The Council on Postsecondary approved five undergraduate academic programs and one master’s program at its meeting Friday at Midway University.
The programs include:
- Bachelor of Science in consumer economics and personal finance for the University of Kentucky.
- Bachelor of Arts in public policy and leadership for UK.
- Online Bachelor of Arts in human services for Murray State University.
- Bachelor of Arts in culture and language studies for Murray State University.
- Bachelor of Arts in Japanese for Northern Kentucky University.
- Master of Science in data science for UK.
The Council also approved 2019-20 tuition and mandatory fee rates for four institutions: 3% at Eastern Kentucky University; 2.5% at Morehead State University; and 2.4% at the University of Louisville. For the University of Kentucky, the lower division rate will increase 2.4%, while upper division students will see a decrease of $60 annually.
All increases complied with the two-year tuition and mandatory fee ceilings adopted in April 2018. Those ceilings were a maximum base rate of 6% over two years with no more than 4% in any one year for the public universities.
In other action, the Council:
- Approved the Council’s 2019-20 agency operating budget.
- Approved three tuition reciprocity agreements with Ohio, each valid July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2021.
- Approved the interim authorization of a capital project, using agency-restricted funds, to renovate the Main Campus at Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College. This authorization provides for HVAC upgrades, additional faculty offices and expansion of the bookstore.
- Approved language and metrics revisions to the state’s strategic agenda for postsecondary education.
- Approved proposed amendments to 13 KAR 1:020, which outlines Council procedures for private college licensure.
- Approved resolutions for Gary Cox, who is retiring as president of the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities, and for two Council members, Shawn Reynolds and Sebastien Torres.
The Council made several appointments to its standing committees:
- Academic and Strategic Initiatives Committee: Lori Harper (chair), Lucas Mentzer, Donna Moore, OJ Oleka, Vidya Ravichandran, Robert Staat, Brandon Wilson, Ben Brandstetter and Sherrill Zimmerman.
- Finance Committee: Ben Brandstetter (chair), Kim Halbauer, OJ Oleka, Robert Staat, Brandon Wilson, Carol Wright and Sherrill Zimmerman.
- Executive Committee: Sherrill Zimmerman (chair), Ben Brandstetter, Kristi Nelson, Kim Halbauer and Ron Beal.
- Committee for Equal Opportunities: Robert Staat (chair), Kim Halbauer and Luv’Tesha Robertson.
- Nominating Committee: Kristi Nelson and Carol Wright.
The Council also heard an update from the Committee for Equal Opportunities, reports from the Council president and commissioner of education, and the annual performance report for the Association of Kentucky Independent Colleges and Universities.
Meeting materials are available at https://v3.boardbook.org/Public/PublicMeetingMaterials.aspx?ak=1001061&mk=50332660.
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The Council on Postsecondary Education is leading efforts to get more Kentuckians more highly educated. By 2030, at least 60 percent of working-age adults in Kentucky will need to have earned a postsecondary education degree or credential to meet expected workforce demands.