The First African American President of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

Aaron Thompson has been named president of Kentucky’s Council on Postsecondary Education. He is the first African American and first native Kentuckian to hold the position.

Dr. Thompson, a native of Clay County, Kentucky, has had 27 years of experience in higher education and business, and has served on numerous non-profit boards. Before his appointment as president, he had served as executive vice president and senior vice president for academic affairs for the council. Dr. Thompson has also served as a professor and associate vice president for academic affairs at Eastern Kentucky University. He also briefly served as interim president of Kentucky State University in Frankfort.

At a public listening session at Murray State University, Dr. Thompson discussed some goals he had for post secondary institutions in Kentucky including increasing enrollment rates, boosting retention rates, and getting more out-of-state students to come to Kentucky schools.

Dr. Thompson is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University where he double majored in political science and sociology. He holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. both in sociology from the University of Kentucky.

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