Board of Regents discusses enrollment numbers, mental health grant and sabbatical leaves
Posted By: Features Editor
February 26, 2021
Gage Johnson
Spring 2021 Enrollment
Don Robertson, vice president of student affairs, said the total headcount for the spring semester showed a decline in enrollment of about 2 percent compared to last year. Robertson said enrollment has increased in graduate students but has decreased in undergraduate.
“Some of that is reflective because of what’s happening in the high schools, and our Racer Academy numbers are down a bit,” Robertson said. “Part of that is the success of our students. We graduated more students this past fall than we did in the fall of ‘19, and of course, that’s what we want to do, we want the students to graduate.”
Kentucky higher education sounds alarm over drops in enrollment, aid applications Rick Childress, Lexington Herald-Leader
Feb. 19 Overall enrollment and applications for student aid are down across the state, a warning sign that Kentucky s already underserved populations may be facing challenges outside of the classroom that keep them from enrolling.
Compared to this time last year, enrollment in the state s community college system is down 9 percent, while overall enrollment this past fall at public four-year institutions is down 2 percent, according to the state s Council on Postsecondary Education.
At the same time completion of the complex Free Application for Federal Student Aid form better known as the FAFSA and a necessity to become eligible for many grants, loans and scholarships that make education more affordable is down 18 percent in Kentucky compared to this time last year.
Council calls for action on decline in college enrollment
February 8, 2021 GMT
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education is urging education leaders to take action to combat declining college enrollment in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
The latest data shows undergraduate enrollment at four-year public universities declined 2.1% last fall and by 7.3% compared to five years ago, the council said in a statement. The Kentucky Community and Technical College System saw enrollment drop 10.5% last semester.
The council passed a resolution last week noting the decline and citing fears that educational and economic opportunities in Kentucky could be harmed. It says council President Aaron Thompson should work with stakeholders to mitigate enrollment impacts of the pandemic.
Credit WFPL
A bill reforming the teacher pension system for new hires cleared the Kentucky State House Thursday afternoon, less than two hours after coming out of a legislative committee.
The bill would put teachers hired after Jan. 2022 into a different “tier” than current employees. The new tier would have a smaller defined benefit than the existing plan, but would also have an additional defined contribution, meaning retirees’ total benefits could fluctuate more based on the stock market. But the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Ed Massey (R-Boone), said the average payment would be 74% of the teacher’s salary, similar to salary replacement for the current plan and would save the state $3.57 billion over the next 30 years.