We are tougher than 2021

We thought 2020 was tough, but then, 2021 said: Let’s see how much more you can take! And, just when we thought we’d seen it all, mother nature hit us with another major wallop.

I am heartsick about the loss of lives and property destruction from tornadoes that hit the western part of the state. At KCTCS, we are all part of one big family and when one part of the family is hurting, we’re all there for support.

Our students, faculty and staff in Mayfield, Bowling Green and all the other hard-hit areas are suffering, even if they personally were unharmed. Many of them know families who’ve lost loved ones or their homes. Seeing their towns leveled is more than they can comprehend.

Before last weekend, we thought COVID was our worst enemy. With the availability of three new vaccines, we’d hoped to see the beginning of the end of COVID, which would help us increase enrollment. Instead, the virus mutated and sent us two more variants and fewer students.

We faced flooding and ice storms that brought massive power outages in many parts of the state. Some colleges shut down for days because of one or the other of these natural disasters.

Although we dealt with some product shortages at the beginning of COVID, we saw many more during 2021 as cargo ships sat, and continue to sit, in our ports.

People left their jobs in record numbers and Kentucky’s workforce participation rate dropped even lower.

But despite all of this, there are things for which we can be thankful. I believe that even in the worst of times, if we try hard enough, we can find positives. Although the weekend tornadoes are still fresh in our minds, we realize that we are indeed fortunate that more people did not lose their lives. We can be thankful for how Kentuckians are coming together to assist people they don’t even know. We can see the hard work and dedication of our first responders and health care providers. We know Kentuckians are strong and we will build back. As many have said, we’ve lost buildings, but the community is our people.

During the last few months, I’ve traveled to all 16 of our colleges and have seen the sense of community and family in every part of the state. Even though they are different, they all have one thing in common and that is their love of their community and their college.

I have no doubt that KCTCS has the best faculty and staff of any higher education institution in Kentucky. It takes special people to work at a community college because it really is unlike any other type of postsecondary education. Our team is making a difference in the lives of many people who otherwise might not have been able to pursue a college education. Because of our tremendous faculty and staff, KCTCS continues to improve and continues to better the lives of Kentuckians.

I am thankful for them and am thankful to live in a place as caring as Kentucky.