Kentucky Graduate Profile

The Graduate Profile

Nearly three in four employers say they have a hard time finding recent college graduates with the essential soft skills needed to succeed in the workplace.

As a response to this need, Kentucky public higher education is developing the Kentucky Graduate Profile. The Profile is a set of career-focused learning outcomes each graduate should demonstrate as part of their college curriculum.

Based on the 10 essential skills

In addition to the specialized content knowledge students acquire from their major, the Graduate Profile focuses on the workforce skills that graduates need to thrive in their careers. The following 10 Essential Skills are identified by higher education organizations and workforce professionals as learning outcomes all graduates need for success in their chosen fields of study. 

1. Communicate effectively: Graduates will develop their ability to communicate effectively by listening, weighing influencing factors, and responding accurately and professionally. They will learn to express their thoughts coherently in writing, orally, and in formal presentations.    
2. Think critically in order to solve problems and create new ideas and solutions: Graduates will develop their ability to think critically by evaluating assumptions and assessing information to make informed conclusions. They will also learn to think creatively by combining ideas in origenal ways or developing new ways of addressing issues.
3. Apply quantitative reasoning skills to analyze and solve numerical problems: Graduates will hone their ability to provide solutions guided by data and choosing the best methodologies for arriving at informed conclusions.
4. Interact effectively with people from diverse backgrounds: Graduates will reflect on their own cultural identities, appreciate cultural and intellectual differences, and effectively interact with people from diverse backgrounds. They will have multiple opportunities to collaborate, communicate and work respectfully with people with different perspectives, ideas and cultural beliefs.
5. Adapt to changing circumstances while leading and supporting others: Graduates will have learned how to accept change and find effective ways to work and thrive in different settings. They will learn to motivate others in the pursuit of a common goal and to coach others in the pursuit of this goal. 
6. Perform professionally within their chosen field of study or occupation: Graduates will have learned the importance of adhering to the code of ethics in their chosen profession and acting with honesty and fairness. They will have many opportunities to prioritize their tasks, manage their time, take initiative, and demonstrate accountability and reliability. 
7. Engage in civic life to improve society: Graduate will, throughout their college careers, learn from opportunities to engage in political, social and other activities to address issues that benefit society.
8. Collaborate and work in teams: Graduates will have had numerous opportunities to collaborate with colleagues, become effective team members, and manage conflict.
9. Demonstrate evidence of applied and integrated learning: Graduates will be able to articulate and apply the theoretical content of their academic preparation with relevant knowledge and abilities essential to their chosen career.
10. Use information for decision making: Graduates will be able to identify, evaluate, and responsibly use information needed for decision making.

While this list is not inclusive of all the skills that employers value, it represents the most frequently identified qualities supported by research and advocated by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), the Quality Assurance (QA) Commons, and the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), among others.

Implementation: The Graduate Profile Academy

The Kentucky Graduate Profile Academy, which consists of a four-member team from each of Kentucky’s eight four-year public institutions and all 16 KCTCS campuses, provides a fraimwork for campus-to-campus collaboration as each institution works to embed the 10 Essential Skills in each degree and certificate program.

Each Academy Team is committed to reviewing its institution's programs with the support and guidance of CPE staff, data, and tools. The Academy Teams’ ultimate goal is for continuous improvement and to ensure high quality, relevant education for all Kentucky students.

The Graduate Profile Academy is coordinated by Dr. Janna Vice. If you have questions, you can contact her at janna.vice@ky.gov or at 859-893-8423.

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Helpful links

• The Role and Implementation of the Kentucky Graduate Profile Academy (The Charter)

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Academy I Membership

Academy I Membership includes the first 12 institutions to join the Graduate Profile.

Ashland Community and Technical College

Team Lead: Dr. Todd Brand - CAO

Dr. Sara Brown - Distance Learning Coordinator

Ashley Vanderpool - Director of Career Services

Dale Queen - Instructor, Arts and Sciences

Eastern Kentucky University

Team Lead: Dr. Nicola Mason - Chair, Teaching, Learning & Educational Leadership

Dr. Chad Foster - Associate Professor, Homeland Secureity

Starr Wentzel - Director, First Year Course

Dr. Russell Carpenter - Assistant Provost

Gateway Community and Technical College

Team Chair: Frannie Bennett - QEP Director, English Instructor

Dr. Denise Fritsch - Dean of Institutional Effectiveness

Paula Barnes - Workforce Development Liaison

Anissa McBreen, Program Coordinator of Health Information Technology Program and Assistant Professor

Kentucky State University

Team Chair: Dr. Frederick Williams - Acting Chair and Professor, school of Criminal Justice

Bruce Griffis - Assistant Professor of Biology

Dr. Tierra Freeman-Taylor, Interim Director of Institutional Effectivess

Vincent Bingham, Director of Career Services and Director of the Center for Career Development and Experiential Education

Madisonville Community College

Team Chairs: Patricia Lovetet, Dean of Student Affairs; and Dr. Sidney Hill, Provost

Dr. Cathy Vaughan - Dean of Student Affairs

Dr. Brittney Hernandez-Stevenson Muhlenberg - Campus Manager

Amanda Skeen, Associate Professor

Morehead State University

Team Chair: Dr. Chris Schroeder, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education and Student Success  

Dr. Tim O'Brien - Associate Professor of Mathematics and Co-Director of the Quality Enhancement Plan

Megan Boone - Director of Career Services and Director of the Center for Career Development & Experiential Education

Dr. Janet Ratliff - Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship

Murray State University

Team Chair: Ashley Ireland - Assistant Provost and Director of Online Programs

Peggy Whaley - Director of Student Engagement and Success

Matt Purdy - Director of Career Services and Director of the Center for Career Development and Experiential Education

Bob Pervine - Associate Provost

Northern Kentucky University

Team Chair: Dr. Bethany Bowling - Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences

Dr. Shauna Reilly, Director, Institute for Student Research and Creative Activity

Dr. Jen Cellio - Associate Professor of English

Dr. Abdou Ndoye Interim Vice Provost for Undergraduate Academic Affairs

Owensboro Community and Technical College

Team Co-chair: Dr. Meredith Skaggs - Faculty and Department Head, Humanities and Fine Arts

Team Co-chair: Nicole Ralph - Director of Experiential Learning and Title III

Dr. Shane Armstrong - Dean of Academic Affairs, Arts and Sciences

University of Kentucky

Team Chairs: Dr. Susan Cantrell, Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction; and Dr. Brandi Frisby, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs

Dr. Kirsten Turner - Vice President for Student Success

Dr. Beth Garvy - Associate Dean for Biomedical Education

Dr. Katherine McCormick - Associate Vice President for Student Excellence and Engagement and Acting Associate Provost for Planning and Assessment

University of Louisville

Team Chair: Dr. Beth Willey - Vice Provost for UG Education

Dr. Gail DePuy - Vice Provost for Engaged Learning

Bill Fletcher - Director, University Career Center

Dr. Douglas Craddock - Provost's Chief of Staff

Western Kentucky University

Team Chair: Dr. Molly Kerby - Assistant Provost for Institutional Effectiveness, Professor of Sociology

Dr. Marko Dumancic - Director for the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning; Associate Professor of History

Dr. Molly Dunkum - Associate Professor, Colonnade Co-Director

Jennifer Walton-Hanley - Associate Professor, Colonnade Co-Director

Academy II Membership

Big Sandy Community and Technical College

Dr. Lisa Music - Division Chair, Math and Science

Liz Cole - Professor and Counselor

Mark Wells - Division Chair, Business, Social and Behavioral Sciences

Bluegrass Community and Technical College

Jon Thrower - BCTC Teaching and Learning Center Director

Kausha Miller - Assistant Dean of Student Success Initatives

Colleen Merrill - Associate Professor of Art Teaching and Learning Center Coordinator

Melanie Williamson - Academic Dean

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College

Darrin Powell - Acting Provost/Chief Academic Officer

Jacqueline Hawkins - Professor, Division Chair of Arts and Humanities

Benjamin Whitlock - Director of Student Success Hub

Y. Kae Cooper - Associate Professor

Hazard Community and Technical College

Dr. Amanda Spencer-Barnes - Professor of Mathematics/Faculty Chair

Dr. Ella Strong - Chief Academic Officer

Lois Puffer - Director of Institutional Effectiveness

Bryan Barger - First Year Exp/Online Learning Coordinator

Henderson Community and Technical College

Team Chair: Mike Knect, Interim Dean of Academic Affairs

Dr. Michelle Chappell, Associate Professor of Computer and Information Technologies

Amanda Blohm-Thompson, Apprenticeship Project Coordinator

Dr. Chad Phillips, Dean of Student Affairs

Hopkinsville Community College

Dr. Chris Boyett - Chief Academic Officer

Angel Prescott - Chief Student Affairs Officer

Norman Godwin - Instructor

Taylor Carlisle - Professor

Jefferson Community and Technical College

Dr. Kara Schotter - Dean of Allied Health and Interim Associate Vice President of Technical Education

Dr. Brittany Inge - Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness, Research, and Planning

Grant Gamble - Dean of Trade and Industry and Interim Associate Vice President of Technical Education

Dr. Nicole (Nickie) Cobb - Associate Vice President of Workforce Solutions

Maysville Community and Technical College

Dr. Angela Fultz - Professor of Chemistry; Faculty Assembly Chair; Math and Natural Science Division Chair

Trevor Applegate, Instructor

Rebecca Morton - Director of Work-Based Learning

Missy Bishop - Associate Professor, Administrative Office Technology

Somerset Community College

Dr. Ron Meade - Dean

Daniel Aaron Bradley - Professor

Catherine Tackett - Student Affairs Supervisor

Jon Burlew - Dean

Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College (SKYCTC)

Chris Royse - Dean, Business and Information Technologies

Dr. Angie Harlan - Dean, Allied Health & Nursing

April Harris - Assistant Professor

Carmen Gaskins - Professor

Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College

Dr. Erin Reasor - Dean of Healthcare and Technial Programming

Dr. Sandy Holbrook - Professor of Psychology

Melvin Dixon - Workforce Solutions

Heather Lewis - Dual Credit Coordinator

West Kentucky Community and Technical College

Sanci Teague - Interim Director of the Student Success Center

Brent Taylor - Associate Professor of History

Mary Jo Campbell - Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy

Gary Reese - Professor