Fulfilling the Promise' is a five-year campaign for state's 16 campuses

By Jason Dooley, jdooley@bgdailynews.com -- 270-781-1700

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System kicked off the biggest fund-raising drive in its history today with celebrations at each of the system's 16 regional sites. The "Fulfilling the Promise" campaign will take place over the next five years and is expected to surpass the $43 million raised during a campaign by the state's community colleges in the early 1990s--before the community colleges were split from the University of Kentucky and joined the state's technical colleges to form KCTCS.

The major gifts campaign will take place along 17 tracks, one systemwide and one in each of the system's 16 districts, KCTCS President Michael B. McCall said.

"For the motto 'Education Pays' to be true for every citizen, business and industry must thrive in the globally competitive, information-based economy of the 21st century," McCall said. "As a state-assisted institution, KCTCS must supplement its public funds from the private sector to fully meet the demands of students and our business, industry and community partners."

With no relief in sight for the statewide budget shortfalls that have forced repeated cuts to higher education institutions' budgets, KCTCS is taking the initiative to ensure that its students have access to top-quality facilities and instructors, said Donna Martin, director of development at Bowling Green Technical College.

"In light of the state budget, we have to move our institutions forward, and that's why we are in need of private resources," she said. "We've completed our strategic plan, strategic needs analysis and feasibility study, and we feel very confident as we begin this fund-raising campaign."

The feasibility study, which included a survey of more than 50 business and community leaders in Bowling Green and the surrounding region, identified several areas of need in southcentral Kentucky and an interest by the community in helping BGTC reach its goals, she said.

"With the study, we feel like people in the private sector believe in what the college is doing and will support us," Martin said.

At the kickoff event, McCall also announced the first two major gifts of the campaign, a $500,000 gift from Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky to launch the KCTCS Center of Excellence in Automotive Manufacturing, and a $320,000 gift from the Kentucky Colonels to endow a scholarship to assist single parents in obtaining college educations.

"Thanks to the generosity of Toyota and the Kentucky Colonels, KCTCS will enhance the earnings potential and quality of life of many more students in the years to come," McCall said.

Tom Zawacki, general manager of administration at the Toyota plant in Georgetown and chairman of the KCTCS Foundation Board of Directors, said the partnership between Toyota and KCTCS was a "natural marriage."

"Since the consolidation of the state's community and technical colleges, we've been very happy with the quality of the graduates of skilled trades programs under the KCTCS umbrella," Zawacki said. "I support KCTCS personally and the company supports it very strongly because our needs and our success are so closely tied to their producing skilled graduates."

Over the past few years, Toyota has given more than $1.1 million in funds, vehicles and equipment to KCTCS for use in classrooms, he said.

The gift from the Kentucky Colonels will provide a $2,500 scholarship to one student at each of KCTCS's 16 campuses each year.

To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be a full-time student, a Kentucky resident, demonstrate financial need and be a single parent of one or more children under the age of 12.

Tracy Carroll, an accounting student at BGTC, is the first recipient of the scholarship at the Bowling Green campus.

"It's been wonderful for me," said Carroll, who received the scholarship for the first time this semester. "It's allowed me to not have to keep a full-time job in addition to my coursework."

She will graduate from BGTC in May, but is taking 17 hours of coursework this semester, she said.

"With the scholarship, I've been able to just work part-time, and that's allowed to me to study more and keep my grades up, plus spend time with my son," she said.