(Crestview Hills, KY) — Several hundred people attended a memorial service at Thomas More College this week to honor the service and sacrifice of Marine Lance Corporal Adam D. Peak.

Peak, 25, was killed last Sunday by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He was a 2002 Boone County High School and 2007 Thomas More graduate.

Matthew Webster, Thomas More’s vice president of student affairs, said that the entire community was saddened by the news of Peak’s death. He noted that Peak “really found his way in the Marines and loved it.”

For additional information on the life and service of Lance Corporal Adam Peak, please see:

Florence man killed in Afghanistan (nky.cincinnati.com)
Funeral set for fallen N.Ky Marine (kypost.com)
Kentucky honors fallen Lance Cpl. Adam D. Peak (examiner.com)

1991 Transylvania graduate named Outstanding Young Lawyer for the Kentucky Bar Association

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Angela Logan Edwards, a 1991 graduate of Transylvania University and a partner in the Woodward, Hobson & Fulton, LLP law firm, has been named the 2009 Outstanding Young Lawyer for the Kentucky Bar Association.

The award, in recognition of Edwards’ civic activities, legal accomplishments and community involvement, will be presented at the KBA’s annual convention next week in Covington. The award is designed for Kentucky lawyers 40 and younger, or lawyers who have practiced law for 10 years or less.

Edwards received her J.D. from the University of Kentucky and has been with Woodward, Hobson & Fulton’s Louisville office since 1996. She practices in the areas of commercial and ERISA litigation. She counsels clients with business disputes and represents employee benefit plans, claims administrators and employers with benefits issues. She is the chair of the firm’s Business Litigation Practice Group, serves on the Diversity Committee of the Louisville Bar Association and on the firm’s Diversity Council. She began her career as a law clerk for the Honorable Jennifer B. Coffman, United States District Court judge for the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky.

In 2006, Edwards received a Distinguished Service Award from Transylvania for her outstanding service to the University and she was elected to Transylvania’s Board of Trustees the same year. A member and former president of the Alumni Executive Board, Edwards has been an active member of the Transylvania Alumni Louisville Chapter. Each year, she assists with the University’s fundraising efforts and is a former member of the Pioneer Alumni Recruitment Team. The Alumni Association presented her a Certificate of Appreciation in 2001.

Edwards in the third Transylvania graduate to be named Kentucky’s Outstanding Young Lawyer in recent years; Jennifer Moore was selected in 2005 and Mindy Barfield in 2002.

2009 AIKCU Interns, L-R: Jeweli Wright (Asbury), Jessica Boggs (Campbellsville), Amy
Anderson (Lindsey Wilson), Emily Buckman (Campbellsville), and John Graves (St. Catharine)

Students attending five of Kentucky’s independent colleges have been awarded internships to spend their spring semester working in state government agencies in Frankfort.

While in the state capital from mid-January through mid-April the students will spend 30 hours per week working in state agencies and also complete two state government related seminars. Students will receive up to 15 hours of academic credit from their home institutions.

The internship program is tailored to give college upperclassmen an up-close look at state government.   A related purpose is to help them explore public service as a career option, said Gary S. Cox, president of the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities, the organization sponsoring the program.

“Our 2009 class is another group of outstanding young people, and I am sure that they will perform well in their assorted duties in the governmental agencies to which they’ve been assigned,” said Richard Wilson, the internship program’s coordinator.

Cox said the administration of Governor Steve Beshear deserves particular thanks for its cooperation and strong support of the program and its continuation.  “Without the assistance from the governor’s office and several of Gov. Beshear’s cabinet agencies, this very successful program would not be possible,” Cox added.

Students chosen for the 2009 intern class and the agencies in which they will be working are:

• Amy Anderson, of Columbia, a Lindsey Wilson College sophomore, Council on Postsecondary Education
• Jessica Boggs, a Campbellsville University junior from Whitesburg, Kentucky History Center
• Emily Buckman, a Campbellsville University senior from Lebanon, Department of Fish and Wildlife
• John Graves, a junior at St. Catharine College from Springfield, office of Cabinet Secretary Larry Hayes
• Jeweli Wright, an Asbury College senior from Magnolia, Cabinet for Health and Family Services

Selection to the intern program is based on applicants’ desire to work in government, skills needed by state agencies participating in the program, past academic performance, letters of recommendation and personal interviews.  Participating students receive a stipend to partially cover their living expenses.

The 2009 interns are the ninth class of students to participate in AIKCU’s Frankfort-based internship program. During odd-numbered years, the internships are in agencies of state government’s executive branch. In even-numbered years, students do their internship as aides to members of Kentucky’s General Assembly.

For more information about AIKCU’s Frankfort internship program, visit http://www.aikcu.org/about/initiatives/frankfortinternships/.

Congratulations to Karen Gill, a science teacher at Henry Clay High School in Fayette County, who was named 2009 Kentucky Teacher of the Year at a ceremony at the Capitol in October. Gill holds undergraduate degrees from Transylvania University and earned her Rank I at Georgetown College.

The Kentucky Teacher of the Year award is presented each year by Ashland Inc. and the Kentucky Department of Education. Four out of the last five Kentucky Teachers of the Year hold at least one degree from an AIKCU institution.

Karen V. Gill, 2009 Kentucky Teacher of the Year

Karen Gill has taught for 18 years, 16 of those at Henry Clay High School, where she currently teaches physics and other science courses. Gill earned two bachelor’s degrees at Transylvania University, Lexington; a master’s degree at the University of Kentucky and Rank 1 certification at Georgetown College. Gill is a Physics Teacher Research Agent, National Board Certification candidate mentor, chairperson of the Henry Clay Pathways Committee and a presenter at Modeling Instruction Program workshops. She is the recipient of various honors, including an Engaging Kids to Learn grant, a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, an Ashland Teacher Achievement Award and two Fayette County Merit of Excellence awards. Her professional affiliations are the Modeling Instruction Group, North Central Kentucky Physics Alliance and the American Association of Physics Teachers.

In addition to Gill, an AIKCU alumna was also named 2009 Kentucky Middle School Teacher of the Year. Willow Hambrick, a language arts teacher at Royal Spring Middle School in Scott County, holds a master’s degree from Spalding University.

Willow Hambrick, 2009 Kentucky Middle School Teacher of the Year

Willow Hambrick has taught for 11 years, teaching language arts and writing courses at Royal Spring Middle School for the last two years. Hambrick earned a bachelor’s degree at Hanover College in Indiana; a master’s degree at Spalding University, Louisville; and more than 15 graduate hours at the University of Louisville. She has led writing seminars and cluster leader portfolio training for her school and mentored new language arts teachers. Hambrick sponsors the school’s literary magazine and writer’s club, and she serves as a presenter, guest speaker and lecturer for a range of education forums. She ranked among “Teachers Who Make a Difference” by Lexington’s First Baptist Church Bracktown and among “Teachers Who Go the Extra Mile” by her school. Hambrick’s professional affiliations include the American Academy of Poets and the National Council of Teachers of English.

Gill and Hambrick joined 22 other teachers, including seven other independent college alumni, from across the state who were honored with 2009 Ashland Inc. Teacher Achievement Awards.  Gill received $10,000 and a commemorative crystal-glass bowl for being named Teacher of the Year. Hambrick received $3,00  and a customized, art-glass vase from Ashland Inc.  In addition, the Department of Education will provide a sabbatical or suitable alternative for Gill, who also will represent the state in the 2009 National Teacher of the Year competition.

Other AIKCU alumni honored with 2009 Ashland Inc. Teacher Achievement Awards include:

• Millie Blandford; Washington County High School, Springfield; St. Catharine College (AA), Campbellsville University (BA, MA)
• Jan Vaughn Horn; Shearer Elementary, Winchester; Transylvania University (BA)
• Stacy Lynn Isaac; Martha Jane Potter Elementary, Whitesburg; Alice Lloyd College (BA)
• Dr. Lonnie Ray Laney; Elliott County High School, Sandy Hook; Transylvania University (BA)
• Barbra Ledford; Harlan Elementary, Harlan; Union College (Rank I)
• Jody G. Paver; Southwestern High School, Somerset; Berea College (BA)
• Sandra K. Stapleton; Allen Central Middle School, Eastern; Alice Lloyd College (BA)

See bios on all of the honorees at http://www.ashland.com/commitments/toy_bios.asp

This is the eighth year Ashland Inc. and the Kentucky Department of Education have sponsored the Kentucky Teacher Achievement Awards. Applications for the program were distributed across the state, and the first tier of the selection process was completed in August, with 24 teachers selected as 2009 Ashland Inc. Teacher Achievement Award winners. Nine top scorers – three each from the elementary, middle and high school levels – were selected, and teams of educators visited their classrooms to view them at work and to conduct personal interviews. From those nine, three were selected as 2009 Kentucky Teachers of the Year. The overall Kentucky Teacher of the Year then was selected, based on a compilation of scores from all phases of the judging.

Ashland Inc. has recognized outstanding Kentucky teachers with its Teacher Achievement Awards since 1988. Nearly $577,000 has been awarded to nearly 375 teachers in grades K to 12.

FRANKFORT, Ky. - Dr. Jim Applegate, vice president for academic affairs at the Council on Postsecondary Education, has accepted a position as senior vice president for the Lumina Foundation on Education in Indianapolis. Lumina’s board of directors approved his appointment yesterday, and he will begin his new duties on Oct. 1.Lumina, with assets totaling $1.5 billion dollars, is one of the few major foundations focused entirely on higher education with a mission to serve low income, minority and adult learners. To date, Lumina has awarded more than $300 million in grants to advance the work of higher education.

In his new position, Applegate will play a key role in defining the foundation’s funding programs over the next decade as well as strategically investing resources to dramatically increase education attainment in the United States.

“Jim’s ability to cultivate new relationships will expand Lumina’s horizons and give us new venues for achieving the goal of dramatically increasing the number of Americans with high-quality postsecondary degrees,” said Jamie Merisotis, Lumina’s president and chief executive officer. “His proven track record for promoting public engagement and outreach in postsecondary education as well as increasing college persistence and graduation rates will assist Lumina as we strive to mobilize people and ideas on a broad scale.”

Richard Crofts, interim president of the Council on Postsecondary Education, said, “Jim has served Kentucky exceedingly well and we are indeed grateful. He has devoted his career at the Council to leading a broad array of initiatives that are focused on raising the educational attainment of Kentuckians, from creating access to ensuring student success.”

“While we are saddened with his departure, we are heartened that our colleague will have the opportunity to make a major impact on higher education, not only in Kentucky, but across the nation,” said Crofts. “This is a tremendous opportunity for him and we know he will be extremely successful.”

Applegate came to the Council in 1999 from the University of Kentucky where he was a tenured full professor and served as chair of the department of communications, a position he held since 1984. Previously, he served as professor of communication at UK.

“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity the Council on Postsecondary Education has provided me over the last decade to be a part of one of the most innovative and successful postsecondary education reform efforts in American,” said Applegate. “As a native Kentuckian, I am proud of the success we have had in increasing college access and success during this first phase of reform.

“I have been privileged to work with a staff that is mission driven and passionate about creating better lives for Kentuckians,” he added.

Among his numerous accomplishments over the last nine years, Applegate:

• Brought more than $32 million dollars in external funding to the Council to support college access and success initiatives.
• Led the Council’s Program Productivity Reviews resulting in closure of more than 200 academic programs and restructuring of more than 400 to increase degree production.
• Assisted in the successful launch of Kentucky’s State P-16 Council.
• Led the launch of one of the first and most successful state level college access campaigns targeting minority, low income traditional and adult learners with GoHigherKy in 2000.
• Brought the federal GEAR UP program to Kentucky now helping more than 18,000 middle/high school students, mostly low income, succeed in college.
• Helped lead Kentucky’s nationally recognized efforts to support college success for adult learners.
• Led in the management of the Council’s highly successful economic development partnership with the KSTC creating new jobs and business startups across Kentucky.

Applegate earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown College and a master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Illinois.

Release courtesy of the Council on Postsecondary Education.

(Barbourville, KY) – Dr. Marcetta Darensbourg, an alumna of Union College and director of the Marcetta Y. Darensbourg Research Laboratories at Texas A & M University, paid a visit to her alma mater last week as part of Union’s Distinguished Alumni Scholars program.

A native of Artemus, Ky., Dr. Darensbourg attended Knox Central High School before enrolling at Union. She graduated from Union with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1963. During her visit to the area, Dr. Darensbourg made special appearances at both Union and KCHS.

Dr. Darensbourg talked with students about the importance of scientific research, helping them make connections between research conducted in her laboratory and real-world application. She explained her work with inorganic processes that aid in the production of hydrogen, and asked students to think about why that work might be important. “We see that we’re running out of fuel sources,” she said. “Another way of gaining energy is to use hydrogen.” Dr. Darensbourg gave an impromptu lesson at the chalkboard, demonstrating the need for a way to convert hydrogen into power within a fuel cell. “Microbes do this all the time in nature,” she told the class. Her research, she explained, focuses on how to make the conversion happen, inorganically and without an explosive reaction, in a fuel cell.

In addition to visiting classes at Union and KCHS, Dr. Darensbourg also spoke to Union’s science club, had lunch with math and science teachers at KCHS, and met campus and community members at a President’s reception in Sharp Academic Center.

During one of her classroom visits at Union, Dr. Darensbourg shared her affection for her home state and encouraged students, many of whom are also from Kentucky, to protect its distinctive beauty. “I love Kentucky,” she told them. “I love the wildness, the wilderness, the mountains. Keep a watch on that. Guard that. I encourage you to work where you can to keep Kentucky wild and beautiful and green.”

Dr. Darensbourg is a winner of the OAK Award for outstanding alumni of Kentucky, a recipient of the American Chemical Society Award for Distinguished Service in the Advancement of Inorganic Chemistry, has served as a National Student Affiliates “Eminent Scientist” lecturer for ACS, has edited and authored several publications and textbooks, written more than 140 research publications, and serves on many national advisory committees.

Dr. Denzil Edge, the president and founder of AIKCU business partner Learning House, Inc., is being honored by two AIKCU campuses for his contributions to the distance learning field.

The first honor comes from Edge’s alma mater, Brescia University. Brescia is a coeducational, private, Catholic university located in Owensboro, Kentucky. Edge attended the university as a member of the 1967 graduating class and received a Bachelor of Science in History and a minor in special education.

As part of the university’s esteemed alumni, Edge will be receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award on the evening of April 19. Presented by the Alumni Association, this award will be granted to Edge at the end of the Alumni Weekend festivities, which will conclude with the awards banquet.

Brescia established the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2000 as part of the university’s 50th anniversary. The award aims to honor valued alumni who have attained professional excellence while demonstrating a strong commitment to their communities, families and alma mater. The Alumni Association bases its selection upon the breadth and scope of a candidate’s life work and the magnitude of his or her impact nationally and internationally. Most importantly, award recipients are chosen due to their exemplary commitment to the “Brescia Difference: Respect for the Sacred; Devotion to Learning; Commitment to Growth in Virtue; Promotion of Servant Leadership.”

Edge is one of three recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award. His fellow recipients include James E. Voyles, Ph.D., J.D. of the 1965 class and Tara Henderson Parker of the 1974 class.

Edge will also be recognized at this year’s Principle-Centered Leadership Program held at University of the Cumberlands. The Principle-Centered Leadership Program is the third annual program in the Lecture Series presented by the Forcht Group of Kentucky Center for Excellence in Leadership at the university. The center, developed in 2006, was designed to provide programs and activities that enhance the development of leadership, character and good citizenship.

Edge is one of four principle-centered leaders selected to be honored at the program. Honorees were chosen by their embodiment of the program’s elected ideals and involvement at the local, regional and national level.

Edge is an internationally known educator with extensive experience in distance education and distance learning technologies. He has been extremely active in the field of higher education in Kentucky, Florida, Alaska, Scotland, Germany and Australia as a teacher and academic contributor. At the age of 28, he was hired by the University of Louisville to develop teacher-training programs. In this position, he developed the Learning Improvement Center, which included the first built-in television system for use by teachers and students. Edge has taught more than 40 distance learning courses using a variety of distance learning technologies, and he has built more than 50 online campuses.

Edge is currently the president and founder of The Learning House, Inc., a comprehensive online education solutions partner that helps colleges and universities offer and manage their online degree programs.

Read Edge’s complete success story.

This article originally appeared in The Learning House, Inc. Newsletter.

Centre students meet with legislators to discuss state-funded financial aid programs (Centre.edu)

DANVILLE, KY—Financial aid is a key factor in the decision-making process for many high school students embarking on their search for the right college. With possible cuts to educational funding in Kentucky’s proposed budget for the coming year, aid programs such as the Kentucky Tuition Grant (KTG), the College Access Program (CAP) and the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship Program (KEES) all could face reductions in the next fiscal year.

In the support of continued funding for these programs, Milton Reigelman, J. Rice Cowan Professor of English; Ned Frazer, associate director of admission; and eight Centre students who receive benefits from state-funded student aid participated in the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities (AIKCU) Legislative Day on Wednesday, February 13, in Frankfort.

Despite a widespread blanket of ice and snow, the group made their way to the state’s capitol to meet with legislators. State-funded aid programs enable the students on the trip, as well as many others, to attend Centre College without the threat of excessive loan repayments after graduation.

Kyle Longton ‘08, of Louisville, has depended on merit and need-based financial aid for all four years of his Centre education.

“While the College provides me with significant support, I’ve also received state grants,” Longton says. “My KEES Scholarship money was one of the reasons I stayed in Kentucky for college, and I’ve been able to keep full funding all four years.”

Longton says he fears that reduced funding to KEES will result in more students leaving the Commonwealth with fewer benefits for staying. He says, “We could see not only a financial drain, but also a brain drain.”

This possibility is also alarming to Reigelman, who says that Kentucky spends only four percent of its educational funding on private higher education, versus 96 percent for public schools. But that small percentage is still important to Centre students who, he says, rely heavily on the Kentucky Tuition Grant program and the KEES money they’ve earned.

Morgan Lynn ‘11, of Marion, Ky., looks at the larger picture. “Student aid from the state makes it possible, and definitely easier, for students to bear the burden of rising tuition costs at private colleges,” she says. “In turn, students in small liberal arts schools like Centre go on to become highly motivated, productive members of society.” Continue reading the full article.

Both the Kentucky Senate and House of Representatives approved resolutions yesterday proclaiming February 13, 2008 Independent, Nonprofit Higher Education Day in the Commonwealth. Representatives from almost every AIKCU campus braved the inclement weather to come to Frankfort to celebrate independent higher education and thank legislators for their support of Kentucky’s student financial aid programs. The full text of Senate Resolution 112, introduced on the floor by Senate Education Committee Chairman (and former Campbellsville University president) Ken Winters, appears below. The resolution was cosponsored by all 38 members of the Senate and adopted by voice vote.

A similar resolution (HR 121) was introduced in the House by Speaker of the House Jody Richards, a Kentucky Wesleyan College alum, and adopted by voice vote.

A RESOLUTION recognizing Kentucky’s nonprofit, independent colleges and universities and their students and alumni.

WHEREAS, Kentucky’s 20 nonprofit, independent colleges and universities educate almost 29,000 students annually; and

WHEREAS, 22 percent of bachelor’s degrees awarded in the Commonwealth are awarded by these institutions; and

WHEREAS, 25 percent of Kentucky’s bachelor’s degrees in teaching and nursing and even larger percentages of other bachelor’s degrees produced in math and science are awarded by these institutions; and

WHEREAS, small classes, individual attention, and an emphasis on preparation for life and work are hallmarks of these institutions; and

WHEREAS, these colleges and universities meet the high standards set by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, arguably the toughest regional accreditation standards for higher education in the United States; and

WHEREAS, these nonprofit, independent colleges and universities have committed to playing a major role in Kentucky’s 2020 “Double the Numbers” efforts; and

WHEREAS, Nobel Prize winners, governors, justices, congressmen, and distinguished members of the Kentucky General Assembly were educated on these campuses; and

WHEREAS, about 100,000 independent college and university alumni live, work, pay taxes, and vote in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, hundreds of classrooms and laboratories, libraries, theaters, dormitories, athletics facilities, and related structures valued at well over one billion dollars are provided to educate students and serve communities at no cost to the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, these 20 institutions are major employers and economic development partners that, when taken together, would rank 18th among Kentucky’s 25 largest public corporations; and

WHEREAS, these institutions enhance the economic and cultural viability of communities across the state from Pikeville to Mayfield and points in between; and

WHEREAS, tuition, on average, is 35 per cent lower than the national independent college average and 25 percent less than the Southern average; and

WHEREAS, these institutions provide another $130 million in financial aid to their students annually; and

WHEREAS, these colleges and universities serve the Commonwealth and its students and communities, while receiving only four percent of the state’s postsecondary education appropriations in the form of student financial aid; and

WHEREAS, students, faculty, and staff are visiting the Capitol today to thank members of this august body for their support of student financial aid;

NOW, THEREFORE,

Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky:

Section 1. The Senate salutes the outstanding contributions Kentucky’s 20 independent colleges and universities and their students and staff make to the Commonwealth and its future.

Section 2. The Senate recognizes Wednesday, February 13, 2008, as Independent, Nonprofit Higher Education Day in the Commonwealth.

Section 3. The Clerk of the Senate shall forward a copy of this Resolution to Dr. Gary Cox, President, Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities, 484 Chenault Avenue, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601, for sharing with the Commonwealth’s 20 independent colleges and universities.

Midway College alum and Board of Trustees member Donna Moore was appointed last week to the Council on Postsecondary Education by Governor Steve Beshear. Moore retired from her role as Deputy Executive Director of  after serving at KET for thiry years. She recently chaired the Education Cabinet Transition Team.

Moore holds an Associates Degree in Education from Midway College and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Education from the University of Kentucky. She and her husband, Neal Campbell, live in Lexington.

Governor Beshear also reappointed former Kentucky state representative, state senator and state Supreme Court justice Walter A. Baker of Glasgw to the Council. Both Moore and Baker will serve for a term expiring December 31, 2013.