For many years, Kentucky has trailed the nation in so many economic categories.  The reason for this is simple – our lack of educational attainment. 

College graduates earn more, are healthier, create a more robust economy, and enjoy a higher quality of life.  This improves the standard of living for all Kentuckians.

For years, however, when budgets were constructed – especially in lean years – higher education was never fully funded.  Kentucky has paid a price for this failure.

That changed in 1997, when Governor Paul Patton and the members of the General Assembly took a risk and developed a bold plan to move this state forward.  The resulting legislation – known as House Bill 1 – was a radical departure from the failed ways of the past. 

Those leaders believed that increasing the number of Kentuckians with bachelor’s degrees was the quickest, most direct way for Kentucky to increase its economic prosperity.  I agreed with them then. 

That’s why when I was in graduate school at the University of Kentucky I came to Frankfort with a group of Governor’s Scholars to meet with then Secretary of the Executive Cabinet Crit Luallen to show our support for higher education reform.  We asked what we could do to help, and she encouraged us to lend our voices to the debate and talk to our legislators.

With the passage of House Bill 1, I really believed that we had turned the corner and that there was no turning back.

That’s why I am disturbed that with the Commonwealth again facing tough budgetary times we may revert to our traditional and short-sighted way of balancing the budget – slashing higher education. 

After all, since 1997, we have seen dramatic changes in Kentucky.  College enrollment has increased by over 34%, to a total of nearly 213,000 Kentuckians.  We have turned a corner, and we’re not turning back.

Because of the investment that past governors and our legislators have made in our colleges and universities, we are transforming our economy.  For instance, the University of Louisville recently announced a $2.5 billion health sciences center which will not only bring high-paying research jobs to Kentucky but will help make our citizens healthier.  We have turned a corner, and we’re not turning back!

Our comprehensive universities are not only excelling at their programs of distinction, but they are transforming their regions through powerful stewardship programs that are making our communities better places to live, work and play.  These universities are helping us turn the corner, and we’re not turning back!

Because of our improvement in higher education, Kentucky received a GEAR Up foundation grant for $42 million to help more low income students attend college.  People outside of Kentucky are now taking note of our academic achievements.  We’ve turned that corner, and we’re not turning back!

The University of Kentucky created the Commonwealth Collaboratives to attack Kentucky's most pressing problems -- from obesity among schoolchildren to high cancer rates.  UK’s research put $324 million into Kentucky’s economy last year alone.  Because of their efforts, some of Kentucky’s deepest problems are being addressed.  We’ve turned a corner, and we’re not turning back!

Perhaps the biggest transformation can be seen at our Community and Technical Colleges.  Our economy is changing, and KCTCS is working to make sure that Kentucky’s workers can adapt by developing programs to meet the demand for projected openings in high growth, high wage jobs.  Thanks to them we have turned a corner, and we’re not turning back!

However, we can only continue this success by fully funding higher education.  We must not turn back to the days when cutting higher education was the easy way to balance the budget.

That’s why you have to keep up the pressure.  Just like Crit Luallen told me back in 1997, you need to talk to your legislators about the importance of fully funding higher education so that we can attain those critical goals set in HB 1.  It will take more than one day of engagement.  It takes more than one noisy rally. 

It is time that we stop short-changing Kentucky’s future by not investing enough in Higher Education.  I join you in your efforts to make sure that we do not turn back!