KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY Regular Meeting of the Board of Regents Academic Affairs Committee October 20, 2016 Harold R. Benson Research Farm Frankfort, Kentucky
1. Title III Update for Academic Affairs
The US Department of Education’s Title III program assists institutions with building capacity in their service to low-income students by “providing funds to improve and strengthen the academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability of eligible institutions” (http://www2.ed.gov/). Acceptable projects supported by Title III include, but are not limited to, institutional planning, faculty development, construction and maintenance, and student success initiatives designed to increase retention and timely degree completion.
To ensure that funds are properly expended, the Office of Title III assessed the use of Title III funds and determined that Kentucky State University's past practice was to use funding for the alike university programming efforts over ten or more years. The Title III assessment determined that this was not best practice for the use of the support. Therefore, for this fifth year cycle (ending 9/30/17) the current University initiatives supported through Title III funds would be either transitioned to the institutional budget or discontinued, thereby eliminating positions and personnel.
This current cycle for Kentucky State University's Title III allotment for the Office of Academic Affairs has been primarily used for student success and retention initiatives, faculty development, and the previous Quality Enhancement Program (QEP), Academics With Attitude (AWA). Kentucky State University discontinued AWA after the fifth year SACSCOC review findings required a follow-up response report, which was accepted in 2016. Faculty development funds before April 2016 were still grossly underspent.
The Office of Educational Support reports to Academic Affairs and uses its Title III allotment to fund student success initiatives that center on advising, retention, and degree completion; living-learning communities; tutoring services; accelerated learning/supplemental instruction in English and Mathematics; and University Orientation. Additional initiatives for the final year (2016-2017) within this fifth year cycle will include upgrading the academic learning spaces in Bell Gym, an academic mindfulness and wellness initiative, undergraduate research and leadership development, faculty development, SACSCOC, Quality Enhancement Program (QEP), and Competency-Based Education curriculum development.
II. Reorganization of Academic Programs
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