K-State president says university is 'smart investment' for Kansas. A new report shows why

Kansas State University president Richard Linton has a message for lawmakers.

"Were a pretty smart investment, I believe, for the state to make," Linton told The Topeka Capital-Journal ahead of Wednesday's K-State Impact Day at the Capitol.

Linton said the investment in K-State from the state general fund is approximately $235 million in operational support, and the return is $2.3 billion in economic impact.

"The most important message is that higher education, especially at a land grant institution, is a really good return on investment back into our state," he said.

K-State has new report on its economic impact

University leaders have a new report on K-State's economic and community impact, estimated at $2.3 billion in fiscal year 2023.

"We have a tremendous positive impact to the economy," Linton said. "By creating jobs and by elevating the value of the economy that we have in the state, which makes Kansas a more attractive place to be."

The university contracted with Tripp Umbach, a private consulting firm, to create the report measuring the economic impact generated by the institution. Tripp Umbach was one of four firms that bid, and it was awarded the contract on Oct. 6, the university's bid portal shows.

It credited Kansas State University with $1.69 billion in economic impact, noting that "for every dollar K-State receives from Kansas taxpayers, $8.79 is generated by the university's operations and programs in the state's economy."

K-State Athletics was credited with $486.1 million in economic impact, while the K-State Alumni Association was credited with $12.1 million in economic impact and the KSU Foundation was credited with $59.1 million in economic impact.

"When we think about athletics, it's not just about entertaining and it's not just about giving alumni and students a great experience," Linton said. "It's also an incredible contributor to the return on investment to the economy from universities like Kansas State University."

K-State Research and Extension's economic impact was put at $383.2 million.

K-State has 3 primary requests of 2024 Kansas Legislature

Linton has shared with legislators that K-State has three main funding requests in 2024 that the governor included in her budget proposal.

One is $25 million for matching funds to help finish a $220 million project involving 10 agricultural buildings at K-State.

"It's all about modernizing and making more attractive agriculture and food systems on our campus, which is really our bread and butter," Linton said. "It's also about 40% of our economy in Kansas, and so if we are to try to make a difference and if we are about to work to be able to help grow the economy, let's use our strength, but let's make our strength stronger."

The university is also requesting a recurring $5 million for university-wide interdisciplinary water institute.

"We know that if we don't have solutions relative to water, that our agriculture and food industry is going to greatly be challenged in the next eight to 10 years," Linton said. "If you don't have water, you don't have crop productivity. And if you don't have crop productivity, you don't have animal production. Crop productivity and animal production is key and critical to the state."

K-State also wants $2.2 million to pay off debt on the Biosecurity Research Institute.

K-State wants to be 'relevant' to Kansans

The university is looking to the future of land grants with its Next-Gen K-State strategic plan.

"The thinking of a next generation land grant is let's embrace research, teaching and extension — which are the pillars of a land grant university — but let's build it from scratch based on what communities need today," Linton said.

K-State Extension has services in all 105 counties, and "for years, we focused on community vitality, 4-H youth, nutrition and agriculture and food systems," Linton said.

"Those are always important issues in communities. But if you look at the issues of today in communities, its rural health care, it's housing, it's day care and it's elderly care. So how can we change and adapt at the physical universities, but how can we change and adapt also throughout the county system to be able to better meet the needs of what's important to communities today?"

He cited an example of a recent visit to Holton.

"If you're a bedroom community, you want to be able to attract people to that community," he said. "And if you don't have sufficient schools and hospitals and health care and day care centers, you're not going to be successful at bringing people to that community. Or if they're in that community, they're not going to work in that community to be able to help grow the economy."

K-State is working with Jackson County stakeholders on "some potential solutions for enhancing the day care capacity in that bedroom community, to grow that economy and also provide options for where people can live who want to work in Topeka. I think that's just a really good example about how K-State 105 is working today."

He said K-State is "midstream" on working on a solution but declined to share more before it is finalized.

"We want to be relevant to what's important to Kansans," Linton said.

K-State and its land grant mission is unique in Kansas, Linton said, because it is in all 105 counties and has established relationships with people in those communities.

"At the end of the day, we need to be serving the needs of citizens of the state of Kansas first, then have a national and global impact. So almost all the new programs that you'll see that are coming out from K-State — like K-State 105, as well as we have a new bio manufacturing initiative — it's all connected back to what's needed in Kansas.

"As an example, 60% of all new jobs in Kansas will be associated with advanced manufacturing, bio manufacturing and food manufacturing. So our piece at K-State is the bio manufacturing and the food manufacturing component of that."

Between the new National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility and K-State's Biosecurity Research Institute, Manhattan is "the only place in the world that has a BSL level 1, 2, 3 and 4, and we can work with all species of animals," Linton said.

Local, regional and state leaders have frequently touted that NBAF could lead to additional economic opportunities in northeast Kansas and the so-called "animal health corridor."

"Because we have that capacity and capability around research," Linton said, "I think it provides a tremendous opportunity for industry to want to come close to us, to be able to do that work, to be able to do that research and to be able to provide opportunities for their industry to be able to thrive and grow. So as we look forward, we need to use that as further leverage to be able to build out this corridor."

Jason Alatidd is a Statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jalatidd@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State University touts return on investment and economic impact