FRANKFORT — Kentucky State University President George Reid took 50 publicly funded out-of-state trips in the past 15 months, more than any other university president in the state, The State Journal reported.

        The Frankfort newspaper reported that Mr. Reid took 50 publicly funded out-of-state trips between Jan. 1 2001 and March 15, 2002. According to Kentucky State and other universities' records, that is more than any other state university president in that timeframe.

        Mr. Reid told The State Journal that his trips are geared toward making contacts, such as, “speakers, sometimes as consultants and sometimes as faculty members.

        “I never rule out the possibility of people coming in to join us on this faculty,” Mr. Reid said. “I'm always recruiting for Kentucky State.”

        But the only examples Mr. Reid gave of faculty recruiting in a nearly three-hour interview with The State Journal were journalism professor Richard Wilson, and KSU Athletics Director Derrick Ramsey.

        Mr. Wilson, preparing to serve as interim director for the University of Kentucky journalism department, said he actually contacted Mr. Reid about taking the job at KSU as an adjunct professor.

        Mr. Ramsey couldn't remember exactly where he met Mr. Reid, only that the first meeting between the two was at an out-of-state NCAA conference or a black coaches conference in 1998 or 1999.

        “You meet people and you try and talk about the university and interest them in the cause and the mission of the institution and hopefully they catch fire and do something,” Mr. Reid said.

        According to the KSU Office of Academic Affairs, 14 full-time faculty members were hired in 2001, while four visiting faculty were hired that year. Still, faculty regent Chuck Bennett said there has been no visible impact on the number of faculty. “The biology department is two faculty short and the administration informed us only one position will be filled,” Mr. Bennett said.

        Mr. Reid said getting out and about has helped to increase fund-raising and stop enrollment declines. He also pointed out that since he came on board as president in 1998, the teacher education program is no longer on probation, the number of research grants and federal grants to the university has increased by 60 percent, and enrollment has stopped declining.

        All of these are due in part to his efforts to “reach out” through travel, he said.

        KSU enrollment has shown only slight peaks and valleys since 1998 when Mr. Reid became president July 1, going from 2,303 in 1998 to 2,314 in 2001, according to the Council on Postsecondary Education.

        But Mr. Bennett still questions the necessity of his travel. “As for recruiting speakers, a lot of that can be done over the telephone,” Mr. Bennett said. “And recruiting students is the responsibility of the Office of Admissions.”

Security scare disrupts airport
Decision near on teacher pay plan
College branches booming
Community center may be coming to Fairfield
New center will engender campus feel for college
Tylersville traffic tie-ups worsen
Arrest may change reputation
Fund-raising scandal case opens
Lebanon praises TEAM
Mediation at middle school done by pupils
Area has anti-terror money
Blunt talk from departing reformer
John L. Henderson announces retirement
KSU president defends travels
Last of soft money gifts coming in
Man accused in police standoff
Ohio joins multistate lottery this week
One dead, one missing in river rafting mishap
Pilarczyk says some abusers can be rehabilitated
State program helps high-schooler get jump on college
Street sees violence more often
Student teaches seldom heard advice: Wait for sex
Woman charged with '99 slaying
BRONSON: Dig it
Some Good News
You Asked For It
Tristate A.M. Report