KCTCS CAN BE THE SOLUTION TO BETTER LIVES
While legislators are meeting in Frankfort during this year’s General Assembly session,
they will look for ways to improve Kentucky’s communities, grow the state’s workforce
and provide an affordable way for students to attend and pay for college.
As the 16 college presidents of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System
(KCTCS), we not only share these important goals, but our faculty and staff work every
day to better the lives of Kentuckians through education, training and personal growth.
With support from our legislators, we can do even more for our students, employers,
and communities.
KCTCS strives to make college as affordable and flexible as possible. Attending a
KCTCS college means students can go two years for less than the price of one year
at most universities. Additionally, only 18 percent of our students take out student
loans, and those who do, borrow less than $5,000 a year. For these reasons, KCTCS
students incur significantly less student debt than other college students in Kentucky.
Our popular dual-credit program allows high school students to take classes at their
schools or on a KCTCS campus to earn college credits and save money. Over the last
five years, the number of KCTCS students taking dual-credit courses has nearly doubled
and now accounts for about 18 percent of our total enrollment. Last year, Kentucky
families saved $18 million because of dual credit scholarships.
We are encouraging legislators to increase the funding for the dual-credit scholarship
programs. By doing this, KCTCS will be able to provide even better opportunities for
high school students in Kentucky.
KCTCS is the largest provider of higher education, workforce training and online classes
in Kentucky. Nearly 107,000 students attended KCTCS last year. Our colleges have partnerships
with some of Kentucky's largest employers - including Toyota Motor Manufacturing of
Kentucky, Baptist Health, Amazon and UPS. These partnerships allow us to tailor our
curriculum to the needs of the business, which prepares our students to walk out of
college and into a job.
Producing new skilled workers and providing training and certifications to existing
workers also are a key focus. In 2018-19, more than 78 percent of the credentials
our students earned were in the state’s five targeted industry sectors: advanced manufacturing,
business and information technology, construction/skilled trades, healthcare, and
transportation and logistics. In addition, we provided more than 5,200 Kentucky companies
and almost 110,000 workers with training.
During this legislative session, legislators, working with Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration,
also will craft a two-year budget for the state. KCTCS is supporting two legislative
priorities of the Council on Post-Secondary Education (CPE).
One is reinvestment in higher education. All Kentucky higher education institutions
are funded based solely on their performance in several specific areas, such as graduation
rates. KCTCS supports performance-based funding because it challenges us to continuously
improve. However, funding over the last few years has not been enough to offset years
of cuts. Therefore, KCTCS is supporting CPE’s legislative request to increase funding.
The second CPE request is for funding to improve existing buildings and facilities
at all higher education campuses throughout Kentucky, with a 50 percent match from
the institution. This investment in our buildings will help us make repairs and updates,
such as new HVAC systems and roofs. These updates help reduce operating costs, provide
a better environment for our students and faculty and help ensure the safety of our
students, employees, and visitors.
Because of the important contributions our colleges continue to bring to our communities,
we will be actively engaged in this year’s legislative session, informing legislators
and advocating for our students, staff and local employers to deliver on the promise
that better lives lead to a better Kentucky. For more information, visit betterlivesky.com.
Jason D. Warren, PhD
President/CEO
Henderson Community College
270-831-9626
Dr. Larry Ferguson, President of Ashland Community and Technical College; Dr. Sherry
Zylka, President of Big Sandy Community and Technical College; Dr. Koffi Akakpo, President
of Bluegrass Community and Technical College; Dr. Juston Pate, President of Elizabethtown
Community and Technical College; Dr. Fernando Figueroa, President of Gateway Community
and Technical College; Dr. Jennifer Lindon, President of Hazard Community and Technical
College; Dr. Alissa Young, President of Hopkinsville Community College; Dr. Ty Handy,
President of Jefferson Community and Technical College; Dr. Cynthia Kelley, President
of Madisonville Community College; Dr. Steve Vacik, President of Maysville Community
and Technical College; Dr. Scott Williams, President of Owensboro Community and Technical
College; Dr. Carey Castle, President of Somerset Community College; Dr. Phil Neal,
President of Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College; Dr. Vic Adams,
President of Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College; Dr. Anton Reece,
President of West Kentucky Community and Technical College
