EKU News
EKU enrollment up by 2 percent
Transfer students increase 7 percent
With 16,200 students enrolled this fall, Eastern Kentucky University’s enrollment is up 2 percent, President Doug Whitlock told the board of regents Saturday.
Freshman enrollment is up 6 percent and transfer enrollment is up 7, the president said. There is a downside to the positive numbers, however.
An overall increase of 2 percent with larger percentages of incoming freshman and transfers indicates the university is not meeting its retention goals, Whitlock said.
“That means we need to do more to help our students be successful,” he said.
Among retention initiatives, planned or under way, is an effort to better prepare high school students for college math courses, Whitlock said.
This fall, seniors at Madison Central, Madison Southern and Berea Community high can take a transitional algebra course that should help them avoid having to take a remedial math course when they get to college, he said.
The course being taught at the three high schools is designed for students who have completed one geometry class and two algebra classes in high school, but have not scored high enough on the ACT college admissions exam to qualify for a college math class.
The classes will benefit the university as well as the students, regardless of where they go to college, the president said. Eastern stands to get better-prepared incoming students, while the students will not have to pay tuition for college courses that will not count toward their graduation requirements.
“The number one indicator of college success is being able to pass college algebra without remediation,” said Dr. Bill Phillips, dean of EKU’s college of education, when the program was announced.
In the past, EKU has not done the job it should of indentifying, early on, students who are struggling, Whitlock said.
Over the past 10 years, about 60 percent of the Madison County students who took a developmental math class at EKU did not go on to earn a college degree, according to statistics released by the university.
The 48 percent of applicants accepted this fall, a high proportion, also indicates that EKU may be accepting too many students who are not fully prepared for college work, Whitlock said. The university also is working on ways to attack that problem, he said.
Other business
Construction of the performing arts center next to the Business and Technology building off the Eastern Bypass between Kit Carson Drive and Lancaster Road is 30 percent complete, the president said. It and the first phase of the new science building near the center of campus should be ready for occupancy when the 2011 fall term begins, he said.
EKU eagerly awaits both facilities, which will add about 400,000 square feet to the campus’ physical plant, Whitlock said. The university also realizes that their operation and maintenance will significantly increase campus expenses, he said, and EKU will include that in its state budget requests.
The university completed the fiscal year with its budget in balance, said Deborah Newsom, vice president for finance, despite a $1.5 million reduction in state funding.
Whitlock said the university had been told to prepare for a 4-percent cut in state funding.
“We were cut only 2 percent, but we still decreased expenses by 4 percent,” he said.
The state funding was cut by the lower amount because it applied $155,000 million in federal economic stimulus funding to education at all levels, Whitlock said. The university went ahead with the 4 percent expense reductions because the economy may not be fully recovered after the federal stimulus is spent, he said, and state funding may not have returned to previous levels.
EKU reduced expenses in part by freezing faculty and staff salaries, and Whitlock said he appreciated the understanding and support of university employees for his efforts.
Their support can be attributed in large part to the transparent manner in which spending cuts were applied, he said.
Work is progressing on the Walters Hall dormitory, said James Street, associate vice president for capital planning and facilities management. Because the structure’s brick façade was not properly installed when originally constructed, he said it must be completely replaced. The project also includes removal of asbestos from the building.
The $10 million cost is being funded from the university’s residence hall reserve fund, he said.
The regents voted to accept a faculty recommendation to eliminate fees when students drop or add courses.
The board welcomed three new members, gubernatorial appointees Nancy Collins of Hazard and David Sloan of northern Kentucky, and student regent Afsi Siahkoohi of Irvine.
Bill Robinson can be reached at brobinson@ richmondregister.com or at 624-6622.
- EKU News
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EKU group presents ‘Eastern Stars, a Night on Broadway’
Eastern Kentucky University’s student chapter of the American Choral Directors Association will present “Eastern Stars, a Night on Broadway,” on March 23, at 8 p.m. in O’Donnell Hall, the Student Services Building auditorium.
The program includes songs from Broadway shows such as “Phantom of the Opera,” “Hairspray” and “Wicked.”
The event is free and open to the public. -
Program offers professionals a chance to teach
After four successful years, Eastern Kentucky University’s “Try Teaching” program is again accepting applications from mid- and second-career professionals who are intrigued about their potential in front of a classroom.
The nationally innovative program is geared to those who have doubts about leaving their current job behind to return to college for a second degree. It allows participants to gauge their comfort level as a classroom teacher before making a life-changing career move. -
Students focused on energy
Students at Eastern Kentucky University, many of whom are planning careers as teachers or have already begun their teaching careers, are spending this semester learning about environmental issues.
Those taking Ecology for Teachers, an undergraduate class taught by Billy Bennett, and Environmental Science Issues, a graduate course taught by Melinda Wilder, have utilized a grant that allows students to actively pursue ways to teach their classmates and current and future students. -
Bridal showcase set for March 21
Eastern Kentucky University Catering, along with Conferencing and Events, will host the Bridal and Events Showcase on Sunday, March 21, from 1 to 5 p.m. in the Keen Johnson Building on EKU’s campus.
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Foster Music Camp at EKU to celebrate its 75th season
The nation’s second oldest music camp will celebrate its 75th season this summer at Eastern Kentucky University.
Founded in the midst of the Great Depression, the Stephen Collins Foster Music Camps — with numerous camp options throughout June for middle school and high school students — continue to draw young musicians from throughout the nation and even internationally. -
EKU student president making plans to go back where she came from
Immediately following the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, a few of her fellow middle school students told Afsi Siahloohi she should “go back where you came from.”
That would not have been hard to do.
Like most of her classmates, she was born and raised in eastern Kentucky. On a farm at Spout Springs, to be exact.
Her father, Karim, is a native of Iran, and her mother, Kimberly, was born and reared in the Kentucky hill country.
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EKU arts center subject of presentation
The Center for the Performing Arts, now under construction at Eastern Kentucky University, will be the subject of a presentation at the fifth annual Best Practices in Building University/City Relations Conference, hosted by the International Town & Gown Association and Iowa State University.
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EKU arts center names executive director
The Center for the Performing Arts at Eastern Kentucky University formally introduced Katherine Eckstrand as its executive director Wednesday during a press conference on campus.
Since 2005, Eckstrand has been the director of community development for the Ohio Arts Council in Columbus.
She previously served as executive director of the Clark State Community College Performing Arts Center in Springfield, Ohio, from 1994 to 2005.
In all, Eckstrand has 23 years experience in arts administration and promotion.
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EKU sustainability project already showing savings
Going green has gotten Eastern Kentucky University a lot of attention, even making them a model for a similar University of Louisville project and a part of Gov. Steve Beshear’s comprehensive energy-savings plan.
Representatives from Siemens Industry Inc. were on EKU’s campus Monday to give an update on the state’s largest-ever performance contract, according to Dan Crowley, Appalachian zone manager for Siemens.
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EKU seeks to have tenure case moved
Attorneys for Eastern Kentucky University have filed to have a tenure discrimination suit against the school moved to a federal courtroom.
A notice of removal was filed in U.S. District Court in Lexington on Tuesday seeking to have marketing professor F. Mark Case’s suit against the university transferred out of Madison Circuit Court, where Case filed the suit Oct. 13.
The notice claims that because Case’s suit raises issues of whether the university violated his due process rights under the U.S. Constitution, the federal court should have jurisdiction.
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EKU group presents ‘Eastern Stars, a Night on Broadway’
