Sunday, January 24, 1999
Covington likes idea of a college
Commission agrees to form task force
BY CINDY SCHROEDER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON — As City Commissioner J.T. Spence sees it, a community college in downtown Covington would be a win-win proposition for everyone.
Would-be Covington students who previously lacked transportation to get to college campuses could take the bus to class, he said.
Northern Kentucky businesses would benefit through a larger pool of trained workers.
The economic spinoff would benefit everyone from downtown restaurant and apartment owners to entrepreneurs already operating — or looking to establish — businesses catering to college students, Mr. Spence said.
“Many people remember Villa Madonna (the predecessor of Thomas More College) developing in downtown Covington, and the economic development spurred by that,” Mr. Spence said. “This could have a similar effect on our downtown.”
Mr. Spence broached the idea of a downtown community college at last weekend's annual retreat for Covington officials.
Originally proposed by Holy Cross High School Principal William Goller in 1992, the idea still has merit, Mr. Spence said.
As he did then, Mr. Goller envisions a community college affiliated with Northern Kentucky University. It could provide technical training and associate degrees, as well as help students who've struggled with college entrance tests or pre-college curriculums.
While there is a technical college in Park Hills, and Northern Kentucky University has a reciprocity agreement with Ohio community college campuses, the nearest Kentucky community college is in Maysville.
“What I'm bringing to this
process is energy, and the desire to move it forward,” Mr. Spence said. “I don't think a community college is something Covington can, or should, do by itself. Obviously, it's going to require regional and state support.”
Mr. Spence's fellow city commissioners informally expressed support for the idea at their annual retreat, and agreed that he should form a task force to study it.
Largest lacking area
Many Northern Kentucky educational, business and civic leaders also agree that the idea merits further exploration.
“In my opinion, anything that's going to improve opportunity and level the economic playing field is worth pursuing,” said Rollins Davis, executive director of the Northern Kentucky Community Center.
“We haven't specifically discussed the idea of a community college,” said Beth Sewell, executive director of the Covington Business Council. “But based on the frustrations of some of our members who are trying to find trained workers, we would be in support of any educational institution that could provide those folks for us.”
When the board governing the Kentucky Technical and Community College System met in December, then-interim president Jeff Hockaday noted that Northern Kentucky is potentially a growth area for community college education.
“Northern Kentucky is by far the largest, most populous area that lacks that type of college,” said Bryan Armstrong, spokesman for the Kentucky Technical and Community College System.
Creation of a Northern Kentucky community college would require an act of the General Assembly establishing the institution, and appropriating money for it.
Rep. Arnold Simpson, a Covington Democrat, said that he would be willing to serve on a local task force exploring the need for a community college, provided Northern Kentucky University was involved in the discussions.
NKU sees a need
While NKU does not have a community college program per se, the statute that created the university speaks of a community college mission, and NKU has a reciprocity agreement with Ohio that makes a wide range of courses available to Northern Kentucky residents at four Cincinnati campuses, said Dr. Paul Gaston, NKU provost.
“It sounds like something we would be interested in exploring more fully,” he said. “I think it would be worthwhile for us to work with Covington City Commission and try to determine what educational needs are not presently being met.”
While not necessarily advocating the creation of a separate community college, Dr. James Votruba, NKU president, also agreed that the idea merits further exploration.
“There is no doubt in my mind that Northern Kentucky needs access to a broader range of programs at the community college level — things such as technical education and associate degree programs,” Dr. Votruba said. “But whether we accomplish that through a separate community college, I don't know.”
As evidence of the support for a community college in Covington, Mr. Spence and other advocates point to the Urban Learning Center.
Started a year ago as a partnership of Forward Quest, the Covington Community Center, NKU, Covington Independent Public Schools, Thomas More College and Northern Kentucky Technical College, the center initially offered two classes.
Center is an example
Now the school offers seven classes, has 130 students enrolled, and another 60 are on a waiting list to take a computer literacy course once more instructors can be found.
With a $5 registration fee, a refundable book deposit, and free on-site child care at the John G. Carlisle and Holmes campuses in Covington, most of the traditional barriers to post-secondary education have been removed, said Ellen Muse-Lindeman, program coordinator at the Covington Community Center.
“For many of our students, no one they've ever known has gone to college,” Ms. Muse-Lindeman said. “We want to reach out to people who otherwise might not consider college, and let them know that they can be successful.”
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