As it is constructed now, the Hopkinsville Community College Board of Directors met for the final time Monday afternoon — taking in considerable updates from President & CEO Dr. Alissa Young and others, as the campus continues to grow.
Young confirmed that with the passage of House Bill 619 during the 2026 Kentucky General Assembly, some sweeping changes are coming to the Kentucky Community and Technical College System — and how it is governed at the local level.
Among its many provisions, she said the bill dissolves all current boards of directors across the Commonwealth, and instead replaces them with new “boards of advisors” — who are comprised of one teaching faculty member, one staff member, one student, and a host of local and regional nominated and interested authorities.
They will simply “offer advice” to the KCTCS president, currently Dr. Ryan Quarles, and the state’s KCTCS board, and she added that these groups of advisors will be “much larger in scope,” as they pertain to each community college’s vision, but will further defer all major decisions at a macro level.
Previously, Young noted that a nominating committee offered board member suggestions to the sitting state governor, but that is no more.
Instead, members of business and industry related to the region — something she said already helps shape HCC on a regular basis.
More clarity, Young said, is coming over the next few weeks. The Annual KCTCS Conference is scheduled for May 19 and 20, while the next KCTCS Board of Regents meeting will be June 10 and 11, fittingly, at HCC.
Enrollment surge continues
Post-pandemic, Hopkinsville Community College only continues to grow.
That was the message from HCC’s Vice President of Student Affairs Angel Prescott Monday afternoon, when she confirmed a seventh-straight semester of rising enrollment — and a 21% growth rate since Spring 2022.
Between Spring Semester last year and today, she said enrollment is up from 2,081 to 2,091 — a modest, but measurable, 0.5%.
Spring Commencement, she said, is May 8, with the nurse’s pinning set for 9 AM and two graduations planned for noon and 3 PM. A third commencement, she and President/CEO Dr. Alissa Young noted, is being discussed for future dates — as this year’s is already standing room only.
This semester’s completion data, Prescott added, is also improved over year-to-year — going from 690 to 816 credentials applied for, as more students are completing an AA and an AS “at the same time.”
Furthermore, Prescott said HCC is prepared to graduate its second cohort of early college graduates from the region, with 26 walking this time after eight high school students did so in Spring 2025.
