News Archive

Community welcomes new SKYCTC president Michelle Trawick

Michelle Trawick speaking to a large group of people

By David Horowitz – Bowling Green Daily News

Dozens attended a Thursday reception for the new president of Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College, Michelle Trawick.

The Logan County native – formerly a distinguished economics professor in Nebraska, and before that, a Western Kentucky University administrator and faculty member – was announced for the role June 5. Brooke Justice, SKYCTC vice president of Student Services, was serving as the acting SKYCTC president after former president Phil Neal had vacated to become the acting executive vice president and provost for the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.

“I see it as a great opportunity for someone in higher ed to really work for workforce solutions for the community and create programming and training that helps people get a leg up in life: Where are they going next?” Trawick said. “And we like to open those doors for as many people as we can.”

She pointed to SKYCTC’s workforce solutions team. Its leader Kim Myers, Trawick said, is in the community constantly listening to SKYCTC’s employer partners and companies that need trained employees and are struggling to find employment in some areas.

“Number one is making sure we have programming, whether it’s in the trades or it is two-year programs meant to transfer and complete at WKU or other four year institutions,” she said. “Do we have the programs, not just for now, but for the future?”

Part of that entails ensuring the college is in front of those helping to recruit companies into the region, she said.

“What sort of skill sets are those companies going to need?” she said. “Because we need to be planning to create those trainings and certificates, diplomas … .”

Trawick expanded on a previous interview with the Daily News, where she said a top goal is assessing how SKYCTC is addressing the value proposition of higher education.

This, she said Thursday, means working to keep costs down for learners. That, according to Trawick, could be through avenues such as scholarships, loans and education about the financial responsibilities of the latter.

Trawick said urgency surrounds ensuring SKYCTC is agile compared to higher ed institutions that take long to turn the ship.

“I need to make sure that our processes that are in place respond quickly to the workforce demands in the community but also student demands in terms of job preferences, because we’re looking at career placements – either through two year degrees, through technical training, or through those folks who want to transfer to get a four-year degree,” she said.

Trawick said she hasn’t come in to shake things up.

“We’ve got the same cabinet that we had before, and it’s an incredible team, and I don’t want to mess that up, but it could be that maybe some area gets elevated that isn’t elevated now,” she said.

For example, she said an acting vice president of academic affairs position should be figured out, with a search launched for a permanent position, in six to 12 months, she said.

Concerning wraparound services, Trawick pointed to the work of Justice. They had just discussed nudging and early alert programs, where a professor might report that a student hasn’t been present to an adviser who would have permission to check in on them and work toward solutions. Perhaps, Trawick said, a student may report they lost a job and worry about tuition – and maybe SKyCTC can connect them with scholarship services for emergency support.

“Those types of programs are already in place,” she said. “Now, they’re not perfect, and there’s always room for improvement, but they’re ahead of the game, in my mind, compared to some four-year institutions in that space.”

SKYCTC Radiography Program Director Lori Slaughter, who has been at the college for 33 years, said that in a president, she looks for someone accessible to talk to with something of an open-door policy. Slaughter added that she hopes leadership stays aware of ever-changing needs in education and new developments coming down the pipeline, as well as continuing the college’s effort to spread awareness of its offerings throughout the region.

Concerning what’s needed at the college, Slaughter pointed to the rapid growth and an influx of students. While classes are open and don’t begin until Aug. 18, as an advisor she can see that classes are “really filling up,” and they’re having to offer more sections to accommodate student needs.

“Fortunately for her, it’s a well-run organization already, and so she can walk in and hit the ground running,” said Tim Edelen, from the SKYCTC Board of Directors. “I don’t know of any particular areas that necessarily need improvement. The school is done very well, and I think she can take it to the next level …

We’re very fortunate to have her apply for this position, and we’re looking forward to her team.”

An hour in, Trawick addressed the crowd.

“We here at SKYCTC have a unique opportunity to be in the fastest growing part of the state, and to be working with amazing community partners to elevate economic development and create opportunities for growth for individuals, for households, to create wealth that many people who grew up, maybe on a little tobacco farm in Logan County, never even imagined,” she said.