SerpApi.Org
Kentucky State University is expanding its cooperative extension presence in Eastern Kentucky with the help of a $2 million Appalachian Regional Commission grant that will go toward tapping agricultural opportunities on reclaimed coal mines.
The state’s only public historically Black university will establish a center for excellence focused on workforce preparation, land restoration and long-term economic recovery in Central Appalachia by giving participants research-based training in restoration, land management, and restoration outcome measurement, the university said.
University staff will partner with Virginia Tech, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Tennessee State University at 13 training programs in Martin County for on-site restoration trainings and outreach. The reclaimed mine land is managed by Renew Appalachia, a nonprofit that operates on 7,000 acres of reclaimed mine land near Lovely.
“Millions of acres across Appalachia have been disturbed by surface mining, and much of this land sits idle with impaired ecosystem function,” said Clifford Smith, founder and managing director of Renew Appalachia. “Surrounding communities currently derive limited benefit from these sites.”
KSU is one of only two universities in Kentucky designated as land-grant institutions that are chartered to share institutional research directly with the public, local farmers and communities. The University of Kentucky, the commonwealth’s other land-grant school, operates extension locales in all 120 counties. KSU works closely with UK at many offices, but operates 10 stand-alone sites of its own. Agriculture extension service agent coverage is currently limited to Breathitt, Magoffin, Wayne and Whitely counties in Eastern Kentucky.
The university has been aggressively expanding its research outreach, driven earlier this year by a $1.7 million federal grant to offer hands-on learning for students and deliver practical training and technical support for ag producers.
Already, KSU ranks third in the state in size of its research portfolio, according to a National Science Foundation Higher Education Research and Development survey.
“This award reflects exactly how Kentucky State serves the Commonwealth through education, training, Extension, and applied research,” said KSU President Koffi C. Akakpo in a statement. “Our faculty and staff are building partnerships, strengthening communities, and preparing students and residents for the future of work.”
Kentucky State was placed under a five-year financial exigency and its educational offerings pared down to polytechnic-focused studies by the Republican-controlled legislature this year in a controversial bill that was questioned but ultimately signed into law by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. The university expects the effects of the law could shrink undergraduate studies by as much as 20% by this time next year, as academic and financial requirements get tougher and academic programs are shuttered.
Students and alumni have filed two separate lawsuits against the university claiming the law seeks to dismantle the school’s HBCU legacy and that it was passed without due process in the General Assembly.
The center for excellence will be housed in Kentucky State’s School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, part of the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources. Professor Buddhi Gyawali, who teaches geospatial applications, human dimensions of natural resources and climate studies, will oversee the program alongside Suraj Upadhaya, an assistant professor of sustainable systems.
KSU intends to apply 10 staff and co-principal investigators to support training, outreach and implementation across the Eastern Kentucky project sites.
