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May 27, 2004

BOARD OF REGENTS APPOINTS BIOSCIENCE AUTHORITY MEMBERS

(TOPEKA) – Last week the Kansas Board of Regents unanimously approved the appointments of University of Kansas Chancellor Robert Hemenway and Kansas State University President Jon Wefald to the Kansas Bioscience Authority Board of Directors.

“I am pleased Chancellor Hemenway and President Wefald will represent the Board of Regents as members of the new Kansas Bioscience Authority Board,” said Reginald Robinson, President and CEO of the Kansas Board of Regents. “Their proven leadership and research expertise will be invaluable assets to the Authority as it works to enhance economic development in Kansas.”

The Kansas Bioscience Authority was created by the Kansas Economic Growth Act – introduced by Senator Nick Jordan (R-Shawnee) and Representative Kenny Wilk (R-Lansing) and signed into law by Governor Kathleen Sebelius during the 2004 legislative session. An eleven-member board, including two non-voting members who are appointed by the Kansas Board of Regents, governs the Authority.

Robert Hemenway has been the Chancellor of the University of Kansas (KU) since 1995. Under his leadership, KU has set an aspiration to be recognized as a Top 25 public university within the next five to 10 years. A growing list of nationally ranked academic programs and achievements of faculty and students support this goal. U.S. News & World Report ranks KU’s academic reputation as 30th among public universities and 24 of KU’s graduate programs 30th or higher among similar programs at public universities. KU faculty were first in the nation for the number of faculty Fulbright fellowships in 2002-03. Research funding, a major source for Kansas economic development, has climbed steadily, reaching a record $243 million in fiscal year 2002.

Jon Wefald, the President of Kansas State University (KSU) since 1986, has added about 1.6 million square feet of new university buildings, increased enrollments from about 17,000 to more than 21,900 and has built a healthy endowment program. KSU’s total research funding increased to record numbers and the university returns nearly $17 for every $1 of state funding it receives. Since President Wefald’s arrival, KSU has led the nation’s public universities in the total number of Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Goldwater and Udall scholarship winners. KSU students have won more Truman scholarships, more Goldwater scholarships and more Phi Kappa Phi Fellowships than any other public university in the nation.

The Kansas Bioscience Authority will work with Kansas universities to bring eminent scholars to Kansas. These scholars will be recognized nationally for their research and will garner significant funding annually from federal research sources. The Authority will also work to obtain additional funding that is necessary for the construction and ongoing maintenance of bioscience research facilities at Kansas universities – one of the most significant challenges in the current efforts to bring top-notch faculty and increased research funding to Kansas institutions.

For more information contact Kip Peterson, Director of Government Affairs & Communications, at (785) 296-3421.

May 28, 2004 0:16 AM