CPE issues preliminary report on 2012-13 degrees; AIKCU members top 8,000 for first time

May 16, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The Council on Postsecondary Education has released its 2012-13 Preliminary Degrees Report that includes both public and independent colleges and universities. Although several AIKCU members have yet to finish the academic year, the preliminary report indicates that AIKCU members’ total degrees and credentials awarded in 2012-13 are expected to be 2.8% higher than in the previous year, topping the 8,000 degree mark for the first time ever at 8,151. AIKCU degree production is expected to have grown by 33% over 5 years and 71% over 10 years.

Statewide, the CPE estimates that 61,472 will be awarded by public and nonprofit, private colleges and universities. This marks a slight overall decrease of just under 1% from the previous year.

Final numbers will be available in the fall. Read the CPE press release and full report here.

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State financial aid to AIKCU students accounts for less than 5 pct. of state postsecondary spending

May 16, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Grant aid to AIKCU students is less than 5 pct. of state postsecondary spending

Kentucky’s student financial aid programs are a crucial source of funds for Kentucky students attending Kentucky nonprofit, private colleges and universities. In fiscal 2012, AIKCU students received over $56 million in lottery-funded grant aid from the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) through Kentucky’s “Big 3″ aid programs: the need-based College Access Program (CAP), need-based Kentucky Tuition Grant (KTG), and the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES).

State student aid is a part of the affordability equation that also includes students, the federal government, and AIKCU institutions themselves, who provide more than $220 million in financial aid from their own budgets each year. While it’s incredibly important, the $56 million that AIKCU students receive in state aid equals less than 5% of the more than $1 billion in overall state spending on postsecondary education.

 

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Union College and Knox County Schools offer high schoolers an early start to college

May 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Union College President Marcia Hawkins and Knox County Superintendent Walter T. Hulett sign an agreement for a program which enables selected Knox County students to earn up to 29 college credit hours before they graduate high school.

Union College President Marcia Hawkins and Knox County Superintendent Walter T. Hulett sign an agreement for a program which enables selected Knox County students to earn up to 29 college credit hours before they graduate.

Story and photo courtesy of Union College. See the original on unionky.edu.

Barbourville, Ky. — In a pioneer move, Union College and Knox County Public Schools have entered a partnership that seeks to promote college readiness among local high school students by providing an early start into college-level coursework.

On Tuesday morning on Union’s campus, Union College President Marcia Hawkins and Knox County Superintendent Walter T. Hulett signed an agreement to launch the Union Collegiate Institute Early Start Program. Accepted students will have the opportunity to earn up to 29 credit hours in four years, free of charge.

“Rarely does a program such as this come to fruition, and because it will not cost our students any money, their families can realize the college dream—at least the first year and a half or two years of credit—at no expense,” said Hulett. “And that’s because of the commitment of the Knox County Board of Education and Union College to make college a reality for students in Knox County.”

While similar agreements have been made in Kentucky between state colleges and public schools, this early college initiative appears to be the first of its kind launched by a private institution. Agreements between Union College other local schools systems have not yet been negotiated, but the college has extended open invitations and hopes to develop additional partnerships. (Ed. note: Several AIKCU members have dual credit partnerships with high schools, but they are not structured in this early college model that begins in 9th grade. See examples noted in AIKCU’s report to the CPE Rural Access Work Group.)

“Nothing can affect change in a young person’s life like a college education,” said Marcia Hawkins, Ph.D., president of Union College. “We are privileged to provide the transformational force that a liberal arts education can precipitate.”

The program, which has been in the exploration and negotiation phases for well over a year, will officially begin during the fall 2013 semester, and freshmen through seniors will be eligible. The application process opens online Monday, May 6 at knox.kyschools.us/earlycollege. Also on May 6, Union College will host a parent workshop for program information and guidance. The session begins at 6 p.m. in the Patridge Conference Room, located in the lower level of the Patridge Student Center. The session will be repeated at the same time and location on Thursday, May 9.

The selection process includes an application, interviews and other requirements set in place for Knox County officials to submit a qualified pool of applicants. From there, Union College officials will determine which students are accepted and will recommend others to remain on a waiting list.

Freshmen who are accepted into the program will take an orientation class at their respective high schools called the Union College Experience. This course covers topics such as study skills, how to write a college paper, plagiarism, researching a topic, as well as topics concerning personal responsibility for their goals such as scheduling, financial aid, time management and coping with stress.

From the sophomore through senior years, students will attend classes at Union College’s main campus in Barbourville, earning credit hours in a broad range of liberal arts courses, collectively designed to provide students with core and enrichment courses. Many classes are open to students of all ages, while others are reserved for seniors.

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Spring commencement season begins

April 30, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Transy commencement

Spring 2013 commencements kick off this weekend and culminate in early June. Below are schedules, commencement speakers, and links for commencement stories for our member colleges and universities. This post will be updated throughout commencement season as additional details become available.

 

Alice Lloyd College
Saturday, May 4
Grady Nutt Athletic Complex

Baccaulaureate: 10:30 AM
Speaker: Reverend Lawrence Baldridge

Commencement: 12:15 PM
Speaker: Dr. Henry Webb

 

Asbury University
Saturday, May 4
Luce Center

Baccalaureate:  May 3, 7:30 PM, Hughes Auditorium
Speaker: Dr. Matthew Friedeman

Graduate and Degree-Completion Commencement: May 4, 10 AM
Speaker: Dr. Debra McKenna Blews

Traditional Undergraduate Commencement: May 4, 2 PM
Speaker: Dr. Edward Blews

Honorary Degrees: TBA

Story with speaker bios on Asbury.edu

 

Bellarmine University
Saturday, May 11
Noon
Knights Hall

Speaker: Lt. Col. Kenny Lynn Harryman

Honorary Degrees: Lt. Col. Kenny Lynn Harryman, Joe and Carol Ferguson

 

Berea College
Sunday, May 5
2 PM
Seabury Center

Speaker: Peter J. O’Connor, longtime civil rights activist

Honorary Degree: Peter J. O’Connor, honorary Doctor of Laws

Event details with speaker bio on Berea.edu

Streaming video

232 Seniors Graduate from Berea College (BC Now)

 

Brescia University
Saturday, May 11
10 AM (CDT)
RiverPark Center, Owensboro

Speaker: Sr. Diana Stano, OSU, Ph.D., President of Ursuline College (OH)

Honorary Degree: Sr. Diana Stano, Doctor of Education

Commencement story with speaker bio on brescia.edu

 

Campbellsville University
Graduate Commencement:
Friday, May 3
7 PM
Ransdell Chapel

Speaker: Dr. Joseph Early Sr., vice president for academic affairs emeritus at the University of the Cumberlands

Undergraduate Commencement:
Saturday, May 4
9 AM
Powell Athletic Center

Speaker:

Dr. Joseph Owens, chair of the CU Board of Trustees and pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church in Lexington, Ky.

Story and speaker bios on Campbellsville.edu

CU graduates largest class ever with 647 students (Cambpellsville.edu)

 

Centre College
Sunday, May 19
3 PM
Newlin Hall, Norton Center for the Arts

Speaker: Martha Raddatz, ABC News

Commencement page on Centre.edu

 

Georgetown College
Saturday, May 11
10 AM
Giddings Lawn (Inclement Weather location: Davis-Reid Alumni Gymnasium)

Speaker: Dr. William H. Crouch, Jr.

Commencement site on georgetowncollege.edu

 

Kentucky Christian University
Saturday, May 11
10 AM
Lusby Center – Gymnasium

Speaker: President Jeff Metcalf

 

Kentucky Wesleyan College
Saturday, May 11
10 AM (CDT)
Hocker-Hall Grove (Inclement Weather: Woodward Health & Recreation Center gymnasium)

Speaker: TBA

 

Lindsey Wilson College
Saturday, May 11
10 AM (CDT)
Biggers Sports Center

Speaker: Dr. Roger Drake, LWC vice president of administration and finance since 2004; president-elect of Central Methodist (Mo.) University

Honorary Degrees: Roger Drake and Carol Marra of Louisville, Ky., educator and 26-year member of the LWC Board of Trustees

Largest class in LWC history to be capped off May 11 at spring commencement (lindsey.edu)

 

Mid-Continent University
Saturday, May 11
3 PM
Graves County High School

Event page on midcontinent.edu

 

Midway College
Saturday, May 11
11 AM
Graves Amphitheater

Speaker: Dr. Bonnie Baskin, entrepreneur and owner of Blue Heaven Farm

 

St. Catharine College
Saturday, May 11
11 AM
Lourdes Hall Gymnasium

Speaker: Dustan E. McCoy, chairman and chief executive officer of Brunswick Corporation in Chicago

Story on sccky.edu

 

Spalding University
Saturday, June 1
10 AM
Canaan Christian Church

Speaker: President Tori Murden McClure

 

Thomas More College
Saturday, May 11
1:30 PM
Front lawn near the bell tower (Inclement Weather: Connor Convocation Center)

Speaker: Outgoing President Sr. Margaret Stallmeyer, C.D.P.

Honorary Degree: Ernest B. Hillenmeyer, Jr. of Maysville, Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa

Story on thomasmore.edu

 

Transylvania University
Saturday, May 25
9:30 AM
Lawn of Old Morrison

Speaker: Steve Zahn

Honorary Degree: Nikky Finney, National Book Award-winning poet, Doctor of Humane Letters

Story on Transy.edu

 

Union College
Saturday, May 4
10:30 AM
Robsion Arena

Speaker: William “Bill” Starnes, Ph.D., Gottwald Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus at the College of William and Mary and renowned plastics expert

Honorary Degrees: Bill Starnes, Doctor of Science, honoris causa, and his wife, Sofia M. Starnes, will be presented with a Doctor of Letters, honoris causa.

Story on unionky.edu

 

University of the Cumberlands
Saturday, May 4
10 AM
O. Wayne Rollins Center    

University of Pikeville

University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine Commencement
Saturday, May 18
9:30 AM
East Kentucky Expo Center

Speaker: Regina M. Benjamin, M.D., MBA, U.S. Surgeon General

Honorary Degree: Regina M. Benjamin, M.D., MBA, U.S. Surgeon General, Honorary Doctor of Science
College of Arts & Sciences Commencement

Saturday, May 18
2 PM
East Kentucky Expo Center

Speaker: Dr. T. Pearse Lyons, Founder and President of Alltech

Honorary Degrees: Dr. T. Pearse Lyons, Honorary Doctor of Public Service and Deirdre Lyons, Co-Founder of Alltech, Director of Corporate Image and Design, Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters

 

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Georgetown College and Thomas More College announce presidential finalists

April 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Georgetown College announced on Wednesday that its search committee has narrowed to three the list of candidates to replace retiring president William H. Crouch, Jr.

The finalists announced by the Georgetown search committee are:

Cheryl Kimberling, president, Multicultural Alliance, Fort Worth, Texas

Jim Newberry, vice-president and general counsel, Georgetown College

Jason Rogers, vice president for administration and university counsel, Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee

All three candidates will travel to campus next week to meet with Georgetown trustees, faculty, staff, alumni, students, and community members. Follow the latest developments on the search and Dr. Crouch’s retirement at http://georgetowncollege.edu.

Also this week, Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Ky. announced that it has selected four finalists to succeed Sr. Margaret Stallmeyer, who announced last fall that she will retire on June 30 of this year.

The finalists for the Thomas More presidency are:

David A. Armstrong, vice president and general counsel for Notre Dame College, South Euclid, Ohio

Michael O. Kenney, vice president for planning & enrollment Management, Madonna University, Livonia, Michigan

Richard L. Ludwick, president, Independent Colleges of Indiana, Indianapolis, Indiana

Msgr. Stuart W. Swetland, vice president for Catholic identity and mission, Mount St. Mary’s University, Emmitsburg, Maryland

For more on the Thomas More finalists, including campus visit schedules and candidate resumes, see http://thomasmore.edu/about/president_search.cfm

 

 

 

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Lindsey Wilson College hosts CPE meeting; AIKCU makes annual report

April 19, 2013 by Leave a Comment

On April 17-18, Lindsey Wilson College hosted the regular meeting of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, the governor-appointed coordinating board for postsecondary education in Kentucky. Several years ago, CPE members began alternating meetings between the CPE office in Frankfort and college or university campuses throughout Kentucky. Each year, CPE holds one of those meetings on an AIKCU member campus. Meetings have previously been hosted at Georgetown College, Transylvania University, and Berea College.

Council members were welcomed to Lindsey Wilson by President Bill Luckey, who provided an overview of the college’s remarkable growth during his three decades at the Columbia college, dating back to his beginnings as an admissions counselor at the then two-year college. President Luckey emphasized the important role that Lindsey Wilson, like all AIKCU members, plays in the educational, economic, and social well-being of the surrounding community and region as well as in the attainment of CPE’s policy goals. (See President Luckey’s slides.) Council members concluded their day with a campus tour provided by two Lindsey Wilson seniors and dinner.

At the full CPE meeting on Thursday, April 18, AIKCU President Gary S. Cox and VP Mason Dyer made a dual report to the Council. They first reported on AIKCU’s progress towards the sector’s goals under the CPE strategic plan. As a sector, AIKCU members have made strong progress in most targeted areas and have already exceeded goals in the areas of KCTCS transfers and STEM+H degree production.

See the full accountability presentation:

Cox also provided an update on the overall health of the independent college sector and made recommendations to the Council on ways that CPE and AIKCU might better work together, as required by state statute.

Statutory annual report:

The CPE meeting in Lindsey Wilson’s Hodge Center boasted a full agenda in addition to AIKCU’s presentation, including reports on college readiness, the institutional progress report from Western Kentucky University, and public institution tuition setting, among other items.

For more highlights from the meeting check out this Storify collection of tweets, slides, and links.

Filed Under: advocacy, aikcu news, Campus News

Union College’s 19th president to be inaugurated

April 16, 2013 by Leave a Comment

 Story and photo courtesy of Union College Office of Communications

Union College President Marcia Hawkins

Union College President Marcia Hawkins

Barbourville, Ky. –  Almost a year after being named as Union College’s 19th president, Marcia Hawkins, Ph.D., will be officially sworn in during a ceremony later this month.

Inauguration day is set for Friday, April 26. To start the day, there will be a worship service at 9:30 a.m. led by Bishop Lindsey Davis in Conway Boatman Chapel at Union College. The induction ceremony will take place at 1:30 p.m. in John M. Robsion Arena with a reception to follow. The day’s festivities will end with the “Bulldog Ball—A Black Tie Event,” that evening.

Several distinguished guests are scheduled to be on campus that day and will both process and offer greetings as part of the ceremony. Those guests include the Reverend Dr. G. Lindsey Davis, Resident Bishop; Colmon Elridge III, Executive Assistant to the Governor; Gary S. Cox, Ph.D., President of the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities; Gerald D. Lord, Ph.D., Associate General Secretary of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry; David Thompson, the Mayor of Barbourville; J.M. Hall, Knox County Judge-Executive; Rep. Harold “Hal” Rogers, U.S. Congressman; and Kentucky Senate President, Robert Stivers.

Also processing are a number of delegates, Union College’s international students, alumni representatives, descendants of founders and student representatives from local elementary, middle and high schools.

Hawkins, who assumed presidential duties on July 1 of last year, came to Union from Fort Worth, Texas. She is the first female president in the history of Union College. Prior to Union, Hawkins served as associate director for advancement with the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education, as president of the Texas Independent College Foundation and in various leadership roles at Texas Wesleyan University.

The theme for Hawkins’ inauguration is Luceat lux nostra, Latin for “Let our light shine.” The theme highlights four pillars identified to emphasize Union College’s mission and identity. Those four pillars are the liberal arts, Methodism, service and Appalachia.

The public is invited to attend the ceremony. Those unable to attend are invited to watch the ceremony as it streams live on Union’s website: unionky.edu. To join or follow the conversation live, use #UnionPres19. For more information, contact the Union College Office of Communications at 606-546-1610.

Union College is a four-year liberal arts institution related to The United Methodist Church.

 

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Transylvania wins Battle of the Bumpers for 5th straight year

April 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Transy license plate sales champs

AIKCU President Gary S. Cox presents Transylvania University President R. Owen Williams with the scholarship proceeds from Transy’s 2012 license plate sales. $10 from the sale of every institutional plate goes back to the campus for student scholarships.

Transylvania University has retained its hold on the AIKCU “Battle of the Bumpers” title as its alumni, faculty, staff and friends once again purchased more institutionally-branded Kentucky Independent Higher Education license plates in 2012 than any other Kentucky private college. This is the 5th consecutive year that Transy has won the AIKCU-sponsored contest.

Each Kentucky Independent Higher Education license plate on the road generates $10 for student scholarships. AIKCU President Gary S. Cox presented Transylvania President R. Owen Williams with a check for $9,010 — representing 901 total Transy plates sold in 2012 — during this week’s AIKCU Business Officers meeting at Transylvania.

While the Battle of the Bumpers is a friendly competition, our member campuses take the business of promoting their license plates quite seriously. In addition to raising money for student scholarships, the plates foster institutional pride and serve as a branding opportunity for the institution.

“Our office has worked very hard to bring that number up each year and keep the renewals going,” said Natasa Mongiardo, Transylvania’s director of alumni programs.

Transylvania regularly incorporates its license plate in its alumni communications to bolster sales of its plates. Ads regularly appear in the alumni magazine and alumni who live in Kentucky always receive a license plate postcard during their birth month reminding them to purchase or renew their Transy plate at their local County Clerk’s office.

Centre College finished second, Georgetown College was third, and Bellarmine University was fourth again this year. Overall, AIKCU distributed $47,900 in scholarship funds to our member institutions from 2012 license plate sales. The 4,790 plate sales in 2012 represented a 6 percent increase over the previous year and a 115 percent increase since the first Independent Higher Education license plates were issued in 2003.

See also:

Independent Higher Education License Plates

Transy wins 4th straight Battle of the Bumpers

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Berea inaugurates 9th president

April 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Berea President Dr. Lyle Roelofs at inaugurationOn Saturday, April 9th, the Berea College community celebrated the inauguration of the school’s 9th president, Dr. Lyle Roelofs.

Roelofs assumed the presidency on July 1, 2012, after the retirement of Dr. Larry Shinn, who served as Berea’s president for 18 years.

Notable Bereans — including Silas House, best-selling novelist and NEH Chair in Appalachia Studies; Dr. bell hooks, world-renowned feminist and distinguished professor in residence in Appalachian Studies; and former President Shinn — charged Roelofs to live up to Berea’s Great Commitments during the inauguration ceremony.

We at AIKCU congratulate President Roelofs on a successful inauguration and wish him a long and successful career at Berea.

See the full inauguration coverage on Berea.edu, including a detailed story, photo gallery, and videos.

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AIKCU makes presentation to CPE Rural Access Work Group

April 8, 2013 by 1 Comment

On April 4, two AIKCU member presidents — Governor Paul Patton, president of the University of Pikeville, and President Bill Huston of St. Catharine College — and AIKCU President Gary S. Cox talked about the substantial roles Kentucky’s nonprofit, private colleges and universities play in addressing the needs of rural Kentucky in a report to the CPE Rural Access Work Group.

After Presidents Patton and Huston discussed how their institutions continue to innovate and thrive as they address the needs of their respective regions, President Cox provided an overview of the broad array of ways AIKCU’s overwhelmingly rural campuses are serving rural Kentucky. His slides highlighted some of the unique ways AIKCU members are serving rural areas and other pockets of low educational attainment, while an accompanying written report provided a much more detailed list of initiatives underway at almost all AIKCU member institutions.

Dr. Cox ended with the following recommendations for the Work Group to consider as it formulates its final report:

  • Make adequate funding of Kentucky financial aid programs the highest priority;
  • Develop funding and accountability systems that recognize and reward collaboration;
  • Build on the considerable contributions and longstanding commitment of AIKCU members to serving rural Kentucky;
  • Capture a unifying vision for rural Kentucky comparable to BUCKS For BRAINS or 55,000 Degrees;
  • Marshall the resources that exist in rural Kentucky;
  • Recognize the unique role postsecondary education must play in addressing rural poverty;
  • Stay the course – it is a marathon, not a sprint!

Written report: Select Rural-Focused Initiatives Undertaken by Kentucky’s Private, Nonprofit Colleges & Universities (PDF)

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