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 </figure>Dear Members of the Kansas Board of Regents,We, the undersigned distinguished professors from Kansas Board of Regents universities, strongly urge the immediate rescinding of the KBOR’s new termination policy. We applaud Allison Garrett (Emporia State), Tisa A. Mason (Fort Hays State), Richard Myers (Kansas State), Steven A. Scott (Pittsburg State), and Richard Muma (Wichita State) for refusing to use the policy. It is harmful to our individual campuses and to the Regents system as a whole.As Regent Shane Bangerter notes, these are indeed “extreme times.” The chronic underfunding of Kansas higher education has become suddenly acute. However, Regents universities already have a policy crafted specifically to address such extremity--declaring financial exigency allows universities to downsize in the face of financial emergency. In consultation with KBOR, each campus has already developed, via shared governance, the necessary procedures: these should be implemented if a campus determines that they are needed. Best practices for university management require transparency and proper procedure.To jettison best practices with this substitute policy not only reveals a lack of respect for each campus’ system of shared governance, it threatens long-term damage to the missions of each institution. It undermines the purpose of tenure, which is to allow faculty to pursue their scholarship without fear of repercussions. Academic freedom is the foundation upon which we build discovery, robust research, scholarship and creative activities. It also fosters an environment essential to recruiting and retaining excellent faculty in the future. Finally, the new policy undermines the morale of current staff and faculty at precisely the time when each campus needs extraordinary effort and resilience from them.Sincerely yours,Christer B. Aakeröy, Chemistry, K-StateChristine Aikens, Chemistry, K-StatePerry Alexander, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KUBeth Bailey, History, KUWilliam A. Barnett, Economics, KUThomas J. Barstow, Kinesiology, K-StateAlice Bean, Physics and Astronomy, KUK. Christopher Beard, Ecology &amp; Evolutionary Biology, KUItzhak Ben-Itzhak, Physics, K-StateJames D. Bever, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, KURaj Bhala, School of Law, KUMonica Biernat, Psychology, KUJohn Blair, Division of Biology, K-StateFrank Blecha, Anatomy and Physiology, K-StateGeorge R. Bousfield, Biological Sciences, WSUNyla Branscombe, Psychology, KUYolanda Broyles-Gonzalez, American Ethnic Studies, K-StateJoyce Castle, Music, KUM.M. Chengappa, Veterinary Medicine, K-StateC. Lewis Cocke, Emeritus, Physics, K-StateBernard Cornet, Economics, KUDavid Darwin, Civil, Environmental &amp; Architectural Engineering, KULynne Davis, Music, WSUElizabeth Dodd, English, K-StateWalter Dodds, Biology, K-StateJolynn A. Dowling, School of Nursing, WSUMichael S. Engel, Ecology &amp; Evolutionary Biology, KUCharles Epp, Public Affairs and Administration, KUDavid Farber, History, KUVictor S. Frost, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KURandall Fuller, English, KUKeith Gido, Biology, K-StateBikram S. Gill, Plant Pathology, K-StateRichard Godbeer, History, KURobert Goldstein, Department of Geology, KUWayne Everett Goins, Music, K-StateJohn W. Head, Law, KUAnne D. Hedeman, Art History, KUDale Herspring, Emeritus, Political Science, K-StateStephen Higgs, Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, K-StateDuy H. Hua, Department of Chemistry, K-StateAndrew C. Isenberg, History, KURyszard Jankowiak, Chemistry, K-StateHartmut Jaeschke, Pharmacology, Toxicology &amp; Therapeutics, KUMCMichael Kanost, Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, K-StateBarbara A. Kerr, Educational Psychology, KUM.B. Kirkham, Agronomy, K-StateKimberly Kirkpatrick, Psychological Sciences, K-StatePhillip E. Klebba, Biochemistry &amp; Molecular Biophysics, K-StateJohn F. Leslie, Plant Pathology, K-StateRichard E. Levy, Law, KUSusan Lunte, Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, KURolfe Mandel, Anthropology, KURichard Marston, Emeritus, Geography, K-StateSubbaratnam Muthukrishnan, Emeritus, Biochemistry &amp; Molecular Biophysics, K-StateTG Nagaraja, Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, K-StateJoane Nagel, Sociology, KUPhilip Nel, English, K-StateDavid Nualart, Mathematics, KURandolph J. Nudo, Rehabilitation Medicine, KUMCBerl Oakley, Molecular Biosciences, KURosemary O’Leary, School of Public Affairs and Administration, KUDennis H. O’Rourke, Anthropology, KUAnil Pahwa, Electrical and Computer Engineering, K-StateA. Townsend Peterson, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, KUWilliam D. Picking, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, KUDavid C. Poole, Kinesiology, Anatomy and Physiology, K-StateP.V. Vara Prasad, Agronomy, K-StateHarald E.L. Prins, Emeritus, Anthropology, K-StateBharat Ratra, Physics, K-StateCharles W. Rice, Agronomy, K-StateMabel L. Rice, Child Language Doctoral Program, KUDan Rockhill, Architecture &amp; Design, KUDavid Roediger, American Studies, KURobert Rohrschneider, Political Science, KUChistophe Royon, Physics and Astronomy, KUChristian Schoneich, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, KUPaul Selden, Emeritus, Geology, KUPrakash P. Shenoy, Business, KUJames E. Sherow, Emeritus, History, K-StateTom Skrtic, Special Education, KUC. Michael Smith, Entomology, K-StateYan Soibelman, Mathematics, K-StateSteven A. Soper, Chemistry, KUChristopher Sorensen, Physics, K-StatePaulette Spencer, Mechanical Engineering, KUBrian S. Spooner, Biology, K-StateS. G. Sterrett, Philosophy, WSUSandra M. Stith, Emeritus, Applied Human Sciences, K-StateXiuzhi Susan Sun, Grain Science and Industry, K-StateKaran S. Surana, Mechanical Engineering, KUUwe Thumm, Physics, K-StateBarbara Valent, Plant Pathology, K-StateJ. Douglas Walker, Geology, KUStephen Ware, Law, KUSteven F. Warren, Speech, Language, Hearing Sciences and Disorders, KURobert Warrior, American Studies and English, KUMary A. Waters, English, WSURuth Welti, Biology, K-StateRobert E. Weems, Jr., Business History, WSUYong Zhao, Education, KUKun Yan Zhu, Entomology, K-StateDean Zollman, Emeritus, Physics, K-State

LETTER: Kansas professors critical of new termination policy