20 Years of Success

IN 1997, THE KENTUCKY GENERAL Assembly completely revamped higher education in the Commonwealth with the creation of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. The challenge of consolidating the community colleges with the technical colleges did not reach our region until 2002, when Dr. Barbara Veazey was hired as president and CEO of the West Kentucky District.

In 2003, two individual colleges—Paducah Community College and West Kentucky Technical College—became one new consolidated, comprehensive college known as West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC).

It was no easy task.

There were those who believed the consolidation would fail, but there were also administrators, faculty, and staff who had a vision of the newly formed college as a premier institution in the nation, and a commitment to excellence was made. Collectively and slowly, the college community embraced a vision that inspired a new culture on the campus— one of innovation, data-informed practice, and shared responsibility for students’ success.

With a sense of urgency, President Veazey led faculty, staff, and community leaders on trips across the country to visit the nation’s best colleges. WKCTC faculty and staff could see firsthand colleges that were recognized for excellence, attracted major employers, and achieved better results for students. The college examined data and probed for answers to increase graduation and transfer rates.

In 2007, the Educational Testing Proficiency (ETS) profile was administered at WKCTC for the