Hopkinsville Community College President Alissa Young and Murray State University President Ron Patterson signed an agreement for the two campuses to have a shared faculty member on Thursday.
The community college and Murray State already have a partnership for students pursuing a bachelor’s degree, but now a faculty member will be there to prepare and support education students through that transfer process at both campuses.
Young says her and Patterson are committed to student success and the shared faculty member will play a key role in strengthening the education career pathway for local students to address the region’s teacher shortage.
Hopkinsville Regional Campus Education Coordinator Kelley Groves was selected to serve as the shared faculty member. Young says Groves will teach at both institutions to provide a seamless transition for education students.
Patterson says he is excited to broaden the university’s resources for prospective students and looks forward to other opportunities to partner with the community college.
Patterson is the university’s 15th president and he began serving in the position after Bob Jackson retired in late June. He says one of his top priorities is to ensure students attending Murray State are able to achieve their academic and career goals.
Since starting his presidential duties, Patterson says he has been visiting regional education institutions to explore partnerships that could benefit students.
Murray State University has similar shared faculty member agreements with its regional campuses.
