Looking to continue a strengthened and important relationship with Trigg, Christian and Todd counties, delegates from Murray State University paid a visit to Monday’s South Western Kentucky Economic Development Council meeting — seeking guidance and suggestions about current and future curriculum to meet work-ready needs.
MSU’s 15th President Dr. Ron K. Patterson said it was their job to work in the background as a four-year regional university, while offering places like the MSU satellite campuses and Hopkinsville Community College the chance to collaborate and partner for deeper successes.
Shannon Slate, director of MSU’s Hopkinsville and Fort Campbell regional campuses, as well as the Center for Adult and Regional Education, noted there are several programs being offered through collaborations between KCTCS and Racer connections in south western Kentucky, including:
*a bachelor’s in applied engineering
*a certificate for cybersecurity analyst
*a bachelor’s in cybersecurity and network management
*a certificate in logistics and supply chain management
*a bachelor’s degree in logistics and supply chain management
*and a master of science in occupational safety and health
Patterson confirmed that engineering remains the university’s third-to-fourth largest department on the main campus in Calloway County, but that it also has room to grow. While aerospace, mechanical, physics and civil engineering pathways exist, chemical engineering options are “at entry level conversations.”
Patterson also noted that there is a “great desire” to create a better pipeline for regional businesses to have direct access to second-, third- and fourth-year students who need internships and placement, while MSU’s Assistant Vice President of Facilities Management Dr. Tina Bernot confirmed that $3,000 of a $10,000 goal has already been met for a dedicated scholarship fund at the Hopkinsville Region Campus — one aligned to bring non-traditional students back into the fold.
HCC President & CEO Dr. Alissa Young said they have been able to offer classes at the regional campus, as well, and there remains a possibility for shared faculty opportunities in the future.
Furthermore, Young said her campus would like to bolster its agriculture pathways — something in which Murray State University fully specializes.
Carter Hendricks, executive director for SWK EDC, said several business leaders in the region have expressed to him a need for soft skills training at some level — be that interpersonal communications, budgeting, or the like.
He knows that’s not higher education’s biggest responsibility, but industry shifts into mechatronics, engineering, shipping and logistics could be the next growth point.
Patterson also confirmed that the Council on Postsecondary Education has approved MSU’s application for a bachelor of science in artificial intelligence — making MSU and the University of Kentucky the first two Commonwealth schools to join the fight for the future.
Recruitment for such, he added, will begin this fall.
At present, Patterson said MSU is responsible for more than 42,000 alumni that reside in Kentucky — many of them helping fill 6,000-plus jobs while producing more than $630 million in revenue.
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