West Kentucky Community & Technical College

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WKCTC named the Two-Year Recipient of the 2024 Barefoot & Gardner Award

Paducah, KY (09/11/2024) — West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) has been named the two-year institutional recipient of the 2024 Barefoot & Gardner Award. The award is presented by the Gardner Institute to recognize postsecondary institutions that have taken active steps to successfully mitigate inequitable performance gaps for historically underrepresented student populations.

Based in North Carolina, the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education is a non-profit organization dedicated to partnering with colleges, universities, philanthropic organizations, educators, and other entities to increase institutional responsibility for improving outcomes associated with teaching, learning, retention, and completion.

The award was created and named by friends and colleagues of Drs. Betsy O. Barefoot and John N. Gardner, the Gardner Institute's co-founders, to recognize and honor their deep commitment to and advocacy for more just and equitable postsecondary learning experiences.

In announcing WKCTC's award, the Gardner Institute cited "the bold and transformative initiative led by the WKCTC President in 2021-22 to holistically review and address gaps in student success."

The announcement went on to say, "outcomes demonstrate WKCTC's deep dedication to improving the college experience for first-generation, underrepresented minority (URM), low-income, rural, and adult learners."

"We are so pleased to be recognized by the Gardner Institute," said Dr. Anton Reece, president of WKCTC. "This national award reflects the collective work of our outstanding faculty and staff, and their intentional commitment to our culture of student learning and excellence."

Reece added, "In recent years we have initiated programs such as the Community Scholarship Program, the Chart Your Own Course plan, and our new Student Success Center. While these programs are first and foremost important to our students, we are also appreciative that these efforts have been acknowledged by such a prestigious organization."

The award will be presented to the college on October 10, 2024, in Pittsburgh, PA as part of the Gardner Institute's 2024 Symposium on Transforming the Postsecondary Experience. The award winners will be recognized at the Gardner Institute's 25th Anniversary Celebration.

WKCTC contact info: Whitney Walker, Director of Marketing and Communication, whitney.walker@kctcs.edu/270.534.3079

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