Academics
Kentucky State University has a special emphasis on training Black men and women to become teachers in predominantly Black elementary schools. Over the years, it has broadened the available areas of study for its nearly 2,200 students to include nursing, consumer sciences, humanities and the performing arts, STEM courses, and more. KSU provides students the higher education that best suits their needs, whether that be an associate, bachelor’s, or master’s degree. Most recently, KSU has instituted a unique online curriculum enabling anyone across the globe to earn a master’s degree in Special Education from the university.
Founded as a land-grant university, agriculture is still a dominant focus of KSU. The campus offers an impressive 204-acre research farm, as well as the world’s only full-time Pawpaw research program that studies the tropical-like fruit native to the state of Kentucky. One of the university’s other areas of distinction is the aquaculture tract that studies alternative methods of production and water quality to find solutions as demand grows for fish consumption.
Student Body
Kentucky State is home to “a variety of students.” You’ll find the occasional “rude” student here but, for the most part, “Everyone is friendly” and “outgoing.” “Most students are African Americans” “simply because this school is a Historically Black College.” (White students make up roughly a quarter of the population.) There are also “foreign exchange students,” and there is “a large population of nontraditional and commuting students.” “There are definitely cliques” on campus but students “mingle and mix well.” A large number of students choose KSU “out of convenience and cost” and because “It’s close to home.” “We are just trying to make ourselves, our family, and our community proud,” says one student.
Campus Life
On KSU’s “small” campus, students are “very involved” in a broad range of activities, from sports, to drama, to choir and band (the Marching Thorobred Band is reportedly fantastic). “Life in general is fun, and in order to be part of the fun you have to include yourself, and take the opportunity when people make the effort to include you,” counsels a senior. There are “occasionally” parties sponsored by “sororities and fraternities.” Other student organizations host a good number of events as well. Off campus, though, “There is not much to do.” “The city of Frankfort is very small and does not have much to offer” besides a Wal-Mart. A large contingent of students leaves on the weekends, particularly the ones who are “used to larger cities.” Students seeking more in the way of nightlife often head to nearby Lexington, which is a mere 15 minutes away and offers a number of restaurants, bars, and other entertainment options. The closest big city is Louisville, about an hour away.
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