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On Thursday, March 23, the Kentucky State University faculty voted to express no confidence in the Board of Regents and its chairperson. The following is a statement from KSU Interim President Dr. Aaron Thompson. 

If there was ever any doubt by anyone, the action by the Kentucky State University faculty yesterday made it unequivocally clear that we must come together. Coming together means that as a University community (faculty, students, staff, Regents, alumni and the external community) we must put the hat on that represents our institution as a whole and not our individual interests— despite any lingering individual differences in opinion. We must rise above our differences, our silos, our hostility, our personal agendas, our distrust and the vitriol of recent months and move forward. We must stop personal attacks and character assassinations. We must embrace and implement a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect.

While our challenges may be many, I find myself reflecting on the words of our esteemed Kentucky State University Alumnus, Whitney M. Young, the Civil Rights icon whose statue greets all who walk on our campus. Mr. Young said, “You can holler, protest, march, picket and demonstrate, but somebody must be able to sit in on the strategy conferences and plot a course. There must be strategies, the researchers, the professionals to carry out the program. That is our role.”

The administration, Board of Regents, faculty and staff of this great University must carry out the program. To do this, roles and responsibilities must be reestablished, clarified, and codified. The needs of the students, the entire faculty, and the staff must be addressed for Kentucky State University to move forward.

We must come together for the good of our students and the legacy and future of Kentucky State University.

Sincerely,

Aaron Thompson, PhD

Interim President, Kentucky State University