It is my privilege to serve as the President and CEO of Ashland Community and Technical College (ACTC) and to be a part of launching the "Fulfilling the Promise Campaign": our first major gifts campaign as a consolidated community and technical college. In 2003, ACTC consolidated two fine institutions into one college fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Our employees and college board leadership have worked together as a dedicated team to bring us to this new level of success.

ACTC plays a critical role in the future of our service area in northeastern Kentucky. There are a number of challenges facing Kentucky and our region. We look forward to addressing them, but we must stay ahead of the curve and capitalize on the opportunities ahead of us. As a state assisted institution, ACTC must increasingly supplement its public funds with support from the private sector to meet the higher education expectations of students, business and industry, and our community. Since 2000, our state revenue has been significantly reduced while our student enrollment has steadily increased.

The "Fulfilling the Promise Campaign" will focus on initiatives that will provide support for students to help them to succeed, foster a desire in our citizens to learn, train our workers to meet the challenges of a global economy and provide motivation for our faculty to continue to excel in teaching.

Our college has a rich history of educating our citizens that dates back to 1938. I invite you to invest in the future success of our community and region by participating in the "Fulfilling the Promise Campaign."