After three terms as a state representative and eight years as Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture, Ryan Quarles now finds himself in a very different role, but one for which he is uniquely prepared. The Scott County native, who holds a master’s degree in higher education from Harvard and a doctorate in higher education administration from Vanderbilt University, is the new president and CEO of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. He started the job on Jan. 1 of this year.
Quarles describes the network of 16 colleges serving more than 100,000 students as a “job juggernaut” that boosts the state’s workforce and economy. A recent impact study found that KCTCS supports more than 54,000 jobs in the state, which added $3.9 billion in annual incomes.
“We are, in my view, the most impactful higher education entity across the commonwealth,” says Quarles. “For me it’s about jobs, it’s about transforming lives, and being part of the bigger economic development strategy for the commonwealth.”
Helping Students to Better Lives
Community colleges have filled an important niche in higher education, hosting students who wanted technical training for certain jobs, who weren’t ready for a four-year academic experience at a large university or had limited financial means.
While those functions continue to be an important part of KCTCS, the system now serves a range of learners, including adults returning to the classroom to upgrade their job skills as well as those seeking second-chance employment opportunities after prison or addiction treatment. Quarles says a third of KCTCS enrollees are high school students taking dual-credit courses that give them credits towards a college degree.
Regardless of each student’s academic journey, Quarles says KCTCS is ready to prepare them for one of the thousands of open jobs in the commonwealth, whether that’s being a plumber or a welder, a nurse, or a computer specialist working at a high-tech manufacturer.
“KCTCS needs to be the biggest tool in the toolbox with solving our workforce needs,” he says. “We’ve just got to make sure that we are offering programs that people want to take because it leads to a job.”
Students who leave KCTCS with an associate’s degree or a vocational certification earn $10,000 more a year than someone with just a high school diploma, according to Quarles. He says some graduates even make starting salaries of $70,000 to $80,000 a year, which he says can be transformative for lower-income students and their families.
Affordability continues to be an issue for those considering postsecondary studies. Quarles says KCTCS students have access to traditional forms of financial aid, including PELL grants and the state’s KEES scholarships. There are also state work-ready scholarships to cover the costs of learning an in-demand trade or vocation. Quarles says many businesses will also help employees who want to go to school to enhance their skills by covering their tuition costs, textbook fees, or other expenses.
“Our employers are so desperate for workers right now that they’re coming to the table with offers that simply didn’t exist five or 10 years ago,” he says.
Another service that KCTCS provides for its students is operating food pantries at 14 of the system’s 16 campuses. During his time as commissioner of agriculture, Quarles made hunger and access to food a priority for that department. He says he will continue that focus in his new job because he says about one in seven Kentuckians is food insecure, including one in four students.
“If you go to school on an empty stomach – it doesn’t matter if you’re in elementary school or a college student – learning might be the last thing on your mind,” he says.
State Audit Reveals Problems in KCTCS Management
In addition to promoting KCTCS to prospective students, networking with employers, and lobbying lawmakers for funding, Quarles is also addressing issues uncovered by an audit conducted by former state Auditor Mike Harmon. That review found instances of financial mismanagement, nepotism violations, and a lack of transparency with the system’s governing board.
“I’m not here to point fingers, I’m here to solve problems,” says Quarles of the review that was completed before he took over of the system.
The audit found $24 million that had been improperly charged to individual colleges in the system. Quarles says that money was returned to the schools during his first weeks in office. He says the review also questioned $100 million in other funds.
“The money was never missing,” he says. “It was just maybe misclassified or was not reported to the board of regents the way it should have.”
Other issues reported in the audit, according to Quarles, include a previous general counsel for the system who was practicing law without a license, and questions about open-bid sourcing. He says he is committed to addressing all of the problems and moving the system forward.
“Let’s identify what happened and put in processes to prevent us from going back in that direction, and let’s just get it right,” he says.
As KCTCS enters its 27th year, Quarles says he also wants to conduct a thorough review of the 700 programs the system offers to see which ones may need to be discontinued based on low student enrollment and on the state’s workforce needs of today and the future.
“We need to make sure that we are future-proofing ourselves and resetting the system for the next 25 years,” says Quarles. “That means that we are relevant, that we are affordable, and that we have access for any and all Kentuckians that want to come check out our colleges.”
The Future for Quarles
Education has been a significant part of Quarles’ life for decades. He says his mother, who taught at Kentucky State University for 30 years, told him at age six that he would attend college and pay for it himself. When he finally did reach the University of Kentucky, he says he took between 24 and 27 credit-hours a semester to make the most of his time and tuition money.
Last year at this time, Quarles was pursuing a different job. He was a Republican candidate for governor. He eventually came in second in that primary, which led to speculation about what might be next for the young politician. Quarles says he wants to put any rumors about his future to rest, saying he is excited to head KCTCS and plans to be there for the foreseeable future.
“God had a different plan for me and I’m at peace with that,” he says.
