Overview

Kentucky’s colleges and universities have made significant strides in retention and completion over the past decade, narrowing achievement gaps at a historic pace. However, more progress is needed to fully close these gaps and ensure student success. CPE will collaborate with campuses to implement innovative strategies and best practices, fostering a unified commitment to continuous improvement. While increasing degree production is a priority, we remain focused on quality, ensuring that credentials equip students with the critical thinking, ingenuity, flexibility, and teamwork skills needed in a rapidly evolving workforce. Strengthening partnerships between campuses and employers will enhance the relevance of academic programs and improve job placement outcomes. Additionally, CPE will prioritize increasing persistence and timely program completion while maximizing the transfer of academic and experiential credit, ensuring that educational offerings remain high-quality, relevant, and inclusive.

Progress in the value priority area will be measured through the following key performance indicator –

• Net General Fund Appropriations per Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Student - This indicator looks at funding for public in-state postsecondary institutions per full-time equivalent (FTE) student.

CPE's Work in This Area

People are increasingly questioning the value of higher education, despite numerous studies showing that college graduates earn higher salaries, enjoy better health and are much less likely to be unemployed or on public assistance. CPE is committed to increasing higher education’s value proposition through public awareness and education efforts and other statewide activities.

Legislative Outreach

President Thompson and his leadership staff engaged in numerous conversations with the Governor, executive branch staff, legislators, legislative staff and members of state and federal education organizations on issues affecting higher education in Kentucky. Additionally, throughout the 2025 legislative session, CPE served as a key resource to legislators and LRC staff on several bills, including Senate Bill 77, a bill that opens up opportunity for comprehensive universities to offer certain doctoral degrees, provided they meet established criteria and financial benchmarks outlined in the legislation.

After the 2025 session, CPE staff worked with campus presidents and chief budget officers to identify high-priority funding components and request amounts for the upcoming biennium, including additional appropriations for campus operations, the Postsecondary Education Performance Fund (PEPF) and capital investment priorities, such as new capital construction projects and asset preservation. The list of budget priorities was developed at the request of leadership in the General Assembly.

Community Outreach

President Thompson and CPE leadership have engaged in numerous meetings and events across the state to champion the value of higher education and gain firsthand insights into evolving workforce needs. These efforts are expanding CPE’s visibility and impact and strengthening strategic partnerships with workforce leaders, community organizations, philanthropic groups and local governments.

Social Media and Digital Outreach

CPE’s expanding digital presence, driven by the social media accounts of CPE and President Thompson, continues to elevate the Higher Education Matters message and strategically promote the work of CPE. Engagement rates across platforms consistently outperform industry benchmarks for both government and higher education, reflecting a highly effective outreach strategy. A cornerstone of this effort is the weekly #KYHigherEdMatters infographic, which delivers timely, data-driven insights on state and national higher education trends. This content reaches nearly 6,000 email subscribers and 7,000 social media followers through CPE channels, with additional amplification to over 10,000 users via President Thompson’s accounts.

View the #KYHigherEdMatters infographics

News Coverage and Speaking Engagements

President Thompson and senior leadership staff have been prominently featured in high-profile stories across both state and national media platforms. Additionally, agency staff have served as featured speakers and expert panelists at major state and national conferences and events this past year, further elevating the agency’s visibility and influence. CPE staff presented at the SHEEO annual convening, Complete College America’s annual convening and the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships’ summit for dual credit programs, among others.

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Research and Publications

CPE released several key research reports this year, including a study on undergraduate student debt and the annual progress report. In partnership with the University of Kentucky’s Center for Business and Economic Research, CPE released a comprehensive return on investment report focusing on the economic benefits of Kentucky’s higher education investments for students and the state. These publications continue to solidify CPE’s reputation as a trusted and reliable provider of higher education content.

View our publications

External Funding

CPE’s reputation as an organization that creates value is corroborated by an increase in external funding in recent years. Grants from the James Graham Brown Foundation, ECMC Foundation, Lumina Foundation, Save the Children, Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Education and Labor Cabinet and NASH enhance CPEs ability to affect change in Kentucky higher education. In total, CPE has been entrusted with several multi-year grants from national, state and community organizations totaling over $36 million.