<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><item href="/news/stories/now-more-than.html" dsn="news"><hide/><featured/><pubDate>04/09/2020</pubDate><title>Now More Than Ever, Higher Education Matters</title><description>When I was hired to lead Kentucky's public higher education system in 2018, I asked my staff to design a logo incorporating the words "Higher Education Matters." Armed with charts and graphs, I embarked on a statewide listening tour to share the benefits of a college credential and hear how higher education could better meet the needs of students, employers and communities.</description><image><img src="/_resources/images/AT-rss-2019.jpg" alt="Aaron Thompson"/></image></item>