Higher Education

The bungled rollout of a new federal student aid form has left students in Kentucky and across the nation in limbo, some wondering if their college dreams will become reality.

The legislation would create an endowment for cross-university research. A group of university researchers with potential private backing could apply for one of five slots to receive seed money for their research using the interest from that endowment.

Under Senate Bill 6, Kentucky’s public colleges and universities couldn’t ask students or staff to endorse certain concepts that the bill describes as “discriminatory.”

During a news conference Thursday, Beshear said legislators need to support students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. “We ought to invest into areas that haven't had enough investment and look for the areas, look for the groups, that haven't had enough investment over time to truly achieve,” Beshear said.

Kentucky is among 16 states whose governors received letters this week noting funding disparities between historically Black land-grant institutions and their predominantly white counterparts. The total disparity amounts to $12 billion.

Outgoing Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles is being considered for the presidency of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. Quarles is one of three finalists for the job that oversees Kentucky’s 16 community and technical college campuses.

Aaron Thompson is president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, and the first Black person to hold that position. He said race has been only one factor in deciding student admissions across the state.

Republican Rep. Savannah Maddox’s proposal would have prevented public colleges from passing any policies that bar people 21 and older from carrying a concealed firearm on campuses.

Students in the program will take WKU general education and career-specific college courses at WKU in the morning, and then return to their high schools in the afternoon for classes there. Professional career track courses being offered at the WKU Glasgow campus are agriculture; business management; crime & legal studies; education; and nursing.

The former basketball court and library now offers meeting spaces, study areas, and multiple dining options.