Home » Paducah attorney Glenn Denton elected chair of Council on Postsecondary Education

Paducah attorney Glenn Denton elected chair of Council on Postsecondary Education

FRANKFORT, Ky. (February 13, 2015) – Glenn Denton, an attorney from Paducah, is the new chair of the Council on Postsecondary Education and Joe Graviss of Versailles is vice chair. The Council elected its leadership at its meeting Friday in Frankfort.

“I am honored to be the first person from western Kentucky chosen to lead CPE,” said Denton. “Due to the historic reforms in 1997, Kentucky’s higher education landscape is remarkably different after almost 20 years, and we are now at a crossroads.

“This will be a very important year as we focus on developing a budget request for higher education, a new strategic agenda, and continuing key priorities such as closing achievement gaps so that more students can graduate college with the skills and competencies our workforce needs,” he added.

Denton, who replaces Pam Miller of Lexington, is a partner with the Paducah law firm of Denton & Keuler, LLP and practices law throughout western Kentucky and southern Illinois. He is a 1992 graduate of Centre College and a 1995 graduate of Northern Kentucky University Chase College of Law.

Graviss is an owner/operator of eight McDonald’s Restaurants in Lexington, Frankfort and Versailles. He is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Transylvania University with majors in accounting and business administration and minors in political science and history. He replaces Dan Flanagan of Campbellsville who served two stints as vice chair, including the past three years.

In other business, the Council on Postsecondary Education adopted a resolution to develop and implement a unified strategic plan for Kentucky Rising. This joint initiative would establish criteria for a high school diploma, certificate or endorsement that certifies a graduate meets the employment requirements of foreign industries that are directly investing in the state and industries that are creating trade with other countries. By ensuring Kentucky’s workforce is an asset for global economic development, Kentucky can continue to create jobs for residents and grow the state’s economy.

In other action, the Council on Postsecondary Education:

• Approved the Bachelor of Arts in modern and classical languages, literature and cultures from the University of Kentucky and the Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Western Kentucky University.

• Approved capital projects, including Kentucky State University’s $2.6 million Acquire Enterprise Resources Planning Information Technology System to be funded with institutional and federal funds; Morehead State University’s $17.6 million project to provide food service and retail space and a parking structure to be funded by private sources and auxiliary revenues; and Western Kentucky University’s privately funded $2.3 million Confucius Institute.

• Adopted an amendment to the residency regulation to comply with the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 that requires public institutions to charge in-state tuition to veterans serving at least 90 days who enroll within three years of discharge from active duty, as well as individuals who receive federal education benefits through these veterans.

• Approved a “reasonable breach investigation procedures and practices” policy for public postsecondary institutions as required by House Bill 5, the Cyber Security Bill.

• Appointed Marcia Ridings, Arnold Taylor and Pam Miller to the Executive Committee, which also includes the chair and vice chair.

• Presented a resolution commending outgoing member Carolyn Ridley for her dedication and exemplary service.

The Council heard the following reports: CPE President’s Report, Education Commissioner’s Report, Project Lead the Way and Posters at the Capitol, and Committee on Equal Opportunities. Campus reports were also available.

The next meeting of the Council will be April 16-17 at Morehead State University.