BSCTC PRESIDENT SPEAKS AT KENTUCKY TITLE I CONFERENCE

Dr. Devin Stephenson, president of Big Sandy Community and Technical College, gave the keynote address at the Kentucky Title I conference on Monday, November 9 at the East Kentucky Expo Center.

Dr. Stephenson spoke about change, challenge and opportunity.

We change to reinvent, reimagine and reposition, he said. Change isnt about where. Change is about tomorrow. Good educators see the possibilities before they become obvious to others.

Attendees were challenged to use change as a vehicle to alter their current state. Dr. Stephenson mentioned how Walt Disney changed the world with a mouse and a dream and how Hersheys took a kiss and threw it far and wide to transform a sleepy town in Pennsylvania.

You should have an I can attitude, he said. Because it was that focus, that opportunity and that curiosity that discovered America, built the Apple computer and that brought Bill and Melinda Gates to eastern Kentucky.

Dr. Stephenson encouraged the audience to be solution seekers.

Why do they call it Formula 409? asked Dr. Stephenson. Because the other 408 didnt work.

Dr. Stephenson has led a transformational time in the history of BSCTC. Since arriving in June, the college has received more than $3.2 million in grants, including a $2.2 million from the Economic Development Agency (EDA) for construction of the states first Broadband Technology Center in Pikeville. The college has also expanded its early college academy to more than 100 students.

It was an honor to speak to fellow educators about leadership and share my passion for the work they do, said Dr. Stephenson. Through collaboration and innovation, we are making great strides in education across our region.