September 14, 2002
FRANKFORT, Ky. -- A state senator says Kentucky State University's financial and academic problems may merit taking another look at an old idea of making it part of another school.
Other legislators said KSU deserves to stand on its own and one questioned whether racism played a part in the most recent debate.
State Sen. Dan Seum, R-Louisville, said, of Kentucky's eight public universities, KSU has the highest amount of state funding per student and the lowest teacher-student ratio.
During a meeting Thursday of the General Assembly's Program Review and Investigations Committee, Seum said that if conditions don't improve at KSU, the state's only historically black university, it might be time for further action, including closing the university and putting it under the University of Kentucky.
''There's been scandal after scandal after scandal,'' Seum said. ''Others are inclined to think what I'm thinking.''
Rep. H.G. ''Gippy'' Graham, DFrankfort, chairman of the review committee, said KSU's problems weren't severe enough to do away with the institution. ''KSU will stand,'' Graham said.
Sen. Gerald Neal, D-Louisville, is not a member of the committee but is a KSU alumnus and the Senate's only black member.
''I wonder if there are racial overtones,'' said Neal, who stressed he didn't want to jump to conclusions about motivation.
In 1981, the Council on Higher Education -- now the Council on Postsecondary Education -- considered a proposal to turn KSU into a two-year community college operated by UK.
That proposal failed unanimously when the full council voted on it after an outcry by KSU supporters who contended the university's problems were a product of neglect by the state.
William Wilson, chairman of the KSU board of regents, scoffed at the idea of ending the school's autonomy.
''If this were any other institution that had problems, they wouldn't think of moving it under another banner,'' Wilson said after the hearing.
ASHLAND - More than 1,000 educators from the Tri-State and beyond are expected to descend on Ashland for the 10th-annual Teaching/Learning conference sponsored by Ashland Community College.
Conference organizers say the event, scheduled for Oct. 10 through 12, puts Ashland on the academic world's map and will be an economic boon to the area, too.
The conference was conceived to focus post-secondary educators on how students learn, said chairwoman Uma Swanson, ACC professor of psychology.
"We all know what to teach, but the question is, 'How do we teach so students learn from us?'" Swanson said.
"We've always taken pride in our discipline. It's time for us to take pride in our teaching."
The conference has grown over the decade since its inception and now draws participants from 24 states, said Uma Swanson, ACC professor of psychology and chairman of the conference.
Since 2000, it has included sessions of interest to primary and secondary educators as well.
Swanson credited Ashland Schools' Superintendent Phil Eason with bringing the public-school focus to the conference.
Eason pledged to send his teaching staff to the conference if Swanson would include seminars on brain-compatible learning, which involves tailoring teaching methods to the ways the human brain best processes and retains information.
Bringing primary and secondary teachers into the conference was important, Eason said.
"First, it was important for us to partner with the community college, and it was also a chance for our folks to attend a quality conference that meets our needs right here in Ashland," Eason said.
This year, Ashland's entire staff of teachers will attend the conference to fulfill part of their annual professional development requirement, he said.
The participants flocking to town will help the economy, as well, Swanson said. "The (Ashland) Plaza (Hotel) will be booked and the overflow will go to the other hotels," she said.
Participants will spend money in the community over the weekend, she added.
The conference brochure and Web site contain links to the Paramount Arts Center, which has scheduled the Venice Baroque Orchestra for that Friday night, so Ashland's showcase cultural venue will get exposure, Swanson said.
"Every business is benefiting," she said.
The conference has gained enough prestige that many of the speakers have waived their customary fees, she said.
"They come here because of their commitment to teaching excellence."
Since Ashland teachers are attending en masse, more local spending money will remain in the community, Eason said. It also saves the district a bundle in travel expenses, he said.
"Just the mileage for a trip to Louisville is a major expense."