A Charge to Steward a Historic Investment

Dear Thorobred Family,

This week, I want to focus not on the ways Kentucky State University may be changing, but instead on what the Commonwealth is investing in us to become.

Much of the recent conversation around Senate Bill 185 has understandably focused on academic planning, areas of study, program review, and the responsibilities that come with this five-year transition period to a polytechnic-focused university. That work remains important, and we will continue to approach it with care, transparency, and a firm commitment to our students.

But another part of this moment deserves equal attention.

Kentucky State University will also be receiving a historic level of public support. Taken together, the 2024 investments and the additional investments identified to support this transition represent approximately $170 million from 2024 through 2028. That includes $60 million already provided for asset preservation, $5 million for the Health Sciences Building design, $50 million for additional asset preservation, a targeted $50 million Health Sciences Center investment for authorization in next year’s legislative session, $3 million for new program funds, and $2 million to expand online programs.

This support is more than an extraordinary appropriation. It is a vote of confidence in Kentucky State’s future and a clear expectation that this public investment will be turned into public good.

The General Assembly has created avenues of support intended to help Kentucky State realize an ambitious future. These significant resources will make it more possible for the University to strengthen academic quality, improve student outcomes, meet workforce needs, modernize campus facilities, expand flexible learning pathways, and build a stronger foundation for long-term success.

That work matters not only to Kentucky State but also to the Commonwealth we serve.

As Kentucky’s only public HBCU and an 1890 land-grant university, Kentucky State has always carried a mission larger than itself. We educate students who become teachers, nurses, scientists, entrepreneurs, public servants, business leaders, researchers, and community builders. We support agriculture, health, education, economic development, and quality of life across Kentucky. We open doors of opportunity while preparing graduates to meet real needs in the communities they call home.

Responsibility accompanies this investment.

We must steward these resources with discipline, transparency, and integrity. We must use them to strengthen the student experience, support high-demand academic programs, preserve and improve the physical spaces where learning and discovery happen, and ensure Kentucky State is positioned for long-term success.

The best expression of gratitude for this investment is multiplying its impact. Like the lesson of the Parable of the Talents, we are called to put what has been entrusted to us to work, returning greater value through the students we educate, the communities we serve, and the future we build together.

Kentucky State has met defining moments before, and we will meet this one with the same spirit that has carried the University for nearly 140 years: faith in our mission, pride in our people, and confidence in the promise of what we can build together.

Onward and Upward,

Koffi C. Akakpo, Ph.D.
President
Kentucky State University