FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 24, 2017) — Dr. Carl Rollins will retire Dec. 31, 2017 as head of Kentucky’s state student financial aid agencies.
Rollins was named executive director of the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) and Kentucky Higher Education Student Loan Corporation (KHESLC) in 2013. He has been with the agencies for 16 years.
“I’ve enjoyed working with other leaders in higher education and in the General Assembly to improve education in Kentucky,” Rollins said. “I’m especially proud to have had the chance to work with all of the dedicated employees at both KHEAA and KHESLC to provide every Kentuckian the opportunity to pursue college and technical education after high school.”
Rollins has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Morehead State University and a master’s in business administration and doctorate in educational policy studies and evaluation from the University of Kentucky. He also represented Woodford County in the state House of Representatives from 2007 until being named the agencies’ executive director. Rollins served for five years as chair of the House Education Committee.
“It has been my privilege to work with Dr. Carl Rollins in several capacities for almost two decades,” said Board Chair Charles Vinson. “As financial aid director at Murray State University, I worked with Dr. Rollins to secure funding for our students in the form of state grants, KEES scholarships, Stafford student loans and parent loans so that they might achieve their educational goals. As a state legislator, Dr. Rollins continued to fight for legislation to help students in the Commonwealth.”
Vinson, who has been on the board for the past three years, added that Dr. Rollins has done an outstanding job as CEO/executive director and that he will be missed in the agencies and the Commonwealth.
Rollins plans to remain active after retiring.
“I look forward to travel, taking classes and spending more time with my wife, Brenda, and my daughter, Heather, and her husband, Craig, and my two amazing grandchildren, Hannah and Ryan, after retirement,” he said.
The agencies’ board of directors is conducting a nationwide search for Rollins’ replacement.
KHEAA is the state agency that administers the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES) and other programs to help students pay their higher education expenses.
KHESLC is a public agency that provides and services the state’s only non-profit student loans and services federal student loans.
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