WKCTC celebrates 20 years since consolidation

Faculty, staff, students and the community wrapped up a celebration Thursday of 20 years since the consolidation of West Kentucky Technical College and Paducah Community College. 

The celebration culminated in a panel discussion hosted by WKCTC President Anton Reece. The panel included WKCTC President Emeritus Barbara Veazey, associate degree nursing instructor Michelle Blankenship, interim director of community, workforce, and economic development Stephanie Milliken, and former state representative Frank Rasche.

Veazey was a key in the merger and was WKCTC's first president. Her work promoting the joining of the two institutions took the form of utilizing the Allied Health Building for programs from both. As a part of the 20th anniversary, that building was renamed in her honor on Tuesday. 

Blankenship, who earned degrees from both institutions, said, "The consolidation to me was such a betterment for this entire community - not just this campus. It gave people a way to be educated and get transfer credits where they could go on to a four-year college."

Milliken, noting the initial trepidation, agreed, "We had so many more opportunities coming, that in the back of your head - if you didn't even like consolidation - you had to know that it had to be the best thing for these students that we had. They had a larger opportunity and a larger place to attend college and transfer if they wanted to and have a better life themselves."

The anniversary celebration will continue with a display of photos and documents relating to the past 20 years, as well as the construction of what is now the Barbara M. Veazey Health Sciences Building. The display is located in the Matheson Library.

The panel discussion was recorded and can be viewed on the WKCTC Facebook page or YouTube. 




Photo courtesy of WKCTC: WKCTC's 20th anniversary celebration finale with a conversation and dialogue that highlighted the past 20 years of the college. (Left to right) - WKCTC's Michelle Blankenship, associate degree nursing instructor; Frank Rasche, a former member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1999 - 2008; WKCTC President Anton Reece; WKCTC President Emeritus Barbara Veazey; Stephanie Milliken, WKCTC interim director of community, workforce, and economic development