Dear Thorobred Family,
Summer on The Hill may look different from the academic year, but Kentucky State University remains active, engaged, and purposeful.
Last week, the Kentucky State University Board of Regents held its regularly scheduled summer meeting. During the session, the Board approved the FY27 budget, reviewed the organizational realignment necessary to support the University’s next chapter, and continued its collaboration with University leadership as Kentucky State advances through a period of important transition.
Those actions matter because they help provide the structure, discipline, and focus required for the period ahead. They also remind us that progress is not only measured in major announcements. It is reflected in careful planning, student support, responsible stewardship, and steady preparation for Kentucky State’s long-term strength.
That momentum is visible across campus.
This week, Staff Senate hosted a Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration in the Student Center Courtyard, bringing faculty, staff, students, and community members together for fellowship, food, music, vendors, games, and connection. As our nation observes Juneteenth National Independence Day this week, I am grateful for colleagues who created space for community and reflection on our campus.
Kentucky State also hosted a Bee Campus USA Celebration and Networking Event, building on the University’s national Bee Campus USA designation. This work connects campus operations, research, Extension, student learning, and community education around a practical goal: protecting the pollinators that help sustain our food system.
The activity continues in other ways as well. Through the Harvesting Potential Summer Agriculture Introduction Program, Kentucky State welcomed high school-aged young men to campus for hands-on learning, career exploration, industry exposure, and mentorship connected to agriculture. Supported by a $450,000 USDA Capacity Building Grant, the program further reflects our land-grant mission and our responsibility to help students see the many pathways available through science, technology, business, leadership, and service.
At the same time, our campus itself continues to draw positive attention. Kentucky State’s historic hilltop campus was recently ranked among the Commonwealth’s most beautiful, a reminder of what generations of Thorobreds already know: The Hill is a place where history, purpose, and natural beauty meet.
We are also preparing for important improvements to our campus.
Kentucky State will soon begin exterior renovation work at the Dr. William H. Exum Center as one of a range of capital projects underway thanks to generous asset preservation funding from the General Assembly. From 2024 through 2028, Kentucky State is expected to receive approximately $110 million in state-supported asset preservation funding. Those funds are part of approximately $170 million in total state appropriations supporting University facilities, academic programs, and operations during that period.
That same energy is also carrying us toward the fall. Our Admission team continues to hold New Student Orientation events as excitement grows not only to welcome returning students back to The Hill, but also to greet the newest members of the Thorobred community in just a few short months.
Together, these examples tell a larger story.
Kentucky State is planning, building, teaching, serving, and gathering. We are caring for our facilities, supporting students, strengthening programs, engaging partners, and creating moments of community even as we do the serious work required in this season.
The work ahead is significant, but so is the energy visible across The Hill. With focus, care, and shared commitment, Kentucky State continues building toward a stronger future.
Onward and Upward,
Koffi C. Akakpo, Ph.D.
President
Kentucky State University