Kentucky State University Board of Regents extends president's contract, maximum four years

Kentucky State University Board of Regents extends president's contract, maximum four years

Posted on July 19, 2018

Kentucky State University Board of Regents voted unanimously to extend the contract of President M. Christopher Brown II through July 19, 2022.

The Board extended the contract based on his exceptional performance and thorough evaluation to the maximum four years allowed by law.

“President Brown’s forward-thinking has advanced many of the metrics set by the board,” Dr. Elaine Farris, chairperson of the Board of Regents, who commented on the extension on behalf of the board said. “He has increased enrollment, advanced the brand and reputation of Kentucky State University, promoted access and affordability and actively advocated for support on the state and federal level. We are confident in the continuity and solid leadership President Brown is providing Kentucky State.”

President Brown has worked extensively on increasing the brand and reputation of Kentucky State. He has appeared on many television news channels and programs, including Kentucky Newsmakers and WTVQ in Lexington, among others. He has written editorials in the Frankfort State Journal newspaper and has been quoted in national publications such as HBCU Digest, The Chronicle of Higher Education and the Los Angeles Times. The overall positive mentions of Kentucky State in the media has increased during his tenure.

Kentucky State University’s enrollment also rose quickly and summer school enrollment doubled under President Brown’s tenure.

Kentucky State also announced a partnership with Frankfort Independent Schools to create the Early College Academy during President Brown’s presidency. The initiative is designed to provide high school students with the opportunity to earn college credit and secondary school credit. Students can accumulate enough credits to earn a technical certificate or an associate degree from Kentucky State.

The Opportunity Access Network is also a result of a partnership forged with Hope Street Group, which was announced in February. The partnership with Hope Street Group was announced in February. The partnership will transform teacher education and student learning in the district, region and the Commonwealth.

To show support of faculty and staff development, President Brown established and allocated funding for Encampment each academic semester. Encampment brings together Frankfort community leaders, faculty, staff, students and alumni in finding new and effective ways of developing ideas, pursuing innovative strategies and applying knowledge for the public good, and in order to better position Kentucky State for continued academic excellence and goal attainment.

Other successful initiatives during President Brown’s tenure include increasing scholarship dollars available for students and revamping how those dollars are offered. A comprehensive academic program review was conducted by the Presidential Green Ribbon Commission on Academic Prioritization and Budget Alignment, as well.

In the area of community engagement, President Brown dedicated resources to public engagement and community outreach, providing a helping hand during the holiday season with a holiday toy drive and food drive, among other giving initiatives.

To promote access and affordability at Kentucky State, University College and the Pre-College Academy were created. The University College’s mission is to provide a series of programs, services and curriculum to promote and support the academic success of the university’s first-year students.

Pre-College Academy is a five-week, academic enrichment, residential program within University College designed as a transition between high school and college. The academy allows first-year students to earn up to nine credit hours, experience campus life, create effective study habits and become acclimated to college before their first college term begins in the fall.