Kansas Universities' Athletic Directors Paid In Part By The State

Universities' athletic programs often operate separately from the universities themselves, with separate budgets.

But the Topeka Capital-Journal reports that except at Kansas State University, the state's regents universities all pay a portion of their athletic directors' salaries. That means state funding is contributing to the salaries.

At the University of Kansas, which pays about 40 percent of Athletic Director Sheahon Zenger's salary, the university says the arrangement helps the school maintain proper oversight over athletics.

At Wichita State University, the WSU Intercollegiate Athletic Association relies on university funding for all of its employees but reimburses the state for some of them, the Capital-Journal reports.