The Association of Independent Ky. Colleges & Universities (AIKCU) is required by state statute to annually present an update on the status of Kentucky's nonprofit private colleges to the Council on Postsecondary Education. Delivered in June 2016 at Union College in Barbourville, KY. (Presentation prepared prior to the announcement that St. Catharine College will be closing in July 2016.)

1. The Association of Independent
Kentucky Colleges & Universities (AIKCU)
Gary S. Cox, President
June 2016
[annual update to CPE]

2. 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;

3. [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]

4. “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

5. [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.]

6. $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]

7. [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

8. “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

9. [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)

10. “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

11. [employment outcomes, AIKCU class of 2012]
69%
employed in
Kentucky one
year later
83%
of in-state grads
employed in
Kentucky one
year later
29%
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]

12. “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

13. [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]

14. [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