The Henderson Gleaner
January 20, 2005
HCC official: Pell Grant cuts won't hit hard here
Low-income Henderson Community College students who rely on Pell Grants to
help pay for their higher education probably need not be shaking in their boots
-- or wallets -- over recently announced eligibility changes in that federal
program.
Fern Bishop, HCC coordinator for student financial aid, said Wednesday she
doesn't think the tightened regulations "will affect that many students
here."
She said those who have significant financial need are receiving the full Pell
Grant total of $4,050 for the school year and are not likely to see that amount
reduced when the new eligibility requirements go into effect next fall.
Bishop said about half of the 750 to 800 HCC students currently receiving Pell
Grants qualify for the maximum amount. Pell Grants, which are not repayable,
range from $400 to $4,050 annually depending on financial need.
It is students in households with annual incomes of at least $35,000 to $40,000
who have the greater chance of seeing whittled funding, Bishop said, adding
those students already are apt to be receiving lesser grant amounts.
The greater problem, Bishop said, is that anyone who loses a Pell Grant also
loses eligibility for the state's non-repayable College Access Program (CAP)
Grants of up to $1,400 annually.
The aid coordinator noted that should some students lose all or part of their
Pell Grants in the next school year, "Hopefully, we can help them out"
with other funding sources such as the federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity
Grant or other assistance programs or scholarships.
Bishop reports that about 75 percent of HCC's students receive some form of
financial aid, and that program grows from year to year. In the 2002/2003 academic
year -- the latest for which comprehensive data is available -- previous HCC
assistance records were broken. In that year, student aid totaled $2,633,985,
a $540,491 increase over the 2001/2002 academic year.
Pell Grants, called the "work horse" of federal funding, were received
by 653 HCC students in the 2002/2003 school year, as compared to 419 students
in the 1998/1999 school year.
As enrollment grows and tuition costs rise, applications for Pell Grants (and
other assistance) also increase, Bishop said. Last fall HCC set an enrollment
record with 1,986 students. Enrollment for this semester has not yet been announced,
but is expected to meet or exceed last year's spring semester enrollment of
1,454. Traditionally, fall enrollments significantly exceed spring enrollments.
Eligibility guidelines for Pell Grants are being tightened by the federal Department
of Education because the program has a reported $4.3 billion shortfall. Changes
scheduled for next school year would reduce the amount of state and local taxes
deducted from student and family incomes on the federal student-aid application.
Those eligibility rules haven't been updated in the last 10 years, according
to some reports, or 15 years according to other reports.
Nationally, 1.3 million of the 5 million Americans utilizing Pell Grants are
expected to receive smaller grants or lose eligibility for the assistance.
President Bush announced on Jan. 14 that his fiscal year 2006 budget will ask
Congress to increase the maximum Pell Grant award to $4,550 over five years.
He said the increases would be funded by cut-backs in other areas and the current
Pell Grant shortfall will be eliminated.
The Pell Grant program was created 33 years ago and is named for former Sen.
Claiborne Pell, who was chairman of the Senate Education Committee and a staunch
advocate for the grants that would make college education more accessible for
lower-income students.
The Paducah Sun
January 20, 2005
Paducah marks 5 years of engineering degrees
After years of conflict over the program's size, location and
management, its growth and stability has exceeded expectations
When Tammie Poat left the University of Kentucky in Lexington to return home
to Paducah to attend the UK College of Engineering here, she thought it would
be a piece of cake.
"Boy, was I wrong," said Poat, 25, an engineer at Bechtel Jacobs.
"When I came back, I was very impressed with the faculty here. They were
very knowledgeable. They teach you what you need to know to be successful."
UK, in collaboration with West Kentucky Community and Technical College and
Murray State University, offers studies leading to bachelor’s degrees from
UK in mechanical engineering and chemical engineering.
Representatives from all three schools, as well as community leaders and students,
celebrated five years of graduates from the engineering school Wednesday night
at Crounse Hall, the building that houses the college on the WKCTC campus.
The crowd heard several stories about the success of the program, which began
in 1997, its 64 graduates, and about its less-than-smooth beginnings.
In 1992, local officials said an engineering education program was needed in
the region to meet the needs of industries and to help attract new industries.
UK agreed to offer the courses and degrees at WKCTC, then Paducah Community
College. The start of the program was delayed while community and political
leaders in Paducah and Murray quarreled over the need for the program, where
it should be located and its cost.
Eventually, the Council on Higher Education endorsed the program and helped
work out details on how it would be run, with classes taught by teachers from
all three schools. And today, both the chemical and mechanical engineering programs
are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).
"We tend to do things the hard way in Kentucky, but at least we got it
done," said Tom Lester, UK dean of the college. "Now engineering is
on the lips of the governor and on the lips of many in the General Assembly.
There's nowhere else in the United States where you have two research universities
joining together with a community college on the campus of the community college
to offer an accredited program.
"The people of Paducah and western Kentucky, you are remarkable. No one
thought you could do this. The citizens of this area donated and raised $8 million
for this building. We now have 100 students enrolled in this program. I thought
it would be 10 years before we reached that stability. I think there are great
things to occur yet in Paducah."
UK President Lee Todd said he has a wonderful relationship with both WKCTC
President Barbara Veazey and Murray State University President King Alexander.
None of the three headed their schools when the conflict took place. "This
brings back fond memories," Todd said. "I spoke to the Paducah Chamber
of Commerce on a Friday night, and on Saturday night I spoke to the Murray chamber
and gave the same speech.
"I said even on a big map you are this far apart," he said holding
his fingers up to show the distance between the two towns. "You have to
figure this thing out."
Alexander said the relationship among the three schools is only going to grow.
"Our competition isn't really Lexington or our battlefield in Paducah,"
he said. "Our competition is in Cape Town, South Africa, and New York ...
and New Delhi (India). We're in an intense competition that only in this type
of collaboration can we address. The forward thinkers of this community in some
ways forced us to work together.
"Now we're a model for our state and a model for our nation in many ways."
The Woodford Sun
January 20, 2005
KCTCS hosts blood drive
The Kentucky Community and Technical College System office on North Main Street
hosted a community blood drive Tuesday.
"The community has been so great to us as far as welcoming us into the
community that we wanted to be able to give back a little bit and involve them
in some of our activities," said Charlie Jane Weber, wellness coordinator
at KCTCS. She said KCTCS has plans to host blood drives twice annually.
Weber described the blood drives as one element in the wellness program at
KCTCS.
"We've got about four programs or four events that we run system-wide
to help people to try and focus on health, nutrition, relaxation," she
said. "We're just trying to get all of us into healthier behaviors."
Weber said a half-mile outdoor walking track is being planned around the perimeter
of the KCTCS office building. And she has met with Geri Tincher, a health educator
at the Woodford County Health Department.
Just over 30 KCTCS employees signed up to give blood; however, many more employees
actually donated before afternoon, according to Weber.
The Central Kentucky Blood Center sponsored the blood drive held at KCTCS.
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