Interview with Dr. Steve Scott

First of all, I wanted to wish you a happy new year and I hope you're enjoying your winter break I know the students may be away from campus. It's quiet here, but your work continues Well Fred, thanks for having me again this morning and a happy new year to you and happy new year to all your listeners from Pistpyr State University We certainly would wish the best for everyone and a productive and successful 2020 hard even imagine it's 2020 But anyway, we've had I think people know I struggle a little bit over the breaks I love to have the students on campus. I love the energy and excitement. The town's just a little quieter and Campus is real quiet and so when you live in the heart of campus, it's a pretty quiet situation So we were Kathleen I really anxious for the students to get back in town back in the dorms and bring the campus back to life But nonetheless, there's a lot of work that's been going on over the last couple of weeks and certainly people catching up Cleaning out their inboxes and I even found myself working on some things that aren't doing until April So getting a little bit ahead, but I can assure you by Monday morning By 11. I'll be behind that's just that's just the way it works

But love the work love the time of year and excited about a new semester We're a few days also away from the new start of the legislative session up in Topeka in May of last year See lawmakers increased higher ed funding in Kansas by $28.4 million dollars. That was system-wide What do you have your sites on set on on this legislative session? Well right now, I think you'd say that we are cautiously optimistic The the state revenue picture continues to improve Even with the latest projections that were done in early November The state is already exceeding those projections by a considerable amount So that's very very encouraging that the revenue is there and in past years I know some legislators would say to us. We like what you do. We appreciate what you do We just don't have any money because of the tax bill in 2012 Really decimated I would say the revenue stream. That's really been corrected So now there is money our concern at this point is the attention will turn to in an election year Tax cuts and give money back and certainly I'm a citizen. I pay taxes just like everybody else

I like that idea as well But I like to have good social services good high patrol good roads certainly invest in K-12 and of course I think that the future of our economy is based on a vibrant higher education system So we would like to see dollars return to higher education that were cut in past years I Talked to the governor recently and one-on-one meeting and really made the pitch for addressing the wage and salary of Challenges that we've had State workers over the Brownback administration did not receive very good salary increases if if any at all in some years also the our employees saw more and more Responsibility to pay for their health care Insurance their insurance premiums the copays and everything went up So we had people really lose ground with with such modest pay increases and increases on the premium side It's lost ground and I talked to the governor about you you can't have a great institution without having great people and That takes the dollars to invest in them to recruit them and also to retain them so we can retain the very very best

From the region and and really nationally So that's that's where we're putting our interest right now is the restoration salary increase I will continue to advocate for our system and for Pittsburgh State University in particular with the With our insurance commissioner and health care commission to try to give us a break on the health insurance premium side That's that's that's really a challenge for our we're individual employees So so I think we're optimistic at this point, but you never know this next week is a big week the governor will release her budget And I'll be up at the state of the state of the dress will have a reception for some legislators And then of course this for today at noon this Friday on the 10th We will be meeting with legislators as it was kind of a kickoff the chamber sponsors, so So a lot of work to do but really appreciate the chamber You know, they they will adopt and support and advocate for our our interest at Pittsburgh State They also do that on highway 69

So there's just a great alignment of the chamber the city the university and what we're advocating for in Topeka and that makes our that makes our voice much more powerful