Progress Edition focuses on ‘Moving Forward’ By Anthony Cloud anthony.cloud@middlesborodailynews.com
Every community has a past. The history lies within the old buildings that we pass while driving down the highway or the stories told to us by our grandparents. While we often look to the past for a chance to reminisce on the good times, it is the future that determines how all stories end.
This Progress special section is aimed at showcasing how the community has moved forward in positive ways over the past year. There are so many stories across Harlan County that show how the county continues to grow in different areas. Whether it’s in education, business, politics or other areas, the community and its residents are always finding news way to better and improve themselves.
In this special section, you will read stories about changes in local government, new businesses, educational expansion and much more. This section just barely scratches the surface when it comes to everything that has happened in Harlan County over the past year. This special section has been a collaborative effort by the staff at the Harlan Enterprise. From the dynamic team of Beth Key and John Henson to
sales representative Melissa Johnson, this section would not be possible without our entire team. We also owe a big thank you to all of our advertisers who made this product possible. Their dedication and faith in the Harlan Enterprise is what helped bring this project together. We hope that our readers enjoy this section, and we appreciate those in the Harlan County community that shared their stories with us.
Tolliver feels at home in traditional community bank By John Henson Staff Writer
Steve Tolliver has spent much of his life in community banking and understands better than most what it means to the areas where they are located. “Our best advantage is we can meet the needs of our community so much better than the bigger banks. When the decision makers and shareholders live in a community you can make sure you can take care of your customers,” Tolliver said. “It’s not that we’re smarter or better people, it’s just that we live here, our shareholders live here and that puts boots on the ground.” Tolliver says stability is a strength of community banking. “We operate on Main Street, not Wall Street,” he said. “The speculative financial vehicles and activities that led to the financial crisis of 2009 were never part of traditional community banking. Community banks add stability to our nation, not put it at elevated risk. We make loans in communities that large banks ignore, and with modern electronic banking services help local customers with national or even international transactions.” Tolliver, the son of Delmar and Sue Tolliver, graduated from Harlan High School in 1978 and earned a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Kentucky in 1982. He worked for his dad at Belk for a short time, then realized he wanted to go into banking. He returned to school and earned an MBA at UK in 1985. He worked for a couple of banks during his college days to gain experience. Tolliver and his wife, Anita, a retired school administrator, have lived in Har-
lan for several years. Before he began his professional banking career, Tolliver also worked in education for a few years as a business instructor at Southeast Community College. During that time, Tolliver experienced a bout with cancer that he eventually overcame. Tolliver’s first banking job after college was at Harlan Federal Savings and Loan on Cumberland Avenue. He then moved on to First National Bank in Corbin, where he worked from 1995 until 1999 as senior vice president and chief operations officer. “That was my first step up in banking,” he said. “That was a very good experience. I learned a lot there.” He worked at Hometown Bank in Corbin, starting in 2000, before moving on to The Bank of Harlan in 2009. He was CEO and president and was on the board. One major change in the banking industry in recent years has been the move toward mergers, something Tolliver experienced in 2016 when The Bank of Harlan became part of the Monticello Banking Company as one of 16 branches. “Cost savings improved for shareholders, while our Harlan area customers now have a much greater selection of banking services,” Tolliver said. “We offer deposit, loan and electronic banking services that are very competitive, with even larger banks.” Tolliver, who is the senior executive officer for the Harlan area and oversees approximately 25 employees, said the local bank maintained its workforce at its three branches during the merger. It also gained jobs when the Monticello banking system chose Harlan for a call center to
John Henson | Harlan Enterprise Steven Tolliver is the senior executive officer for the Harlan office of Monticello Bank. He has spent his entire banking career in community banking.
serve the entire company. “We have other employees working from our Harlan offices that provide loan processing and credit underwriting for the entire group,” he said. “Bank staff in other communities, likewise, help us here in Harlan every day. We could not have found a better merger partner.” There are three branches of the Harlan office of Monticello Bank, one of 16 locations around the state. “We’re still a community bank. There’s not a bank in the state that’s really a large bank,” Tolliver said. Mergers, said Tolliver, help banks operate more efficiently and offer more services. “The trend now is for community banks to merge with others,” he said.
“We’re now able to offer very competitive products and the technology is really good. Big banks have some advantages, but that advantage is small. We can do everything the community needs. We can’t offer a $100 million loan for a building in New York City, but the people in Harlan aren’t going to ask for that. But we can do a $10 million loan or any type of electronic service you need, along with VA loans and other specialties. Our customers have benefited greatly from the merger. We can do so much more. We can operate much more cost effectively, which is a benefit to our shareholders.” Monticello Bank offices in Harlan include the Village Center, Mansion Branch and Central Street Branch.
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Delivering the message at HCC
Morris found a home in Harlan as church leader By John Henson Staff Writer
First impressions, as Charlie Morris learned from experience, are not always accurate. As a Harlan County resident for over 30 years in his role as pastor at the Harlan Christian Church, Morris likes to tell the story of his first thoughts when visiting Harlan several years before moving here. “When we started the church in Virginia I took a secular job at Banner Bearings. I would deliver in Harlan every Wednesday ( from 1978 to 1981). I remember thinking ‘Boy, I ‘d hate to live in Harlan,’ and I’ve been here for 33 years now,” Morris said with a laugh while sitting in his office at the church. “It didn’t strike me then as a good place to live, but I think God has a sense of humor. “Don’t ever say you’d hate to do something because you might do it. I learned to love Harlan though. It’s a great area and we’re blessed to have our kids and grandkids here and have a chance to be part of their lives growing up. I have a wonderful congregation that
loves me and encourages me. It’s a unique area. You have to live here to understand just how unique Harlan is.” Morris eventually found a home at the Harlan Christian Church, one of the county’s largest and most active churches with a long tradition of service to the county dating back to 1921. Morris has been at the helm of the church since 1991, except for a brief retirement that he soon thought better of before returning in 2016. While he loves his Kentucky home, Morris was born and raised in Athens, Tennessee, the home of Tennessee Wesleyan University, and has a running joke with many of his parishioners about his affection for the Tennessee Volunteers. Morris’ mother, Beatrice, died when he was 6 and his father, Newell, traveled quite a bit with his government job, so Morris said he spent much of his childhood with his grandparents, Ed and Buena Morris. He credits them with providing an early connection to the church. “It was a blessing in disguise, because my grand-
mother always made sure I went to church,” said Morris, who was a charter member of the Athens Christian Church in 1960, when he was 14. After graduating from McMinn County High School, Morris decided to attend Johnson Bible College (now Johnson University) even though he had no intention of entering the ministry. “It was a good Christian college. I didn’t know what I was going to do,” Morris said. “I went there to church camp when I was in high school, so I liked the college even though I didn’t know what was going to be.” Morris said he received his “call to the ministry” when he was at Johnson. “I don’t consider the ministry a profession you choose,” Morris said. “I consider it a calling that God places on your heart.” Morris quotes the Apostle Paul in explaining his decision. “For if I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, because I am compelled to preach — and woe to me if I do not preach the gospel,” said Morris as he recalled the Bible verse.
“I consider preaching a call from God and he puts a passion in your heart to preach. He put that passion in my heart when I was in college, so I followed his calling when I entered the ministry.” Before he could finish college, Morris had to answer another call — this one from Uncle Sam. He spent three years in the Army, primarily serving in Germany. By that time, Morris was already married after having met his future wife, Joyce, a Grundy, Virginia native, on campus. Their oldest child, Tracie, was born in Germany in 1970. Amy followed in 1973 and then Stephen in 1976. Morris returned home to complete his education at Johnson in 1970. He soon started preaching at his home church in Athens, then moved to a job at the Church of Christ in Grundy, then Englewood, Tennessee, then back to back to Virginia where he started a church near Richlands. Morris’ Harlan County experience began as pastor at the Loyall Church of Christ, where he served from 1985 to 1990. He then left Loyall to start a church in Hickory, North
Kim Henson | Harlan Enterprise Charlie Morris delivered a sermon during a recent Sunday service at the Harlan Christian Church, where he has served as pastor since 1991.
Carolina. “Amy was a senior and Steven was a freshman, and they were very unhappy,” Morris said, “so we didn’t stay long. I got it started, but someone came in to follow me. “I was preaching at a small church in Tazewell, Tennessee, when Harlan Christian Church contacted me. I was also working a secular job with DeRoyal since the church was very small.” Morris started his work as pastor at the Harlan Christian Church in December of 1991, a post he held for 20 years before deciding to retire in 2011. He soon learned he was not happy being retired and kept busy by preach-
ing at Christian churches in Wallins, Cumberland and Jonesville, Virginia. When the job at the Harlan Christian Church came open again, Morris was asked to return. “I guess I still had the passion to preach,” he said. “I still preached just about the entire time. I would teach Sunday School here, then to go a church somewhere. That desire never did leave me. Joyce loved her retirement so much, but she could stay home from Sunday to Sunday and be content, but I’m not like that. I knew I had the energy, so I thought I’ll would preach a little while longer.” See MORRIS | 4
New leadership plans Southeast: A year in review to revitalize city of Harlan Special to the Enterprise
By Jennifer McDaniels
With a new era of leadership in the city of Harlan, residents who won seats on the city council in last year’s General Election say it’s time for a “much needed” revitalization. Longtime Harlan resident, state employee and Harlan Independent School Board Chairman Joe Meadors was elected mayor, replacing then-mayor Danny Howard, who has held the office for 20 years. Howard did not run for re-election. Meadors said he was eager to work with the council, some of whom are new, and some of whom are returning. “I firmly believe that a strong City of Harlan not only helps city residents, but it also contributes to a general well-being of county residents, as well,” Meadors said. “My goal as mayor is to see that our city government is strong financially and can part-
ner with our county government in any ways we can to provide a better quality of life for all our citizens. I pledge to work cooperatively with the city council. We are all servants of the city, and I look forward to conducting business in an open and transparent manner.” A spirit of cooperation is not only being stressed by Harlan’s new mayor, council members are seeing the value of a team effort, too, in creating new opportunities for their city. Timothy Howard, who received the most votes for city council member in November’s election, will be serving his first term, and is excited to work with the mayor and other council members in bringing about change. Howard said his vision for Harlan is to revitalize downtown to attract businesses to the area and to aggressively pursue the town’s infrastructure needs.
“I think Joe will bring to the city a wealth of knowledge,” Howard said. “And I look forward to working with him and sharing my ideas and vision with him.” Jeanne Lee will be returning to the Harlan City Council to serve another term. Lee said the new era in Harlan government was a “fresh start” for the newly-elected mayor, new council - along with the help of city residents - to start something powerful for Harlan. She said it was going to take a lot of work, cooperation, and a sense of community over self, but that she believed the mayor, council, and all of Harlan’s residents were up to the job. “My vision is that over the course of the next two years we will see our downtown cleaned up and revitalized,” Lee said. “I would love to see thriving businesses in those buildings, the streets See PLANS | 4
MIDDLESBORO — Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College (SKCTC) has come a long way in the past year. The college has made significant upgrades on its campuses, developed new programs and partnerships, and continues to increase its enrollment. On the Middlesboro campus, the college recently celebrated the grand opening of the Educational Alliance Center (EAC), a $10 million, 34,000 square foot facility that will serve multiple purposes. The building houses Southeast’s Nursing program, workforce training, administrative offices, and partnership programs with fouryear institutions. It has a large student commons area, conference rooms, computer labs, and large classrooms. The center also has a 2,000-square foot multipurpose room that can be used as a classroom or rented out to host community events.
Southeast President Dr. Vic Adams said the facility came about through years of planning that started with a desire to build the community’s workforce. “We’re always trying to adapt and look at our programming to see what we need to do differently,” he says. “Hospitals throughout our region have a great need for nurses, and this building will allow us to essentially double our number of nursing graduates.” The Pineville campus has made room to add additional health care programming. Medical Laboratory Technician, Medical Assisting, and a new program, Tele-Assisting, are now housed there in addition to existing programs in Surgical Technology, Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), and Respiratory Care. That campus has become a regional testing center for the CNA program. The college has made taking classes more accessible for nontraditional students by adding more evening, weekend,
and hybrid courses. As a result of this new flexibility, students who work full time may now earn degrees. The college has received grants totaling approximately $9 million. The Cumberland campus library, now the Learning Commons, has been completely updated to provide interactive learning as a result of a grant from the Robert E. Frazier Foundation. The Middlesboro campus library has been updated as a result of a Steelcase Grant. An Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Power grant is providing revitalization of downtowns in both Cumberland and Middlesboro. It has also enabled the college to teach construction trade courses as well as courses in remediation of lead paint, asbestos, and mold. In the past, residents have had to go to Knoxville, Lexington, and beyond to find people credentialed in these trades. ARC gave the college See SOUTHEAST | 4
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Carter has led resurgence for local elementary school By John Henson Staff Writer
As a pastor, former teacher and basketball coach, John Carter has no shortage of experience directing others down a chosen path. In his previous jobs, he strived to be a transformational leader, a path he’s followed in four years as principal at James A. Cawood Elementary School. In the church, he worked to transform the lives of his congregation, bringing them closer to God and leading them down the path to salvation as promised in the course of study he followed with his religion through the Bible. As a teacher, he often followed a book and course of study approved by his district to reach the prescribed destination, which meant his students were ready for the next step, or the next grade, in their procession toward graduation and a better life. As a basketball coach, he followed a path to success that began with fundamentals and hard work and included a heavy dose of confidence-building activities. Carter helped rebuild a program that had struggled and turned his players into winners. In his latest job as principal, Carter took on his biggest challenge, transforming a school that was one of the nicest in eastern Kentucky when it opened in the 1960s with much promise and a bright future. With a declining economy taking away many of the best students in the time when it went from a high school to an
elementary school, the hope of the 1960s had been replaced by years of negativity and low expectations. “It was a challenge, but it had been let go to the point that whoever took this job was going to look like a genius,” said Carter, who brings the same honesty to his job as a principal that he follows as a pastor. “There was no other way to go. You couldn’t go down any farther.” The process was part of the fun for Carter. “I absolutely love building things from the floor up,” Carter said. “I enjoy watching things grow. I think each job has helped prepare me for the other. Sometimes it’s hard to know which hat to put on, but I do like seeing transformations take place. The only way that can happen is through unity.” Carter said enrollment at a school that once held over 1,200 students as a high school in the late 1960s had dropped to 267 students in kindergarten through the eighth grade. The school scored in the first percentile, meaning 99 percent of the schools in the state were performing at a higher level. “Morale was absolutely horrendous,” Carter said. Carter began the job of cleaning up almost immediately, beginning with painting the halls and classrooms. “My first words to the staff were to either get on board, get out of the way or get run over,” he said. Carter brought his inspirational and transformational style to his
new job, which began with trying to convince those closest to him that it could be done. “I told the teachers that my job, if they were ineffective, was not to get rid of them but to help them become effective,” he said. “We’re still working on things, but I’m seeing exponential growth, and we’re trying to find places where everyone can fit.” “In that first year, he may not have been the most experienced man for the job, but he was definitely the leader we were looking for,” said JACES teacher Dianna Blanton Tipton. “Sometimes, a ‘good fit’ is all that’s needed for necessary changes and improvements.” Carter immediately worked to change the culture at James A. Cawood, beginning with one of his first decisions, moving his office across the large building at JACES to the classroom section. A visitor to the school, who was also a James A. Cawood High School alumnus, searched in vain for the principal during the summer break before being directed to the right spot. “He said he wanted to be closer to the kids,” said Lisa Blanton, a school-based counselor. Carter graduated from James A. Cawood High School in 1997 before going on to college at Southeast Community College, then Lincoln Memorial University and Union College. He started teaching at Hall Elementary School in the 2003-2004 school year, then moved to James A. Cawood in 2008
John Henson | Harlan Enterprise John Carter has helped spark a turnaround at James A. Cawood Elementary School since taking over as principal. The school has been among the state leaders recently in improvement on test scores.
when Harlan County High School opened and Hall’s students shifted to the former high school building. After four years at Cawood Elementary School, Carter returned to JACES to take on his biggest challenge in his first job as principal. Carter began his work as a pastor in 2004 and led a major expansion in that job when his New Covenant Community Church at Bobs Creek merged with the Cawood Church of God in 2014 to form the New Covenant Church. The size of the church has grown exponentially in recent years. “My wife, Leighann, and I planted the church in 2009 with 18 members. Now, 10 years later, we average about 180200, so it’s grown quite a bit,” Carter said. “They needed a pastor and we needed a building, so it worked out well, plus it was the church I was
Businesses continue to grow in Harlan Co.
File photos The Harlan County Chamber of Commerce celebrated the opening of a business location in downtown Harlan in October with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The business, Ink’d Up, is located on Second Street across from the courthouse in the old Margie Grand theater building. For more information, check out their Facebook page or you may call 606-505-9604.
The Harlan County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting ceremony for Sassy Trash in downtown Harlan in May. The business is located at 108 North Main Street. For more information, check out their Facebook page.
born and raised in. But none of this is about me. It’s Christ who lives in me giving me strength.” The ability to bring people together also helped Carter in his job at JACES. “My staff can quote this: I’m not asking you to have slumber parties and go out for dinner every evening, but I’m asking you to be cordial and friendly with each other for six hours. It’s about the kids. Let’s get along,” he said. The results of that teamwork began showing dividends almost overnight and continues to bring the school closer to the goals Carter set when he started. The school enrollment is now at 367 students, exactly 100 more than his first day on the job. According to the Louisville Courier Journal, JACES has been the No. 1 elementary school in the
district for two years in a row (2017 and 2018). “Again, this has nothing to do with me. I have the best students, staff, and stakeholders in the state of Kentucky. Their hard expectation, determination, and preparation has changed our situation. I guess I’m just a good cheerleader. A couple years ago, we were No. 2 in the state, out of hundreds of schools, for the biggest gain in scores,” Carter said. “This school’s perception is still not the best, and it’s taking a little bit longer than what I wanted for the community to see and believe in what is going on here, but it’s happening slowly. Our facility is even cleaner and more appealing. People aren’t driving past us as much to go to other schools. It gets stressful sometimes, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
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Morris From page 2 “Charlie is one of the most humble men I know who loves God, loves people and loves the church,” said David Johnson, an elder at the church and former superintendent of the Harlan Independent Schools. “He is committed to God’s word and delivering it to others in love. Jesus said that to be great in God’s Kingdom, one must serve others. Charlie is one of those people. And he is the same in his private life as what you see in the pulpit. We are blessed to have his leadership
Plans From page 2 full, people walking, sitting, talking to neighbors and enjoying life and the beauty of our surroundings.” While the list of city needs is long, including finding new revenue, controlling spending, increased safety, infrastructure improvements, and transparency in government, both Howard
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at HCC.” “What strikes me about Charlie has always been his love for the church and the unwavering passion for preaching the Gospel,” added Rodney Jones, also a church elder. “He is definitely called to preach and is compelled to preach by that strong call on his life by God. It’s rare for older ministers to remain so open to new methods to deliver the gospel while retaining the essentials of saving faith in Christ. Charlie actually has that quality. His whole life points others to Jesus, and that inspires all of us.” Morris spends a lot of his time with
church activities, along with visits at the hospital and other locations, including an occasional stop at Dairy Queen for coffee with church members. He can also be found at various sporting events watching his grandchildren, including a busy Little League summer where his grandson, Brayden Morris, was a standout on a Harlan Little League All-Star team. Basketball has been a family effort for a number of years. Amy King and her husband, Mike, have served as scorekeeper and clock keeper for the Lady Dragons with Mike coaching all three of his daughters
in junior high school. Their youngest daughter, Natalee, is a junior and one of the team’s top players. Morris has been a regular at Harlan High School girls basketball games for a number of years as granddaughters Katie and Mackenzie King were standouts on 13th Region championship teams. Both played on the 2016 team, and Mackenzie was a junior on the 2017 squad. Mackenzie was also a state track champion in the shot put and discus and will continue her athletic career at the University of Virginia-Wise. Tracie Luttrell, whose husband, John, was
the football coach at Harlan the past two seasons, served several years as an assistant basketball coach. Morris is enjoying being back in his familiar role at the church and has no plans to retire for good. “I plan to carry on the best I can, and I’m sure that God, in his way, will let me know when it’s time to step aside and get someone younger and fresher,” he said. “I think the church is going very well right now and I wouldn’t want to do anything to hinder the atmosphere we are experiencing. It’s a great congregation.” Before a recent ser-
vice, Morris worked his way around the church, catching up with the latest news from several church members. “I think it’s all about relationships. The role of the minister is a role of relationships,” Morris said. “His first relationship is with God, then his family, then his church family and then the community. I think the minister should lead in all those areas. He should set an example that his relationship with the Lord is strong, and he leads his family and exemplifies leadership with the congregation and in his own way is a leader in the community.”
and Lee agree the city’s many blighted buildings and properties was a major problem. Howard said the council needed to take a closer look at ordinances pertaining to blighted properties and to sit down with the city attorney to discuss what the city’s options were. “The biggest complaints that I hear from residents are the roads breaking off and always being flood-
ed, and the buildings downtown smelling of mold and sitting empty,” he said. “They want to know why the blighted building ordinance isn’t being enforced.” Meadors said he also heard complaints from residents during his campaigning concerning the blighted building and property situation within city limits. He said he planned to engage the services of the city attorney to use current ordinances to identify the blighted buildings and properties and their owners. “If we determine the current ordinance is either outdated or insufficient, I will immediately propose to city council a new ordinance with teeth,” Meadors said. “In any event, I plan to aggressively work on the
issue as it adversely affects adjacent property owners, perhaps an entire block, and presents public safety issues, as well.” Meadors also plans to encourage city council members to consider an action that would give property owners and merchants throughout the city a tax break for improvements made to their properties, which he said will lead to an increase in property values as determined by the PVA. “We have to clean up the downtown area to make it attractive to anyone looking to possibly open a business in that section of town or to move their residence within the city,” Meadors said. “I hope to lead discussion with merchants and property owners on ways to build, modernize and update homes and businesses across this community.” Lee, who has an arts background as a public schools music educator, said she would like to expand arts venue and programming within the city. She said Harlan needed to “mine its local talent
and artisans” in creating community vitality and enrichment. Lee wants to learn from neighboring small towns like Pineville, which has had success in revitalizing efforts. She wants to see more committees formed, more involvement from city residents in addressing city issues, and more groundwork laid to see what resources are available. “I really think the sky is the limit when we all get on the same page and put our collective heads together,” Lee said. “None of this will happen overnight or will be easy. Funding is always an issue, but I believe if we budget wisely and seek grant opportunities, we can find funding sources. I would also love to see community involvement. Hold us city leaders accountable. Come to council meetings. Share your concerns, your hopes, your ideas. We’re in this together, and together we can make a difference for good.” Meadors said leading Harlan city into the new era of revitalization was a daunting, but exciting job. He
said his goals for the city had personal value to him, because Harlan will always be his home. “I have lived practically my entire life within the city of Harlan, and I feel a sense of pride in and attachment to make Harlan my home,” Meadors said. “I plan to live out my days here among the people I love and respect. I want to make Harlan the best Harlan it can be, and I think an exciting future awaits for us if we can all work together.” Besides Howard and Lee, those elected to fill the seven seats on the Harlan City Council were Chris Jones with 353 votes, Lakis Mavinidis with 346 votes, Bennie Patton with 312 votes, Karen Ayres Phillips with 280 votes, and Mary Ann Hensley with 277 votes. Howard received 364 votes, and Lee received 337 votes. Meadors defeated his contenders Eric Perry and Drenda Crider in the Harlan mayor race. Meadors received 277 votes, Perry received 246 votes and Crider received 77 votes.
Southeast
educational efforts will help them secure employment once they have completed treatment and are in recovery. The college received a grant from the Veterans Trust Fund in order to open Veterans Centers on four of its five campuses. These dedicated spaces allow student Veterans to socialize, to study together, and to mentor each other. “We owe these brave men and women a debt of gratitude for their service, and we hope these Centers will help them succeed as students” says Dr. Adams. The Paths 2 Promise Grant, which targets individuals who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, began enrolling students in summer 2016. Since its inception, 500 students have been recruited to work in Bell, Harlan, Letcher, Leslie and Knox counties with 200 attending Southeast. The college has partnered with Big Sandy and Hazard Communi-
ty & Technical Colleges, along with SOAR and the EKCEP, in order to develop short-term educational programs focused on available jobs, putting people back to work quickly. All three institutions have developed digital innovation hubs on their respective campuses to promote telework and entrepreneurial opportunities. Southeast’s hub is located on the Cumberland campus and specifically targets dislocated workers from the coal industry. The most recent EMSI study shows that Southeast, its students, and its alumni add $106.7 million to the region’s economy each year. “We have seen a number of successes in the past year,” says Dr. Adams, “but first and foremost we are here to ensure the success of our students. We serve as a beacon of hope for people in our communities, and we are excited about the many new opportunities we will be able to offer them.”
From page 2 another $80,000 to secure additional investors for downtown revitalization. The college received an Economic Development Authority (EDA) grant for approximately $800,000 to go towards advanced manufacturing with Hazard and Big Sandy. This will provide new machinery to help with skills upgrades. Southeast received a portion of a grant from the Center for Rural Development that will fund educational opportunities for technical students that are under-employed or unemployed. The KCTC Systems Office selected Southeast as one of three of the 16 colleges from across Kentucky to receive a $200,000 entrepreneurial grant. These funds will help create a program combining education with behavioral health counseling for patients recovering from addiction. Our
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