What every figure measures, how it is computed, where it comes from, why it matters and how to read it. The current reading of each figure is taken from the site when it is built (2026-10-20).
52 entries
How to use this dashboard
What the site covers, how its pages fit together, and the controls every tile shares.
What the dashboard covers
What it measures
Wichita State University’s budget, faculty and staff positions, pay, courses, tuition and fees, and comparisons with peer universities, from public documents.
How it is computed
Each figure is extracted from a published source (budget books, payroll, class schedule, Board of Regents and federal reports), checked against the source, and recomputed by an automated audit before every release.
Source and years
See Data sources at the end of this handbook.
Why it matters
One place where faculty, staff, students and the public can see how money and people have moved, with every number traceable to a document.
How to read it
Start with the three Key trends on the Overview page, then open a topic tab or a report (Budget, Employees, Pay, Peers, KBOR stats, Courses) or a college page.
What it does not show
Budgeted amounts are plans, not spending, unless a figure says actual or audited. The site is independent and not affiliated with Wichita State University.
Every finding is a tile with a period badge (the years compared), a headline, the figure, a one-line qualifier and plain-fact labels.
How it is computed
Labels are set from the figures (for example “Below inflation” when the change after inflation is negative); there are no judgement words such as good or bad.
Source and years
All pages.
Why it matters
The period beside every percentage keeps comparisons honest: a change over five years is not a change over one.
How to read it
“Definitions & sources” opens what is counted, the kind of figure, the period and the limits. “View analysis” opens the full tables. “Discussion” holds context notes from readers and the Budget Office.
What it does not show
A tile summarises; the analysis window and the report page hold the detail.
Line and column charts by year, paired bars, index charts and tables with a best / weakest mark.
How it is computed
Index charts start every series at 100 in the first year so lines of different sizes can be compared by growth; tables mark the best value with ✓ (green) and the weakest with ✗ (red) where a direction is meaningful; † marks a group of fewer than five people.
Source and years
All pages.
Why it matters
Growth comparisons (administration against instruction, Wichita State against peers) are clearer as an index than as dollars.
How to read it
Hover or tap a point for its value; click a column heading to sort a table; Maximize opens a pop-up full screen; Reset all filters returns every filter to its default (the latest year).
What it does not show
An index shows growth, not size: a small line can grow fast.
Where the budgeted money goes, by program and by division, and how it changed. Budget books FY23–FY27 unless stated.
General Use and All funds
What it measures
Two views of every budget line. General Use = tuition plus the state’s general operating allocation, the money the university decides how to spend. All funds adds restricted money (grants, contracts, gifts, auxiliary and research funds).
How it is computed
Both columns are printed in each budget book’s summary tables; shares are of that year’s total in the same view.
Current readingInstruction’s budget share fell: FY23 34.0% → FY27 27.5% (FY23–FY27) — Instruction’s share of the budget fell every year, FY23–FY27
What it measures
The Instruction program (faculty and instructional staff salaries and teaching costs) as a share of the General Use budget.
How it is computed
Instruction’s General Use dollars ÷ total General Use, each year, from the book’s Budget by Program table. A highlighted “Without NIAR” view repeats it without the NIAR research unit.
Source and years
Budget books FY23–FY27.
Why it matters
The share of money that reaches teaching is the most direct budget measure of academic priority.
How to read it
A falling share means other programs grew faster, even if Instruction dollars held.
What it does not show
Program coding is the university’s own; new Instruction lines appear in later books (noted under By program).
Each division’s share of the General Use budget: Academic Affairs, Finance & Administration, President’s Office, Student Affairs, Industry & Defense Programs, Research.
How it is computed
Division totals from the book’s Budget by Division table ÷ the General Use total; unit-level detail from Table V.
Source and years
Budget books FY23–FY27, Table V.
Why it matters
Shows whether the academic side or the administrative side gained budget share.
How to read it
Open View analysis for the units inside each division and their change.
What it does not show
Units moved between divisions (for example in FY24) shift shares; the analysis names them.
Current readingAcademic Affairs General Use fell $4.8M in one year: FY26 $97.8M → FY27 $93.0M ▼ −4.9% (FY26–FY27)
What it measures
The one-year change in Academic Affairs’ General Use budget, with its units.
How it is computed
FY26 against FY27 division totals and unit lines (Table V); the book’s own “Academic Affairs Reallocation” and its share of the FY27 recurring reductions.
Source and years
Budget books FY26 and FY27.
Why it matters
The most recent budget decision, ahead of long-run trends.
How to read it
The units table lists the largest reductions first.
What it does not show
Budgeted; a unit moved between divisions changes a total without changing spending.
Current readingMore money, fewer degree-seeking students: FY23 $163.8M → FY27 $180.3M ▲ +10.1% (FY23–FY27) — Tuition and state funding rose while degree-seeking enrollment fell, FY23–FY27
What it measures
Tuition income plus the state’s General Operating allocation (the two sources of General Use money) against degree-seeking enrollment.
How it is computed
Budgeted tuition and allocation FY23–FY27, each fiscal year matched with the fall census that opens it (Fall 2022 for FY23 … Fall 2026 for FY27).
Source and years
Budget books; WSU Fall Census (factbook PDF to Fall 2025, 10-year workbook for Fall 2026).
Why it matters
More money with fewer students means more money per student; the question is where it goes.
How to read it
Degree-seeking = total headcount minus non-degree students (high-school and college guests, open admission).
What it does not show
Budgeted revenue, not receipts; not inflation-adjusted.
What students are charged beyond tuition, and the tuition reserve.
Program fees
Current readingProgram fees rose a typical 33% since FY22: +33% typical change Largest: Medical Laboratory Sciences $106.87 → $250 (+134%) (FY22–FY27)
What it measures
Fees charged to a program’s own students (nursing, physical therapy, physician associate, dental hygiene, medical laboratory sciences, social work and others).
How it is computed
Approved rates each year; the typical (median) change since FY22, and the largest.
Source and years
Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) comprehensive fee schedules FY18–FY27.
Why it matters
Program fees add to the cost of particular degrees on top of tuition.
How to read it
Compare with resident tuition’s change over the same years.
What it does not show
Approved rates, not amounts collected; not inflation-adjusted.
Current readingCollege course fees rose up to 25% since FY22: FY22 $20 → FY27 $25 ▲ +25% (FY22–FY27); Five fees added since FY22: 5 new fees (FY22–FY27)
What it measures
Per-credit-hour fees on every course of a college (Business, Engineering, Fine Arts, Liberal Arts & Sciences, Education by department), and fees created since FY22.
How it is computed
Approved rates by year; a fee is new when it first appears in a schedule.
Source and years
KBOR fee schedules; WSU’s own fee tables in its tuition proposals (FY20–FY27).
Why it matters
Course fees are paid by everyone who takes the college’s courses.
How to read it
The college page’s fee tiles compare the approved rates with WSU’s own fee tables.
Classes offered, class size, credit hours and how classes are taught. The six colleges, 20-21 to 25-26 (26-27 is Fall 2026 only).
Classes offered and class size
Current readingFewer, larger classes: Sections −2.6% Student credit hours +7.5% average class 22.5 → 25.3 students (AY 20-21 to 25-26)
What it measures
Sections offered (classes of 2 or more credits with students) and the average number of students per class.
How it is computed
From WSU’s public class schedule each term; cross-listed and split sections counted once; empty sections, independent study, theses, internships and practica left out.
Source and years
WSU class schedule (Banner), Spring 2020–Fall 2026.
Why it matters
Fewer, larger classes mean less individual attention and fewer choices; more credit hours through fewer sections is the efficiency side.
How to read it
Read sections together with student credit hours.
What it does not show
Averages hide the spread between seminars and lectures.
Current readingRetention lowest of six; graduation up: Fall 2019 75.7% → Fall 2024 71.7% −4.0 points; median of the other five −1.0 (Fall 2019–Fall 2024)
What it measures
First-year retention (first-time, full-time freshmen still enrolled a year later) and four- and six-year graduation rates, against the five other Kansas state universities.
How it is computed
KBOR Data Book Tables 3.7 and 3.8.
Source and years
KBOR State University Data Book, 2026 edition.
Why it matters
The outcome measures that matter most to students and to funding.
How to read it
Rank 1 = highest of six.
What it does not show
First-time, full-time students only; each university reports its own cohort.
Who is on the faculty and how that changed. Faculty = a tenure-track or non-tenure-track budget line above 0.50 FTE.
Tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty
Current readingTenure-track faculty declined: FY22 360 → FY27 316 ▼ −12% (FY22–FY27) — WSU has 44 fewer tenure-track faculty than in FY22, and 70 more non-tenure-track
What it measures
Filled faculty positions in the six colleges by track.
How it is computed
Named budget lines above 0.50 FTE; chairs and school directors counted at their rank; deans and associate/assistant deans left out; FY27 adds faculty hired after the book (from department web pages) and removes owner-confirmed departures.
Source and years
Budget books FY19–FY27; department web pages.
Why it matters
Tenure-track faculty carry research, graduate supervision and the long-term curriculum.
How to read it
The college page shows the same by department.
What it does not show
Positions, not people’s time; a 0.75 FTE line counts as one.
Current readingTenure-track faculty fell by 13 in one year: 43 no longer counted → 30 newly counted ▼ net −13 (FY26 → FY27)
What it measures
Who left the tenure-track count between FY26 and FY27 and who joined.
How it is computed
Leavers by kind (left, retirement payout, moved to administration, part-time, moved to non-tenure-track); joiners by kind (new, returned after years with no line, back from administration).
Source and years
Budget books; hires after the book from web pages.
Why it matters
Separates real departures from title changes.
How to read it
A returning faculty member is not counted as a new hire.
Current readingTenure-track pay lost purchasing power: −3.8% after inflation +17.6% before inflation (FY22–FY27); Non-tenure-track pay outpaced inflation: +6.8% after inflation +30.6% before inflation (FY22–FY27); $100K+ faculty pay lost purchasing power: −10.7% after inflation +9.2% before inflation (FY22–FY27)
What it measures
Average salary of the same faculty, on the books in every year FY22–FY27, same track, never a chair, director or dean in between.
How it is computed
Average per 1.0 FTE; after inflation with the consumer price index (CPI-U) over the same months.
Source and years
Budget books; US Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U.
Why it matters
Removes the effect of people joining and leaving: it shows what happened to the pay of those who stayed.
How to read it
A negative change after inflation means buying power fell.
What it does not show
Promotions are included unless the “without promotion” line is used.
Current readingSenior administration vs Nebraska: FY21 20 → FY27 37 ▲ +85% Total pay $3.3M → $8.3M (+$5.0M) (FY21–FY27)
What it measures
Named senior positions (president, provost, vice presidents, associate and assistant vice presidents, deans) and their total pay, against Nebraska–Lincoln and Nebraska–Omaha.
How it is computed
The same title rules at each university.
Source and years
Budget books; University of Nebraska budgeted employee files.
Why it matters
Leadership cost and growth compared with neighbours.
Current reading$31.73 → $35.51 of administration pay per $100 of Instruction pay (FY22→FY27) — 5 of six administration lines grew faster than Instruction pay, FY22–FY27
What it measures
Salaries and benefits of six administration lines (Academic, Executive, General, Physical Plant, Financial Aid, Student Services administration) against Instruction’s, FY22–FY27.
How it is computed
Table II (Operating Budget Summary by Program) of each budget book, General Use plus Restricted Use; General Administration counted as its offices (unit pages).
Source and years
Budget books FY22–FY27, Table II and unit pages.
Why it matters
Shows whether administration pay grew faster than teaching pay.
How to read it
Each card draws both as an index (FY22 = 100); the home figure is the six lines per $100 of Instruction pay.
What it does not show
Student Services Administration is one unit (the LAS Advising Center); Fiscal Operations is left out (it holds reserves).
What teaching brings in, at the lowest possible rates, against faculty pay. College page, five colleges (Health Professions not included).
Minimum tuition revenue from teaching
Current reading$79.7M across the five colleges in 25-26; $6.5M (Fine Arts) to $31.2M (Liberal Arts & Sciences) in 25-26
What it measures
The least revenue the classes a college, department or person taught could have brought in.
How it is computed
Student credit hours × (resident tuition per credit hour + the college course fee); the graduate rate only for classes numbered 700 and up; team-taught classes split equally.
Source and years
Class schedule; KBOR fee schedules.
Why it matters
Puts teaching volume in dollars, so it can be set beside pay.
How to read it
A floor: out-of-state students, campus fees and program fees would add more.
What it does not show
Not actual collections; independent study and theses not counted.
Current reading48% (Fine Arts) to 88% (Engineering) in 25-26 of credit hours taught by faculty
What it measures
Who teaches the credit hours: tenure-track faculty, non-tenure-track faculty, or instructors not on a faculty line (graduate assistants, adjuncts, staff, part-time lines).
How it is computed
Each class’s credit hours split equally among its instructors, matched to budget lines above 0.50 FTE that year.
Source and years
Class schedule; budget books.
Why it matters
Shows how much teaching depends on instructors outside the faculty.
How to read it
By department in View analysis.
What it does not show
An instructor the budget book does not list counts as not on a faculty line.
Wichita State against the other Kansas state universities, its federal peer groups and the Nebraska campuses.
Kansas state universities (KBOR Data Book)
Current readingInstruction spending per student grew the least of the six: +4.5% 6th of 6; Administration per $100 of instruction: about double the typical university: $50.91 2nd of 6
What it measures
Wichita State against Kansas, Kansas State, Emporia State, Pittsburg State and Fort Hays State on the same definitions: instruction, administration and pay, staffing, tuition and students.
How it is computed
Figures printed in the Board of Regents’ State University Data Book; shares, ranks and medians computed from them.
Source and years
KBOR State University Data Book, 2018–2026 editions.
Why it matters
The same definitions for all six universities.
How to read it
Rank 1 = highest; the median is of the other five.
What it does not show
KU excludes the Medical Center, K-State excludes Vet Med and Extension; each university codes its own programs.
Current readingInstruction’s share of spending is below the KBOR peers: FY2018 36.5% → FY2024 35.0% KBOR peers 42.1% → 37.0% (FY2018–FY2024); Faculty pay is below the KBOR peers at every rank: 2018-19 $71.3K → 2024-25 $83.4K KBOR peers $81.6K → $87.9K (2018-19 to 2024-25)
What it measures
Wichita State against its five KBOR-assigned peers, five aspirational peers and regional universities: spending shares, spending per student, faculty pay, staffing, tenure-line share, tuition.
How it is computed
US Department of Education IPEDS complete data files, 2018–2024; medians of each group.
Source and years
IPEDS (nces.ed.gov).
Why it matters
The national standard for comparing universities.
How to read it
Explore every metric on the IPEDS page; groups are listed there.
What it does not show
IPEDS counts the whole university with NIAR and allocates plant costs to functions, so it differs from the budget books.
Decisions applied the same way on every page, the chatbot and the audit.
Who counts as faculty
What it measures
A budget line above 0.50 FTE with a faculty rank. Salaries are shown per 1.0 FTE with the fraction beside them. Department chairs and school directors are faculty at their rank; their chair or director years are shown but kept out of averages. Deans and associate/assistant deans are administration.
How it is computed
Applied in the data builders; the same rule on charts, tables and the chatbot.
Source and years
Owner decisions 2026-10-05 to 2026-10-19.
Why it matters
One definition everywhere, so numbers agree.
How to read it
‡ marks a role year in tables.
What it does not show
Titles are parsed by rule; unusual titles are checked by hand.
Departures, payouts and returns
What it measures
Owner-confirmed leavers still printed in the FY27 book are out of FY27 counts and averages (their courses stay). An FY27 line about half of FY26 with no Fall 2026 class is a retirement payout. A person absent for years and back in FY27 is “Returned”, not new.
How it is computed
data/wsu_fy27_departures.json, retirement detection, status rules.
Source and years
Owner; class schedule; web pages.
Why it matters
Counts reflect who is actually teaching.
How to read it
The person panel shows the status.
What it does not show
Web pages lag; names are checked by search before anyone is removed.
NIAR and research
What it measures
NIAR (the National Institute for Aviation Research) is left out of staff, faculty and pay figures; budget figures keep the book’s totals and add a “Without NIAR” view.
How it is computed
Unit and title rules.
Source and years
Budget books.
Why it matters
NIAR’s contract staff would swamp university-wide staff trends.
How to read it
Tabs say “Whole university excl. NIAR”.
What it does not show
IPEDS includes NIAR.
Years and periods
What it measures
Fiscal years (FY27 = July 2026–June 2027) for budgets and pay; academic years (25-26) for classes; fall census for enrollment; calendar years for payroll. Money and students are compared over matched windows (FY23 with Fall 2022). Year menus open on the latest year; a partial year is marked *.
How it is computed
Every tile carries its period badge.
Source and years
All pages.
Why it matters
Comparisons over the same years.
How to read it
FY and AY are never mixed in one figure.
What it does not show
Partial years carry no ratios.
Inflation
What it measures
After-inflation changes use the US consumer price index (CPI-U), over the same months as the comparison.
How it is computed
Change in pay minus change in prices, compounded.
Source and years
US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Why it matters
Shows buying power.
How to read it
Every pay tile shows before and after inflation.
What it does not show
National prices, not Wichita’s.
Data sources
Every figure on the site comes from one of these public documents, 20 in all, grouped by who publishes them. Each page’s Data sources button lists the same, with that page’s own notes.
Documents used, by publisher
What it measures
Wichita State University
Annual Operating Budget books, FY18–FY27 · source Budget by program and division, Table II salaries by program, Table V units, every named position, salary and FTE, vacant lines (budget, positions, pay, staff, administration)
Annual Financial Reports (audited), FY19–FY25 · source Actual spending by function and revenue by source
Tuition and fee proposals to the Board of Regents, FY22–FY25 · source Tuition carry-forward (General Fees Fund) and WSU’s own fee tables
Class search (Banner), Spring 2020–Fall 2026 · source Classes offered, enrollment, class size, credit hours, delivery mode, instructors and teaching load, minimum tuition revenue
Office of Planning and Analysis: Fall Census factbook and 10-year workbook, Fall 2016–Fall 2026 · source Degree-seeking enrollment, students per faculty member
Office of Planning and Analysis: Institutional and Aspirational Peers, 2022 · source The aspirational peer group on the IPEDS page
Department faculty web pages and news releases, 2025–2026 · source Faculty hired after the FY27 book; departures (checked by search); Fall 2025 enrollment announcement
Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR)
Comprehensive tuition and fee schedules, AY2018–AY2027 · source Resident tuition per credit hour (undergraduate and graduate), college course fees, program fees, differential tuition
State university tuition and fee proposals (Board packets), FY2020, FY2021, FY2026, FY2027 · source Tuition carry-forward of all six state universities (Appendix F-2)
State University Data Book, 2018–2026 editions · source KBOR stats page: spending by function, raises, positions, tuition, enrollment, retention and graduation; KBOR-assigned peers (Table 4.35)
State of Kansas
KansasOpenGov, Payroll, All State Employees (Kansas Policy Institute), Calendar 2021–2025 · source Actual pay of WSU employees against budgeted salary
KanView employee compensation, FY2021–FY2025 · source The state record behind KansasOpenGov (reference)
Other universities
University of Nebraska system: operating budgets and budgeted employee files (Nebraska–Lincoln, Nebraska–Omaha), FY21–FY27 · source Faculty pay by rank, same-person raises and senior administration against Wichita State
University of Nebraska at Omaha: enrollment reports, Fall 2025 · source Enrollment beside the pay comparison
University of Kansas: faculty salary listings, FY26–FY27 KU salaries for the chatbot’s same-rank comparisons
Kansas State University: budget facts and fact cards, FY19–FY26 · source Regional comparison of instruction budgets
University of Oklahoma: annual operating budget, FY23–FY27 · source Regional comparison of instruction budgets
Colorado State University: operating budget summaries, FY24–FY27 · source Regional comparison of instruction budgets
Federal agencies
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics: IPEDS complete data files, 2018–2024 · source IPEDS peers page and the home Peers tab: spending by function, faculty salaries, staff by position, enrollment, retention, tuition, for Wichita State and its peer groups
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Consumer Price Index (CPI-U), 2021–2026 · source Every change in pay after inflation
Collected, not yet used on the site
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE): E&G budget summaries FY2019–FY2025, faculty salaries 2016-17 to 2020-21, tuition and fee rates
Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development: comprehensive fee data FY2016–FY2027 and the 2026 factbook
Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education (CCPE): enrollment workbook
Kansas Board of Regents: enrollment reports; University of Kansas operating budgets and executive summaries FY2023–FY2027
How it is computed
Extracted by script, checked against the documents, recomputed by an audit before every release.
Wichita State University — Office of Planning & Analysis fact books and data reports (enrollment and course censuses, degrees, student credit hours, and WSU’s own peer-institution metrics): wichita.edu/services/planning_and_analysis/BIPM_Reports_Stu.php
Wichita State dashboard handbook, built 2026-10-20 from the published pages and data files. Independent, not affiliated with Wichita State University.
All data sources used on this site (20)
Wichita State University
Annual Operating Budget books, FY18–FY27 · source Budget by program and division, Table II salaries by program, Table V units, every named position, salary and FTE, vacant lines (budget, positions, pay, staff, administration)
Annual Financial Reports (audited), FY19–FY25 · source Actual spending by function and revenue by source
Tuition and fee proposals to the Board of Regents, FY22–FY25 · source Tuition carry-forward (General Fees Fund) and WSU’s own fee tables
Class search (Banner), Spring 2020–Fall 2026 · source Classes offered, enrollment, class size, credit hours, delivery mode, instructors and teaching load, minimum tuition revenue
Office of Planning and Analysis: Fall Census factbook and 10-year workbook, Fall 2016–Fall 2026 · source Degree-seeking enrollment, students per faculty member
Office of Planning and Analysis: Institutional and Aspirational Peers, 2022 · source The aspirational peer group on the IPEDS page
Department faculty web pages and news releases, 2025–2026 · source Faculty hired after the FY27 book; departures (checked by search); Fall 2025 enrollment announcement
Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR)
Comprehensive tuition and fee schedules, AY2018–AY2027 · source Resident tuition per credit hour (undergraduate and graduate), college course fees, program fees, differential tuition
State university tuition and fee proposals (Board packets), FY2020, FY2021, FY2026, FY2027 · source Tuition carry-forward of all six state universities (Appendix F-2)
State University Data Book, 2018–2026 editions · source KBOR stats page: spending by function, raises, positions, tuition, enrollment, retention and graduation; KBOR-assigned peers (Table 4.35)
State of Kansas
KansasOpenGov, Payroll, All State Employees (Kansas Policy Institute), Calendar 2021–2025 · source Actual pay of WSU employees against budgeted salary
KanView employee compensation, FY2021–FY2025 · source The state record behind KansasOpenGov (reference)
Other universities
University of Nebraska system: operating budgets and budgeted employee files (Nebraska–Lincoln, Nebraska–Omaha), FY21–FY27 · source Faculty pay by rank, same-person raises and senior administration against Wichita State
University of Nebraska at Omaha: enrollment reports, Fall 2025 · source Enrollment beside the pay comparison
University of Kansas: faculty salary listings, FY26–FY27 KU salaries for the chatbot’s same-rank comparisons
Kansas State University: budget facts and fact cards, FY19–FY26 · source Regional comparison of instruction budgets
University of Oklahoma: annual operating budget, FY23–FY27 · source Regional comparison of instruction budgets
Colorado State University: operating budget summaries, FY24–FY27 · source Regional comparison of instruction budgets
Federal agencies
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics: IPEDS complete data files, 2018–2024 · source IPEDS peers page and the home Peers tab: spending by function, faculty salaries, staff by position, enrollment, retention, tuition, for Wichita State and its peer groups
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Consumer Price Index (CPI-U), 2021–2026 · source Every change in pay after inflation
Collected, not yet used on the site
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE): E&G budget summaries FY2019–FY2025, faculty salaries 2016-17 to 2020-21, tuition and fee rates
Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development: comprehensive fee data FY2016–FY2027 and the 2026 factbook
Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education (CCPE): enrollment workbook
Kansas Board of Regents: enrollment reports; University of Kansas operating budgets and executive summaries FY2023–FY2027
Unofficial, independent, not affiliated with Wichita State University, and not guaranteed accurate — do your own assessment. This site is a personal, independent compilation of publicly published budget books, budgeted-employee reports and state payroll records. It is not affiliated with, reviewed by or endorsed by Wichita State University or any other university, and nothing here is an official figure or statement. The numbers were extracted by software and the answers are generated by an AI assistant; both can contain errors (mis-read lines, mis-matched names, mis-classified titles, mistaken interpretation), and salary figures are budgeted or payroll amounts, not what any person ultimately earned. Nothing on this site is advice, and it must not be used for any employment, compensation, evaluation or other decision. Treat everything as a starting point: ask the data box your own questions, plot what you want to see, and verify against the official documents listed under Data sources at the top of the page.
What data this site holds. Wichita State budgets and budgeted employees for FY2019–FY2027, set against the published budgets of Kansas State, Oklahoma, Nebraska–Omaha and Colorado State. Budgeted salaries by name, rank and department for every faculty member at Wichita State, the University of Kansas and the University of Nebraska campuses (UNL, UNO), and for the non-faculty staff named in the Wichita State budget books. Actual income (calendar-year total pay received, from state payroll records via KansasOpenGov) for every employee at the three Kansas universities, Wichita State, Kansas and Kansas State, for 2021–2025. Questions in the Ask box are answered only from this data.
How the figures were computed. Every number on this site was extracted from the source documents and calculated by deterministic, re-runnable scripts — the same inputs always give the same figures, and no number was typed by hand or produced by AI. AI is used only to phrase the Ask-the-data answers from those precomputed figures. Where a figure is an estimate (promotion increments from the budget books’ medians, hire-year vacancy budgets), the page says so where it appears.
This site is a personal, independent compilation and analysis of publicly available documents: the annual operating budget books and budgeted-employee reports published by Wichita State University, the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, the University of Nebraska system and the University of Oklahoma, enrollment factbooks, and the State of Kansas payroll records published through KansasOpenGov. It is not an official publication, statement, or position of any of those universities, the Kansas Board of Regents, the State of Kansas, or any of their offices, and has not been reviewed or endorsed by them. The author is a faculty member acting in a personal capacity.
Figures were extracted programmatically from PDF and spreadsheet documents, linked across years and across sources by name, and summarized by software. The "Ask the data" answers and the "why this salary changed" explanations are generated by an AI assistant from that data. While figures were cross-checked against the source documents during preparation, extraction, name-matching, title-classification, department-merging and AI-interpretation errors are possible, and some figures (hire-year vacancy budgets, split budget lines, merged department names) are the author's reconstructions, explained where they appear. Budgeted salaries are what a budget book funded a position at, and payroll figures are calendar-year totals as published by the state; neither is a statement of what any individual ultimately earned, and none of it is advice. Nothing on this site should be used for any employment, compensation, evaluation, hiring or other decision about any person — readers should verify against the original source documents linked in this page's footer. Everything is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind, and the author accepts no liability for errors or for any use made of it. Names appear only as they are printed in those public records; anyone who believes a figure about them is wrong is invited to point to the source line and it will be corrected. Category labels ("Instruction," "Academic Support," "Institutional Support," etc.) and their plain-language descriptions reflect WSU's own budget-program definitions; the "faculty salary proxy" language used for Instruction is this author's characterization, not an official designation, since the Instruction program also includes some non-salary instructional costs.
Headlines, framing, and commentary throughout this page reflect this author's interpretation of the underlying public data and are offered for informational and discussion purposes only. They are not statements of fact about any individual's or office's conduct, are not intended to imply wrongdoing, and should not be relied upon as financial, legal, or official institutional guidance.
