|
The Madisonville Messenger
October 27, 2004
College forums collecting input
Rising tuition costs, aging population lead concerns
A similar theme keeps emerging in forums across Kentucky on postsecondary education
-- the need to keep college affordable.
"We've heard a lot in the forums to date on affordability," Council
on Postsecondary Education President Tom Layzell said during Tuesday night's
forum at Madisonville-North Hopkins High School. "We think that may be
something we need to put an emphasis on."
The state ranks close to the top in family ability to pay at public universities
and community colleges, according to data presented at the meeting. It also
ranks fifth lowest in student debt.
However, affordability remains a major concern, Layzell said.
"We've had to raise tuition significantly at public institutions over
the past few years, and private institutions have had to do the same,"
he said.
Another shared concern is dealing with the state¹s aging population, Layzell
said.
Nearly 100 education leaders from across the region attended the "Can
We Talk?" forum on postsecondary education and Kentucky's future in Madisonville
Tuesday. Those present included seven college presidents, including Dr. King
Alexander of Murray State University, Dr. Gary Ransdell of Western Kentucky
University and Dr. Judy Rhoads of Madisonville Community College.
Participants said challenges in this part of the state include convincing students
they need to continue their education, improving math and science instruction,
and building new facilities -- specifically the technology centers proposed
for Henderson, Owensboro and Madisonville.
Christian County Superintendent Bob Lovingood spoke of the need for better
course alignment between educational levels.
"There needs to be stronger discussions between postsecondary and high
school teachers about the core content we need to teach in high school,"
he said.
MCC Professor Scott Vander Ploeg voiced concerns about long-term problems that
may result from a resurgence of the coal industry.
"I'm worried about coal as a challenge," he said. "What we're
seeing is a lot of emphasis on this as economic development," he said.
"I'm worried about this as quick gain, short-term economic development."
Issues the council can help address include increasing the number of areas
residents with college degrees, said Dr. Susan Edington, coordinator of Murray
State University¹s 2+2 education program at MCC.
"We've proved that if we offer bachelor's degrees, the students will come
take advantage," she said. "But we need more, especially in Hopkins
County.
You need to expand the offerings."
This is the eighth forum the council has held across the state. The last one
is tonight in Glasgow.
Following the open discussion and data presentation, participants broke into
smaller groups to continue to talk about issues facing the region.
After the data collected during the forums is analyzed, council representatives
will return to the different regions to present what they have learned, CPE
spokeswoman Sue Patrick said during a Tuesday afternoon interview. The end product
will be a statewide public agenda to guide postsecondary education during the
upcoming years, plus an action plan that details how those goals will be reached.
"We're not just going out knocking on doors to be friendly," Patrick
said.
"We're really looking to engage the community in a long-term process."
The forums are part of requirements of the Kentucky Postsecondary Education
Act of 1997. Goals of the law include increasing educational attainment, strengthening
research capacity and improving work force skills.
"If we're going to build the type of postsecondary institutions that will
help move the commonwealth forward, it's going to take the engagement of the
business community, community leaders, students and parents," Patrick said.
"Really, what we build needs to be responsive to the needs of the community.We
need to work together."
As part of the effort, the council has launched an online survey for residents
to give their views on matters related to postsecondary education.
The survey is being conducted in conjunction with Tuesday¹s forum.
The survey may be accessed at http://www.cpe.ky.gov/canwetalk.
Paducah Sun
October 26, 2004
Hard part said still ahead on college reform in state
Education and economic development groups hear the state postsecondary
education council's president
The state's colleges have made great strides in seven years, the Kentucky Council
on Postsecondary Education president said Monday, but "we've got a long
way to go yet" to reach national averages for degree completion.
Council President Thomas Layzell made the statement to the Sun's editorial
board before meeting with local education and economic development groups in
the evening. "I like to say that we're at the end of the beginning of postsecondary
education reform. We've made a lot of progress in a short amount of time. ...
I don't want to disparage anything we've done, but the easy part is over."
The council predicts that Kentucky will need 215,000 more people with bachelor's
degrees to reach the 36.4 percent national average for degree completion by
2020. The state average for 2000 was 18.8 percent.
About 100 people attended Monday night's meeting, the sixth in an eight-session
series to gauge the state's needs and how postsecondary institutions can meet
them. The council will hold forums in Glasgow and Madisonville before returning
this winter to meet with administrators from Murray State University and West
Kentucky Community and Technical College. The council will report its findings
next summer.
Among the region's advantages, participants listed educational opportunities
available at area colleges and accessibility to a variety of transportation
systems. Although some people noted significant job losses at the Continental
General Tire and USEC Inc. plants, others saw it as a chance to recruit new
industry.
"Higher education is going to have to be ready to retrain those employees
in ... the advanced technology they're going to need to get new jobs,"
said John Carrico, West Kentucky's dean of business affairs. "We need a
structure to help us do that."
It was also suggested that postsecondary schools need ways to evaluate and
retrain teachers to help them meet students' changing needs. Another problem,
some said, is convincing high school students of the importance of further training
to fill jobs that will require a higher degree of education. The goal is to
keep the students in Kentucky when they graduate.
Layzell said concerns expressed at the forums, such as colleges' cooperation
with kindergarten-through-12th-grade systems as well as keeping tuition affordable,
have not been surprising. To meet those needs, Layzell said colleges are going
to need more than just additional state funding or legislative changes. "We're
going to need to change the way we do things."
The Daily Independent
October 28, 2004
Students take virtual field trip
ASHLAND An outsider might have thought it was a glorified slide show, but to
a group of high school technology students, it was a glimpse of the future.
Sitting in an auditorium at Ashland Community and Technical College, high school
students from Boyd, Carter and Greenup counties joined with students from counties
scattered around Kentucky and Ohio to learn about computer networking.
A laptop projected images of satellite communications systems onto a screen
while the disembodied voice of a speaker told them about the capability of internet-based
systems to use satellites to speed up communication.
Only the local students were actually in the auditorium, however. The others
joined via computer hookup from their own cities in what was billed as a "virtual
field trip."
ACTC is a regional network academy for Cisco Systems, which manufactures and
services computer network equipment; several local high schools serve as local
academies.
In the academy program, the company joins with schools to teach students to
design, build and maintain computer networks.
The voice in the auditorium belonged to Rick Sanford, director of Cisco's Global
Space Initiatives Group.
Satellite networking "is one of the next big leaps,' said Brian Rodehaver,
a professor of information technology at ACTC.
The field trip gave the students an introduction to a technology still in its
infancy by an expert in the field, he said.
Hearing it from Sanford gives the information added credibility, he said.
Students agreed. "It helps when someone explains it to you that it's one
of the main administrators of Cisco," said Jimmy Hillard, a junior from
Paul G. Blazer High School.
The Ashland students were joined by students from Boyd County High School,
Russell Area Technology Center and Carter County Area Technology Center, Rodehaver
said. There were about 60 students total for the session, which is the first
of its kind at ACTC.
Busing the students from their schools to ACTC was worth the time because they
got a look at real-world uses for network technology, said Mickey Williams,
an instructor at the Russell center.
"They're hearing someone who is interesting and who is making a living
doing this stuff," he said.
ACTC will hold a second session in November to discuss the uses of computer
network technology in retailing.
The Daily Independent
October 22, 2004
New 2 + 2 Program in Ashland
ASHLAND, Ky. — To respond to the need for skilled social workers in the
region, Morehead State University has joined with Ashland Community and Technical
College to offer the Bachelor of Social Work degree in Ashland.
Beginning with the spring semester, students may pursue the Social Work degree
at the Morehead State University at Ashland campus.
Students will begin coursework at Ashland Community and Technical College before
transferring to Morehead State to complete the bachelor’s degree requirements.
Earlier this year, Ashland Community and Technical College and Morehead State
University announced plans to move the MSU at Ashland center to ACTC’s
College Drive Campus.
MSU students began taking classes in Ashland at the College Drive Campus in
August.
In recognition of the degree offering and facility move, an agreement signing
ceremony and open house will be hosted by ACTC President and CEO Greg Adkins
and MSU President Ronald G. Eaglin in the Learning Resource Center teleconference
room on Wednesday, Oct. 27, at 5 p.m.
“We are proud to provide a program that meets the needs of those in the
area, and to continue to build this valuable educational partnership for the
benefit of all in the region,” said MSU President Ronald G. Eaglin.
The Kentucky Post
October 25, 2004
Health fix may mean cuts
FRANKFORT -- The health insurance package approved by lawmakers last week means
they'll have less money to spend on other state-funded projects when it comes
time to pass a budget in February.
"Kentucky will have to arrange its priorities for the purpose of determining
what projects and programs would be affected by an expenditure of that level,"
state Budget Director Brad Cowgill said.
Lawmakers decided in a special session to make health insurance less costly
for state employees by spending approximately $200 million to fund it.
So far, the plan has worked.
Kentucky teachers are appeased for now and a strike planned to begin Wednesday
is off. Gov. Ernie Fletcher called the special session when the high cost of
the insurance plan he proposed created an outcry among teachers and state employees.
Both the House and Senate agreed on spending $172 million out of the general
fund -- the source Kentucky uses for funding a myriad of programs including
Medicaid and postsecondary education. Another $25 million will be spent from
three sources: federal, restricted and road funds.
Deputy State Budget Director William Hintze said the road fund would likely
supply about $5 million. The Transportation Cabinet already is overloaded with
road projects it can't afford. The cabinet's budget and fiscal management director
said efficiencies first would be achieved in house before any projects were
delayed.
Legislators seem confident the health insurance plan can be financed through
using predicted increases totaling up to $305 million in the state's revenue
forecast. But Cowgill said the revenue increases projected for fiscal years
2004 and 2005 -- $139 million and $95 million respectively -- had already been
factored into the spending plan.
What's left is $70 million and that's not available until fiscal year 2006,
which starts July 1, 2005. State Rep. Harry Moberly, D-Richmond, on the night
House Bill 1 passed through his chamber said he's confident Kentucky could pay
for this plan.
"The money is available in the old and new revenue estimates," said
Moberly, who chairs the House's budget committee. "The issue is what are
your priorities. Are you going to spend the money on programs or people? We
spent the money on our most precious resource -- people."
The plan received unanimous support in both chambers. Rep. Tom Kerr, R-Taylor
Mill, said the money had to be spent so teachers could educate rather than worry
about health coverage.
"We've got to make sure that we can offer our teachers and state employees
benefits such as retirement and health insurance that at least makes it worth
working in Kentucky," Kerr said noting that in Northern Kentucky teachers
can easily make the choice to head to Ohio for more money.
Kentucky's financial situation is complex. For some time now, the state's been
in a money crunch though recent forecasts indicate the economy is improving.
Still, money paid out has grown, while new revenue has not. Efforts to raise
revenue through gaming and a cigarette tax increase fell flat during this past
session, which ended in gridlock when lawmakers couldn't agree on tax reform.
No adopted budget resulted in the postponement of road projects and capitol
projects, including a special events arena for Northern Kentucky University
and the expansion of the Edgewood campus of Gateway Community and Technical
College. Fletcher currently is running the state on a spending plan he created
that's being challenged in court. The spending plan, which will expire Dec.
31, is not impacted by the increase in funding for health insurance.
The state starts paying for the new health insurance plan Jan. 1, Cowgill said.
Northern Kentucky University President James Votruba said he's concerned postsecondary
education would end up taking more financial hits. NKU has already seen a 9
percent reduction in its base funding.
"Taking $172 million out of this budget puts stress on all who depend
on the budget," Votruba said, though he expressed confidence that Gov.
Fletcher understands the important role postsecondary education plays in economic
development.
Still, Rep. Steve Nunn, R-Glasgow, predicts the coming session won't be an
easy one.
"When we come back -- it's going to be a very difficult situation once
again and we will be faced with a lot of tough decisions," Nunn said.
|
