LEXINGTON, Ky. — Legislators on Wednesday advanced a bill crafted to transform Kentucky State University into a polytechnic institution, marking a significant shift for the state's only public historically Black university that has operated for nearly 140 years.

The Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee advanced Senate Bill 185 during a special-called meeting, with Committee Chair Sen. Christian McDaniel, R-Ryland Heights, testifying that the sweeping reforms represent a partnership approach to reshape the Frankfort-based institution rather than pursue closure.

McDaniel said lawmakers had experienced frustration with Kentucky State over the past decade, with campus crime and financial mismanagement leading some to consider shutting down the university entirely. However, after meeting with Kentucky State President Koffi C. Akakpo and hearing his vision for the school, lawmakers changed course.

Under SB 185, Kentucky State would transition to a polytechnic university over five years, focusing on technical, engineering and science education aligned with the state's workforce needs. The bill calls for raising minimum admission standards to a 2.5 high school GPA and an ACT score of 18, while limiting in-person academic offerings to no more than 10 areas of study during the transition period. Founded in 1886 as the State Normal School for Colored Persons and becoming a land-grant institution in 1890, Kentucky State would maintain its status as a historically Black university and land-grant institution under the legislation.

President Akakpo has promised that no current students would be forced to transfer and that all current majors would continue for enrolled students. The bill also provides for no budget cuts during the current biennium and includes $50 million in potential funding for a new health sciences building if the university meets financial oversight metrics.

The legislation declares a five-year "state of financial exigency" that grants President Akakpo broad authority to restructure operations and staffing, allowing him to terminate employees with 30 days' notice. Additional provisions prohibit enrollment of students with more than $1,000 in delinquent debt and require fraternities and sororities to reapply for their charters.

Sen. Gerald A. Neal, D-Louisville and a Kentucky State alumnus, voted for the measure in committee despite having limited time to review it. He expressed confidence in the university's leadership and the partnership approach. Senate President Pro Tempore David P. Givens noted that lawmakers had considered closure as an alternative, describing the aggressive transformation schedule as "necessitated by the alternative."