Ky. Community College Tuition Just Got Higher

Those wanting to attend community college in Kentucky will have to dig a little deeper, as the Kentucky Community and Technical College System Board of Regents voted to raise the wages of faculty and staff by 2 percent, and tuition itself by 2.86 percent.

Those full-time employees of Kentucky's 16 community and technical colleges will get a raise of $1,000 or 2 percent, whichever is larger. That assumes a positive evaluation for the workers.

Residents of Kentucky will get a tuition boost of $140 to $144 per credit hour.

President of Kentucky Community and Technical College System Board of Regents, Michael B. McCall, approved of the increases on Friday.

Murray State President Randy Dunn Let Go by University

The tenure of Murray State president Randy Dunn will come to an end as of June 30, 2014, as the Board of Regents of the university have chosen not to renew his contract by a vote of 7-4. There was no reason given for the decision, other than saying it was a personnel matter.

Dunn was hired by Murray State on in May of 2006, assuming his duties on December 1 of that year.

It is probably the continual search by Dunn for another position that has led to the decision, as he has interviewed for other jobs he applied for, including the presidency of Missouri State University. He also has been interviewed to become the next Florida Commissioner of Education. Both of those interviews were conducted in 2012.

In its May meeting the Board of Regents will work on plans for finding a replacement for Dunn.

Bill Passes that Allows Kentucky Universites to Issue Bonds for Construction Projects

After some changes from the Kentucky Senate House, the state House quickly passed House Bill 7, which will allow universities in the commonwealth to issue bonds for construction projects.

The bill targets specific projects for six of the eight public universities in the state, including buildings to be added at University of Kentucky, Western Kentucky University, Murray State, Northern Kentucky University, Morehead State and the University of Louisville.

Among the projects to be undertaken by the universities are a new UK science building, UofL student center, and NKU health center, along with renovations at Commonwealth Stadium.

A couple of stipulations were included in the bill, with there being no tuition increases with the bonds, and that the revenue will only come from the individual schools and not from state dollars.

The overall costs of the various projects come to about $363 million.

With the House approving of the changes from the Senate, the bill has been forwarded to the governor's office to be signed.

Foreign Students Could Stay in Ky. Schools till 23 Years of Age

An irresponsible bill - House Bill 131 - has passed the Kentucky House, and now heads to the Senate for consideration.

The bill would allow foreign-born students and refugees to stay in school to the age of 23. I wonder what could go wrong with a 23-year-old male hanging around young girls the age of 15? The bill was passed by a vote of 71-26 on Thursday.

Another negative part of the bill is students who are disabled will be forced by Kentucky law to leave the school, while the foreign students can continue on. It makes little sense other than attempting to buy votes through outrageous laws catering especially to the Hispanic vote.

According to State Rep. Jody Richards, a Bowling Green Democrat who sponsored the bill, it will be a boost to those students who come into the country with little or weak education. Why doesn't Jody just say illegal immigrants will get privileges Americans don't get. After all, that's what this bill is all about, no matter what terms it's expressed in.

Can Kentucky Republicans be this dumb? The more benefits offered illegals the more of them will come into the state, which over time could result in the inconceivable - Kentucky turning into a liberal-dominated state.

Republicans need to quit catering to these obvious tactics and strongly resist all of the laws that allow for those to come in and have a negative effect on the values of the residents of the state.

Home School and Private Students Participate in 29th Annual Kentucky American Water Science Fair

Approximately 775 public, private and home-school students in grades four through 12 participated today in the 29th annual Kentucky American Water Science Fair coordinated by Fayette County Public Schools at Bryan Station High School in Lexington.

The event included 678 students' science fair projects judged by approximately 150 professionals, as well as hands-on, educational exhibits and demonstrations hosted by area organizations and coordinated by Bluegrass PRIDE.

A total of 144 student projects received awards. Six projects received special recognition from Kentucky American Water for demonstrating achievement in water science projects, and three students received the Urban Environmental Award, which recognizes outstanding projects related to environmental stewardship.

Kentucky American Water President Cheryl Norton and Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Tom Shelton were joined by Scott Shapiro of Mayor Jim Gray's office in the award presentations.

Judges evaluated the student projects according to the following categories: animal sciences, behavioral and social sciences, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, chemistry, computer science, earth and planetary science, engineering, energy and transportation, environmental sciences, medicine and health sciences, microbiology, physics and astronomy and plant sciences.

Kentucky American Water initiated the science fair for junior high school students in 1985 as part of the company's centennial celebration. The next year, the company joined with Fayette County Public Schools in coordinating the event. The fair has been expanded twice: first in 1989 to include elementary school science projects, and again in 1991 to include high school projects.

During her remarks, Norton, who started her career nearly 25 years ago working in American Water's national laboratory specializing in drinking water research, congratulated students on their achievements and, reflecting on the event's 2013 engineering theme, encouraged them to explore careers in engineering.

She expressed how important engineering is to the water industry and for addressing water infrastructure issues across the country. She also thanked parents and teachers for their commitment to science, math and technology education, and extended her appreciation to Fayette County Public Schools for the tremendous effort that staff demonstrates each year in coordinating a first-class event.

Students who received awards at today's competition advance to the Central Kentucky Regional Science and Engineering Fair to be held at the University of Kentucky on Saturday, March 2. Kentucky American Water also serves as a leading sponsor for that event.

Kentucky American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately half a million people. Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company.

With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs approximately 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million people in more than 30 states and parts of Canada.

More information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com

Contact:

Susan Lancho

Tel: 859.268.6332

Mobile: 859.537.0736

Email: Susan.lancho@amwater.com