FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 26, 2010

BOARD OF REGENTS RESPONDS TO KU ATHLETICS REPORT

(TOPEKA) – Today Board of Regents’ Chair Jill Docking, of Wichita, issued the following statement regarding the release of a report produced by the Wichita law firm Foulston Siefkin LLP which investigated the tickets operation of the University of Kansas (KU) Athletics Department:

“This report reveals a shocking catalogue of unethical behavior that reflects negatively upon the University of Kansas and its Athletics Department. Having just received the report today, we want to review it thoroughly and carefully before providing any comment regarding its contents. In addition, because we understand that the conduct outlined in this report is the subject of an on-going criminal investigation, we want to be cautious in how we comment about this matter at this point in the process.”

“However, we want to make two things clear. First, we expect that the leadership of the University and its Athletics Department will move swiftly to fully implement the recommendations presented in this report. Second, we expect Chancellor Gray-Little to provide the Board of Regents, during its June meeting, with a comprehensive report outlining the steps she is taking to respond to this report and its implications, and the plan she will pursue to restore the trust that has been damaged by the deeply disturbing conduct described in this report.”

“Our role as KU’s governing board is to demand accountability from the Chancellor and to ensure that the University immediately remedies these issues within the Athletics Department, assuring Kansans that this type of deception will not happen again. Even the slightest hint of unethical behavior surrounding the athletics program hurts the student athletes, the Department’s honest personnel, and loyal and supportive KU alumni. We have confidence that Chancellor Gray-Little will restore the integrity of the Department.”

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About the Kansas Board of Regents:

The nine-member Kansas Board of Regents is the governing board of the state’s six universities and the statewide coordinating board for the state’s 32 public higher education institutions (seven public universities, nineteen community colleges, and six technical colleges). In addition, the Board administers the state’s student financial aid, adult education, GED, and career and technical education programs. The Board also authorizes private proprietary schools and out-of-state institutions to operate in Kansas, and administers the Kan-ed network, a statewide network that provides broadband Internet access and distance learning capabilities for schools, hospitals, and libraries.

For more information, contact Kip Peterson at (785) 296-3421 or at kpeterson@ksbor.org.

Visit the Kansas Board of Regents online at www.kansasregents.org.