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164.7894 Kentucky Coal County College Completion Program.
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The General Assembly recognizes that the bachelor degree attainment rate in
the coal-producing counties of Kentucky is lower than the state average. It is
the intent of the General Assembly to establish the Kentucky Coal County
College Completion Program to assist residents of coal-producing counties
who are attending postsecondary education institutions located in
coal-producing counties by providing:
(a) Scholarships to:
1.
Decrease the financial barriers to bachelor's degree completion; and
2.
Encourage students to remain in the area; and
(b) Grants to community colleges located in coal-producing counties to
enhance the extent and quality of student support services and program
offerings necessary to increase student success and degree production in
the area.
For purposes of this section:
(a) "District" means the Kentucky Coal County District consisting of
coal-producing counties as defined in KRS 42.4592(1)(c);
(b) "High school" means a Kentucky public high school or a private,
parochial, or church school located in Kentucky that has been certified by
the Kentucky Board of Education as voluntarily complying with curriculum,
certification, and textbook standards established by the Kentucky Board
of Education under KRS 156.160;
(c) "Kentucky Coal County College Completion scholarship" or "KCCCC
scholarship" means a scholarship described in subsection (1)(a) of this
section;
(d) "Kentucky Coal County College Completion student services grant" or
"KCCCC student services grant" means a grant described in subsection
(1)(b) of this section; and
(e) "Tuition" means the in-state tuition and mandatory fees charged to all
students as a condition of enrollment in an undergraduate program.
A participating institution shall:
(a) Be physically located in the district;
(b) Offer bachelor's degree programs; and be:
(c) 1.
A regionally accredited, independent nonprofit Kentucky college or
university licensed by the Council on Postsecondary Education
whose main campus is based in the district, including a work-college
as determined by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance
Authority;
2.
A four (4) year public university extension campus; or
3.
A regional postsecondary education center, including the University
Center of the Mountains.
A participating institution may establish extension campuses within the district
to offer bachelor degree programs for purposes of this section.
A nonparticipating institution shall:
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(b)
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Have its main campus located in Kentucky but not in the district;
Offer a bachelor's degree program not offered at any participating
institution;
(c) Be accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools; and
(d) Be a public or independent, nonprofit college or university that is licensed
by the Council on Postsecondary Education.
The Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority shall administer the
Kentucky Coal County College Completion Program and shall promulgate
administrative regulations in accordance with KRS Chapter 13A as may be
needed for the administration of the program.
The authority may award a KCCCC scholarship under this section, to the
extent funds are available for that purpose, to any person who:
(a) Is considered a permanent resident of the district for at least one (1) year
immediately preceding July 1 of the academic year in which the
scholarship is made;
(b) Is a United States citizen;
(c) Is a Kentucky resident as determined by the institution in accordance with
criteria established by the Council on Postsecondary Education for the
purposes of admission and tuition assessment;
(d) Completes and submits the Free Application for Federal Student Aid for
the academic year in which the grant is made;
(e) Has earned at least sixty (60) credits or the equivalent of completed
coursework toward a bachelor's degree;
(f) Is enrolled at least half-time at a participating institution, or a
nonparticipating institution in accordance with subsection (8) of this
section, in upper division courses in a program of study that leads to a
bachelor's degree;
(g) Is in good academic standing in accordance with the institution's policy;
and
(h) Is not in default on any obligation to the authority under any program
administered by the authority under KRS 164.740 to 164.785, except that
ineligibility for this reason may be waived by the authority for cause.
A student otherwise eligible for the KCCCC scholarship who is enrolled in a
nonparticipating institution shall be eligible to receive the KCCCC scholarship if
he or she is enrolled in a bachelor's degree program in a field of study that is
not offered at any participating institution. A program shall be clearly unlike any
degree program offered by a participating institution to be eligible. The
authority shall promulgate administrative regulations to establish procedures to
designate the approved programs of study at nonparticipating institutions for
which an eligible student can receive the KCCCC scholarship, which shall
include a program review process that requires fifty percent (50%) or more of
the courses offered in a program to be different from courses available in a
program offered by a participating institution. The maximum annual total of
KCCCC scholarships expended for this purpose, to the extent funds are
available, shall not exceed five percent (5%) of the amount appropriated for
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KCCCC scholarships.
(a) The KCCCC scholarship amount provided to a student may be applied to
the student's cost of attendance and shall be forty percent (40%), up to
the maximum amount defined in subsections (10) and (11) of this section,
of the amount remaining after subtracting the student's federal and state
grants and scholarships from the institution's published tuition and
mandatory fees amount that is used for purposes of packaging federal
student aid. Work study and student loan funds shall not be included in
the calculation.
(b) For purposes of this subsection, the tuition amount for a work-college, as
described in subsection (3)(c)1. of this section, shall be the average
tuition and mandatory fees amount of the participating institutions that are
described in subsection (3)(c)1. of this section and are not work-colleges.
(c) Students attending less than full-time shall receive a pro rata amount as
determined by the authority.
The maximum KCCCC scholarship award amount for the 2014-2015 academic
year shall not exceed:
(a) Six thousand eight hundred dollars ($6,800) per academic year for a
student attending a participating institution that is a nonprofit, independent
college or university;
(b) Two thousand three hundred dollars ($2,300) per academic year for a
student attending a participating institution that is a public university
extension campus or a regional postsecondary education center; or
(c) Three thousand four hundred dollars ($3,400) per academic year for a
student attending a nonparticipating institution as prescribed in subsection
(8) of this section.
The authority shall calculate the average annual percentage increase in tuition
for the six (6) comprehensive universities as defined in KRS 164.001. The
maximum KCCCC scholarship amounts in subsection (10) of this section shall
be increased for each subsequent academic year by the total average
percentage increase since the 2014-2015 academic year.
The authority shall award KCCCC scholarships chronologically based on when
applicants submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid until funds are
exhausted, except prior recipients shall be awarded before any new KCCCC
scholarship recipients. Applicants who received a KCCCC scholarship in the
immediately preceding academic semester and apply by the deadline
established by the authority shall be awarded first.
A student may receive a KCCCC scholarship for a maximum of five (5) full-time
fall or spring academic semesters, or their equivalent under a trimester or
quarter system, or until the completion of a first bachelor's degree, whichever
occurs first. The authority shall determine the equivalent usage of academic
semester eligibility for students enrolled less than full-time.
The authority may award KCCCC student services grants under this section, to
the extent funds are available for that purpose, to a Kentucky Community and
Technical College System institution that is physically located in the district.
The maximum annual KCCCC student services grant shall be one hundred fifty
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thousand dollars ($150,000) per institution.
KCCCC student services grants shall be used for the following purposes:
(a) To expand outreach services in high schools, in coordination with
outreach services provided by the authority, to advise students of the
advantages and importance of seeking a bachelor's degree and the
opportunities to attain a bachelor's degree within the district;
(b) To expand advising resources to encourage completion of associate
degree programs and transfer into bachelor's degree programs;
(c) To expand career advising resources to better link baccalaureate
academic pursuits to career opportunities, especially within the district;
and
(d) To provide multifaceted retention and student transfer initiatives to
encourage associate degree completion leading to bachelor's degree
programs.
Beginning November 1, 2015, and each year thereafter, the authority shall
make an annual report to the Interim Joint Committee on Education on the
status of the Kentucky Coal County College Completion Program.
Every four (4) years after implementation of the Kentucky Coal County College
Completion Program, the authority shall evaluate the program to ensure the
policy objectives are being realized and to suggest adjustments to maximize
the increase in bachelor's degree completion rates.
Each participating institution, nonparticipating institution, and recipient of a
KCCCC student services grant shall make data available to the authority for
the report and evaluation described in subsections (17) and (18) of this section.
If any participating institution, nonparticipating institution, or recipient of a
KCCCC student services grant does not demonstrate improved performance in
student performance metrics, including but not limited to graduation and
transfer rates, the authority may revoke the institution's eligibility for
participation in the KCCCC scholarship or KCCCC student services grant.
(a) The coal county college completion scholarship fund is hereby created as
a trust fund in the State Treasury to be administered by the Kentucky
Higher Education Assistance Authority for the purpose of providing
scholarships described in subsection (1)(a) of this section.
(b) The trust fund shall consist of amounts appropriated annually from coal
severance tax receipts to the extent that the enacted biennial budget of
the Commonwealth includes such appropriations. The trust fund may also
receive gifts and grants from public and private sources and federal
funds. No general fund moneys shall be appropriated for this purpose.
(c) Any unallotted or unencumbered balances in the trust fund shall be
invested as provided in KRS 42.500(9). Income earned from the
investments shall be credited to the trust fund.
(d) Notwithstanding KRS 45.229, any fund balance at the close of the fiscal
year shall not lapse but shall be carried forward to the next fiscal year and
continuously appropriated only for the purposes specified in this section.
(a) The coal county college completion student services grant fund is hereby
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created as a trust fund in the State Treasury to be administered by the
Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority for the purpose of
providing grants described in subsection (1)(b) of this section.
The trust fund shall consist of amounts appropriated annually from coal
severance tax receipts to the extent that the enacted biennial budget of
the Commonwealth includes such appropriations. The trust fund may also
receive gifts and grants from public and private sources and federal
funds. No general fund moneys shall be appropriated for this purpose.
Any unallotted or unencumbered balances in the trust fund shall be
invested as provided in KRS 42.500(9). Income earned from the
investments shall be credited to the trust fund.
Notwithstanding KRS 45.229, any fund balance at the close of the fiscal
year shall not lapse but shall be carried forward to the next fiscal year and
continuously appropriated only for the purposes specified in this section.
Effective:July 15, 2014
History: Created 2014 Ky. Acts ch. 133, sec. 1, effective July 15, 2014.
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