From new academic degrees and innovative community programs to a rare tuition freeze, Kentucky colleges and universities are heading into their first post-pandemic academic year with big plans.
We talked to a few to see what was happening at Kentucky’s higher education institutions.
Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence at the University of Louisville
According to the International Franchise Association, more than 8.2 million people are employed at nearly 775,000 franchise locations across the United States, and the numbers are expected to grow in the coming years.
Enter the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence, the first business program of its kind at a public university that provides education on the franchising model while recruiting underrepresented populations.
Kathleen Gosser, the executive-in-residence at the University of Louisville College of Business (where the Center is based), said this partnership with Yum! will level the playing field and unlock opportunities for more people of color and more women.
“[UofL] is hyper focused on being the premier anti-racist university and how we can empower our communities to help people feel a sense of belonging, a sense of being able to do great things,” Gosser said.
Yum! Brands sees the partnership with UofL as a program that “democratizes exposure” and builds knowledge for all.
“Our hope is the Center will carve a path to economic opportunity and successful ownership for talented, underrepresented people while bringing diverse voices and ideas to the broader franchising community,” said Scott Catlett, Yum! Brands’ chief legal and franchise officer.
The center will build upon UofL’s existing franchising curriculum and add an undergraduate franchising track within the Bachelor of Business Administration program launched in the spring 2021 semester.
“We’ll also be able to do research as well as articles on what are the barriers and what are the successes and how we can help more people into this industry,” Gosser said. “It is a thriving, thriving industry.”
Spalding University Doctor of Physical Therapy Program
Who would have guessed that an old car lot would become a new state-of-the-art health sciences building designed to turn out highly trained physical therapists? In 2019, Spalding University purchased the old V.V. Cooke Chevrolet dealership in downtown Louisville.
“This is the next big thing for Spalding. We’ve done lots of big things, but this is the boldest for quite some time,” said Tori Murden McClure, Spalding’s president. “It adds to our panoply of health sciences and the ability to renovate yet another building in the south Broadway neighborhood and continue that revitalization of our campus and the [surrounding] neighborhood.”
The university’s new Doctor of Physical Therapy Program launches in the fall of 2022 as a hybrid, low-residency format.
Lisa Zuber, the chair of Spalding’s School of Physical Therapy, said this format will increase accessibility and diversity by allowing students from all over the United States to attend.
“Spalding has some experience with this low-residency [program], where students do most of the work off campus and then come on campus for the hands-on [instruction], which is what’s going to take place in the building on Third Street,” Zuber said. “The building will have large open spaces for labs … and it’s also a student home. We want this to be a [home] for students when they come to campus for one week a month.”
Centre College Wellness and Athletic Expansion Project
It’s being called Centre College’s largest, most comprehensive construction project ever, and college officials say the $50 million initiative is sorely needed.
“This significant investment exemplifies Centre’s continuing commitment to excellence,” Centre President Milton Moreland said. “It will strengthen our earned reputation as one of the nation’s foremost colleges focused on leadership development and career readiness.”
The 135,000-square-foot facility will be devoted to wellness and athletic excellence and includes the renovation of the 98-year-old Farris Stadium, as well as a 10-lane, 50-meter pool; a six-lane, 200-meter indoor track and turf infield; and a 6,000-square-foot wellness center.
Groundbreaking is slated for October with completion in 18 months.
Bulleit Frontier Whiskey and Kentucky State University
Bulleit Frontier Whiskey aims to develop talented students in need with its annual $25,000 scholarship to Kentucky State University’s Master of Agriculture Sciences in Environmental Studies Program. It’s part of a $1 million donation to KSU, the largest donation in the school’s history.
“We appreciate this generous donation from Bulleit and the opportunities it will create to ensure some of our most talented and brightest students are given the chance to become future leaders regardless of their socioeconomic background, status or race,” said KSU President M. Christopher Brown II in a press release announcing the scholarship. “With this partnership we’re helping remove a financial barrier that prevents students from getting across the finish line.”
Ricky Collett, Bulleit’s brand director, said the company’s goal is to “build a pipeline” of people from diverse backgrounds into the spirits industry. “We hope to make a lasting impact as we provide resources, funding and support to the next generation of pioneers through our partnership with [KSU], an institution that has been an educational pillar for over a century in the Commonwealth,” Collett said.
Kentucky Community and Technical College System
Coming out of a period of crippling financial uncertainty, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System offered welcome news for its upcoming academic year: a tuition freeze.
That means all in-state students will continue to pay $179 per credit hour.
“The pandemic has taken a toll on our students, who’ve been affected in numerous ways, including job loss,” KCTCS Board Chair Gail Henson said in announcing the freeze. “The board wanted to help students, and we felt keeping our tuition at the same rate would help thousands of families.”
Kentucky’s largest provider of higher education said it’s also awarding its full-time employees a merit bonus of $2,000 or 2 percent, whichever is greater.
“Kentucky is recovering fast from the pandemic, but we can’t forget the lessons learned from the past year,” said Aaron Thompson, president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. “Even with our rally, many students still face extreme financial hardships that could derail their education. That’s why I want to thank KCTCS for holding the line on tuition. Their leadership and commitment to affordability help ensure that we don’t leave anyone behind.”