FRANKFORT, Ky. (Nov. 19, 2012) – The Council on Postsecondary Education met at Western Kentucky University earlier today for its regular meeting and heard a variety of key reports and took several actions.
The meeting was the first to present progress toward the efficiency and innovation focus areas of the council’s strategic agenda, which includes policy objectives to increase academic productivity through program innovations, and secondly, to maximize the use of postsecondary and adult education resources.
“Every dollar of savings campuses generate against their operating costs takes that much pressure off tuition,” said Council President Bob King.
In the area of increased academic productivity, the presentation focused on technologies that hold the promise of simultaneously improving learning outcomes and expanding access to larger numbers of students while reducing institution and student costs.
The panel discussion on efficiency highlighted energy management strategies that may have the effect of reducing the cost of producing a degree. Strategies implemented by Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, University of Louisville and Western Kentucky University were discussed as examples of successful initiatives.
In a report on student success mini-grants, the council heard that grants, ranging from $2,000 to $5,000, were awarded to 11 public institutions to implement short-term, specific strategies to increase persistence and graduation rates for near completers with 75 or more credit hours.
To be eligible for the mini-grants, institutions were required to address at least one of the root causes of student attrition, as identified at the 2012 Kentucky Student Success Summit. The winning proposals included the following institutions:
Ashland Community and Technical College
Big Sandy Community and Technical College
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
Gateway Community and Technical College
Henderson Community College
Hopkinsville Community College
Madisonville Community College
Murray State University
University of Louisville
West Kentucky Community and Technical College
Western Kentucky University
The council heard detailed performance presentations from Murray State University and Kentucky Adult Education, including progress toward meeting their strategic agenda performance metrics.
Other reports were CPE President’s Report, Kentucky Department of Education, strategic agenda midterm report, tuition and mandatory fee policy with preliminary 2013-14 tuition-setting timeline, a report from the Committee on Equal Opportunities and reports from the campuses.
In action items, the council:
– Approved a bachelor of science degree in music business at Murray State University.
– Approved a temporary waiver request from Madisonville Community College to allow the college to implement new academic programs, as recommended by the Committee on Equal Opportunities.
Chair Pam Miller appointed a nominating committee to present recommendations for the Council chair and vice chair at the February meeting. Glenn Denton will serve as chair of the nominating committee, and Lisa Osborne and Marcia Ridings were also appointed to the committee.
Miller also presented resolutions honoring Sherron Jackson, associate vice president for budget, planning and policy, who is retiring in December after 33 years of service to the council, and to John Hayek, senior vice president for budget, planning and policy, who has accepted a new position at the University of Texas.
Miller also reappointed Hilma Prather to the KET board.
The next meeting of the Council will be Feb. 7 and 8 at the council offices in Frankfort.
Meeting materials are available here.
Add Comment