Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear recently signed Senate Bill 185 into law. The legislation will transform Kentucky State University into a polytechnic institute focused on STEM education.
The bill requires the Frankfort-based HBCU to offer no more than 10 academic areas of study, excluding programs that are exclusively online, in the College of Education, or determined by the Council of Postsecondary Education to be necessary to KSU’s polytechnic mission. These changes will begin in the 2026–2027 academic year and continue for the next five years.
Now that the bill has been signed, the university’s board of regents has until June 1 to determine which of the HBCUs ‘ 61 academic degree programs will survive and which will close or transform to comply with the legislation’s requirements. Although many programs will be discontinued, leaders at KSU are developing teach-out plans to ensure currently enrolled students in the affected programs can complete their degrees.
“We fully anticipate that all of our students will be able to graduate from Kentucky State University,” Tammi Dukes, chair of the board of regents, told the Kentucky Lantern. “As we phase out some programs, those students who are currently in a program, we’re going to make sure that they adequately matriculate through the university, so that’s not an issue at all.”
She continued, “Ultimately, this bill strengthens Kentucky State University. It gives us both the financial means as well as the legislative support to help us be successful. And we know that this is going to help us be onward and outward, and I am positive that this is going to be the thing that really takes Kentucky State University to the next level.”
For starters, Kentucky Gov. Beshear should RESIGN for signing this anti-Black and anti-HBCU bill which educationally eviscerates Kentucky State University (KSU). As for misguided, dimwitted, and administrative malfeasance statements made by spineless (in my opinion of course) Chair of the Board of Regents Tammi Dukes, she needs to submit her resignation EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY because she’s a damn internal threat to KSU. The same applies to any other KSU Regent members who supported this legislative attack on KSU.
KSU President, Chair of the Board of Regents, and Faculty Senate have some serious explaining to current KSU student and their respective families, KSU Alumni(a), and KSU supporters. QUESTION ONE: Did KSU conduct any type of survey in order to capture the sentiments of the student body about this draconian decision? QUESTION TWO: Did KSU administrators conduct a SWOT analysis in reference to this Senate Bill 185? QUESTION THREE: For the students whose major is not selected to be one of the ten selected academic programs, what type of pipeline will be created in order for KSU students to transfer seamlessly to the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville, Western Kentucky University, or Murray State University? and QUESTION FOUR: Did the “spineless” KSU President address the entire KSU student body? If so, what were the general sentiments of the KSU students?
The unfortunate aspect about this entire legislative assault on KSU is the repulsive and compliant so-called Black academics and administrators who have endorsed this dismantling of KSU. As a result, the White racist Kentucky State Senators can return back to their White enclaves within the Commonwealth of Kentucky smiling knowing they played an integral role in denying higher education for native born Black Kentuckians.