Kentucky State University News January 28, 2013 President Compares KSU To Martin Luther King Jr.'s Legacy Kentucky State University President Mary Evans Sias presented a report to the university's board of regents on Friday, Jan. 25, titled "KSU Continues The Tradition of Triumphing Despite Adversity." Sias compared KSU to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "Like the life of Dr. King, triumphing despite adversity is also the true legacy of Kentucky State University, which is Frankfort's university," she said. Over the past nine years, KSU has balanced the budget and launched a capital campaign to make improvements to the fiscal state of the institution. KSU posted enrollment growth each year from 2003 to 2010. In 2011-2012, the university saw its first decline in enrollment in large part due to the economic downturn, which has negatively impacted the enrollments of three-fourths of the nation's colleges and universities. As a result, KSU has tightened its belt, Sias said. The university is making academic programs more efficient. This is being accomplished by transforming supplemental education, growing online programs and expanding the use of technology. Sias said it is also a priority to make changes in the scholarship program and to increase opportunities for students who may be eligible for need-based assistance. To improve enrollment and graduation rates, KSU has adopted for the campus a "culture of completion" mindset, where students are supported and provided resources to complete their degrees. "Providing access without completion is a promise broken," Sias said. "Kentucky State University is beating the odds. We are very excited about our future." SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-520-0593 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.