The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) announced a new unit in the agency focused on increasing public awareness of the value of higher education and strengthening partnerships with the business community and other key partners on Wednesday.
The External Affairs and Economic Partnerships unit, which will be headed up by Rick W. Smith Sr., Ed.D., is charged with leading the agency’s strategic communication efforts promoting higher education in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The office will also support CPE’s external partnerships with economic development leaders, state agencies and nonprofit organizations.
Rick Smith
Marvin Young 2022
“One of the agency’s priorities is forging connections between higher education and the communities we serve, and this new unit demonstrates our commitment to that,” said CPE President Aaron Thompson, Ph.D. “This team will reinforce CPE’s leadership role within the state and nation on issues such as student access and success, equity, creating a more robust educational pipeline, and strengthening the alignment between higher education and the workforce.”
Smith previously served as associate vice president of workforce and economic development at CPE before taking on the role of vice president for external affairs and economic partnerships. Before joining CPE, he held leadership and development positions at the Kentucky College of Art + Design, Kentucky State University and Northern Pennsylvania Regional College. He most recently served as the president and CEO of the United Way of Ross County, Ohio. Smith has also held leadership roles in healthcare administration, public relations, business development and nonprofit leadership over the past three decades.
“I’m honored to lead this new unit and I look forward to traveling the state to strengthen our coalition of higher education champions and ensure that our postsecondary education system is meeting the needs of every Kentuckian,” said Smith. “This work is critical to the economic future of our state and the well-being of our communities.”
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State-Journal.com’s comments forum is for civil, constructive dialogue about news topics in our community, state, nation and world. We emphasize “civil” at a time when Americans, in the words of the current president, need to “turn down the temperature” of political debates. The State Journal will do its part by more carefully policing this forum. Here are some rules that all commenters must agree to follow:
Absolutely no attacks on other commenters, on guest columnists or on authors of letters to the editor. Our print and online opinion pages are sacred marketplaces of ideas where diverse viewpoints are welcome without fear of retribution. You may constructively critique the ideas and opinions of others, but name-calling, stereotyping and similar attacks are strictly prohibited.
Leeway will be given for criticism of elected officials and other public figures, but civility is essential. If you focus your criticism on ideas, opinions and viewpoints, you will be less likely to run afoul of our commenting rules.
Keep comments focused on the article or commentary in question. Don’t use an article about the Frankfort City Commission, for example, to rant about national politics.
Hyperpartisanship that suggests anyone on the other side of an issue or anyone in a particular particular party is evil is not welcome. If you believe that all Democrats are socialists intent on destroying America or that all Republicans are racists, there are lots of places on the internet for you to espouse those views. State-Journal.com is not one.
No sophomoric banter. This isn’t a third-grade classroom but rather a place for serious consumers of news to offer their reactions and opinions on news stories and published commentary.
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Absolutely no jokes or comments about a person’s physical appearance.
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If you state facts that have not been previously reported by The State Journal, be sure to include the source of your information.
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