Council on Postsecondary Education approves KSU management improvement plan

November 01, 2022

The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education approved a three-year management improvement plan for Kentucky State University to assist with the institution’s organizational and financial stability at a special-called meeting on Monday.

“This plan will help guide our work over the next three years as we collaborate closely with KSU administrators and staff to set the university up for long-term strength and success,” said CPE President Aaron Thompson. “It includes specific, measurable objectives and a process for evaluating progress toward those goals, which will keep us focused on the areas of improvement that will most benefit the students KSU serves.”

Creating a management improvement plan for the university was among the requirements laid out in House Bill 250, enacted in April. The bill provided CPE with $23 million in emergency funding to cover KSU’s current-year shortfall and outlined responsibilities for KSU and CPE related to KSU’s recovery. The bill was a result of a report from CPE in November 2021 that showed that KSU would run out of funds by March 2022.

Based on the legislation, the plan requires:

1. A comprehensive cataloging and review of university policies and procedures to ensure efficiency and compliance with state and federal law;
2. Guidelines for salary ranges and benefits for all faculty, staff and administrators;
3. Mandatory board member training and development, including but not limited to financial oversight and effective committee structure;
4. Academic program offerings, course offerings and faculty productivity guidelines;
5. Accounting and fiscal reporting systems, collections, budget and internal controls over expenditures and financial reporting;
6. Student success and enrollment management strategies;
7. Student academic progress and results; and
8. The development of an online curriculum with the intent of offering bachelor’s and master's degrees online.

The most immediate deadlines in the management improvement plan relate to evaluating and improving financial reporting and controls at the university. The General Assembly appropriated $5 million in fiscal year 2022-2023 and $10 million in fiscal year 2023-2024 to CPE for distribution to KSU upon meeting goals and benchmarks contained in the management improvement plan.

In other business, the council approved emergency capital project requests from the Kentucky Community and Technical College System to address flood damage on their eastern Kentucky campuses. The first is a $3.1 million project to address damage at two Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College facilities: Caudill Hall and the Belinda Mason Building, both in Whitesburg. The second project, totaling $7.5 million, will address damage at two facilities at Hazard Community and Technical College – the School of Craft and the Opportunity Center, both in Hindman.

The next council meeting will be held at 1 p.m. ET on Nov. 18 at the CPE offices, 100 Airport Road, Frankfort.