Higher education in Kansas faces challenges, especially diminishing budgetary support from the state. Emporia State University faces this challenge along with a decline in fall 2011 enrollment and the search for a new president. I met with Jim Williams, Associate Provost for Enrollment Management and Vice President for Strategic Partnerships to discuss these challenges. Asked to describe the impact of state funding cuts, Williams said, “The biggest impact the campus struggles with is the number of positions we’re not filling — support and instructional positions.” The result is that the positions cut are “borne on the backs of engaged faculty who have picked up the load, which has come at the expense of their ability to either engage in research that strengthens the learning experience for students or expand the course offerings in which students enroll.” It sometimes means that a faculty member must accept a heavier teaching load, cutting into time for community and university service and time to counsel students—expectations for faculty promotion and tenure.