Kentucky higher education news: New president at NKU, deans at UK

It’s been a busy month in higher education as schools around the state are back in session.

From announcements of new administrators to enrollment updates, there’s been plenty to keep up with.

Something that’s been a big conversation at the University of Kentucky is enrollment numbers. While official numbers won’t be available until later this fall, after the date when students can drop a class, UK President Eli Capilouto announced the preliminary fall enrollment numbers at the September board meeting. (If you missed it, the Herald-Leader published a story focused on college enrollment in Kentucky last month.)

Here’s a quick overview:

• Freshman enrollment is 6,481, the largest freshman class in UK’s history and the second year in a row that number has topped 6,000.
• Overall enrollment is more than 34,000, another record for UK.
• UK has reached a 70% six-year graduation rate, a number that places it well above the national average and among top universities in the country. The national six-year completion rate is 62.2%, according to the National Student Clearinghouse.
• Second fall retention (the number of students returning to UK for their second year) reached a record 87%.

Here’s what else happened in Kentucky higher education last month.

Have something that should be considered for next month’s round-up? Contact higher education reporter Monica Kast at mkast@herald-leader.com.

New administrators at UK, NKU

Northern Kentucky University announced Cady Short-Thompson as its seventh president. She will begin in the role Oct. 2.

Short-Thompson comes to NKU after working as the CEO/Executive Director of Breakthrough Cincinnati, an educational equity nonprofit. She previously worked in higher education as a NKU professor, the provost of Hope College and dean of the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College. She has a doctorate from the University of Cincinnati.

UK announced two new deans last month.

The new dean of the graduate school is Padraic Kenney, who was announced earlier this year and approved by the board of trustees in September. His first day was Oct. 1.

Kenney was the associate dean for social and historical sciences and graduate education at Indiana University, and was previously the associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

UK also named an acting dean of the College of Communication and Information, Brandi Frisby. She began in the role on Oct. 1.

Frisby has been a UK faculty member for 13 years, and held various positions including senior associate dean and associate dean for student success.

Other big news was the new president of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, Ryan Quarles.

Quarles is Kentucky’s agriculture commissioner and was a Republican candidate for governor earlier this year. He finished second in the primary behind Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

University of the Cumberlands receives historic donation

The University of the Cumberlands received a $25 million donation toward student scholarships from the O. Wayne Rollins Foundation. It’s the largest single donation to the university.

“We are immensely grateful to the Rollins Foundation for their extraordinary commitment to our mission,” said President Larry L. Cockrum. “For over four decades, the Rollins Foundation has been instrumental in supporting our efforts to empower students and ensure they have the opportunity to obtain a college degree.”

The university is matching the donation, meaning $50 million total will go toward scholarships. It will fund 500 scholarships annually, the university said.

Where’s the salary database?

We mentioned it in last month’s round-up, but for those who are curious as to when the UK salary database will publish this year, the university said its data will be finalized for the 2023-24 year in November. The Herald-Leader will publish the salary database on its platforms in the month of December.