Tagged: EKU

Michelle Obama's commencement speaking schedule is taking her to Kentucky and Tennessee.

The White House announced Thursday that Mrs. Obama will address graduates at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond on May 11. She's also speaking to graduating seniors at the Martin Luther King Academic Magnet High School for Health Sciences and Engineering in Nashville, Tenn., on May 18.

Eastern Kentucky was chosen for its commitment to veterans' education. The MLK magnet school recently opened a community supported wellness center and students tend to a community garden. Veterans and health and wellness are causes of the first lady.

The magnet school has also been recognized for its curriculum and high graduation rate.

The Eastern Kentucky University Board of Regents has approved a plan to reduce staff in an effort to reallocate $23 million.

The Richmond school said in a news release Tuesday that the regents approved a combination of layoffs, staff voluntary buyouts and faculty early retirements to achieve its goals. EKU has about 2,100 full-time faculty and staff on its main campus and regional campuses in Corbin, Danville, Manchester and Somerset.

According to the school's website on the staff reductions, the number of layoffs won't be determined until voluntary buyouts are concluded. EKU says it's seen a 15.2% decline in state support over the last five years.

Eastern Kentucky University's president warned of possible campus layoffs as part of a multi-million-dollar budget reallocation meant to free up money to bolster academic programs and boost salaries for faculty and staff.

In an email this week to faculty and staff, EKU President Doug Whitlock did not specify how many jobs might be cut or when. EKU has about 2,100 full-time faculty and staff on its main campus in Richmond and regional campuses in Corbin, Danville, Manchester and Somerset.

"There will be no way to accomplish what we need to do without a reduction in our work force," Whitlock said. "I am committed to this being a fair and humane process, but it must also be one driven by our decisions relative to core mission."

The university released the email to the media on Friday.