"Unprecedented": King's Letter to all University Faculty

They tell me that university faculty never receive letters directly from the head of the Council on Postsecondary Education. Today we did.

This from CPE President Robert King:

To: Kentucky Faculty Members
September 14, 2009

Dear Kentucky Faculty Members,

Let me first say how pleased I am to have been asked to come to Kentucky to work with all of you and your respective campuses on the goals of postsecondary reform. I have been here for nearly nine months and have visited many of your campuses, and I am impressed with the wide variety of activities occurring for the benefit of your students.

Council staff and I have received a number of questions on the status of the recently enacted Senate Bill 1. I am writing you today in order to explain as much as I can about the ever-evolving landscape of this hallmark piece of legislation.

Senate Bill 1, signed by Governor Beshear on March 26, 2009, revises the assessment and accountability system for P-12 education in Kentucky. It requires a revision of standards to be based on national and international benchmarks in order to increase the rigor and focus the content of P-12 education, increasing the number of students that are college and career ready.

The Bill calls upon the Kentucky Department of Education, in collaboration with the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, to plan and implement a comprehensive process for revising the academic content standards. Part of this process includes the development of a unified strategy to reduce college remediation rates and increase graduation rates of postsecondary students with developmental education needs. An outline for that process, including timelines for all activities, has been completed and is being implemented. You may find that outline and further information at: http://www.cpe.ky.gov/policies/academicinit/senbill1/.

The next step, already underway, is the review of current systemwide public postsecondary placement policies in English and mathematics, and, working with institutional faculty members and representatives from the K-12 system, determining whether revisions are needed in those content standards. A statewide reading group, partnering with the Collaborative Center for Literacy Development (housed at the University of Kentucky), is reviewing strategies for reading in academic content areas. Assessments to identify those reading skills needed for success in postsecondary introductory reading-intensive courses are being developed. A mathematics group, partnering with the Kentucky Center for Mathematics (housed at Northern Kentucky University), is doing the same. Reading and mathematics are widely acknowledged as the gateways for success in all educational endeavors. The science standards will be reviewed in the very near future as part of the next stage of the process.

A catalog of college readiness strategies already in use within the state and nation is being developed. This catalog of strategies can be used by educational cooperatives and P-16 councils in their efforts to limit the number of students in postsecondary education and the workforce underprepared in the essential skill areas. KDE and many other state and national partners will be a part of the process to align course content and assessments between P-12 and postsecondary institutions.

A steering committee also has been established and met on August 12. This committee will provide guidance and oversight in the implementation of the process to create one set of standards from P-12 to college entry-level courses and will provide insight into the development of strategic plans to reduce the remediation rates of high school graduates and increase the graduation rates of underprepared students entering postsecondary institutions.

KDE Commissioner Terry Holliday and I are working together to ensure that the revised standards that are recommended to the Kentucky Board of Education for approval are aligned with postsecondary education course and assessment standards for reading and mathematics. We are guiding a process to improve education at all levels for all students without diminishing admission or curricular standards. We are working with representation from all of the campuses in order to maintain the quality and rigor of the postsecondary experience in Kentucky.

Finally, let me emphasize that the expectations for achieving the goals of Senate Bill 1 extend across the entire educational spectrum in the Commonwealth. The primary driving force behind this legislation is to make sure that the P-12 system and the postsecondary system work together to prepare students who are college-ready, who will subsequently attend and successfully complete postsecondary study, and who will graduate and contribute to Kentucky’s future. These responsibilities are naturally embedded in the professional preparation of educators, both pre-service and in-service, and extend from early childhood through post-graduate study. There is a significant need for relevant and focused research that will facilitate and enable our P-12 colleagues to make and sustain the changes needed to achieve the goals of Senate Bill 1, and you as postsecondary faculty are best positioned for this work. I am honored to be working with you for the good of our communities on this shared obligation.

Thank you for your efforts on behalf of Kentucky’s students.

Sincerely,

Robert L. King
President

New Yorker Named President Of CPE

This from Mark Hebert at WHAS TV:

A New Yorker has been named president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education:

COUNCIL ON POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION NAMES PRESIDENT

(FRANKFORT, Ky.)--The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education today unanimously named Robert L. King as its third president. King will officially begin his term no later than April 1. He replaces Thomas Layzell who retired in September 2007.

King, 61, is the former chancellor of the State University of New York, the largest higher education system in the country with 64 campuses and an annual operating budget of $8.5 billion. He presently serves as president and CEO of the Arizona Community Foundation, a statewide charitable foundation with a strong focus on education, economic development and scientific research.

Since June, the Council has been operating under the oversight of Interim Council President Richard Crofts. Crofts will assist with an orderly transition. The current plan is for Crofts to remain in his position through the end of January.

King's appointment concludes a nationwide search that identified a pool of 40 highly qualified candidates.

John Hall, chairman of the Council's Presidential Search Committee, praised King for making significant progress at SUNY in areas important to Kentucky's higher education reforms--enrollment, retention, graduation rates, research volume and philanthropy.

"Bob King has extensive leadership experience in education and state government. His work with the SUNY system provides him with many experiences and ideas that will be beneficial to Kentucky," said Hall.

John Turner, chairman of the Council, added, "Mr. King's background also prepares him to be a strong advocate for postsecondary education. He is the right choice for Kentucky and we are delighted with his appointment."

King's three-year contract includes a $360,000 salary, $40,000 for housing or deferred compensation and a state vehicle. By statute, the president of the Council must make more than the base salary of the highest paid public university president which is $352,000.

King draws high praise from his colleagues as well as former New York Governor George Pataki who stated, "I think he is the best chancellor we have had in 30 years. I have been in Albany long enough to know several of them. He led the system in raising academic standards and differentiating the missions of the institutions so that we could better meet the needs of our state."

Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University, added, "Bob King is one of America's great leaders in higher education and he will serve the Commonwealth of Kentucky very well."

Former Kentucky Governor Paul Patton, who is also a member of the Council, voiced strong support for King. "Bob King has an excellent combination of academic and political skills which will be required to be successful in this position," he said.

King received a bachelor of art's degree in 1968 from Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., and a juris doctor in 1971 from the Vanderbilt University School of Law. He is married to Karen, his wife of 32 years, and they have four grown children.

"I am tremendously honored to be named president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education," said King. "I pledge my full commitment to the people of Kentucky and advancing the goals of higher education reform.

"I look forward to engaging campus leadership, the broader education community, state officials and elected leaders toward achieving those goals," he added.

CPE reveals Finalists

This from C-J:

A former chancellor of the New York State University System and the current chancellor of the Vermont State College System appear to be the two finalists to lead the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education.

Robert L. King, who at times sparked controversy during his tenure as the chancellor of the New York State University System, took part in a closed-door interview with the council in Lexington this week.

Vermont State College Chancellor Robert G. Clarke, who is also in
consideration for the job, said he could not comment on the search process when contacted by the Courier-Journal yesterday...

This from the New York Times:

Ending a public drama over his leadership, Robert L. King, the chancellor of the State University of New York, has told the trustees that he will step down on June 1.

Mr. King, a close friend and former aide to Gov. George E. Pataki, announced in January that he would take a six-month paid leave, and it had been widely understood that he would not return to head the 64-campus university system.

But facing an outcry over the sabbatical, during which he would have earned about
$170,000, Mr. King surprised SUNY's trustees and the governor by abruptly changing his mind before the board could vote on the package...

Mr. King said he was seeking the leave because of family pressures and a desire to strengthen his administrative skills by enrolling in Harvard Business School's executive program....

More.