New Council on Postsecondary Education members sworn into office

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 26, 2016) — The Council on Postsecondary Education welcomed seven new members at its meeting Friday at Eastern Kentucky University. Madison County Chief Circuit Judge Jean Chenault Logue administered the oath of office to the members, appointed this summer by Gov. Matt Bevin.

New members are:

• Ronald C. Beal, of Bowling Green, is president of Luvata’s Tubes Division, a global leader in the manufacture of copper tubes for the air conditioning and refrigeration industry. A graduate of the College of Wooster with a bachelor’s degree in geology, Beal also and holds a master’s degree in business from Ashland University. Beal’s term runs through December 2017.
• Benjamin Brandstetter, a resident of Hebron, is vice president of the Transportation Engineering Division of Brandstetter Carroll Inc., a national architectural and engineering firm with locations in Lexington, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Dallas. Brandstetter attended the Georgia Institute of Technology where he received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. His term expires December 2020.
• Lucas Mentzer, of Lexington, is the enterprise manager for acquisitions and mergers with Lexmark International. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Centre College. Mentzer will serve on the Council through December 2016.
• Joseph Papalia, of Louisville, is CEO of Munich Welding and Deposition Technology Innovations, a steel fabricator that serves the power, wastewater, food and medical industries. Papalia earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in business administration from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Papalia will serve on the Council through December 2020.
• Vidya Ravichandran, of Louisville, is a technology entrepreneur and owner of GlowTouch Technologies. Ravichandran is a graduate of University of Agricultural Sciences in Bangalore, India, and holds a master’s degree in molecular biology in horticulture from Virginia Tech. She will serve through December 2021.
• Sebastian Torres is the student representative on the Council. Torres, a student at Eastern Kentucky University, is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in history. He serves as the executive vice president of the EKU Student Government Association and is a volunteer for the Boy Scouts of America. Torres will serve through June 2017.
• Carol Wright, of Tyner, is president and CEO of Jackson Energy Cooperative, a nonprofit electric cooperative headquartered in McKee. She holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Kentucky and a master’s degree in business administration from Sullivan University. She will serve through December 2021.

In other business, CPE approved the Kentucky Public Postsecondary Education Policy for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The policy seeks to increase and support the enrollment of students from diverse backgrounds, close achievement gaps of low-income and underrepresented minorities, and promote success of all students through more inclusive campus environments.

The policy aligns to the state’s strategic agenda and ties eligibility to offer new academic programs to institutional progress toward meeting goals in these areas and implementing strategies to achieve them. Campuses will report on progress annually and be evaluated both on quantitative and qualitative elements.

In other action items, CPE:

• Directed CPE staff to complete the process for Kentucky to join the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), which allows institutions meeting uniform national standards to offer distance education to students in member states. SARA enables institutions to comply more easily with state and federal laws and expands student access to distance education provided by institutions in other member states.
• Approved three academic programs: a Master of Science in research methods in education and a bachelor of liberal studies at the University of Kentucky, and a bachelor of music education at Northern Kentucky University.
• Adopted the 2016-17 Council operating budget.
• Approved the 2017 Council meeting schedule.

The next CPE meeting will be Nov. 17-18 at Owensboro Community College.