House Speaker Greg Stumbo is blasting a report that recommends the University of Pikeville not be moved into the state university system. Stumbo is a chief supporter of making UPIKE Kentucky’s ninth public university.
But a report by an outside agency commissioned by Governor Steve Beshear says the measure wouldn’t do enough to help raise education levels in far eastern Kentucky.
Stumbo rejected the report’s findings, saying the increased collaboration and creation of scholarships the report calls for isn’t enough.
“If the press accounts are correct it’s just another study. I told you, I don’t need a study, I live up there. I didn’t commission it and I don’t put much faith in it. But according to press reports, if they are correct, all they're saying is, they are recommending the same old things that led to the failures they recognize,” he says.
The report said Stumbo’s UPIKE plan would increase the education levels in the region, which is necessary. But it argues moving the school into the state system won’t be enough, because it will only raise education levels for three counties, not the twelve counties UPIKE supporters cite. Instead, the report suggests increased collaboration between private universities—including UPIKE—public universities and community colleges in the area.