Annual Report

April 1, 2006

SAEOPP Annual Report 2005
  KENTUCKY  

Board of Directors:           Gera Lynn Drake, President; Dolores Kiesler, Vice President; Chris George, Secretary; Annette Hines, Treasurer; Paula Maier, Service Member-At-Large; Shawn Stokes, Conference Member-At-Large;

Dianne Fain, Past President

Strategic Goal # I - SAEOPP will provide high quality opportunities to enhance the knowledge and skills of TRIO personnel and others committed to equity in postsecondary education

Accomplishments:

·         The 2005 KAEOPP/TASP Joint Fall Conference was held October 18-21, 2005 at the Holiday Inn North in Lexington , Kentucky . 

o        The conference theme was: “TRIO: Changing the Face of America.”

o        The opening plenary speaker was Dr. Jeffrey Osborn, professor at the University of Kentucky , who discussed the strides the U.S. has made (or not made) in educating it’s poor.

o        The breakfast plenary speaker was Alex Gibson, who showed a video of how TRiO had changed his life.  Mr. Gibson’s presentation was both motivational and moving.

o        Darla Pearson Phillips was awarded the distinguished Paul Luxmore Award.  The award was presented by Randy Wilson, a past recipient of this honor.

o        85+ KAEOPPians registered to attend the Fall Conference.  This exceed KAEOPP’s established registration goal by 6.25%.

·         KAEOPP agreed to join Tennessee for next year’s Joint Fall Conference to be held in October 2006 either in Gatlinburg or Chattanooga , Tennessee (site yet to be determined).

·         The 2006 KAEOPP Spring Meeting was announced as scheduled for April 24-25, 2006 , to be held at the Lake Cumberland State Resort Park .  Planning is currently underway.

·         KAEOPP continued to maintain its website (www.kaeopp.org) as a mode for disseminating information and opportunities to its membership.

o        Webmasters Randy Wilson and Matt Hyden assumed the roles of Technology Committee Co-chairs.

o        KAEOPP continued to maintain and utilize its e-group, kaeopp@yahoogroups.com, to communicate with the membership and the Kentucky TRIO community at large.

·         Mr. Bill Hailey was appointed the Chair of KAEOPP’s Research Committee, and Mr. Hailey was charged with collecting state TRiO program information to be assembled into a State Annual Report. 

·         The KAEOPPIan, the Association’s quarterly newsletter, was distributed to membership via email in August 2005 and in early January 2006.  The newsletter was also sent to state and federal legislators representing Kentucky .

o        Highlights included updates on policy and legislative concerns; KAEOPP/TASP conference, SAEOPP conference and Policy Seminar information; membership deadlines; KAEOPP committees; important dates; and statewide program events.

o        KAEOPPians were encouraged to submit articles concerning program achievements, events, and successes for publication in The KAEOPPian.

o        In addition, KAEOPPians were encouraged to share program achievements at the regional level through submissions to The SAEOPP Sentinel.

Strategic Goal # II - SAEOPP will strengthen and expand networking activities for TRIO personnel and others committed to the equality of educational opportunities

Accomplishments:

·         KAEOPP membership dues materials were distributed on August 15, 2005 , to KAEOPPians.

o        This year, in addition to mailing membership application information to current members, non-members were also sent membership information in an effort to encourage their membership and participation with the Association.

·         KAEOPP’s membership deadline for the 2005-06 membership period ( October 1, 2005 – September 30, 2006 ) was September 30, 2005 .

·         KAEOPP’s goal during 2005-06 is to increase its membership.  KAEOPP has exceeded this goal, with 153 members (as of December 31, 2005 ).  The membership breakdown by category is: 6 lifetime members, 123 professional members, 17 affiliate members, and 7 associate members.  Through increased membership, KAEOPP has hoped to foster greater unity among the Kentucky TRIO community during these challenging political times.

·         KAEOPP has enjoyed the Affiliate Membership of individuals from the state financial aid association, the Kentucky Higher Educational Assistance Authority/Student Loan Corporation (KHEAA/KHESLC).

·         As of November 22, 2005 , 79 KAEOPPians had also paid SAEOPP membership for 2005-06.

·         In addition to serving on KHEAA’s Steering Committee for it’s new “Go-Higher” website  initiative, KAEOPP President Gera Drake was invited to serve on KHEAA’s Outreach Advisory Committee in order to that the needs and concerns of the TRIO community and the participants served are represented and addressed.  KHEAA is Kentucky ’s state loan agency.

·         During the June 2005 Board Meeting, the KAEOPP Board voted to extend KAEOPP Lifetime Membership to Michael Berry and Ken Dyrsen, recent retirees from Kentucky TRIO programs at Northern Kentucky University and Western Kentucky University, respectively. 

o        Both Mr. Berry and Mr. Dyrsen have served as KAEOPP President and have made significant and continued contributions to the Association, as well as to the regional association (SAEOPP).

o        During the 2005 KAEOPP/TASP Joint Fall Conference, Mr. Michael Berry and Mr. Kenneth Dyrsen were each presented with the KAEOPP Lifetime Membership Award. 

o        These distinguished KAEOPPians have also been nominated for SAEOPP Lifetime Membership.

·         The revised KAEOPP Directory was posted on the KAEOPP website in October 2005 and continues to be updated.

·         The two newly-funded Student Support Service programs in Kentucky , hosted at Gateway Community and Technical College and Maysville Community and Technical College were welcomed to the KAEOPP community.

o        Information about KAEOPP and SAEOPP, membership in these associations, conference information, and networking opportunities have been extended to these new programs in order to facilitate their speedy and successful start-up in serving participants.

Strategic Goal # III - SAEOPP will provide opportunities for TRIO participants to achieve success in postsecondary education and beyond

Accomplishments:

·         Kentucky TRIO Day was scheduled for March 4, 2006 , to be held in Louisville , Kentucky .  Mary Thorpe has graciously agreed to chair the TRIO Day Committee.  A tentative agenda, registration form, and information regarding lodging were forwarded by The TRIO Day Committee to the KAEOPP Community. Louisville native, Congresswoman Anne Northup, and other officials will be invited to be part of these activities.

·         The Academic and Scholars Bowls and the second annual SSS Debate are scheduled to occur concurrently with the Kentucky TRIO Day Celebration on March 4, 2006 , in Louisville , Kentucky .  This year each of these committees were reorganized under a new “Student Initiatives Committee” in order to facilitate greater coordination and communication among the planning and execution of these events.

·         The KAEOPP Emerging Leaders Institute was held on October 19, 2005 prior to the start of the Fall Conference.  Five individuals have been nominated by the KAEOPP President to participate in Year One of SAEOPP’s Emerging Leaders Institute (Tamika Dobbins, Kristen Galloway, Nacole Potts, Amanda Keller, and Amanda Lewis).  These five are in addition to the two individuals (Sharee St. Louis Smith and Annette Hines) who will rise from Year One to Year Two of SAEOPP’s Emerging Leaders Institute.

·         A follow-up Emerging Leaders activity has been planned for the 2006 KAEOPP Spring Meeting, during which Emerging Leaders participants will be encouraged to present a session for the KAEOPP membership. The desired outcome is increased active participation of future leaders of the Association.

·         Verification of postsecondary enrollment for those five individuals selected to receive KAEOPP Scholarship, as announced at the 2005 KAEOPP Spring Meeting, was received and scholarship award checks were sent in October 2005.

·         In addition to the general service awards awarded during the 2005 KAEOPP/TASP Conference Achievers’ Luncheon, a special presentation of the Paul Luxmore Award was be extended to a distinguished KAEOPPian, Darla Pearson Phillips, Director of Upward Bound at  Berea College and an Upward Bound/TRIO alumnus herself.

Strategic Goal # IV - SAEOPP will achieve financial stability commensurate with the association’s planned outcomes

Accomplishments:

·         The KAEOPP 2005-06 Budget was developed, reviewed by the Finance Committee, approved by the KAEOPP Board, and accepted by the Membership. The KAEOPP Budget has a revised format, based upon input from the KAEOPP membership and the KAEOPP Board.

·         The KAEOPP Finance Committee has been actively engaged in the re-development of the KAEOPP Fiscal Policies Manual, a document to guide the financial activities of the Association. A draft of this document was presented at the October Board Meeting held on October 18, 2005, and revisions were made, with the final draft to be approved by the KAEOPP Board during the February 2006 Board meeting and presented for acceptance by membership at the February 2006 Business Meeting. 

·         KAEOPP’s Strategic Planning Committee has been charged with the revision of KAEOPP’s Mission and Values Statement as well as to update KAEOPP’s Strategic Plan.  While it will have potential goals and objectives specific to Kentucky programs and activities, the KAEOPP Strategic Plan will be developed in concert with changes and revisions that will occur to SAEOPP’s Strategic Plan.  To ensure this coordination, KAEOPP’s Strategic Planning Committee Chair, Gregory Marable, will serve as a state representative on SAEOPP’s Strategic Planning Committee.  In addition, a retreat has been proposed to occur prior to the 2006 KAEOPP Spring Meeting to solicit input and further progress on this initiative.

Strategic Goal # V - SAEOPP will strive to ensure the continuance and expansion of educational opportunities for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds

Accomplishments:

·         KAEOPP’s Fair Share contribution for 2004-05 was 101% with a total contribution of $45,670, exceeding its goal by 1%.  This positive achievement of Fair Share Contribution was enabled by the $2,970 in individual donations by 18 KAEOPPians. 

o        Dianne Fain, KAEOPP Fair Share Chair, encouraged and challenged membership to meet and exceed this achievement during the 2005-06 Fair Share Campaign.

·         A CAS Standards workshop has been planned for the 2006 Spring Meeting.

·         KAEOPP State Initiatives efforts continued to be emphasized among KAEOPP membership and 2005 KAEOPP/TASP Conference participants.  State Initiative Chair, Anna Leasure, conducted a well-attended workshop during the 2005 Fall Conference.

·         The KAEOPP State Initiatives Committee submitted its proposal for grant funding to be submitted to the Council for Opportunity in Education due November 1, 2005 , so that it may continue to have funds to achieve its goals.

·         The KAEOPP TRIO Alumni Committee submitted a mini-grant proposal application to the Council for Opportunity in Education by the December 15, 2005 deadline.  Co-Chair Carolyn Sundy prepared and submitted the mini-grant proposal in order to compete for additional funds to support the expansion and continuance of KAEOPP’s statewide TRIO Alumni efforts.

·         Communications, updates, and calls for action concerning the Reauthorization issues to the KAEOPP membership, Kentucky TRIO staff, and other friends of TRIO were initiated by the KAEOPP President by email and utilizing the KAEOPP listserv.

·         KAEOPP members and the overall TRIO community (including participants and their families) continued to actively reach out to federal legislators to express their concern over the 2006 Budget and the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965, specifically the 10% Novice Provision and the Foxx Amendment.

·         KAEOPPians successfully encouraged two Members of Congress (Chandler (R) and Whitfield (D)) to sign onto the Cole/Payne letter opposing the Novice Provision. Thank you notices were sent to these Members expressing KAEOPPs appreciation for their support in the removal of the Novice Provision from the Reauthorization language.

·         While two other Congressmen (Davis (R) and Lewis (R)) wrote their own joint letter regarding the Novice Provision, KAEOPPians continued to encourage these members to sign onto the Cole/Payne letter through repeated calls and letters.  One KAEOPPian, Cindy Skaggs, conducted a signature acquisition effort gaining more that 120 taxpayer signatures in Congressman Davis’s district requesting that he sign onto the Cole/Payne letter.

·         KAEOPPians participated in National Call-in Day held on November 10, 2005 .

·         KAEOPP continued to keep the Kentucky TRIO community posted on the status of the Talent Search and Educational Opportunity Center program competitions for funding through email updates.  KAEOPPians across the state attended proposal writing workshops sponsored by either the Council for Opportunity in Education or the U.S. Department of Education.  Workshop attendees also shared information with colleagues who were not able to participate in these workshops.

·         Several KAEOPPians have once again expressed a strong interest in attending the Annual Policy Seminar in March 2006 in Washington , DC and making congressional visits to increase the awareness and visibility of the TRIO Programs in the policy arena.

·         As part of the State Initiative Campaign, The KAEOPPian (KAEOPP’s quarterly newsletter) was mailed to both state and federal legislators.

Strategic Goal # VI - SAEOPP will establish and maintain a centralized office for membership services and other programmatic activities

Accomplishments:

·         KAEOPP continued to maintain an updated database of state members.

·         KAEOPP continued to encourage membership in SAEOPP.  SAEOPP membership information and forms were forwarded electronically to all Kentucky TRIO personnel (KAEOPP members and non-members). 

·         Information regarding all SAEOPP scholarship opportunity and the Cracker Barrel Scholarship were distributed electronically to all Kentucky TRIO staff, again emphasizing that SAEOPP membership is required in order that Kentucky TRIO participants benefit from these financial opportunities.

·         During the June 2005 KAEOPP Board Meeting, board members discussed the potential acquisition of corporate and/or private donor funds in order to increase the funding level and/or number of KAEOPP scholarships available to Kentucky TRIO participants.

January 5, 2005

SAEOPP Annual Report 2004
  KENTUCKY

 Objective I

 SAEOPP will provide high quality opportunities to enhance the knowledge and skills of TRIO personnel and others committed to equity in postsecondary education.

KAEOPP’s annual Spring Meeting was held at Barren River State Park where workshops on financial aid, food service and State Initiative were well attended.  Abraham Williams was our motivational speaker.  Board meeting and state business meeting were held.

KAEOPP/TASP Conference was held in Franklin , TN October 21-27 with 71 KAEOPPians in attendance. The theme of the conference was “On the Campaign Trail for TRIO: Issues Affecting OUR Votes”.

Eight KAEOPPians attended the COE Policy Seminar in our nation’s capitol.  Statistical information on our state programs was provided to each Kentucky Congressman and Senators.

President Fain and Vice President Drake attended the COE Conference in San Antonio , September 11-15, 2004.

State Initiative grant of $300 was awarded by COE and matched by the board for funding for printing statistical information literature to be given to members and legislators to increase TRIO awareness.  State Initiative Workshop was conducted at State Spring

Meeting by Anna Leasure, Committee Chair.

Reapplication for the State Initiative Grant was made for year 2005.

Three Emerging Leaders were trained at the Fall Conference and sent to SAEOPP Emerging Leaders Workshop.

Objective Met? _x_ yes ___no

Accomplishments/Concerns:

Objective II

SAEOPP will strengthen and expand networking activities for TRIO personnel and others committed to the equality of educational opportunities.

Dr. Ronnie Gross, President of SAEOPP, attended the joint fall conference and spoke to membership about current issues.

The Kentucky Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel Directory was updated and distributed to membership.

KAEOPP State News quarterly newsletter was distributed to membership.

KAEOPP website was given a new format and updated.

Twenty seven Service Awards were given to program personnel for outstanding contribution to the TRIO programs and participants.

Objective Met? _x_ yes ___no

Accomplishments/Concerns:

Objective III

SAEOPP will provide opportunities for TRIO participants to achieve success in postsecondary education and beyond.

TRIO Day will be celebrated in the state capitol.  Participants will give testimonials at the steps of the capitol and March 8 will be proclaimed by the Governor as TRIO Day.

Scholar and Academic Bowls and SSS Debate will be held simultaneously with TRIO Day.

Five Scholarships were awarded to deserving students throughout the state.  This year’s winners received $350 to use toward educational expenses.

Objective Met? _x_ yes ___no

Accomplishments/Concerns:

Objective IV

SAEOPP will achieve financial stability commensurate with the association’s planned outcomes.

KAEOPP met 109% of its Fair Share Contributions.

State membership increased to 138 members for the year 2005.  SAEOPP membership is 56.

Objective Met? _x_ yes ___no

Accomplishments/Concerns:

Objective V

SAEOPP will strive to ensure the continuance and expansion of educational opportunities for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Two training grants were awarded to Western Kentucky University .

Objective Met? _x_ yes ___no

Accomplishments/Concerns:

Objective IV

SAEOPP will establish and maintain a centralized office for membership services and other programmatic activities.

KAEOPP communicated with SAEOPP Center , regarding membership, budget, Fair Share, Trainings and other Center related activities.

Objective Met? _x_ yes ___no

Accomplishments/Concerns:

Person Submitting Report: Dianne Fain, KAEOPP President      Date: January 2005

March 10, 2004

State: KENTUCKY 

Board of Directors:

Dianne Fain, President; Gera Drake, Vice President; Cassandra Johnson, Secretary; Lydia Wims, Treasurer; Dolores Kiesler, Service Member At-Large; Martha Sales, Conference Member At-Large; Michelle Jones, Past President.

Strategic Goals:

Activities/Accomplishments

KAEOPP’s annual Spring Meeting was held at Cumberland Falls State Park on April 21-22, 2003.  The keynote speaker was Mr. Joe McCormick, Executive Director of the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority.  In addition, a financial aid workshop and summer food service training were provided to membership.

KAEOPP/TASP Conference was held October 27-29 in Bowling Green, KY.  One hundred and forty-one attended the various workshops and plenarys presented at the conference.  The theme of the conference was “ There is an “I” in TRIO: Help for the Helper”.

Berea College Educational Talent Search hosted a Talent Search Retreat on August 26.  “Bonding in Berea” was the theme.  Each participating program brought their successes and questions from their summer programs to the table for discussion.  Networking and sharing of ideas were the goals accomplished by this retreat.

Representative of the Board of Directors, Michelle Jones, Past President, attended the COE Conference, September 28-October 1, 2003 in San Diego, CA.

Activities/Accomplishments

KAEOPP website was updated and is being maintained.

KAEOPP listserv run through Yahoo.com Groups is open to any KAEOPP TRIO Program staff.  As of October 29, 2003, there were 58 members of the listserv out of 110 KAEOPP paid members.  Randy Wilson is working hard to increase membership to make this a reliable resource in which to disseminate information and have involved discussions.

Dr. Ronnie Gross, President of SAEOPP, attended the joint KAEOPP/TASP Conference and spoke to membership about current issues.

Kentucky Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel Directory 2003-2005 was distributed to membership.

KAEOPP STATE NEWS quarterly newsletter was distributed to membership.

Activities/Accomplishments

KAEOPPians celebrated TRIO DAY on February 2003 at Murray State University.  Dinh’s Extreme Performance Team of Marshal Arts opened the ceremony of guest speakers.  Mahlon Thomas, a TRIO Alumnus spoke to the participants about his 25 years of experience in Upward Bound.

Scholar and Academic Bowls were held simultaneously with TRIO DAY at Murray State.

Five scholarships were awarded to deserving students throughout the state.  This years winners received $350 to use toward educational expenses.

Activities/Accomplishments

KAEOPP met 130% of its Fair Share Contributions.

Activities/Accomplishments

Kentucky had five new programs funded: 2 McNair, and 3 Upward Bound.

KAEOPP visited all but one of the states representatives and senators during the COE Policy Seminar March 25, 2003.

Activities/Accomplishments

Communicated with SAEOPP Center, regarding membership, budget, Fair Share, Trainings and other Center related activities.

Person Submitting Report: Dianne Fain, President  Date: 12/22/03