KY Graduate Profile Academy-University of Kentucky

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) Graduate Profile Academy Grant Abstract In 2021, the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) announced the inaugural cohort of the Kentucky Graduate Profile Academy. The Academy is a statewide collaborative across 12 Kentucky postsecondary public institutions, including the University of Kentucky. Each institution was asked to name a 3-member team of experts whose campus roles are currently focused on academic quality, professional development, and student success. The institutional teams will meet during the academic year with work aimed at transforming education outcomes toward the Kentucky Graduate Profile. The Kentucky Graduate Profile espouses that all students graduating from public postsecondary institutions in Kentucky will have multiple, intentional opportunities to develop their abilities through the institution’s curriculum and co-curricular offerings. Kentucky graduates will be able to articulate and demonstrate these skills to prospective employers. Kentucky’s statewide definition of academic quality is “the measurable degree to which an educational experience is coherent, engaging, and transformational for all learners.” Working with both campus faculty and staff, as well as students and employers, CPE has compiled a list of essential skills that students need to be successful after graduation: 1. Communicate effectively. 2. Think critically in order to solve problems and create new ideas and solutions. 3. Apply quantitative reasoning skills to analyze and solve numerical problems. 4. Demonstrate cultural competency. 5. Adapt to changing circumstances while leading and supporting others. 6. Perform professionally within their chosen field of study or occupation. 7. Engage in civic life to improve society. 8. Collaborate and work in teams. 9. Demonstrate evidence of applied and integrated learning 10. Use information for decision making. The Academy’s three areas of focus will be campus culture, professional development of faculty and staff, and meaningful changes leading toward academic transformation. As part of this process, we must perform an environmental scan. Using the results of the environmental scan, we must design a campus impact project to enhance the institution’s emphasis on essential skills and provide professional development for faculty and staff regarding employability of graduates. As well, we must identify and report meaningful changes occurring in academic program requirements as well as co-curricular opportunities that ensure the high quality and relevance identified by the Kentucky Graduate Profile.