Home » Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics established at Morehead State

Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics established at Morehead State

Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers, House Majority Floor Leader Rocky Adkins, Alliance Resource Partners CEO Joe Craft and MSU President Wayne D. Andrews announced Thursday, April 10, the establishment of the Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a dual-credit residential high school for academically exceptional Kentucky students.
House Majority Floor Leader Rocky Adkins, Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers, Alliance Resource Partners CEO Joe Craft and MSU President Wayne D. Andrews announced Thursday, April 10, the establishment of the Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a dual-credit residential high school for academically exceptional Kentucky students.

Curriculum will allow students to finish high school while completing up to two years of university coursework

MOREHEAD, Ky. (April 15, 2014) — Morehead State University will launch a residential dual-credit high school for academically exceptional Kentucky students in the fall of 2015 and it will be named the Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, said MSU President Wayne D. Andrews and Alliance Resource Partners CEO Joe Craft.

State lawmakers budgeted $2.3 million to establish the academy. Craft has pledged $4 million during the next several years in support of the academy, the single largest cash gift in the history of Morehead State.

The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics is scheduled to open August 2015. Students will live on campus in a newly renovated residence hall designed for high school aged students. The facility will have meeting and social space and be staffed 24/7.

“I am excited to be a partner with Morehead State University in making this program available to exceptional young men and women to develop their God given talents. My passion is to provide opportunity for people that want to help themselves and develop professionally,” Craft said at a ceremony on campus April 10.

“I have seen firsthand, through my daughter Caroline’s participation in The Gatton Academy at Western Kentucky University, the impact a dual-credit program can have on the lives of gifted and talented students in Kentucky,” said state Senate President Robert Stivers. “The program didn’t just give her a head start on a college career. It showed her opportunities that were available to her and made her excited about college and a future career. And because of that, she is thriving at the University of Kentucky.

“Knowing that more students can have this same experience at Morehead State University is exciting. I’m thankful to President Andrews and Mr. Craft for making this a reality,” Stivers said. “I hope we will be able to establish more programs like this one in the future.

The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics will meet the unique educational needs of academically gifted and talented high school juniors and seniors in the commonwealth. A college-level curriculum will allow students to finish high school while also completing up to two years of university coursework. It will offer a residential college experience and environment that promotes excellence, innovation and creativity while developing the full potential of the state’s brightest minds and most promising future leaders.

At the end of the two years, students will have earned as much as 60 credit hours, finished high school and have the opportunity to further their education at MSU or transfer to any other college/university in Kentucky or elsewhere. The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics graduates will be able to participate in their home high school graduation.

“The Craft Academy is one of the most important announcements and initiatives that I have been part of in my 27 years as a legislator. Educating Kentucky’s brightest and best high school students with a heavy emphasis on science and mathematics will ensure their professional success, inspire entrepreneurship and provide our region with a workforce uniquely prepared to compete in the 21st century. This public/private partnership is a game changer for Eastern Kentucky and the commonwealth,” said state Rep. Rocky Adkins.

Additional information will be available soon,Andrews said. MSU personnel have already started the process of visiting other similar academies throughout the United States.

“This Academy could have never come to fruition without the inspiration and leadership provided by Sen. Stivers, Rep. Adkins, the Kentucky General Assembly and through the generosity of Mr. Craft,” Andrews said. “This is a big day for students and families in the commonwealth and Morehead State University. A lot of hard work is ahead of us before we open the Academy, but it provides an opportunity for MSU to develop and deliver a program that will be transformational for the young men and women in our region and across Kentucky for generations to come.”

Additional information on the Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics is available by calling Dr. Roger McNeil, College of Science and Technology dean, at 606-783-2158.