Kentucky State University president Dr. Koffi C. Akakpo recently published an open letter to the university community in support of a state congressional move that would turn the institution into a polytechnic school. Per a report by the Lexington Herald-Leader, Senate Bill 185, sponsored by State Senator Chris McDaniel, a Republican from Ryland Heights, would reduce Kentucky State's in-person academic offerings to just 10 majors, while also cutting staff and limiting enrollment to 1,000 students. Any other majors would only be offered online if the legislation were enacted and signed into law.
Akakpo's letter regarding the change is below:
“Dear Thorobred Family,
This week marks an important and historic moment for Kentucky State University.
As you know, Senate Bill 185 is now before the Kentucky General Assembly. While the legislative process is still underway, the proposed law reflects a broad effort to reposition Kentucky State University with a polytechnic focus and to sharpen how the University serves students, industry and workforce needs, and the Commonwealth.
Because that term may be unfamiliar to some, it is worth pausing to define what a polytechnic-focused university actually is. Simply put, it is an approach to higher education that pairs strong academics with hands-on and applied learning, rigorous research, and career-focused programs that prepare students to solve real-world problems. Many people already recognize that emphasis through institutions such as MIT, Caltech, and Georgia Tech, where rigorous study is closely tied to innovation, practical application, and workforce relevance.
Our repositioning along these lines will be part of a much longer history of evolution at Kentucky State. Since our founding in 1886 and our designation as an 1890 land-grant institution just four years later, the University has continued to grow and change in response to the needs of Kentucky. From a normal school, to a land-grant college, to a university, Kentucky State has never stood still. Relevance has always been part of our DNA.
In that context, this moment should be understood not as a break from who we are, but as another chapter in who we are becoming.
As a land-grant university with longstanding strengths in agriculture, food security, clean water, and other applied areas of public need, Kentucky State has already been moving in this direction. That momentum is complemented by our visible growth and strengths in STEM, nursing, and health science; in new pathways such as manufacturing engineering technology and biological and agricultural engineering; and in expanding opportunities in aquaculture and aquatic science, sports analytics, geospatial and drone technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, online learning, and other emerging fields.
Kentucky State’s 2025 Carnegie classification as a Research Colleges and Universities institution, together with its standing as home to the Commonwealth’s third-largest university research portfolio — behind only the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville — underscores that progress.
A polytechnic focus will not just affirm the University’s current trajectory by strengthening the connection among research, academic opportunity, and workforce preparation for the benefit of students and the Commonwealth. It will also expand Kentucky State’s mission as a strong HBCU and leading 1890 land-grant university and provide us with an important opportunity to help define what this model can look like for institutions with that distinctive heritage and public purpose.
Such a transition calls for seriousness. Public universities are sustained by trust, and Kentucky State’s path forward must continue to be shaped by accountability, stewardship, and a clear sense of responsibility to the people of Kentucky. As we pursue new opportunities, we must do so in a way that is worthy of the confidence our students, families, employees, alumni, lawmakers, and fellow citizens place in us.
Much remains to be done, and the legislative process will take its course. Even so, I believe this week deserves to be recognized for what it is: one more historic moment in a long history of purposeful change at Kentucky State University. Through each era, our mission has endured while our form has continued to evolve. Our capacity for growth — rooted in mission, shaped by relevance, and directed toward service — remains one of the great strengths of this institution.
Thank you for your continued commitment to Kentucky State University and to the future we are continuing to build together.”
Although the legislation is supported by Kentucky State's president, alumni have taken to social media to argue against the move. Former SGA President Michael Weaver, who also served as Mister Kentucky State, blasted the proposed change to the institution on his personal social media accounts.
“A president….who came from a technical college….excited about turning an HBCU into a polytechnic institution……you can’t make this stuff up. A president who has never cared about maintaining and building upon the culture or history of the institution but focused on erasing it. He will be in the history books for all the wrong reasons.”
He said in another post, “Let this recent news also not distract us that we’re on a heavy probationary period with SACSCOC and at risk of losing our accreditation if things don’t turn around by year's end. Several issues need to be addressed by senior leadership at Kentucky State University. This school has had too much of a historic impact for it to be all undone by an administration that’s been there for 2 seconds.”
