Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College receives $1.7 Million grant renewal

A renewed grant from The U.S. Department of Education will allow Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College to continue a program focused on student support services. The Academic Advantage Program exists to provide support to SKCTC students, particularly those attending as first-generation college students, with services proven to improve graduation rates for students whose family members don't have first-hand experience in navigating the processes involved in attaining a higher-education degree. The AAP services at SKCTC have been recognized recently at the national level as being particularly effective at achieving the goals of increased student retention and graduation rates.

The grant provides an additional five years of funding for SKCTC to continue its 48 year participation in the U.S. Department of Education's federal Student Support Services initiative. The Academic Advantage Program at Southeast offers academic advising, career counseling, tutoring, and workshops on economic literacy, financial aid and cultural enrichment. Additionally, the program facilitates visits to four-year colleges and universities. One participant in the program, Rebecca Kilbourne, spoke highly of the services she received in a recent release from the college, "Being a first-generation college student, the services provided through Academic Advantage allowed me not only to feel confident about my abilities but equipped me with the tools and skills I needed to succeed in college and choose a career." Kilbourne graduated from SKCTC and went on to earn her bachelor's and master's degrees.

The Academic Advantage Program has been so widely successful that the U.S. Department of Education has cited statistical data research from the program to publish evidence in its "What Works Clearinghouse", a resource for policymakers to incorporate evidence-based research when crafting new education policy. SKCTC is recognized for its above average success, with participants graduating at rates of nearly three times the national average and being four times more likely to continue on to four-year institutions. Southeast President Dr. Vic Adams is appreciative of the renewed grant and the impact it allows the college to have on first-generation college students, "We are extremely proud of the outstanding work Academic Advantage does on behalf of our students and we are pleased that it has been recognized on a national level."