Welcome to Kentucky State University where diverse cultures blend to provide our faculty and employees a work experience rich in continuous learning and fulfillment. Kentucky State University was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky as a state institution of higher education and as an independent agency and instrumentality of the Commonwealth. It was later recognized as a land grant institution under the Land Grant Act of 1890 by the Congress of the United States.

Governance of the university is vested by statute in the Kentucky State University Board of Regents. The decisions regarding policies are recorded in the minutes of the Board. The Board of Regents has the statutory power to approve appointments and salaries, and exercise other powers traditionally vested in such a body.

We have prepared this Personnel Policy Manual in following the vision and strategy of our Board of Regents, President, Faculty Members, and Administration. This Manual represents our best effort to formulate guidelines that underscore and promulgate the Mission of KSU. The level of staff morale and staff productivity depends on human resource policies that are well conceived, clearly stated, and consistently applied. Our aim is to achieve both the reality and the perception of fairness in our treatment of all members of the KSU community. We believe this manual gives us the necessary framework for accomplishing this aim.

The execution of this policy manual requires each employee to become knowledgeable of the manual contents, committed to fair and consistent administration and interpretation of the policies, and diligent to the task. The success of our written policies depends upon the quality of staff interaction and the soundness of judgment used by our Deans, Directors, Managers and Supervisors in their dealings with subordinates and associates.

We must all seek to carry out these policies with consistency, with sensitivity, and with good common sense. It is important to remember that we are an educational institution with a clear Mission of teaching, research, and community service. Our goal is nothing less than the creation of an academic community. Our policies provide us with the order and effectiveness that allow us to maximize University resources, both financial and human. Both the stated policies and our practice should reflect the values of Kentucky State University.

The policies stated in this Manual take effect September 1, 2008.

Dr. Mary Sias President