FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 29, 2026
KBOR President and CEO Blake Flanders announces upcoming retirement
(Topeka, Kan.) – Today, the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) President and CEO Blake Flanders announced that he will retire from his role on June 30, 2026. President Flanders has served as President and CEO since July 1, 2015.
“I am thankful for the opportunity to have served Kansas and proud of all that our public higher education system has accomplished during the last decade,” said President Flanders. “Kansas colleges and universities create life-changing opportunities for families and are engines of economic growth in our state. I know that our system is well-positioned to help Kansas build a bright and prosperous future.”
“The Regents are incredibly thankful to President Flanders for his service,” said KBOR Chair Blake Benson. “Throughout his tenure, Dr. Flanders has addressed our most pressing challenges with bold, data-driven solutions that are grounded in outcomes and accountability. Our higher education system and our entire state have benefitted from his innovative leadership and commitment to serving Kansas. The Board wishes President Flanders all the best in the next phase of his career.”
President Flanders led the development and implementation of the Board’s current strategic plan, Building a Future. Under this plan, the Kansas higher education system has initiated a number of promising practices to support student success, increase affordability, expand the research enterprise, address deferred maintenance and facilities at state universities, and drive economic growth in the state.
“I would like to thank the Regents, elected officials, business and community partners, college and university leaders, and Board office staff with whom I have had the opportunity to work,” said President Flanders. “I look forward to helping the Board with a smooth and successful transition in the coming months.”
Under President Flanders’ leadership, Building a Future has yielded significant results for Kansas. In the five years since it was adopted, on-time graduation rates at state universities have increased by nearly 10 percentage points, state funded student financial aid has nearly quadrupled, enrollment of Pell recipients has increased, dual/concurrent enrollment has grown 16 percent, and starting wages for graduates from the Kansas system have increased by 29 percent. The Board’s facilities renewal initiative has leveraged a mix of state support and private fundraising efforts to align state university facilities with institutional mission and needs, resulting in improved data and an increased annual reinvestment in existing facilities along with a strategic reduction in footprint of nearly 750,000 square feet and $123 million reduction in deferred maintenance backlog.
Other accomplishments from President Flanders’ tenure include developing Kansas DegreeStats, launching a Military Articulation Portal, introducing Apply Free Days, expanding Career Technical Education programming and hiring 11 state university CEOs.
For more information, please contact Matt Keith at
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About the Kansas Board of Regents
The nine-member Kansas Board of Regents is the governing board of the state’s six universities and the statewide coordinating board for the state’s 32 public higher education institutions (six state universities, one municipal university, nineteen community colleges, and six technical colleges). In addition, the Board administers the state’s student financial aid, adult education, high school equivalency, and career and technical education programs. Private proprietary schools and out-of-state institutions are authorized by the Kansas Board of Regents to operate in Kansas.
Visit the Kansas Board of Regents online at www.kansasregents.org.