REPORT SHOWS LINK BETWEEN EDUCATION AND PROSPERITY IN KENTUCKY
February 15, 2008
(FRANKFORT, Ky.) – The Council on Postsecondary Education released Kentucky’s /2008-10 County Profiles/ today, which shows that counties with high numbers of college graduates also have high household median incomes. Of the top 20 counties in the number of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher, 65 percent (13) of those counties also rank in the top 20 counties with the highest median household income.
“This report confirms the direct connection between education and quality of life,” said Brad Cowgill, interim president of the Council on Postsecondary Education.
The /2008-10 County Profiles/ report, a biennial publication of the Council, compiles data from national, state and other resources to provide education-related profiles of 120 counties, 15 area development districts and eight public postsecondary institution service regions. The report also contains charts and maps that highlight some of the Commonwealth’s more critical issues such as poverty, unemployment and Medicaid.
Profiles include information regarding:
- Educational attainment (including the percent of the population with/without a high school diploma and with/without a college degree).
- College readiness and participation (including the number of students entering or graduating college in 2006-07).
- Employment by sector
- Undergraduate enrollment (including alumni residing in the county/region and fall 2006 enrollment by postsecondary institution)
- Financial aid (including number of awards and total state and federal aid dollars awarded)
The report found that only five of Kentucky’s 120 counties are at or above the national average in the percentage of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. These counties include Fayette (35.6%), Oldham (30.6%), Woodford (25.9%), Jefferson (24.8%) and Warren (24.7%). The national average is 24.4 percent and the overall Kentucky average is 17.1 percent.
Other key findings of the report show:
- Four counties need less than 500 additional bachelor’s degree holders to meet the national average: Calloway (75), Franklin (180), Robertson (246) and Rowan (311).
- Eight counties are above the national average of $41,994 in median household income including: Oldham ($63,229), Boone ($53,593), Woodford ($49,491), Scott ($47,081), Spencer ($47,042), Shelby ($45,534), Anderson ($45,433), Bullitt ($45,106) and Kenton ($43,906) Counties.
- In 23 counties, 60 percent or more of high school graduates enrolled in a Kentucky college in 2006; the highest college-going rate occurred in Robertson County, where 69 percent of high school graduates enrolled in college. In eight counties, less than 40 percent entered college in 2006.
- In 16 counties, 30 percent or more of the population is living in poverty. Statewide, 15.8 percent of Kentuckians live in poverty, topping the national average of 12.4 percent.
To view the full report, visit the Council’s Web site at http://www.cpe.ky.gov/info/county
WKU Only Public University Showing Continuing Progress On All 8 Kentucky Plan Goals
February 01, 2008
Bowling Green, Ky. -Western Kentucky University is the only public university to achieve continuing progress status in all eight objectives of the Kentucky Plan for Equal Opportunities. But that doesn’t mean the University can relax, according to Chief Diversity Officer Richard Miller.
“We can’t just sit back and say we’ve made it because there are some areas that we really need to stay clearly focused on when it comes to meeting these criteria,” Dr. Miller said.
“I think our ability to meet all eight objectives speaks well for the university,” he said. “It’s everyone who is committed to a more diverse workforce and more diversity in our student body. So everyone can really take some pride in where we are, but certainly we cannot rest because just as quickly as we can meet these goals, we can slide back easily, so the onus is on us to keep this whole issue of diversity on the table.”
The Council on Postsecondary Education oversees the Kentucky Plan, which monitors progress in eight objectives related to African American Kentuckians in the state’s public higher education institutions. The objectives include the enrollment, retention and graduation of students as well as the hiring of faculty, staff and professionals.
Institutions must attain a minimum level of success to be eligible to offer new degree programs. The report, issued at Friday’s CPE meeting, is based on data from 2006-07.
In the fall of 2006, African American students from Kentucky made up 9.4 percent of the undergraduate enrollment. Dr. Miller said that percentage was the highest in recent history. WKU retained 60.8 percent of first-year and 74.6 percent of all African American Kentucky students.
“The retention of first-year students is so important and we’ve made some very good strides this year with retaining almost 61 percent,” Dr. Miller said. “That’s a little less than what we did with our white students but in terms of our African American students we’re doing pretty well.”
WKU graduated 50 percent of those students who entered in the fall of 2000, compared to a graduation rate of 53.4 percent for white students.
“This is an area that is a concern for everybody, not just African American students,” he said. “I’m not really satisfied with that number and I don’t think anybody should be. In fact I’m not really satisfied with the total numbers of our graduation rate. We certainly can do a better job of that, but we’ve made progress.”
Dr. Miller said WKU has done well recruiting African American graduate students (6.2 percent of enrollment) through attractive programs and by offering grants through the Minority Access Program.
In hiring, African Americans made up 9.3 percent of the executive, administrative and managerial staff, 5.1 percent of the faculty and 10.5 percent of other professionals in 2006-07. Dr. Miller said the University looks closely at the applicant pools for searches to “make sure our department heads are casting the net widely and making a concerted effort to attract minority candidates.”
While the Kentucky Plan focuses only on African Americans from Kentucky, Dr. Miller said the focus at WKU is much broader, with the emphasis on diversity.
“We’re using the term ‘diversity’ more than we are minority because we want to make sure we don’t lead one to believe that our efforts are strictly race based,” he said. “There are a number of parameters that we as an institution have to focus on in addition to the Kentucky Plan.” Some of those factors include age, ethnicity, gender and socio-economics, he said.
“I think there is a widespread recognition on the part of our faculty and staff that the administration is really deeply committed to diversity and I think the appointment of a chief diversity officer has made a difference,” Dr. Miller said. “But I think overall they see the administration as being supportive and committed to focusing on and espousing the value of diversity on our campus, and that makes a difference, too.”
More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.
For more information, contact Dr. Richard Miller, (270) 745-5468.
Three Inducted Into Kentucky Teacher Hall Of Fame
January 24, 2008
Bowling Green, Ky. - Three outstanding educators were inducted today into the Gov. Louie B. Nunn Kentucky Teacher Hall of Fame during a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort.
The three inductees, chosen by a statewide selection committee, are Jan Kathryn Weaver Lanham of Bardstown, Patrice McCrary of Bowling Green and Shelia Ann Miller of Owensboro.
“Teaching is truly a ‘make a difference’ profession,” Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear said. “It gives me great hope today to be in the company of standout teachers who have been acknowledged for their commitment to the profession of teaching and to the success of all students.”
The Kentucky Teacher Hall of Fame was created in 2000 through a gift by former Gov. Nunn, who hoped to recognize the vital role that primary and secondary teachers in Kentucky play in the education of young people and the positive impact education has on the state’s economy. Western Kentucky University was selected as the home of the Kentucky Teacher Hall of Fame because of its 100-year history in teacher education.
WKU President Gary Ransdell said it was fitting that the ceremony was held in the Rotunda “as our elected officials meet to chart the course for our future. And I firmly believe that education is absolutely the key to that future, a fact recognized by former Gov. Nunn and our current governor.”
Dr. Ransdell said that as a university president, he is aware of the impact primary and secondary teachers have in preparing students. “Students who benefit from the instruction of teachers such as these three we are honoring today have a greater chance of success when they reach the college campus,” he said.
“The inductees truly represent the highest qualities associated with the profession,” said Sam Evans, chair of the selection committee and dean of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences at WKU. “Through their combined 80 plus years of helping children and adolescents maximize their potential and achieve their dreams, they have positively impacted the lives of thousands of individuals in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and beyond. They have and continue to serve as role model for students and individuals both in and outside the profession, and their commitment to student learning has been exemplary.”
*Jan Weaver Lanham*
Lanham has been principal at Cox’s Creek Elementary School in Nelson County since 2003, but in her 32-year career in education, she has taught in multiple grades in multiple settings, from inner city Columbus, Ohio, to affluent Owensboro and Bowling Green to rural Marion County.
“My journey has been a blessing, as I have had the opportunity to extend the legacy of the educators who inspired me,” Lanham wrote. “Each new direction has provided rejuvenation as I discover links to prior experiences while finding additional areas for personal growth and improvement that can enhance my work with students.”
Lanham lists as career highlights her time as a teacher at L.C. Curry Elementary School in Bowling Green, where she taught with her mother; being the teacher/coordinator of the Marion County Gifted Education Module; being a participant in the Kentucky Writing Project; using a grant to establish the Marion County Youth Chorus; being named Educator of the Year by the Marion County Chamber of Commerce; being named the fine arts teacher at Glasscock Elementary School in Marion County; and being named principal at Cox’s Creek.
Lanham holds a bachelor’s degree in music and elementary education, a master’s degree in education with gifted endorsement and a Rank 1 in administration, all from WKU. She is currently in the joint doctoral program in educational leadership between WKU and the University of Louisville.
*Patrice McCrary*
McCrary has been recognized at the local, state and national level for her teaching. She was named the Outstanding Young Educator of the Year in Bowling Green/Warren County; Kentucky Elementary Teacher of the Year; Kentucky Teacher of the Year and to the USA Today All Teacher Team.
“I am a fortunate person,” McCrary wrote. “For 19 years I have been paid for doing what I love to do – teach.”
McCrary began her career in Fort Worth, Texas, and has spent the last 14 years at Cumberland Trace Elementary in Bowling Green. She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Blue Mountain College in Mississippi and master’s in elementary education from WKU.
McCrary’s teaching style is characterized by the excitement her students exhibit about learning and by her involvement in her students’ lives.
“When an excitement of learning is the atmosphere in which the students are immersed, then future success is much more of a reality,” she wrote. “I feel at peace with myself when I know 24 students are on the road to success…. I make a difference in our world; and I love doing so.”
McCrary says she shows her students they are important to her by showing them respect and by coming to outside activities, such as ballgames and recitals. “If I am invited to an event in the life of one of my students, I make every effort to be there.”
*Shelia Ann Miller*
Miller began her career in 1960 teaching elementary and junior high music in Daviess County. In 1963, she became the director of the Daviess County High School Choir. During her tenure, she has produced four generations of music lovers and a workforce of music educators and practitioners.
“One of the many blessings of my teaching career has been the joy of teaching the children of my former students, watching them, like their parents, excel in music,” Miller wrote. “Academics are vitally important, but so is the musical part of a young person’s life.”
Since 1960, Miller has conducted her students in more than 1,000 concerts, competitions and stage productions. She encourages her students to find themselves in their music, original ideas and world and to practice integrity and strive for excellence in pursuit of their individual goals and dreams.
During her career, Miller was honored with the Golden Apple award from Ashland Oil Co., the Owensboro Mayor’s Award of Excellence for Community Service, the Elizabeth Munday Recognition honor for community involvement and advocacy for special populations, the It’s About Kids Secondary Educator of the Year Award from Daviess County Schools and was twice named the Daviess County High School Teacher of the Year.
Miller, a graduate of Murray State University, retired in 2007.
Researchers Setting Up State Weather Network
January 22, 2008
Hartford, KY. - A group of researchers is trying to put together a statewide weather-monitoring network.
The project, called Kentucky Mesonet, has equipment up at six sites so far, said state climatologist Stuart Foster, who also is director of the Kentucky Climate Center at Western Kentucky University.
The goal is to put equipment at 100 sites, he said.
The network will collect real-time data about precipitation, wind speed, and other conditions and send it to the National Weather Service and a Web site for the public.
"It gives advance warning of weather that is coming their way," Foster said.
Steve Struebig, a meteorology/electronics technician at WKU, said the climate center and the Kentucky Natural Resources Conservation Services also are trying to find spots for soil testing to help farmers.
updated 2/15/08
