Rectors are similar to university presidents.
The rectors' visit is funded by a federal grant to KU's Office of International Studies, according to George Woodyard, dean of international studies. Like Kansas, Ecuador guarantees its high school graduates access to any of the state's public universities. But unlike Kansas, Ecuador's government traditionally has paid each student's tuition. A fiscal crisis and high rates of inflation have forced Ecuador to re-examine how it finances higher education, Woodyard said. Ecuador's universities are engaged in a reform process, and funding higher education is a critical issue.