Parent Institute focuses on STEM
With the support of the AT&T Foundation, 31 parents from throughout Kentucky are participating in a special Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Based on the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence's 11-year-old parent leadership institute, the program is designed and implemented in partnership with the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science and The Center for Gifted Studies at Western Kentucky University.
The two-day sessions are being held at the Holiday Inn University Plaza, Bowling Green, on September 11-12 and October 9-10. Fayette County parents include Sherri Ball, Lucy Blankenship, Allen Lind, Kathy Smiley and Debra Walker.
The Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership prepares parents to work toward higher achievement for all public school students. The institute's curriculum focuses on leadership skills, planning and strategic development as well as elements of Kentucky's education and accountability systems. Almost 1,500 Kentucky parents have now completed this training and returned to work as partners in their districts and schools. After completing the institute, parents work with educators and other parents on projects targeting specific areas of student achievement. Projects in this institute will focus on increasing student achievement in science, mathematics and technology in the participants' schools and districts.
High-tech partnership brings world to Kentucky classrooms
Kentucky teachers and students will have access to more interactive, high-tech learning opportunities and professional development through Internet2. It's made possible by a new partnership between the University of Pennsylvania's Mid-Atlantic Gigapop in Philadelphia for Internet2 (MAGPI) program and the Kentucky Regional Optical Network (KyRON), a statewide network sponsored by the Council on Postsecondary Education, the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville.
Under an 18-month contract, MAGPI will provide all K-20 academic institutions in Kentucky with access to its interactive programs, as well as assistance in developing Kentucky-specific Internet2 applications. MAGPI will also provide professional development for the P-20 education community through workshops on the use of videoconferencing and integration of technology applications into the classroom, as well as through special sessions from organizations including NASA, NOAA, the National Park Service, the Department of Energy and the Library of Congress.
In addition, MAGPI will use its national and international network of people and technologies to assist Kentucky's research institutions in technology mapping, infrastructure consultation and grant writing by providing specialized expertise.
The Internet2 Network, a high-performance, high-bandwidth national network specifically dedicated to research and education, is available to the Kentucky P-20 education community through KyRON. The University of Pennsylvania, a founding member of the Internet2 consortium and creator of the ENIAC, the world's first general purpose computer. The new partnership with MAGPI will increase the number and variety of applications available on KyRON.
NKU Business College receives major gift
The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr./US Bank Foundation presented a gift of $15 million to the Northern Kentucky University Business School. It is the largest gift ever to NKU and matches the largest single-source gift ever to a public university in the commonwealth.
NKU officials said more than $5.5 million of the gift will endow scholarships, fellowships and international educational experiences. A portion will also establish endowed chairs for faculty and support for faculty recruitment, retention, and development and expand the university's Finance Investment Program.
The business school will be named The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./US Bank Foundation College of Business. The private family foundation focuses its efforts on improving economic development, the arts, education and human services in the Greater Cincinnati area.
NDS scores PGA contract
National Diversity Solutions, LLC (NDS), a Lexington-based certified minority owned business, has been retained by The PGA of America to facilitate the golfing organization's Golf Industry Supplier Diversity Initiative.
Under the agreement, NDS will recruit, register, assess and qualify minority and women-owned businesses to become PGA Preferred Suppliers. Designed to encourage more diversity in the golf industry, a primary goal of the qualification program is to enhance confidence among buyers within the industry to develop long-term strategic business relationships with these suppliers. The PGA of America will, in turn, endorse and promote the PGA Preferred Suppliers to industry businesses with the desired outcome of substantially increasing spending with minority and women-owned businesses over the next five years while growing participation from these consumer groups in the game of golf. NDS will track the initiative's progress and provide periodic reports.
Jobless rates up in 112 counties
Unemployment rates rose in 112 Kentucky counties between July 2007 and July 2008, fell in six counties and stayed the same in two counties. Stats from the Kentucky Office of Employment and Training show Woodford County with the lowest jobless rate in the commonwealth at 5.3 percent. Magoffin County recorded the state's highest, 11.5 percent.
Proposed newsrack ordinance tabled
The city's Newsrack Task Force met on August 20 to discuss a proposal by Urban County Council member Dick DeCamp that would limit the presence of newspaper and magazine distribution racks and boxes. After publishers, including Smiley Pete Publishing's Chris Eddie and Chuck Creacy, raised both constitutional and competitive issues, it was decided to table the proposal to enable further discussion.
Publishers were given 30 days to form a voluntary coalition and develop a guideline for accomplishing the goal of cleaning up old or unsightly boxes and to self-regulate newsracks in the downtown area.
The first meeting of this group was held on August 27 in the offices of the Downtown Lexington Corporation. The group of nearly a dozen publishers plans to present to the task force within three weeks a set of best practices as well as a timeline for implementation.
Lexington Center Food Court has free Wi-Fi
The Lexington Center Food Court has been equipped to offer free wireless internet connectivity.
While wireless capability has been available in Rupp Arena and the press interview area since 2003 and in the convention facilities since 2004, this latest technological upgrade means the entire Lexington Center space now offers the technology.
The Shops at Lexington Center are comprised of 18 locally owned and operated boutiques and casual dining establishments. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday hours vary.
Goat Symposium coming up
With goat production soaring in Kentucky, many new producers are finding themselves on a steep learning curve. To help them get a handle on the business, the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture is teaming up with Kentucky State University to sponsor the Kentucky Goat Symposium Oct. 14-16 in Frankfort.
Symposium topics will include forage and forage utilization, use of brush and brush control, soil fertility, the UK-KSU goat and sheep modules, business planning, new methods and management of parasite control, goat health, dairy goats, scrapie program update, breeding stock selection and tours.
The event begins at 10 a.m. on October 14 and concludes at 3 p.m. on October 16. The registration deadline is September 19, and the cost for the symposium is $25, which includes two nights' lodging, meals and tours. For those wanting only to attend the goat program at the farm on October 16, there is no registration fee.
Symposium sponsors include Kentucky State University, the USDA Risk Management Agency, the Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Professional Development Program, the Southern Region Risk Management Education Center and the UK College of Agriculture.
For more details and registration materials, contact Marion Simon, state specialist for small farms and part-time farmers, at 502-597-6437 or e-mail marion.simon@kysu.edu.
Tour offers "Appalachian experience"
The Appalachian culture has intrigued people for many years, but unless they have ties to the area, they likely have never experienced it. That is about to change. During the week of September 29-October 4, visitors will get a slice of life in the hills of eastern Kentucky through a multi-county bus tour focused on agritourism.
The tour is the first such venture by the Eastern Kentucky Foothills Eco-Agritourism Corporation, a group of community and business leaders from Carter, Elliott, Morgan, Menifee and Wolfe counties.
The economies of these counties have depended heavily on tobacco revenues. Community leaders see agritourism as a boost to their local economies that also allows them to educate others about the area's heritage and help local farmers diversify their operations.
On September 29, guests will board a bus in Louisville and Lexington and travel to Carter Caves State Resort Park in Carter County, where the tour begins. Plans for the six-day journey call for many stops to highlight elements unique to eastern Kentucky, including Bluegrass music, talented folk artists and craftsmen, historical reenactments and dramatic views of the mountains, gorges and waterfalls. They will also include farms producing a variety of agricultural commodities, from sorghum and miniature horses to one of the largest mule farms in the United States.
Guests will stay at local hotels or bed and breakfasts and shop at local stores that offer a wide variety of crafts and antiques. They will also sample local cuisine, much of which was grown in the area. One of the dining highlights is the Smokey Valley Truck Stop in Olive Hill, featured on the Food Network's program, "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives."
Space is limited, and slots are available on first come, first served basis. For more information or to register for the tour, contact Wolfe County judge executive Raymond Hurst at 606-668-3040.
Correction
Our apologies to veteran WoodSongs volunteer Larry Steur, whom we failed to credit for the photos that accompanied the article, WoodSongs Readies for 500th Program Milestone, in the August 22, 2008 edition of Business Lexington.
- TM