The development of the QEP began in the Fall 2016 and reached its first benchmarked concluding phase in the Fall 2018. The narrative and chart below provide an overview of the major steps in the development of the QEP topic. As will be noted, Academic Affairs and faculty have worked collaboratively to identify a topic of interest and merit for the students at Kentucky State University: one that has potential to contribute to research, teaching, and society. Though some time had been spent in collecting ideas for the faculty through open and collaborative processes, the topic chosen had not gone beyond the selection phase. When the newly-hired President shared his ideas about Aoun's book, faculty members were uniformly intrigued and willing to discover its fit for Kentucky State University. The decision to use Aoun's Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence came at time in the life of the University when a new President had been hired and faculty members were engaged in supporting his leadership and vision.
Kentucky State University's planning for a new QEP project began in the fall 2016 semester. The Vice President for Institutional Assessment and the SACSCOC liaison engaged a faculty member with the task of leading the process through its first phase. A timeline was established that signified Phase I would culminate in a general topic being identified by the end of the spring 2017 semester. At that point Phase II would begin, likely with a new leader who had expertise or experience in the QEP topic and would begin implementation of the project.
A process was agreed upon in which the entire campus community (faculty, staff, students, and University stakeholders) would have an opportunity to suggest ideas and to help with their development. To that end, the Vice President for Academic Affairs announced at an October 2016 all-faculty meeting that ideas for the QEP would soon be solicited. In an October 29, 2016, email, the QEP Leader sent information about a website under development through which ideas could be submitted, and he noted that all submissions would be due by January 14, 2017. In this way submitters had ample time to develop their ideas. The email was sent directly by the QEP Leader to all faculty, and it was sent to all students through the Vice President of Student Affairs, to all staff by the President of Staff Senate, and to alumni through the Vice President of Institutional Advancement.
On November 29, 2016, the QEP Leader sent another missive, this time providing the address of the completed website for submissions. Information about the selection process going forward was included, as was a promotional flyer, which was subsequently posted around campus. The plan was for the three chosen proposals to be developed further, each into a white paper. The committee (consisting of faculty, staff, administrators, and students) would then select a topic.
An email from the QEP Leader on January 15, 2017, indicated that submissions would be taken through the 20th of January since the initial pool was small—around eight submissions. On January 17, he offered an informational meeting, attended by staff and faculty members, outlining the process going forward and answering questions. He sent another email on January 22nd, encouraging further submissions, and this sentiment was echoed in a note to all faculty from the Vice President of Academic Affairs. Overall seventeen proposals were submitted, with several from students.
The QEP Topic Selection Committee, consisting of students, faculty, staff, and administrators, as well as a similarly composed SACSCOC Reaffirmation Leadership team, met on February 15, 2017, to discuss