BSCTC Announces New Business Champions Council
Big Sandy Community and Technical College (BSCTC) has lost a significant amount of
state funding over the last several years, and business leaders are stepping up to
let legislators know they agree with Gov. Matt Bevin that Kentucky can do better.
Several local business leaders are serving as Business Champions as part of the Kentucky
Community and Technical College Systems (KCTCS) Fuel the Force campaign, which is
asking for restoration of postsecondary education funding.
The BSCTC Business Champions Council is asking legislators to support the Council on Postsecondary Educations (CPE) budget request that recently was submitted to Gov. Bevin. In the request, CPE asks for half of the decrease in state appropriations since 2008 to be restored to the nine public postsecondary education institutions, which includes KCTCS.
Business leaders are concerned about how loss of funding is affecting their ability to hire skilled workers and the effect it has on local economies. Twenty people signed on to the BSCTC campaign, and members elected Rusty Justice, of Jigsaw Enterprises, LLC and BitSource, LLC, to chair the Council. They are part of statewide group of hundreds of business leaders whove become Business Champions.
Other local Business Champions are:
- Phillip Elliott, First Commonwealth Bank
- Phillip Elswick, Summit Engineering
- Allen Gillum, Appalachian Wireless
- Mark Grim, Booth Energy
- Cynthia Howard, Cooley Medical
- Stephan Jordan, Kelloggs
- Jerry Kanney, Interstate Natural Gas
- Mark McKenzie, Johnson County Chamber of Commerce
- Richard Ray, Kelloggs
- Dr. Henry Webb, Floyd County Schools
- Dr. Chandra Varia, Catholic Health Initiatives
- Dr. Mina Majmundar, G.M. Majmundar, PSC
- Brandon Feltner, Citizens National Bank
- Chuck Sexton, One East Kentucky
- Fran Jarrell, Johnson County Chamber of Commerce
- Jacob Colley, Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
Even though the recession ended several years ago, Kentucky is one of only a handful of states that has not begun reinvesting in higher education. Additionally, Kentucky is one of only three states in the nationjoining Oklahoma and West Virginiathat has continued to cut per student funding for higher education each of the last two years.
As the leader of a business in Eastern Kentucky I am deeply concerned about potential budget cuts in higher education, particularly our community colleges, said Justice. We look to our community colleges, who are the largest providers of workforce training in the state, to provide the training our workers need to reach their full potential. An appropriate investment in higher education must be a priority for our legislators if they want Kentuckys economy to improve. Its no secret that states with the best trained workers are where the businesses locate or expand.
The Business Champions Council will take part in a business showcase event during the 2016 General ssembly to highlight the careers they offer and how they align with [College] programs. Additionally, Champions will attend a legislative rally and reception on Feb. 18 in Frankfort. Other outreach efforts include calls, emails, inviting legislators to visit a workplace or other face-to-face meetings.
About Fuel the Force
Fuel the Force is a statewide campaign created to inform elected officials about the dire need of public postsecondary state appropriations for the 2016-2018 biennium. Business Champions from across the Commonwealth will share personal stories with legislators and the governor about the role local colleges play in the community, and how funding cuts have hurt local employers and the local economy. To learn more about the Fuel the Force campaign and sign a petition of support, visit www.FueltheForceKY.com