I received this letter today, and since it was a mass mailing that other K-Staters have received, we may as well share it here.  If someone's got a problem with that...well, just tell me.

However, I think this is good information for all K-Staters to have.

July 10, 2009


Dear K-State Alumni and Friends,

I am pleased to announce to you our "K-State Pledge," a series of accountability measures and core values that will serve as the foundation of our vision for a model intercollegiate athletics program.

A model intercollegiate athletics program can signify many things but we have five core measures that we will use here at K-State to define a model program. When people are talking about intercollegiate athletics and the programs in the nation that do it right, Kansas State should and can be one of those model programs.

Our goals will be:

• A world-class student-athlete experience.

• Value to the university, community and state.

• Ethical, compliance and fiscal integrity and transparency.

• Championship-level athletic performances.

• The best fan experience in the Big 12 Conference.

In order to achieve this vision and goals, we will take several proactive steps immediately to regain the trust of the K-State community.

In a follow-up to the recent University exit analysis conducted for the Kansas Board of Regents and to meet its mission of being fiscally compliant, we intend to retain Deloitte & Touche LLP, a nationally recognized Big Four accounting firm, to assist in the continued analysis of the department's business policies and practices and financial processes.

In addition, we have implemented the following procedures to improve fiscal accountability:

• Both the Athletics Director and the Vice President for Administration and Finance must sign off on all expenditures of $50,000 or more.

• I will personally review and approve all departmental expenses for the foreseeable future.

• My personal business expenses will be regularly reviewed by the Vice President for Administration and Finance.

• All contracts -- including personnel, contest agreements, service and purchasing -- must be reviewed and approved by University counsel and/or Vice President for Administration and Finance office. 

An integral part of the "K-State Pledge" is transparency regarding how donor contributions and ticket purchases are allocated and utilized by the department.

Student-athletes and their experience at K-State are at the forefront of our mission.  Your gifts and ticket purchases will always be used only to benefit Wildcat student-athletes, through scholarships, services, such as academic support and sports medicine, or direct competition needs of our teams. No monies received directly from fans or donors will be used on expenses related to buyouts of previous contracts.

Recently publicized buyout obligations will be funded from K-State's annual Big 12 and NCAA revenue-shared distributions. K-State receives approximately $9 million annually in Big 12 Conference and NCAA revenue distributions derived largely from television contracts, bowl agreements, NCAA post-season basketball and conference championship events.  

Your input and support is very important to us, so please continue to send us your thoughts, concerns and suggestions. As always, thank you for your continued support of K-State Athletics.
Go Cats!

John Currie
Director of Athletics
jcurrie@kstatesports.com