Want to see more? Check out photos from earlier Spotlights (2006, 2007) and this video from Spotlight 2009.

Bellarmine University, Berea College, Centre College, Lindsey Wilson College, and the University of the Cumberlands were all recently named to the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

Established in 2006, the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll annually recognizes colleges and universities for their commitment to and achievement in community service. These five AIKCU members are among more than 700 colleges and universities nationwide to receive this prestigious federal honor administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors including the scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.

AIKCU congratulates Bellarmine, Berea, Centre, Lindsey Wilson, and the University of Cumberlands upon this national recognition for their service to their communities, the Commonwealth, and the world.

To learn more about the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, visit http://www.learnandserve.gov/about/programs/higher_ed_honorroll.asp

Register below, or use this link

Suggested Lodging

Economy (mention you’re staying for business at Centre College for Centre rate)

Hampton Inn
100 Montgomery Way (US 150 Bypass)
(859) 236-6200 or (800) HAMPTON
Rates: $79 up
“On the House” Hot breakfast
http://hamptoninn.hilton.com

Holiday Inn Express
96 Daniel Drive off US 150 Bypass
(859) 236-8600 or (888) HOLIDAY
Rates: $66 up
Continental breakfast
www.ichotelsgroup.com

Closer to campus (Centre discount not applicable)

Comfort Suites
864 Ben-Ali Drive at US 150 & Bypass 127
(859) 936-9300 or (800) 228-5150
Rates: $67 up
Deluxe continental breakfast
www.comfortsuites.com

Bed and Breakfasts
Visit the Danville-Boyle Co. Convention and Visitors Bureau for more bed and breakfast options.

See Asbury.edu for more details on Asbury’s transition to a university

WILMORE, Ky. -Special chapel services, new signage, 2,000 purple t-shirts, banners and a 1,500-person group photo are drawing attention and excitement in celebration of Asbury University day on March 5, 2010.

On Monday, March 1, Dr. Victor Hamilton, a retired Bible and Theology professor, addressed the Asbury community during Chapel. Deriving inspiration from the Old Testament story of Hagar’s interactions with an angel, Hamilton delivered a message that challenged the Asbury community to reflect on their individual journeys by pondering two questions: “Where have you come from?” and “Where are you going?”

Referencing several Old Testament figures, Hamilton also stated that every time someone is renamed, that person became hopeful, encouraged and inspired. Considering this week to be Asbury’s “Horizon Week,” Hamilton expressed his excitement for Asbury and its members with the name change. “Not only do I believe that the Lord has the world in His hand, but I believe He has this school in his hand, and I believe He has you in His hand,” he said.

Also, early in the week contractors replaced the Asbury College directional signage located across campus. Other familiar objects, like banners, business cards and printed documents, have also been updated to replicate the new name Asbury will officially begin bearing on Friday. Even Asbury Theological Seminary has joined in the celebrations by displaying a banner congratulating the College as it becomes a University.

On Wednesday, March 3, Dr. Sandra Gray, delivered a message during Chapel. Before speaking, Gray had the honor of bestowing the very first two Asbury University t-shirts by shooting them out of an air gun into the student body.

During her message, Gray conveyed her excitement by bringing the desires of a past president into present-day reality. In a written address to the Asbury community, Gray clearly states that a change in name provides an accurate reflection of Asbury. “We also recognize Asbury College began as Kentucky Holiness School but that name did not long reflect the broader nature of who she had become,” she said.

Now leading the way for the institution to receive its second change of name, Gray vowed that the commitment to academic excellence and spiritual vitality would remain the same as the institution’s motto. In her letter, Gray additionally wrote that we have been called to excellence by understanding and becoming more of who Christ really is. “This is more than a strategic direction; it is a spiritual mandate,” she stated. Read more of Gray’s letter to the Asbury community.

After Chapel, Gray met with students, faculty and staff interested in a Question and Answer Session over lunch in the cafeteria. Meanwhile, students, faculty and staff were all encouraged to pick up their free Asbury University t-shirt. The Admissions Office and the bookstore also sold old Asbury College t-shirts and other clothing attire at discounted prices to make way for the new Asbury University merchandise coming soon. All campus has been invited to wear their new t-shirts on Friday to help usher in and be a part of this historic change for the institution.

On Friday, March 5, Israel Gaither, a Board of Trustees member and a Salvation Army Commander, will address the Asbury community during a formal declaration when Asbury will be officially become a university. Faculty will be dressed in full regalia and Chapel will be conducted and organized in a traditional setting. During the Chapel service, the new Asbury University campus sign will also be unveiled to the community.

After Chapel, all students, faculty and staff who wear their new t-shirts will have a chance to gather on the steps of Hughes and smile for the camera for a group picture. Later in the day, from 3 to 4:30 p.m., Gray has invited all of campus to celebrate Asbury’s change to a University with a reception in the Student Center.

Learn more about how Asbury will now function as a university starting March 5.

Wilhoit assumed his role as executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) in November of 2006, having spent his entire professional career serving education at the local, state and national levels. Wilhoit began his career as a social studies teacher in Ohio and Indiana. He served as a program director in the Indiana Department of Education, an administrator in Kanawha County West Virginia and a special assistant in the U.S. Department of Education before assuming the position of executive director of the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE), which he held from 1986 to 1993.

From 1994 to 2006, Wilhoit led two state education agencies, one as director of the Arkansas Department of Education and the other as deputy commissioner and commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Education. In those positions, he shepherded finance reform, led equity initiatives, designed and implemented assessment and accountability systems, advanced nationally recognized preschool and technology programs and reorganized state agencies to focus on service and support.

According to Wilhoit, “a recent publication estimated that economic reordering of the world will eliminate national economic boundaries and result in China, the U.S. and India being the largest economies, in that order. And the inherent relationship between knowledge and economic progress is cemented in the minds of the leaders of those, and other, nations.”

He continues, “Our challenge is to transform learning for each of our students in a way that makes them not only productive members of our country, but prepares them for success in a global context.

“A recent business article stated that in the next five years, we will experience more inventions and innovative new products, gadgets and gizmos than have been produced in the past 50 years. The rate of change in the global knowledge economy is impacting everything we do-including everything we do in education. It is our responsibility as leaders to promote, identify and raise up this innovation in education and use it to change the landscape of teaching and learning.”

Education consultant Susan Perkins Weston commented, “Gene Wilhoit has organized a common core standards push that will be the most important education change in a quarter-century, one that will routinely show up in histories of the United States for the next century or more as an event that matters, long after NCLB is forgotten. He’s got his finger on the pulse of education when big things are happening.”

Transylvania University has won the 2009 AIKCU “Battle of the Bumpers,” the friendly contest between AIKCU’s 20 members to see which institution’s supporters can put the most college-branded license plates on Kentucky highways in a calendar year.

Transylvania supporters purchased 735 plates in 2009 to help Transy repeat as “Battle of the Bumpers” champions. In 2008 Transylvania ended Centre College’s five year reign in the competition.

“I am impressed with the number of alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff, and friends who choose to show their Transylvania pride on their license plates,” said Transylvania President Charles L. Shearer. “In particular, the support of our loyal alumni has been remarkable.”

Kentucky Independent Higher Education plates advertise allegiance to the featured campus while supporting current students. Ten dollars from the sale of each plate is returned directly to the school’s general scholarship fund. Overall, sales of Kentucky Independent Higher Education plates raised more than $39,000 for student scholarships in 2009.

“I love to see our members’ plates when I’m out on the road,” said Gary S. Cox, AIKCU president. “Because I know that every one of those drivers is a proud supporter of independent colleges and the difference that an independent education makes in students’ lives.”

Centre placed second and Georgetown College placed third in the 2009 sales competition. Overall sales for the 20 participating colleges and universities were up five percent in 2009.

Kentucky Independent Higher Education plates cost $44 upon initial issue and $31 at renewal, including the $10 for student scholarships. For more information, including contact information for your county clerk, visit the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing at http://mvl.ky.gov/MVLWeb/.

(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)

One important point made during yesterday’s testimony is that the majority of Kentucky’s independent colleges do not have large endowments. Berea College is an exception in that they have a fairly substantial endowment that allows them to carry out their mission of providing an education for low income students without charging tuition. (Berea is also grappling with with very significant challenges because of the drop in that endowment.)

This chart taken from yesterday’s presentation, clearly illustrates that independent colleges in Kentucky are very tuition-driven institutions.

AIKCU President Gary S. Cox, board chair John Roush, and chair-elect Bill Huston testified this morning about the role of independent education in Kentucky before the House Postsecondary Budget Review Subcommittee. They were invited to testify by Rep. Arnold Simpson, the subcommittee chairman.

Dr. Cox provided a sector-level overview of the diversity of Kentucky’s independent colleges, the importance of Kentucky’s investment in student financial aid, the return on that investment for the Commonwealth, and ways that AIKCU campuses are innovating and collaborating to contain costs and focus on student success. [Download the handouts: AIKCU Presentation to Budget Review Subcommittee, 2/25/10 (PDF)]

President Roush (Centre College) and President Huston (St. Catharine College) talked about their very different institutions. The presidents talked about some of the successes and challenges they see from both ends of the independent college spectrum and challenged legislators to think about ways to increase the role of the independent sector in Kentucky.

Following the formal presentation there was a very positive and extended conversation between legislators and the presidents about the critical roles that Kentucky’s independent colleges can play in helping the state meet the goals of the landmark 1997 House Bill 1 postsecondary reform act.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Carl Thomas, chair of the Spalding University Board of Trustees, announced today that Tori Murden McClure will become the University’s tenth president. She will officially begin her presidency on July 1, 2010.

“As we begin an exciting new chapter at Spalding University, we could not be more delighted to have as the next leader of the institution an individual like Ms. McClure. Not only is she deeply engrained within the Louisville community, she brings a significant passion for and understanding of higher education, and specifically, Spalding University. We are poised for a very bright future,” Thomas says.

The University’s Board of Trustees selected McClure, who currently serves as the Vice President of External Relations, Enrollment Management, and Student Affairs at Spalding, after an extensive six-month search that attracted outstanding candidates from across the nation. A Presidential Search Committee and the search firm RPA Inc. of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, headed the search.

“Guiding this process, which was national in scope and very thorough, has been challenging, but so very rewarding. Tori Murden McClure is excited about her new responsibilities and eager to lead Spalding University into a bright future,” says David Fannin, co-chair of the presidential search committee.

McClure will succeed Dr. Jo Ann Rooney, who announced her departure from the university last fall after seven years of service. During her time at the university, Rooney has been instrumental in re-establishing a sound fiscal foundation, creating innovative academic delivery formats and in particular, developing a national reputation for adult learning.

“Simply stated, we desired a unique individual to lead this institution, which boasts a history and tradition of educational excellence begun by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in 1814,” says Sr. M. Serra Goethals, Ph.D., co-chair of the search committee. “While numerous candidates were considered who brought the leadership component and academic experience, Ms. McClure is also able to claim deep roots in the community and a true passion for Spalding’s position and potential for growth.”

A long-time resident of Louisville, McClure has extensive ties to the Louisville community and local government and has served many roles prior to joining Spalding in 2004, including director of development at the Muhammad Ali Center, project manager for Empowerment Zone Initiatives at the Louisville Development Authority, project coordinator for public policy in the Office of the Mayor, and director of the Women’s Center of Volunteers of America.

“Our entire senior leadership team and the campus community have a wonderful working relationship with Mrs. McClure. This transition will be swift as we continue on our upward momentum as a doctoral level institution,” states L. Randy Strickland, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.

McClure is an advocate of higher education and strong promoter of Spalding University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Smith College, a Master of Divinity from Harvard University, and her Juris Doctor from the University of Louisville law school. In 2005, she completed her Master of Fine Arts in Writing from Spalding University; her nonfiction book A Pearl in the Storm (Harper Collins, 2009), about her journey as the first woman and first American to row solo across the mid-Atlantic Ocean, is based upon her creative thesis for the program. The book was recently recognized as a 2010 Christopher Award winner.

“Succeeding Dr. Rooney will be an honor. Throughout our history, the majority of our alumni have devoted their careers to the service of others. In an age in which notions like “community” and “citizenship” seem to have lost meaning, institutions like Spalding University are more vital than ever,” says McClure. “I look forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with my colleagues as we endeavor to live up to the examples of teaching and stewardship so honorably established at the core of our mission by Mother Catherine Spalding and the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.”

For more information, visit http://spalding.edu or contact:

Rick Barney
Spalding University Executive Director of Marketing & PR
502.585.9911 ext 2617
502.419.8252 (cell)
rbarney [at] spalding.edu