TOPEKA — The Kansas Board of Regents voted unanimously Wednesday to oppose a Kansas House bill granting the state’s three largest public universities — Kansas State University, Wichita State University and University of Kansas — unprecedented autonomy in purchasing, construction, licensing, bidding and ownership of property.
The nine-member higher education board’s oversight of the three research-oriented universities would be narrowed to issues tied directly to use of state funding, while board oversight would be unchanged at Pittsburg State University, Fort Hays State University and Emporia State University.
The vote by the Board of Regents was inspired by introduction Wednesday of a transformative 16-page bill. The urgency of a board decision on whether to endorse or oppose the legislation was made clear when House leadership scheduled a Thursday hearing on the bill before the House Higher Education Budget Committee. The House calendar says the committee may vote immediately after gathering public testimony on House Bill 2798, one day after the bill was introduced by House Majority Leader Chris Croft, R-Overland Park…