,000 expense reports totaling $17 million have been processed, with $5.6 million of that amount occurring in just one week. Additional training and enhancements for Concur are planned for the current fiscal year. 

Information Technology initiated foundational enhancements this year to improve our cybersecurity position by securing network and device access, endpoints and entry points, and network perimeter safety. Doing so protects the university from nearly 350 million cyberattacks per day. The work to keep our network and infrastructure safe aligns with the recent launch of the IT Transformation Initiative, which will advance how IT manages, supports and organizes its infrastructure and delivers its services. 

Building and sustaining the next-gen workforce
Great facilities and programs are essential, but it is our people who truly drive us forward. That's why we've introduced the Building Next-Gen Leadership Series, which is designed to support any employee aspiring to lead, regardless of position or title. This series teaches leadership concepts and fosters community around our strategic plan, promoting both personal and professional growth. More than 550 employees participated in the first two workshops this spring, and six additional workshops for fall and next spring will begin later this month, starting with Communication: The Art of Listening and Asking Questions. 

This series marks the first phase of our leadership development plan, which aligns with our goal to build and sustain our workforce. The second phase will involve a professional development needs assessment, and the third phase will focus on developing and piloting new programming. 

Additionally, K-State conducted stakeholder interviews, focus groups with more than 150 employees and a detailed assessment in preparation for implementing a unified staff performance management evaluation system. As announced today, new tools and training for employees and supervisors, including a new evaluation form, will be introduced this fall, with the development of an electronic learning and performance management system to begin in the new year. 

Each of these initiatives — among many others — helps us answer the question, "What is best for K-State?" By establishing a strong foundation for our colleges, units and the entire K-State community, we will continue to do great things in Kansas and beyond in an even better way. 

I look forward to seeing each of you this afternoon, and as always, Go 'Cats! 

Richard Linton
President
Kansas State University

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