The head of West Kentucky Community and Technical College has announced her retirement.
Dr. Barbara Veazey's last day will be June 30.
During a faculty and staff meeting in Crounse Hall Friday, Veazey said she has been blessed to work in the community college and have a career in a place that changes lives, like no other, through education.
Veazey says she doesn’t look back on one singular achievement but is proud of the diverse student body with high retention and graduation rates and the school’s outreach with local businesses. Veazey says the community college’s role is to identify trends that will support and drive the economy before they happen.
“Not just wait until somebody comes out and says ‘you need more nurses or you need a logistics program’ but to have the ability to look into the future and say ‘we need to develop this to help the community grow, not always be reactive, but be proactive,'" said Veazey.
Veazey was appointed President/CEO of Paducah Community College and West Kentucky Technical College in 2002 and became the founding president of WKCTC when the two schools consolidated the next year.
A Marshall County native, Veazey gained a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Murray State University, a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Evansville and a doctorate in higher educational administration from Southern Illinois University.
“Over the last 14 years, Dr. Barbara Veazey has proven herself as an outstanding college president," said Dr. Jay Box, KCTCS President. "She has elevated WKCTC to national prominence through multiple Aspen Institute awards and has firmly established WKCTC as the shining star in Kentucky’s western sky. Dr. Veazey has focused on the comprehensive mission of a community and technical college—putting as much emphasis on developing a skilled workforce as to expanding arts education. She will be sorely missed.”
West Kentucky enrolls more than 9,000 students in academic, career and transfer programs in western Kentucky and online. It also conducts extensive customized education and training programs for area employers.
In December 2011, West Kentucky Community & Technical College was named one of the Top 5 Community Colleges in the nation.
