It's not surprising that Morehead State University's Board of Regents has spoken out against a proposal to make the University of Pikeville a state university, since the change would cost Morehead a chunk of its service area and perhaps some students.
What is surprising is the harshness of House Speaker Greg Stumbo's response to the resolution approved by Morehead's regents on Friday.
"When all of the facts are brought out, I wouldn't be surprised if most of the board will resign or be asked to resign for how poorly they have served the people of this region," Stumbo said of Morehead's regents.
"By making this type of decision without all of the facts, it only makes them look small and petty...
Increasing education attainment in Eastern Kentucky (and other under-educated areas of the state) should be a top priority for the legislature.
We agree with Stumbo and Patton that there is no better use for mineral severance tax monies set aside for economic development than raising education levels in coal counties.
But this session is already past the halfway mark, and there simply is not time to make a thoughtful, fact-driven decision based on a thorough evaluation of the alternatives.
Muscling through a decision of this importance on pure political power would be a big step backward for education planning in Kentucky and, like the Morehead regents said, a blow to the higher education reform law of 1997.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
H-L agrees Stumbo too harsh on UPike dissent
This from H-L:
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2 comments:
I agree with Stumbo as well when it is stated that Morehead‘s regents have served this region poorly. When it was time for me to graduate high school and apply to a college, I did not even consider Morehead a worthwhile option. While the tuition was more affordable than Pikeville College, the courses I was interested in, such as Japanese and ESL, were not offered. Having found Morehead University's faculties less desirable than even paying more expensive private tuition at Pikeville College, I moved over one hundred miles away to attend a suitable university. Unfortunately, not all students are able or willing to leave home in order to attend school.
If Pikeville College received federal funding to become University of Pikeville, I feel that the educational opportunities for the youth of surrounding coal counties, such as Floyd, Knott, and Johnson counties, would be greatly improved. Not only would education for these local youths become more affordable, the official change to a University will attract more students, business, and revenue in this overall more rural area. Much like when Richmond, once a much smaller place, began to bloom with industry once Eastern Kentucky University became a popular choice for post-secondary education.
What about the folks of south central Kentucky? Western and UK are no closer to those folks than Morehead or EKU is to far eastern Kentucky Counties? ARe we going to have to buy out Campbellsville or Lindsey Wilson too?
Do we really want to blame physical accessability for the reason why folks don't go to college? I hate to tell future graduates this but you are probably going to have to relocate once you use that education to get a job.
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