WKCTC Journey to Success

West Kentucky Community and Technical College

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Table of Contents Introduction........................................ 3

Commitment to Success...................... 4

Building A Strong Infrastructure..................................... 6

A Data-informed College................. 10

Intentional Structures to Promote Student Success................. 13

Intentional Focus on Teaching and Learning...................... 15

Building a Regional Economy.......... 18

Equity.................................................. 22

Summary: How Did We Get Here?.... 24

Timeline............................................... 26 2

Throughout this publication are quotes by Joshua Wyner, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program and author of “What Excellent Community Colleges Do: Preparing All Students For Success.� West Kentucky Community and Technical College is prominently featured in the book that highlights innovative practices of winners and finalists with distinction for the Aspen Prize.

Introduction

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he Aspen Institute has selected West Kentucky Community and Technical College as one of the Top 10 community colleges in the nation each of the three consecutive times it has awarded the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. West Kentucky was named a Top five community colleges and a “Finalist with Distinction” in 2011. In 2015 for a second time, the College was once again named a “Finalist with Distinction”and named one of the top three community colleges in the nation.

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ach time, the College has been asked by the Aspen review team and others, both in the community and throughout the nation, “How did West Kentucky get to this level or what contributed along the way to West Kentucky’s success?”

There are way too many efforts, initiatives or accomplishments that have played a part in the college’s success to capture in one document. It has, however, been a journey with pivotal decision points along the way that led to West Kentucky’s current recognition as a premier community college. To be named one of the top three community colleges in the nation is a remarkable honor, but to be consistently recognized for student success is the real and meaningful accomplishment.

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Commitment to Success

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n 1997, the Kentucky General Assembly completely revamped higher education in the Commonwealth with the creation of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. The challenge of consolidating the community colleges with the technical colleges did not reach western Kentucky until 2002 when Dr. Barbara Veazey was hired as president and CEO of the West Kentucky District.

In 2003, two individual colleges – Paducah Community College and West Kentucky Technical College – became one new college known as West Kentucky Community and Technical College.

Consolidating was no easy task.

There were those who worked diligently to make it fail, but there were also administrators, faculty and staff who had a vision of the newly formed college as a premier institution in the nation, and a commitment to excellence was made. Collectively and slowly, the College community embraced a vision that inspired a new culture on the campus - one of innovation, data-informed practice and shared responsibility for student success.

With a sense of urgency, President Veazey led faculty, staff and community leaders on trips across the country to visit the nation’s best colleges – many of them now appearing in the Aspen Top 10 list. West Kentucky faculty and staff could see firsthand colleges that were recognized for excellence, attracted major employers, and achieved better results for students. The College examined data and probed for answers to increase graduation and transfer rates.

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In 2007, the Educational Testing Proficiency (ETS) profile was administrated at West Kentucky for the first time. Only 41 percent of West Kentucky students were capable of basic reading skills compared to 60 percent nationally.

It became very clear - an almost too simplistic conclusion - the College needed to help students read better if they were going to succeed not only at West Kentucky but also in the future.

Exceptional community colleges do not limit themselves to interventions aimed at a single outcome, be that access, learning, equity, completion, or post-graduation success. Strong leaders may, for limited periods of time, pursue just one of those goals as a way to move their institutions beyond the traditional aim of getting students in the door. But they understand that, ultimately, that is not enough.

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— Joshua Wyner, 2014 4

As part of a new Focus on Reading program, intensive faculty development programs trained West Kentucky faculty how to teach reading strategies in every course, regardless of student major. Faculty learning circles were formed crossing all departments allowing faculty to incorporate instructional strategies to boost students’ reading skills in the classroom.

In five years, the percent of West Kentucky students familiar with strategies to enhance reading jumped from 3% to 61%. In addition, Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) results revealed West Kentucky students spent more time preparing for class and fewer students came to class without completing readings or assignments after the program was established.

The Focus on Reading program at West Kentucky is now embedded in the two-year long, new faculty orientation.

Every associate degree graduate is also required to take the ETS proficiency profile. ETS data shows that West Kentucky graduates now perform significantly higher than the national mean in all subject categories including critical thinking, reading, writing, math, humanities and social and natural sciences.

Bellwether Recognition For a second time, West Kentucky was selected as a finalist for the 2013 National Bellwether Award for its effort to create and sustain a cultural transformation to promote student success. The College had previously been a finalist in 2011.

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Building a Strong Infrastructure

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Community colleges are not a destination, even though many people say with pride that they are. They are a bridge, from and to other destinations.

— Joshua Wyner, 2014

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areful review and assessment of national standards, by both college and community leaders, showed clearly that West Kentucky Community and Technical College needed to improve its curriculum, equipment and facilities to meet the changing needs of the work force. College officials took a big risk to publically acknowledge that the newly consolidated, comprehensive college did not have the academic and work force programs needed to prepare students with the job skills of tomorrow in demand careers.

While the College’s enrollment had increased steadily after consolidation, West Kentucky like other postsecondary education institutions in Kentucky saw a significant decrease in state allocations. Paducah Junior College, Inc., West Kentucky’s foundation, has focused resources throughout its long history on enhancing instruction and support through professional development. Only through the generosity of local community leaders and supporters was the College able to raise money to make major capital improvements at the college.

Rapid advances in technology adopted by today’s business and industry have changed the complexion of the work force. Traditional basic entry-level skills provided by colleges like West Kentucky are still needed, but more and more employers say they need multiskilled craftsmen. In 2006, a number of community partners, committed supporters and donors led a statewide campaign to obtain funding for the Emerging Technology Center which opened in 2010.

The $18.5 million center brings together specialized, state-of-the-art facilities, customized training for business and industry, college courses, and support services 6

Part of a Family, Not a Statistic Before she entered West Kentucky, Tracey Dismore’s dreams were not very big. Home schooled in Livingston County, she didn’t think she was smart enough to get her GED or to go to college. “I had dreams, but did I think that they were going to be achieved? No, I did not.”

Shy and lacking self-confidence, Dismore was encouraged by her family and friends to get her GED, which she did. And though terrified, she also enrolled in her first class at West Kentucky in 2011.

Born with cerebral palsy and confined to a wheelchair, the 22-year-old Dismore worried she would not be accepted on the campus. “I was so terrified I would say or do something wrong,” she said. “I wondered if I could get around or use all of the facilities. I felt very scared of failing, entering through the doors for the first time.

I didn’t know how much the wheelchair would exclude me from others.”

What she found at West Kentucky was a place where people wanted to see her succeed, she said. “The faculty and staff at West Kentucky went above and beyond to help me conquer my fears. Getting over these fears has changed my life tremendously,” Dismore said.

Now a full-time student, Dismore expects to graduate in 2016, wants to transfer to a four-year university and eventually become a psychologist.

“The best thing about West Kentucky is that the staff and faculty treat you as an individual and not just a number. I feel as if I have became part of a family, not a statistic.”

Tracey Dismore –

needed to meet the technology needs of today’s and tomorrow’s work force. Academic programs offered at the Center include Information Technology and Applied Engineering Technology. In addition, the center is the home of Workforce Solutions, the division of West Kentucky that provides customized business training and services, certification assessments, and community education courses.

A research wing in the Emerging Technology Center was named in honor of former Paducah Sun Publisher Fred Paxton, who died in April 2006. Paxton was the leader champion in securing an engineering program in Paducah. The 12,000-square-foot addition addressed the needs of the University of Kentucky College of Engineering program at West Kentucky and features a large high-bay space for flexibility in equipment arrangement, wet lab with fume hoods for chemical engineering applications, and classrooms for undergraduate instruction associated with course activities conducted in the facility.

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Multidisciplinary Health Simulation Center Funded in part by the Aspen Institute Prize for Community College Excellence awarded to West Kentucky in 2011, the Multidisciplinary Health Simulation Center is located in West Kentucky’s Allied Health Building. It includes six bed stations that house high to medium fidelity mannequins — two adults, two pediatrics, a birthing mother, a full-term newborn, and one premature infant of 26 weeks. In addition, the center has a respiratory ventilator, digital radiography portable chest X-ray machine, diagnostic sonography imaging machines for obstetrics, electronic medication dispensing equipment, and other technology currently used in health care delivery in the region. The simulation center replicates real-life scenarios in a risk-free, supportive environment where the complexity of quality patient care can be created, identified and practiced.

University of Kentucky College of Engineering at Paducah The University of Kentucky (UK), in collaboration with Murray State University and West Kentucky Community and Technical College, offers, in Paducah, studies leading to bachelor’s degrees from UK in mechanical engineering and chemical engineering. The UK College of Engineering is the only engineering program in the nation located on a community college campus. The classes are offered in West Kentucky’s Crounse Hall, Crisp Building, Emerging Technology Center, and the Fred Paxton Engineering Research Center. The mechanical engineering and chemical engineering programs, initiated in 1997, are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The engineering programs not only add to the range of opportunities for students, but also meet a regional need for professional engineers.

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Community Support West Kentucky provides the training for a majority of the nursing and allied health professions in western Kentucky.

However, that training could not be possible without the continuing support of the region’s health care industry. Since 2002, Lourdes and Baptist Health Paducah have donated more than $2 million to West Kentucky’s nursing program, allowing the College to provide a skilled healthcare work force.

Paducah Junior College, Inc., the foundation for West Kentucky Community and Technical College, assists the College by providing funds for renovations of campus facilities and providing additional opportunities to the college leadership, faculty and staff that enhance the mission of the college.

During a five-year fundraising campaign known as Fulfilling the Promise, more than $13 million was donated to the College.

West Kentucky celebrated the successful end of its Fulfilling the Promise campaign in 2011. During the five-year campaign, $13 million was pledged and donated to the college.

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A Data-Informed College

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Excellent community colleges know that it is up to them to do everything they can to ensure that what students learn and the credentials they complete lead to jobs that offer strong wages and room for growth.

— Joshua Wyner, 2014

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culture of accountability led to West Kentucky Community and Technical College’s participation in a number of self-examination programs including Foundations of Excellence and Achieving the Dream.

Both programs are designed to help colleges examine best practices through review of existing data, determine what is working and what is not, and taking steps to improve.

As a result of participating in the 2012 John Gardner Foundations of Excellence (FoE), West Kentucky formed a Central Advising Council to improve academic advising across campus. This faculty-led initiative includes representatives from each academic

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division and provides professional development in identified areas of advising. Following the FoE review, West Kentucky is now offering a new three-credit hour First Year Experience course.

West Kentucky was accepted in 2014 as an Achieving the Dream (ATD) institution. There are 200 colleges nationwide participating in the program. The goal is to provide equity to low-income students and students of color, closing the achievement gap and to allow them to stay in school and earn a credential. It means improved skills, better employability and economic growth for the community and the nation as a whole.

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) collects data from nearly 7,000 postsecondary institutions across the United States. IPEDS collects institution-level data on students (enrollment and graduation rates), and program completion. West Kentucky used IPEDS as one of many research tools to gauge the college’s progress and success.

IPEDS: Number of Associate Degrees Awarded:

Comparison Group

Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), 2013

West Kentucky

In 2014, IPEDS data showed that nearly 50% of West Kentucky’s full-time students graduate or transfer within three years - a rate well above national average. The graduation and transfer rate places West Kentucky above the 90th percentile nationally. Of the students who transfer, about half complete their four-year degrees within six years of having entered the community college. In fact, West Kentucky transfers perform better than other Kentucky students in their junior and senior years at area four-year colleges.

Graduation and Transfer Rate:

WKCTC

39.5

48.0

Source: Aspen Institute. (2014). Aspen Prize 2014-2015 --Data for 153 Eligible Community Colleges. Washington, DC: College Excellence Program.

National Average

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT A Second Chance Kristie Morris Perkins enrolled at West Kentucky in 2003, but life got in the way and she dropped out a few weeks after she started.

Persistence Rate The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) defines persistence as the percent of summer/fall first-time credentialseeking students who earn a credential, transfer to a four-year institution, or remain enrolled after three years. West Kentucky improved persistence from 53.7% (2007) to 57.0% (2011). The achievement gap in persistence between minority and all students decreased from 13.7% in 2008 to 3.8% in 2011.

Discouraged, Perkins of Paducah worked more hours each week to support herself and her young son. As a single parent, Morris knew something had to change when she was working so often that her son started calling the babysitter, “Mom.” In 2009, Perkins tried West Kentucky a second time. The College had made changes to improve student success including turning the Anderson Technical Building into a onestop center for student services, improving student advising, and implementing new teaching methods. The changes made a difference for Perkins.

“In two years, I got my associate’s degree in health science technology and now I’m in the nursing program.

And I owe everything to West Kentucky.”

– Kristie Perkins

Data-Informed Innovations Through a review of quantitative and qualitative data, West Kentucky has identified barriers to completion for students. A thoughtfully designed, one-stop student services center in the Anderson Technical Building enables students to receive a variety of services from admissions and financial aid to veterans’ support at one location. Advisors have reduced the number of undecided students by providing career counseling and regular contact.

For students awaiting entry into the selective nursing program West Kentucky created a more accessible associate degree in health science technology. Now students who may have been on the nursing list for a long time are making use of their nursing prerequisites and earning a marketable degree.

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Intentional Structures to Promote Student Success Exceptional community colleges demonstrate how a strong institution-level commitment to making transfer work can help thousands of community college students reach their goal of obtaining a bachelor’s degree.”

— Joshua Wyner, 2014

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ven before beginning the first class, students arriving on West Kentucky campus often struggle. They face economic challenges, juggle family and work, and life simply gets in the way of progress.

Not long after its formation as a comprehensive college, West Kentucky deliberately sought to remove barriers students might have attending and remaining in college.

In 2003, the Anderson Technical Building under went major renovation to become a One-Stop Center for student services. As a result, new and returning students are now able to enroll at the College, complete placement testing, meet with an advisor and a financial aid counselor, pay fees, and purchase books in a single location. What may now seem a very simple and great idea – putting everything in one building - has been written about in a number of national publications as well as featured in the book, Academic Advising: The Key to Student Success, by Terry O’Banion.

The West Kentucky Tutoring Center’s exemplary training program and its ability to produce tutors who support student learning is another example of the College’s commitment. All academic tutors at West Kentucky undergo training and are required to be certified before they work with a student. The College’s tutor training program is certified through the International Tutor Training Certification Program, which is a part of the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA). West Kentucky’s Center is the only Kentucky Community and Technical Colleges System (KCTCS) college achieving level two certification.

In 2013, National Community College Benchmark Project (NCCBP) results revealed 61% of West Kentucky students received Pell grants, placing the College in the 96th percentile nationally. West Kentucky students complete an Exit Survey when graduating. Although more than 70% indicate they complete their academic program as planned,

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Empowering Students Marshall County resident Drew David stumbled into college after high school and wasn’t prepared for it. He dropped out after a semester and eventually ended up working at a fast food restaurant. But after developing a medical condition, he realized he wanted a job that could better sustain him in the future.

When David decided to go to West Kentucky, he knew he would need financial help and was able to secure a loan with the help of West Kentucky’s financial aid office.

David, who plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree, said taking a loan while continuing to work in the community was an investment in himself that he was willing to make.

“I realize that as long as I keep pushing forward and do all my classes on time then I will definitely get a degree,” David said.

“Doing that will help me get into a position that I could pay back the loan money that they gave me to help with the education.”

–Drew David

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the percent of students who cite financial issues as a reason for failing to graduate on time has increased from 34% in 2005-2006 to 45% in 2012-2013.

Proactive education has been one approach West Kentucky has taken with all students.

Discussing budgets, projecting income from different careers, and evaluating interest rates and the long-term impact of decisions made today are just a few of the tactics used in West Kentucky’s financial aid office. In addition, West Kentucky officials encourage students to participate in the student work program at the college.

The financial aid office helps students make educated financial decisions. Each spring, students with remaining Pell Grant eligibility are contacted and encouraged to enroll in summer courses to enable these students to take courses at little to no cost and achieve their educational goal in a timelier manner.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Building Confidence Katelin Cope didn’t speak up all the time in her high school classes.

That changed when as a high school junior she participated in the Commonwealth Middle College at West Kentucky.

“West Kentucky helped me to be more open in class. Before going there I never really voiced my thoughts on lecture material but because teachers encouraged it at West Kentucky, it aided in my “in-class” socialization.”

The Middle College was established in 2009 - the first in Kentucky - as a way to remove barriers to college access and success blending high school and college into a seamless educational program. The Middle College allows students to take at least nine hours of college credit tuition free each semester while completing requirements for a high school diploma. The program allows students to save a minimum of $4,500 in tuition and books as they earn up to 36 hours of college credit.

After gaining her high school diploma and an associate in arts degree with high distinction from West Kentucky in 2013, Cope transferred to Murray State University where she is majoring in psychology and hopes to eventually work as a developmental psychologist.

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“West Kentucky helped me build confidence and learn how to better myself as a student and individual.”

Katelin Cope –

Intentional Focus on Teaching and Learning

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The nation’s best institutions work hard to improve teaching and learning, by engaging educators in the process of measuring how much students learn and devising ways to improve teaching accordingly. In the end, achieving strong student outcomes overall requires deliberate efforts by faculty to improve student learning.

Over the last decade, West Kentucky implemented two major learning improvement efforts: improving reading skills and assessing student learning outcomes.

The College leadership invested heavily in professional development, supported financially by the college foundation, Paducah Junior College, Inc. Deciding joint assessment questions and working across academic disciplines is totally a faculty driven process and West Kentucky faculty lead the nation for the work they have developed.

Excellent community colleges are driven by an internal culture that drives professors to aim for high levels of student learning. Faculty at West Kentucky examine data as a team and jointly develop assessments and rubrics to determine student learning.

West Kentucky faculty and staff recognized that to have good student outcomes at the College they must help K-12 students get ready for college; pay attention to the university student transfer and find out what employers need in new hires. Building strong relationships with the College’s K-12 partners is part of West Kentucky’s desire to see the college going rate increase in western Kentucky and the need for remedial education decrease.

In 2014, West Kentucky’s high school dual credit program, known as the West Kentucky College Academy, received National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) accreditation - the only college in Kentucky to earn NACEP accreditation and the first college in the Southern

— Joshua Wyner, 2014

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Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to be accredited. NACEP ensures that college courses offered in high schools are equally rigorous as those available at the sponsoring postsecondary institution.

“Just being a teacher plays a huge role in student success at West Kentucky. However, I want the students to be able to not just know an answer, but know why that answer is correct and to be able to make that critical thinking decision for the patient.

Student success isn’t just memorizing facts, but putting them into practice.”

Nursing Professor Mary Carrico, a nurse for more than 30 years.

Tim Driver, Industrial Maintenance Technology program coordinator discusses robotics during a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Conference for girls at the Emerging Technology Center.

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More than simply a dual credit program, the West Kentucky College Academy employs a full-time director of K-12 partnerships who works collaboratively with high school personnel to guide high school students into meaningful college courses and create a career pathway while in high school.

West Kentucky has worked with four-year colleges to develop collaborative programs and consistent transfer opportunities.

The transfer rate from West Kentucky to universities has steadily climbed over the years. West Kentucky has strong transfer programs with Murray State University and the University of Kentucky College of Engineering. The College also provides space to allow students to earn bachelor’s degrees on the West Kentucky campus, staffs the Advising Center with a full-time Transfer Advisor, and provides dedicated space for universities to maintain a physical presence on campus. West Kentucky transfer students perform at the same or higher academic level after transfer than students who start at a university.

West Kentucky also joined the Aspen Institute collective to participate in the White House College Completion Agenda. Both the College Completion Agenda and Achieving the Dream will focus on equity support programs in developmental education, mentoring, first year experience and success coaching.

FACULTY / STAFF SPOTLIGHT Setting High Standards West Kentucky officials set the goal that all of the college’s academic programs governed by accreditation agencies would hold national accreditation in the specific academic disciplines, this included the culinary arts program which is accredited by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation (ACFEF), the automotive and collision repair technology programs which are accredited by the National Automotive Technician Education Foundation (NATEF), all of the allied health and nursing programs, and most recently the business administration program which is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools & Programs (ACBSP).

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(Center) Allison McGullion, West Kentucky’s business administration program coordinator with the college’s Certificate for Initial Accreditation. She is pictured with Betsy Davis, chairperson of the Associate Degree Board of Commissioners (left), and Steve Parscale, ACBSP director of accreditation.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Kentucky. A few months later, he moved to New Orleans, where he worked at FedEx full time while also studying full time at Tulane University.

A Step Ahead of Others

In May 2014, he walked across the stage in the New Orleans Superdome to receive a bachelor of arts degree with honors.

Today, McElrath, 39, is the operations manager at FedEx in New Orleans, and is confident that his decision to attend West Kentucky was the right one for him.

The terrorist attacks of 9/11 affected Americans in many different ways. For then 25-year-old Paducah native Mike McElrath the devastation of that event as well as other natural disasters convinced him to pursue a career in security and emergency management. When McElrath enrolled at West Kentucky, the College’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management was in its infancy. He knew he wanted to transfer to the New Orleans-based Tulane University, which has one of the top programs in the nation for homeland security and emergency management.

“I think everyone should have a solid foundation of basics when they pursue a four-year degree and community colleges fill that role,” McElrath said. “I’m proud of the recognition that West Kentucky is getting and proud to say I’m an alum …

Never mind the fact that a lot of my credits transferred and gave me a head start.”

West Kentucky’s commitment to success is evident, not just in the glittering new buildings on campus, but also in the faculty who bring their expertise and experience to the classrooms.

Each of my professors was an active professional in their field, many with years of experience.”

“Flexible course offerings, convenient locations, and affordability all make West Kentucky an obvious choice (and a smart choice) for anyone wanting to continue their education.”

In Spring 2010, McElrath graduated with a certificate in Homeland Security and Emergency Management from West

The transition rate of dual credit students to West Kentucky as compared to 36.5 percent in 2007 was 68 percent in 2013.

West Kentucky Alum Mike McElrath on graduation day at Tulane University in New Orleans.

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Building a Regional Economy

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bout 214,000 people live in the 10 western Kentucky counties the College serves. Due to substantial job losses in the manufacturing sector, at 5.8%, the December 2014 unemployment rate in the region exceeds both the state (5.1%) and national average (5.4%). The region has been slow to recover from the recent recession. The College’s service area experienced a 3.4% increase in job growth (all industries) in the period June 2009 to June 2014; compared to a state rate of 5.6% and a national rate of 6.3%. The region has a history of low educational attainment, pockets of high poverty rates, and an aging work force.

In spite of these challenges, over the last decade West Kentucky has assumed a leadership position in aggressively addressing regional education attainment rates and providing training to retool the work force. The College is a central contributor to the local economy as it trains most of the nurses and other allied health workers for the region’s substantial health care sector.

West Kentucky monitors changes in the local economy, occupational demands, educational and training requirements of industries, and demographic trends using data and periodic economic impact reports from Economic Modeling Systems, Inc. (EMSI).

The average income of western Kentucky residents with an associate degree is $35,900, 35% higher than residents with a high school diploma. West Kentucky also uses Burning Glass to obtain real-time labor market data to align occupational program curricula with the skills, certifications, and qualifications sought by employers.

In 2009, West Kentucky opened the Skilled Craft Training Center (SCTC) near Mayfield, Ky., in an economically depressed area based on information gathered from the Workforce Investment Board and employer feedback. West Kentucky offers Nursing Assistant, accelerated certification in welding, a compressed program in Air Conditioning Technology, and Automotive Technology at this location. Opening in fall 2009 with an enrollment of 11 students, SCTC’s enrollment has grown to more than 1,300 students annually.

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Community colleges that align program decisions to employment opportunities don’t do so just when opening and closing programs; they routinely adjust enrollment in the programs based on work force need.

— Joshua Wyner, 2014

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When Paducah Economic Development Council in 2011 and the Economic Strategy for the Purchase Region in 2010 reports identified an emerging need for workers in the transportation field, the College established two new programs, Marine Technology and Logistics, to meet occupational needs.

West Kentucky President Barbara Veazey and Tim Miller, president of Murray State University, sign an articulation agreement May 23, 2014, allowing students who complete an associate degree in logistics and operations management at West Kentucky to transfer to MSU and earn their bachelor’s degree in the field.

West Kentucky and Murray State University used that information to create a program that would allow a pathway for the student’s benefit. A transfer agreement was signed for course transfer between logistics and MSU’s supply chain management.

West Kentucky faculty, staff and administrators know that communication with employers is crucial if they want students not just to get hired, but also to succeed in their jobs. Exceptional colleges use advisory board members, and anyone else they can get in touch with, as a resource to learn about trends in the industry, hear about how graduates are doing, connect students with field experience, and provide materials and equipment so that students can walk out with their diplomas ready to work on day one.

Pictured (left to right) Jim Pape, West Kentucky’s vice president of Workforce and Economic Development, Dr. Lan Chi “Lula” Luu of the Fin International LLC group, center, is shown with a $1,000 check her team claimed for winning the 2014 Regional Aspiring Entrepreneur Pitch Competition and Loretta Davis, director of the Kentucky Innovation Network at Murray State University. West Kentucky partnered with the Kentucky Innovation Network to assist new business start-ups or small businesses seeking to expand. Luu, co-owner of Blue Shore Fishery, announced the company would open a facility in Graves County, creating up to 66 new jobs.

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West Kentucky Workforce Solutions builds partnerships with local business and industry to help businesses develop real world solutions for specific challenges that ultimately help fulfill the College’s mission to support economic development. This individualized process enabled Wacker Chemical Corporation in Calvert City, Ky., to realize a 17% reduction in unit operating costs in 2011. The Calvert City plant now serves as a benchmark program for other Wacker plants around the world. Wacker is one of many West Kentucky partners experiencing real world solutions delivered when they want, where they want, and how they want.

Mary Beth Hudson, site manager at Wacker, said the progress the company has demonstrated in achieving productivity improvements exceeded the company’s targets and expectations. “The improvements are a direct result of the training and coaching (West Kentucky’s Workforce Solutions) team provided.” Hudson said.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Nontraditional Student Feels at Home Like many of West Kentucky’s students, Angela Whitis, 37, enrolled at the college as a part-time student, juggling a son, a husband, and a job as a dental assistant.

When the Boaz resident decided she wanted to be a dental hygienist, she was apprehensive. “I am hard to impress, but West Kentucky did it. West Kentucky has caring and compassionate faculty. I never met one instructor that was not passionate about teaching,” Whitis said. “Actually not

– Mary Beth Hudson

“I had never stepped foot in a college before, so I was anxious when I came to West Kentucky.

But I was never treated like an inconvenience. Everyone was extremely helpful and friendly and made me feel comfortable from the minute I walked through the door.”

– Angela Whitis

just about teaching, but also about life. They are open to suggestions and will go the extra mile to help students succeed.”

Being a non-traditional student did not stop Angela from participating in activities at the college. She was a student ambassador, a member of Phi Theta Kappa and of the Student Government Association.

As part of the unique dental assisting/dental hygiene program at West Kentucky, Whitis graduated in May 2014 with an associate in applied science degree with high distinction from Henderson Community College, having taken her prerequisites and core classes at West Kentucky. Now a registered dental hygienist, Whitis has worked at Cunningham Dental since August 2013.

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A Catalyst for economic change: Paducah School of Art and Design With the revitalization of LowerTown Paducah, our region is poised to become one of the Commonwealth’s premiere examples of the new creative economy. Creative communities recognize that artistic enterprises create jobs, stimulate trade through cultural tourism, attract investment, diversify the local economy and improve property values.

As a partner in Paducah’s economy, West Kentucky served as a catalyst for the region with the opening of the Paducah School of Art and Design in 2008. We did this to serve our community and anchor the LowerTown Arts District through the creation of a world-class art school that would not only educate students, but also stimulate tourism and the local economy.

The completion of the 2D and graphic design building in 2016 will complete the College’s LowerTown art school campus, and revitalize a neighborhood once in decline, ensure quality arts education, provide hours of pleasure for those taking art as a creative outlet and solidify Paducah as an arts destination.

The presence of Paducah School of Art and Design was a driving force that led the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2013 to designate Paducah as the world’s seventh City of Crafts and Folk Art. Paducah is one of only three cities in the United States to be a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

In 2010, West Kentucky established Kentucky’s first Associate in Fine Arts degree for students preparing to work in the field of visual arts, and for those wishing to transfer to a four-year university or art school that grants the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree. The first AFA degree was awarded by West Kentucky in 2011.

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Equity

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Community colleges will not improve equitable outcomes by continuing to act as though a student who completed the remedial sequences has reached the finish line.

Nor will they close achievement gaps if they operate under the idealistic notion that every degree pathway ought to be open to every student. The data don’t lie.

When seriously under prepared students have only a tiny chance of getting a degree, something must change.

— Joshua Wyner, 2014

West Kentucky understands that there cannot be excellence unless there is equity in student outcomes, with all students receiving the support needed to succeed. With that in mind, West Kentucky is committed to eradicating achievement gaps by strengthening its developmental education programs, offering personal, one-on-one support, and reaching out to area high schools.

One of the common barriers to student success, especially for minorities, is often financial. West Kentucky is fortunate to have a strong foundation and many generous supporters. West Kentucky students have received over $55,000 in community scholarships designated for

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minority students. The College also has developed several fiscal partnerships that support student success.

In January 2010, the Community Scholarship Program was established in McCracken County as a way to encourage high school students to further their education. The Rotary Club of Paducah led the visionary initiative and worked extensively with other businesses to establish funding that allows every McCracken County high school graduate, meeting established criteria, to obtain 60 credit hours tuition free at West Kentucky. The goal is to increase the high school graduation and college going rate in McCracken County.

In addition, the College supports programs like the McCracken County Community Career Endowment Inc. (MCCCE), which awards scholarships, through the Paxton Scholars Program, to juniors enrolled in the city and county school systems. The program enhances student self-esteem, parent or guardian advocacy, peer and mentor interaction, maintenance and improvement of academic performance and preparation for college transition, all of which are unique challenges that African-American students face. The MCCCE also awards scholarships and educational assistance to students who wish to continue their post-secondary educations.

West Kentucky was also a vital partner in establishing The Scholar House of Paducah, an initiative that provides housing for non-traditional college students.

Administered by the Kentucky Housing Corporation, the Scholar House opened in 2012 and provides housing for qualified students and their families who are working toward a college certificate or degree. The 48-apartment housing complex, at 1035 Old N. Friendship Road, is home to 50 college students - the majority of whom are enrolled at West Kentucky Community and

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT A Promise Kept Graduating from West Kentucky Community and Technical College was the completion of a promise Justin Jackson made to his grandmother. Not only did he keep his promise that he would attend college, graduating in December 2014, he is continuing to pursue higher education. He now is a transfer student at Southern Illinois University (SIU) in Carbondale, majoring in economics and minoring in sign language.

Education is more important to Jackson then ever. Since enrolling at West Kentucky, Jackson has become the father of a beautiful little girl named Ne’Vaeh. “She is the most important thing to me and I know I need a good education to provide her with the things she needs,” he said.

Technical College. The $8.4 million Paducah project, a partnership between Paducah Housing Services and Wabuck Development Corp., was the seventh to open in Kentucky.

Dr. Barbara Veazey speaks at the ribbon cutting of the Scholar House of Paducah.

“There really was a lot of support for me at West Kentucky. I knew they wanted me to succeed and I wanted that too.You just can’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it.

The faculty are really here to help. Asking for that help could possibly be the best decision you will ever make; it was for me.”

Justin Jackson –

Jackson, who hopes to be a lawyer one day, said the support he received at West Kentucky made transitioning to SIU smooth. He encourages prospective students to take a leap of faith when enrolling.

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Summary: How Did We Get Here?

Faculty and staff at West Kentucky Community and Technical College have aimed for high levels of success in all they do. Instead of complaining about the under prepared new students, West Kentucky educators chose to work at helping students to become what they believe good students should be.

West Kentucky chose to probe and review what it was doing through programs like Achieving the Dream and Foundations of Excellence; then acted to improve the college. When they realized that students were arriving at college underprepared and unable to read, they didn’t automatically blame it on the student and take years to discuss it. Faculty looked at best practices across the nation and came up with a plan of action suited to the culture change at West Kentucky – with a dedicated focus on achieving student success.

The remaking of a culture doesn’t come about by accident or overnight. It comes about by the careful and deliberate selection of people. It comes about by providing the necessary resources to promote the plan and expecting college faculty and staff to participate.

West Kentucky invested heavily and began offering professional development focused on student learning outcomes in 2005. Faculty have assumed a collective responsibility for student success and use the knowledge gained from these activities to continually improve and refine their assessment instruments and processes to further enhance student learning.

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT West Kentucky Alum Jill Knight, a senior administrative assistant, has been employed at the College for 24 years.

“I really wish others could see how hard our faculty and staff work to make this the best community college in the nation.We have so many dedicated and knowledgeable people working behind the scenes.We couldn’t be who we are without them.”

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No major cultural change can take place without champions. West Kentucky was fortunate to have a strong leadership team, directed by a president who confronted issues head on and sought solutions. With the support of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, West Kentucky’s Board of Directors and the Paducah Junior College Board of Trustees, West Kentucky aggressively pursued an audacious goal - to become a premier community college recognized across the nation.

This document was an attempt to identify pivotal points that led to the College’s continued top designation in the Aspen College Excellence Program. West Kentucky’s journey to this place in time has been fraught with challenges, surprises and excitement. It is a journey that could not have taken place without determined leadership, dedicated faculty and staff, a supportive education system and a community of generous supporters and leaders.

In the end, West Kentucky’s journey to success was not the result of one initiative, one new building or even a remarkable cultural change, but it was a moment in time that each and every employee and supporter has the honor to be apart of and which has set the stage for future success.

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Excellent colleges are driven by a different kind of pressure, an internal culture that drives professors to aim for high levels of student learning.

— Joshua Wyner, 2014

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Timeline May 1, 2002 Dr. Michael McCall, president of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), named Dr. Barbara M. Veazey the first President/CEO of the West Kentucky Community and Technical College District.

August 2002 The Challenger Learning Center at Paducah officially opened on the West Kentucky campus with June Scobee Rodgers, widow of Challenger Mission Commander Dick Scobee, pronouncing it “a star in the education universe.”

Challenger Center Director Mellisa Duncan tries out a space suit. A result of a partnership between Paducah Junior College, Inc. and West Kentucky, the center has flown over 2,000 missions, supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and added programming such as summer camps, scouting workshops, after school programs and professional development for area teachers.

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January 2003 The West Kentucky District Board recommended the name “West Kentucky Community and Technical College” for the consolidated college.

May 2003 Dr. Barbara Veazey was inaugurated as the first president of West Kentucky Community and Technical College during the last graduation of Paducah Community College and West Kentucky Technical College.

November 2004 Drs. Barbara Veazey and Tena Payne traveled to Southeast Asia University in Bangkok, Thailand, and the Nepal School of Nursing in Pokhara as part of an effort to establish an international exchange program.

A nurse in Nepal taking care of a patient in a hospital the West Kentucky delegation visited.

December 2004 All of West Kentucky’s 264 employees pledged donations to the West Kentucky “Fulfilling the Promise” fund-raising campaign, raising $134,511 and making West Kentucky the first of the KCTCS colleges to achieve 100 percent employee participation.

Dr. Barbara Veazey, the first president of the West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC)

December 2003 West Kentucky was granted regional accreditation on December 9, 2003 by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on College (SACSCOC), officially completing the school’s consolidation.

March 2005 West Kentucky received a $1.8 million Title III grant from the U.S. Department of Education to help ensure first-generation and economically disadvantaged students succeed in college.

January 2006 The Mary Ellen Thompson Health Education Center opened in Elmwood Court. The center was named in memory of the founder of Superior Care home; a family owned and operated long-term care facility in Paducah.

June 28, 2006 Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher presented a ceremonial check for $16.5 million to West Kentucky for the construction of the Emerging Technology Center.

April 17, 2008 Officials from West Kentucky, the Lay Family Foundation, and Marshall County and McCracken County schools announced a partnership to open the Commonwealth Middle College (CMC) on the West Kentucky campus, allowing students to get dual college credit during their last two years of high school.

October 2008 The first “One Book, One Campus, One Community” read project, featured “Rocket Boys” by famed author Homer H. Hickam, Jr. October 14, 2009 Skilled Craft Training Center in Hickory, KY opened, offering classes in HVAC, nursing assistant and computer literacy. The one-story 60,000 square-foot building was purchased with the support of a $1.5 million donation from the Lay Family Foundation and $500,000 provided through the cooperative efforts of the City of Mayfield, the Graves County Fiscal Court and the Graves Growth Alliance.

CMC graduates (left to right) Ali Greer, Katie Young, Jeremy Sneed and Jackie Lile received an associate degree from West Kentucky while also gaining their high school diploma in May 2011. (left to right) Dr. Barbara Veazey, Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher and former Paducah Mayor Bill Paxton.

July 31, 2008 A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Emerging Technology Center.

October 31, 2007 West Kentucky received ownership of the former Kitchens Inc. building, future home of the Paducah School of Art and Design’s 2D/Graphic Design Building. When renovations are completed, the building will provide studio space for 2-dimensional More than 200 people watched as state and design, painting, drawing, graphic local dignitaries broke ground for the Emerging design, and digital photography in Technology Center. addition to gallery space.

August 18, 2008 The Paducah School of Art and Design (PSAD) began offering classes in downtown Paducah at a temporary location at 409 Broadway.

(Left to right) Dr. Barbara Veazey, Rep. Fred Nesler, Sheila Clark, KCTCS President Michael McCall, and Charles Luber of the Lay Family Foundation cut a ceremonial ribbon at the October 14, 2009 grand opening of the Skilled Craft Training Center.

January 2010 West Kentucky joined forces with the Rotary Club of Paducah to establish the Community Scholarship Program. This program provides a two-year tuition scholarship at West Kentucky to Paducah/McCracken County graduates who meet eligibility requirements.

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March 2010 More than 350 people attend the dedication of the Emerging Technology Center and the Fred Paxton Engineering Research Center.

The $18.5 million center consists of state-of-the-art facilities, customized training for business and industry, and information technology and applied technology courses.

August 2010 First Associate in Fine Arts degree in the Commonwealth of Kentucky offered through the Paducah School of Art and Design. The first credential was awarded in May 2011.

April 2011 West Kentucky selected by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program as one of the nation’s 120 best community colleges - the top 10 percent in the country.

May 2011 A groundbreaking was held for the Scholar House of Paducah.

August 2011 West Kentucky’s Culinary Arts program received accreditation by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation’s Accreditation Commission. Only 213 culinary arts program across the nation and only four in Kentucky hold accreditation.

November 2010 Novelist and literacy advocate David Baldacci spoke to nearly 1,000 people at West Kentucky Community and Technical College as part of the “One Book, One Campus, One Community” read project.

Pictured from left to right: Richard Paxton, CFO of Paxton Media Group, Anne Gwinn, chair of Paducah Junior College, Inc., Paducah Mayor Bill Paxton, Dr. Barbara Veazey, president of West Kentucky Community and Technical College, McCracken County Judge-Executive Van Newberry, Dr. Tom Lester, dean of the University of Kentucky College of Engineering, Bruce Brockenborough, chair of the WKCTC Board of Directors, Dr. Michael B. McCall, president of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, and Paul E. Patton, president of Pikeville College (Kentucky Governor, 1995 – 2003)

Chef Patrick Fletcher

Author David Baldacci meets West Kentucky faculty, staff and students 28

December 12, 2011 West Kentucky is named one of the top 5 community colleges in the nation and received $100,000.

April 23, 2012 West Kentucky was one of five KCTCS colleges named in the top 10 % of community colleges in the nation in the first round of the 2013 Aspen Prize completion.

August 12, 2013 During the College’s 2013 fall inservice, Dr. Barbara M. Veazey receives a standing ovation from faculty and staff, and a service award recognizing her 40 years of service.

September 2013 As a member of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Mississippi River consortium, West Kentucky participated in a TAACCCT Grant and received $2.75 million for development of the Inland Logistics and Marine Institute.

West Kentucky faculty and staff celebrate their Aspen Institute recognition at a KCTCS Benefactors’ Gala in Lexington.

March 19, 2013 For second consecutive year, West Kentucky was named one of the top 10 community colleges in the nation by the Aspen Institute.

July 2013 The College’s West Kentucky College Academy was one of 27 schools awarded accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) during an annual conference in Salt Lake City.

July 12, 2013 The Scholar House of Paducah, an initiative that provides housing for non-traditional college students, celebrated its first anniversary. The 48-apartment housing complex, at 1035 Old N. Friendship Road, is home to about 50 college students, most of whom are enrolled at West Kentucky.

October 2013 The Paducah School of Art and Design campaign was launched. The goal was to raise a $2.5 million match for a state approved project.

January 31, 2014 West Kentucky and Paducah’s Murray State University campus were honored as co-Businesses of the Year for creating a virtual education corridor, where members of the community can be trained and take home degrees without traveling to do so.

February 28, 2014 The College was named one of 12 institutions in the Achieving the Dream National Reform Network. The Network is helping West Kentucky identify and implement strategies for closing achievement gaps and increasing student retention, persistence and completion rates.

March 25, 2014 The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges reaffirmed West Kentucky Community and Technical College’s accreditation with no recommendations, a distinction achieved by 25 percent of the colleges and universities that underwent fifth-year review in 20122013.

February 15, 2014 West Kentucky recognized the 45th anniversary of the college’s 1969 National Junior College Athletic Association Men’s Basketball Tournament National Championship during a West Kentucky Stars Invitational Tournament. Below pictured relatives and members of the 1969 championship team and relatives of winning coach Sonny Haws.

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April 8, 2014 Paducah Bank announced a $150,000 pledge to a fundraising campaign to complete West Kentucky’s Paducah School of Art and Design’s campus project.

June 4, 2014 West Kentucky President Barbara Veazey was one of four community college presidents to participate in a 13-member panel in Washington D.C. to discuss issues relevant to preparing a skilled work force.

September 4, 2014 West Kentucky named one of 10 finalists for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s preeminent recognition of high achievement and performance in America’s community colleges.

September 30, 2014 West Kentucky kicks off the final phase of the Paducah School of Art and Design campus project with a celebration and open house of the new sculpture building.

Artist and Sculptor Instructor Linda Ogden (At right, seated) discusses student work at the Paducah School of Art and Design after a press conference April 7 at Madison Hall. Pictured left to right: Ogden, John Williams, former chairperson of Paducah Junior College, Inc., Paducah Bank President Mardie R. Herndon, Jr., Deborah Edmonds, West Kentucky Community and Technical College Board of Directors chairperson, and Bill Schroeder, Paducah Bank trustee.

May 2014 West Kentucky is one of 11 colleges - the only one in Kentucky - to earn accreditation from the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP). The organization ensures that college courses offered in high schools are equally rigorous as those available at the sponsoring post-secondary institution.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, Dr. Barbara Veazey, and U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez at a special forum in Washington D.C. in June 2014.

August 15, 2014 West Kentucky hits the $2.5 million mark in its fundraising campaign for the art school thanks to a $400,000 donation from the Carson-Myre Charitable Foundation.

WKCTC President Barbara Veazey accepts a check from Clay Howerton, trustee of CarsonMyre Charitable Foundation, as Dr. Mike McCall, Kentucky Community and Technical College President, (left) and Judge William Howerton (second from right) look on August 15, 2014 at the Paducah School of Art and Design.

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February 22, 2015 For a fifth year, West Kentucky partnered with local churches for Super Sunday, a statewide initiative to encourage African-American and Latino students to get a college education.

Maria Flynn, dean of division of transition education, talks with participants at West Kentucky’s 2015 Super Sunday event.

West Kentucky: Finalist with Distinction for a Second Time On March 18, 2015, the Aspen Institute named West Kentucky Community and Technical College a Finalist-with-Distinction for the 2015 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Selected from 1,123 community colleges nationwide, this is the second time WKCTC has been awarded this honor along with $100,000 in Prize funds to support its programs.

beyond a high school diploma,” said Joshua Wyner, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program and author of What Excellent Community Colleges Do. “Faculty and staff are constantly working hard to improve their teaching and get students on the path to a better future.”

“WKCTC has ranked as a Top Ten Finalist every year the Aspen Prize has been awarded since its launch in 2011. Located in a region with low educational achievement and significant industrial decline, WKCTC has worked to draw firstgeneration students into college and make sure they succeed. Faculty and staff consistently track student learning and completion outcomes, and use data to improve teaching and guidance practices in response.

These efforts have resulted in an increase in student retention and degree completion. And, as thousands

Dr. Wally Montgomery, a Paducah Junior College Board of Trustees member.

of jobs have left the region, the college has been a primary player in efforts to expand economic growth, from creating a high-tech industrial training facility for area companies to adding programs in anticipated growth areas, including marine technology and logistics and operations management.” Wyner said.

The Aspen Prize, the nation’s preeminent recognition of high achievement and performance in America’s community colleges, is awarded every two years and recognizes institutions for outstanding outcomes in four areas: student learning; certificate and degree completion; employment and earnings; and high levels of access and success for minority and lowincome students.

“West Kentucky Community and Technical College has been a steady improver and built a communitywide college-going culture in an area where few people sought a degree

(Left to right) Former U.S. Representative George Miller (D-CA), WKCTC President Barbara Veazey, and Mitch Daniels, president of Purdue University and former Indiana Governor at the Aspen Prize Ceremony in Washington, DC March 18.

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West Kentucky Community and Technical College does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Dr. Belinda Dalton Russell, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Coordinator, at West Kentucky Community and Technical College, 4810 Alben Barkley Drive, P.O. Box 7380, Paducah, KY 42002-7380 • (270) 534-3081.

4810 Alben Barkley Drive, Paducah, KY • westkentucky.kctcs.edu • (855) GO-WKCTC 32