What is the EKU Graduate Profile? The Kentucky Graduate Profile represents the 10 essential skills students need to be successful in their first job, throughout their career, and in their personal, social and civic lives. These professional skills rank high by employers and are aligned with the goals set forth by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE).
The 10 Essential Skills framework helps provide structure and coherence to the college experience. It allows students to better understand the purpose of general education, how general education connects to their majors, and how their majors connect to life after college.
What is the purpose of the Graduate Profile? The Kentucky Graduate Profile is the state’s postsecondary learning framework and aims to engage the broad community of faculty, staff, and students at EKU to:
Raise awareness of the 10 essential skills.
Increase student’s competency in the 10 essential skills.
Help students to recognize the long-term value of 10 essential skills in daily life.
Help students identify examples of their work that demonstrate their mastery of the skills.
Ensure all graduates receive a high quality, relevant, and equitable education.
What does the Graduate Profile involve? This effort focuses on the implementation and sustained integration of the 10 Essential Skills through three connected phases:
Assessment – Assess the presence, application, and influence of the 10 Essential Skills to establish and refine a baseline that informs ongoing implementation, alignment, and decision-making.
Professional Development – Provide ongoing professional development for faculty and staff focused on pedagogical techniques for implementing the 10 Essential Skills within curricular and co-curricular experiences, including expectations for instruction, alignment, and assessment.
Meaningful Change – Implement and document continuous, meaningful improvements across the institution, including:
Academic requirements, with full integration of the 10 Essential Skills in first-year courses, General Education, and academic programs.
Institutional policies and procedures related to work-based and experiential learning opportunities.
Strategic partnerships with student services, EKU alumni, and employers that support skill development and application beyond the classroom.
What does Essential Skill implementation success look like? In summary, we seek to:
Fully integrate the 10 Essential Skills across the General Education curriculum, ensuring consistent alignment in course design, instruction, and assessment.
Improve communication with students and make the 10 Essential Skills more transparent and meaningful throughout their academic experience.
Help students recognize and demonstrate their competencies in the 10 Essential Skills for both academic audiences and potential employers.
10 Essential Skills:
EKU Graduate Profile Team
Dr. Starr Wentzel, Team Lead, First-Year Courses
Dr. Rusty Carpenter, Assistant Provost; Chair, Operational Committee
Dr. Alison Buck, College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences (Vice Chair, Operational Committee)
Dr. Charlotte Rich, College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences Liaison
Dr. Steve Barracca, College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences
Dr. Karina Powell, College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences
Dr. Heather Fox, College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences
Dr. Krista Kimmel, College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences, Skills Lead
Dr. Tahsin Huq, College of Business Liaison
Dr. Pete Edwards, College of Education & Applied Human Sciences Liaison
Dr. Amanda Balser, College of Health Sciences Liaison
Dr. Linda Hunter, College of Health Sciences
Dr. Lucas Barnes, College of Justice, Safety, & Military Sciences Liaison
Dr. Rachel Bishop-Ross, College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Liaison
Trenia Napier, EKU Libraries
Bailey Lake, EKU Libraries
Bethany Warner, Office of Advising & Career Services
EKU Graduate Profile Essential Skill Leads
Dr. Krista Kimmel, Graduate Profile Skills Lead
Skill 1: Communication – John Strada & Dr. Dom Ashby
Skill 2: Critical and Creative Thinking – Maggie Frozena
Skill 3: Quantitative Reasoning – Dr. Jamie Marie Miller & Dr. Vicki Modisette
Skill 4: Interact Effectively with Others – Dr. Jose Juan Gomez-Becerra & Dr. Jennifer Fairchild
Skill 5: Adapting to Change and Leading Others – Dr. Kevin Hub
Skill 6: Perform Professionally – TBD
Skill 7: Engage in Civic Life – Dr. Matthew Howell
Skill 8: Collaborate and Work in Teams – Dr. Laurel Schwartz
Skill 10: Using Information for Decision-Making – Trenia Napier & Bailey Lake
EKU Graduate Profile Faculty Videos
As part of EKU’s Graduate Profile implementation, this video series was created to communicate the value of the Kentucky Graduate Profile and the 10 Essential Skills. The videos are designed to engage faculty, staff, and students while highlighting how essential skills shape high quality teaching, learning, and student success at EKU and beyond.
