The Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges & Universities (AIKCU)

Gary S. Cox, President

June 2016

[annual update to CPE]

2

KRS 164.020(13)

The Council on Postsecondary Education in Kentucky shall:

Ensure that the state postsecondary system does not unnecessarily duplicate services and programs provided by private postsecondary institutions and shall promote maximum cooperation between the state postsecondary system and private postsecondary institutions. Receive and consider an annual report prepared by the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities stating the condition of independent institutions, listing opportunities for more collaboration between the state and independent institutions and other information as appropriate;

[aikcu profile]

19 colleges & universities

$28million median endowment

35,918 total students

(F15: 27,598 undergrad; 8,320 graduate)

22% KY bachelor’s

degrees

6,600 total employees

(4,900 FT)

7,700 annual degrees

(’14-15: 4,573 bachelor’s; 2,714 graduate; 365

associate)[and 4 association staff]

“I’m so thankful that my family’s financial circumstances have not hindered my ability to educate myself and work toward a better future. I hope that no student in Kentucky will have their future determined for them by their family’s economic status.”

– Alexis Marsh, Independence Berea College ‘16

[affordability & financial aid]

$49.5 million in Pell

nearly 50% of undergrads Pell-eligible

$24,139 average loan debt

$270 million

institutional aid

$26.6 million in KTG

to 9,871 Kentuckians ($11 million CAP, $17.5

million KEES)

$19,278 average net price

$32,962 average total sticker price

(published tuition + room/board)

[sources: IPEDS, KHEAA. Published prices and net price exclude work colleges.]

$5,825 cost to Commonwealth per AIKCU undergrad degree (Total $ KTG/Total bachelor’s degrees or $12,065/degree using all state aid)

[Photo: Campbellsville University]

[academics]

1,000+ academic

program options

20% of total KY dual credit hours (F15)

30% of AIKCU degrees are awarded in

STEM+H

Most popular majors: Business, Education, Health Professions

32% of F15 AIKCU students enrolled in business,

health, social services & career-focused programs

[sources: CPE Comprehensive Database. See additional report for more info on career-focused programs and dual credit.]

50% graduation rate but 3/4 of graduates

finish in 4 years

“I thought, ‘Are you guys out of your minds?’ That’s a half-million dollars’ worth of equipment that we let 18-year-olds work with. Usually only graduate students get to use those….These professors are very proactive about getting their students these opportunities. I’m really just a shadow of their excellence in teaching and mentoring.”

— Erol Akins, Texas Transylvania University ’15

(graduated in three years) student in the UK College of Medicine

[liberal arts & sciences prepare graduates for success]

95% of Transylvania University graduates are employed or in graduate school 6 months after graduation (57% employed/38% grad school)

98% of the Centre College class of 2015 was employed or in graduate school one year after graduation. (80%+ of those students had an internship or intense research experience as undergraduates.)

80% of employers think every student should acquire

broad knowledge in the liberal arts (source: CIC/AAC&U)

“My studies as a Politics and English student have given me purpose. I want to go into local government and learn more about how different areas of cities can share the costs of developing a city’s poorer neighborhoods. My vision is simple: I want to bring us closer to a world where cities provide great opportunities for young boys and girls transcending location, race and income. This vision is one I would never have conceived had I not been given an opportunity to further my education myself.”

— Dexter Horne, Louisville Centre College ’16

CAP and KTG recipient

[employment outcomes, AIKCU class of 2012]

69% employed in Kentucky one

year later

83% of in-state grads

employed in Kentucky one

year later29% of grads from out-of-state

were employed in Kentucky one year later

7.6% continued education

[source: KCEWS, special 2014 Postsecondary Feedback Report roll-up]

“My entrepreneurial spirit started at Bellarmine, when I started thinking about what I wanted to do with my psychology degree and how I could do something different. Psychology is everywhere in the business world; the key is figuring out how and when to apply it.”

— Alli Truttmann Bellarmine University ’06

Founder, President and CEO Wicked Sheets

[helping members adapt and thrive]

$690,000 AIKCU has been awarded a grant of up to $690,000 from the James Graham Brown Foundation to support members who wish to engage in the Optimizing Academic Balance (OAB) strategic analysis of curriculum and resources.

[see handout for additional information]

[challenges]• Overemphasis on education as a private good, where

primary purpose is for immediate personal gain• Misperceptions about cost, loan debt, and affordability• Communicating the importance of liberal arts & sciences• Changing social environments and values• Regulatory overreach and attendant costs of compliance• Highly competitive, fluctuating enrollment marketplace• Growing partisan divide