♪ >> Thank you, Doctor Kelly, for joining us from the historic Alhambra theater here and Hopkinsville.

It's been a pleasure to be here and it's a pleasure to have you on the set.

Thank you.

It's a pleasure to be here.

And this is a beautiful setting.

Beautiful setting couldn't get much better.

And we thank the folks here.

Margaret and Verizon.

All of those have been so accommodating for to us these last several days that we've been in providing us the a big shout out to them once again and to you.

We may have been talking a lot while we've been here in this region about education, workforce and economic development and all of those things, of course, in Madisonville Community College helps to nurture in some way to incubate the jobs of tomorrow to help prepare that workforce.

Talk to us a little bit about what Madisonville Community College offers primarily and how maybe things are evolving to KET pace with demand.

Sure we are always a transfer institution.

You know, first off, we we help students transfer 2 universities and other colleges.

But we also have a wide range of programs that helps students go out, find jobs that will help them find a better life.

That's what we always tell our students.

Our job is to help you find a better life.

we VI wide array of health care programs, occupational therapy, physical therapy.

Radiology respiratory therapy.

EMT paramedic.

So we really work hard to help meet our healthcare demands in our area.

And we really work with our local hospitals or clinics to say what is it that you need?

What do we need to really ramp off on?

How do we need to change our training?

So we do a lot of that.

We also work with advanced technology to get folks ready for manufacturing jobs and to move on into engineering majors at universities.

So those are the types of programs we have.

We also have business administration.

We have education.

We work closely with my state university to train so that they have a seamless transfer between a summary state to become classroom.

Teachers.

So we have all of those types of programs.

When you ask the what have we done to sort of meet?

Needs currently.

We've really ramped up having short term certificates to let people get in and out in just a matter of months to have a really good And and what's that term?

So short term certificate, what does that mean that we own it, Kim?

It's a certificate.

A full college certificate, but they can achieve certificates in weeks, 12 weeks.

Sometimes you sometimes it's 16 weeks, but a real good example of that is our linemen technology program.

We were approached 6 years ago by construction companies and utility company saying we need a lineman and we built that program and students can come into their program and in a matter of.

10 weeks, leave and be ready to become a utility lineman.

They also have their CDL license so they can drive the trucks and people who may have thought I can never get a college degree.

They're getting college credit and they learn I can do whatever I need to do.

And they're walking into jobs.

This started $60,000 a well, and are these primarily folks who are traditional college age?

Are these non-traditional age students?

Many, many non-traditional age students.

As you know, we still do coal-mining in this part of the game and some of our comb and minds of clothes lately.

And we have co miners who can come into this program and in, you know, 10, 12 weeks be ready to go back into a new a new career-high that helps them.

You give their families the life that they want to give.

But we also have traditional students are coming at high schools saying, well, I like to climb Poles.

Let's let's see what we can do again.

So it's a good mix.

We have veterans who are coming back and saying this is something I would like to get into as well.

So there's a good mix, but it's it's gives people the opportunity, no matter where they are in their lives to quickly come up, get good training and have good job.

Yeah, that's that's amazing.

And we think about, you know, the ebbs and flows of higher education when the economy is good.

Sometimes enrollment takes a little dip.

>> And when things calm me, why seemed to be taking a turn?

People think, OK, maybe I need to be retold and retrained.

Where are you right now?

Well, we are still coming out of the pandemic We an 8 year high in our role in the fall before the pandemic fall 2019.

And of course, we did have a dip.

We're coming that we're almost back to where we were in fall last fall.

We looked enrollment of about 3500 and that is climbing this coming fall.

It looks like right now.

So we're very happy with that.

But we're trying to think differently about programs.

We want to KET the traditional programs the students need, but we have barely been listening to our.

Companies are industries.

We work with and also our community few years ago.

Our community, our economic development, folks came to me and said, can we meet and they said we want to train people to fly.

We think that will help this area because it isn't anywhere else in the state.

Right?

And we started doing research and 5 years on here.

We said and we are training fixed wing pilots and also helicopter pilots.

We're the only helicopter program in the state and it is only U.S. and UK United is doing collegiate 6 tweeting program.

So we're doing that we've built that program.

Where are you?

We have found out in building it that there's a huge need for pilots.

He and that is another place where we're finding we're able to offer a program that really fits the needs of non-traditional states.

Yeah, well, we hear a lot about the pilot shortage, right?

And there's been conversations about adjusting retirement ages and violence.

But if you can recruit >> or it is on the other and right.

He could have a long career and that that just makes sense to exactly.

Well, it seems like you are doing incredible work out what the word is that 3 year plan for you real quickly look like where would you Hope Madisonville Community College will be in 3 years.

You know, community colleges.

and I'm I'm a very old student of the community College movement, community colleges.

>> Are all about accessibility and affordability and the world is changing fast.

I go from ends of the community colleges to KET it in place that meets the needs of our community and keeps education.

In a community for students, whether they're 18 years old or 50 years old that they can afford and that they can get to.

So in 3 years.

I want to continue to listen closely to the community.

Be sure we're giving them what they need.

And in turn, giving the commonwealth overall what it needs you.

I'm in a system of 16 colleges.

And along with our sister colleges, we work hard to see what the needs are across the state and try to meet those needs trying to be flexible and nimble to do that.

Well, sounds like you're doing just that.

Thank you so much, President Kelly.

It's been a pleasure speaking with you.

Thank you.