Dear Thorobred Family,
Persistence is often described as an individual quality: the determination to continue
when the path becomes difficult. That determination matters. At a university, however,
persistence must also be shared work.
Our students bring ambition, resilience, and responsibility to their education. Kentucky State University must meet that commitment by making help visible, coordinated, and easier to reach. Opening the door to opportunity is essential; helping students move through it and toward graduation is equally important.
This week, the University launched the Thorobred Care Network, a new way to connect students with assistance when financial hardship, housing or food insecurity, transportation challenges, personal or emotional concerns, or other circumstances threaten their progress. Through a Breds Care Referral, students may seek help for themselves, and faculty and staff may connect a student with people and resources prepared to respond.
No form can remove every obstacle. It can, however, begin the right conversation. A concern noticed in one office or classroom can become a coordinated response across the University.
Beginning next week, several Student Success offices will remain open until 6:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, giving students more time to reach advising, tutoring, well-being, and related services. Access depends not only on whether a resource exists but also on whether students can reach it when they need it.
Reaching out is not a retreat from responsibility; it is one way students take responsibility for their future. Faculty and staff need not have every answer to make a difference. Often, the most important act is to notice, listen, and help a student find the next step.
As Kentucky’s only public HBCU and the Commonwealth’s 1890 land-grant university, Kentucky State has long widened the path to higher education. That responsibility does not end when a student arrives; it continues through relationships, guidance, and practical support that help each Thorobred complete a degree.
Student success cannot belong to one office, one program, or one person. It belongs to all of us. We cannot walk the path for our students, but we can make certain they never have to search alone for a way forward.
Together, Onward and Upward,
Koffi C. Akakpo, Ph.D.
President
Kentucky State University