Congressman Meets With Higher Education Leaders At WKU

August 10, 2009

Bowling Green, Ky. - U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie conducted a higher education roundtable Monday for leaders of universities and colleges in the 2nd Congressional District.

“Educating people for the jobs of the future is the No. 1 priority I have,” Guthrie said after the meeting at Western Kentucky University’s Kentucky Library & Museum.

Guthrie, a Bowling Green Republican who serves as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness, convened the meeting of his district’s higher education leaders to gather feedback from each campus and to provide information about pending legislation and federal appropriations.

“We want to thank you for what you’re doing to further education in your district,” WKU President Gary Ransdell said.

Dr. Ransdell was joined by directors of WKU’s regional campuses as well as leaders from Campbellsville University, Brescia University, Kentucky Wesleyan College and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System’s campuses in Bowling Green, Owensboro and Elizabethtown.

Each school is facing similar issues – providing job training for displaced workers, offering lifelong learning for adults and meeting the educational needs of a growing number of students all at an affordable cost.

“What I’ve been hearing is our campuses are receiving more and more students,” Guthrie said.
Dr. Thelma White, president of Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, said enrollment there is up 700 over last year. “We’ve seen a significant increase in the number of students looking for career training,” she said.

Representatives from schools in Owensboro and Campbellsville reported similar trends as displaced workers are seeking new job skills.

In the past 10 years, Campbellsville University has partnered with ECTC and KCTCS to offer technical training and other programs for workers who’ve lost factory jobs there, said John Chowning, vice president for Church and External Relations.

In Owensboro, increasing the number of bachelor degree holders “is a tremendous challenge for all of us,” said Dr. Gene Tice, director of WKU-Owensboro. But, he said, the public colleges (WKU and Owensboro Community and Technical College) are working with the private colleges (Brescia and Kentucky Wesleyan) to enhance the educational opportunities there.

“This is a team,” Dr. Tice said, referring to the presidents of the three other Owensboro schools seated next to him. “It’s great to be in an environment where we’re working together.”

Dr. Cheryl King, president of Kentucky Wesleyan College, called Monday’s meeting very productive. “What a great opportunity it is for the public and independent colleges to meet with Congressman Guthrie,” she said.

Those attending Congressman Guthrie’s Higher Education Roundtable were: Dr. Juanita Bayless, associate dean and director of WKU-Glasgow; Dr. Frank Cheatham, vice president of Academic Affairs at Campbellsville University; John Chowning, vice president of Church and External Relations at Campbellsville University; Dr. Larry Durrence, interim president at Owensboro Community and Technical College; Cindy Fiorella, vice president of Community/Workforce Development at OCTC; Ron Harrell, chief institutional advancement officer at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College; Dr. Nathan Hodges, president of Bowling Green Community and Technical College; Father Larry Hostetter, president of Brescia University; Dr. Cheryl King, president of Kentucky Wesleyan College; Dr. Gary Ransdell, president of WKU; Dr. Ronald Stephens, associate dean and director of WKU-Elizabethtown/Radcliff/Ft. Knox; Dr. Gene Tice, associate dean and director of WKU-Owensboro; Dr. Thelma White, president of ECTC; and Dr. Scott Williams, vice president of Academic Affairs at OCTC.
Also participating were Amy Jones, staff member for the House Committee on Education and Labor; and Megan Spindel, Congressman Guthrie’s legislative director.

A video clip from Monday’s roundtable is available online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0PXQAgpQbk

Photo caption: Congressman Brett Guthrie, left, and Amy Jones of the House Committee on Education and Labor listen to concerns of 2nd District higher education representatives during a roundtable discussion Monday at the Kentucky Building on the WKU campus. (WKU Photo by Clinton Lewis)

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