Dear Thorobred Supporters,

Senate Bill 185 moved forward today in the legislative process with several significant and meaningful updates in the House.

Most importantly, the revised language explicitly preserves Kentucky State University’s identity as a four-year institution, an 1890 land-grant university, and the Commonwealth’s only public HBCU, while also strengthening student access pathways and maintaining key elements of campus life.

Kentucky State University stands in partnership with the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education and extends sincere appreciation to Jason Petrie, chairman of the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee, and to all members of the committee for their unanimous support of the committee substitute.

We also extend our heartfelt thanks to the dozens of students and alumni who represented the proud history and promising future of Kentucky State University in the hearing room today. Your presence and your voices mattered. We offer special thanks to Barry Johnson, president of the Kentucky State University National Alumni Association, for his impactful remarks, as well as to all who contributed to strengthening the amended language of the bill.

A copy of the amended bill is attached. We also encourage you to visit our Onward and Upward webpage at kysu.edu/onwardupward, where a link to the amended Senate Bill 185 and the video of the House Standing Appropriations and Revenue Committee meeting are also posted.

The bill now advances to the full House for consideration and then the General Assembly. We will continue to keep you informed and will provide a fuller breakdown as the legislative process moves forward.

We remain committed to working collaboratively to ensure a strong and sustainable future for Kentucky State University, while preserving the legacy and mission that define our institution.

Onward and Upward,
Koffi C. Akakpo, Ph.D.
President
Kentucky State University