[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 148 (Monday, December 8, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S6381]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO DR. MICHAEL B. McCALL

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a good 
friend of mine and a renowned educator in Kentucky, Dr. Michael B. 
McCall. Dr. McCall has served as the president of the Kentucky 
Community and Technical College System, or KCTCS, since 1998, and he 
recently announced his retirement from that position. It would be 
difficult to overstate his success at the helm of Kentucky's statewide 
community and technical college system or the growth by leaps and 
bounds that KCTCS has seen under his tenure.
  KCTCS was created by the Kentucky Postsecondary Education Improvement 
Act of 1997, which united all of the Commonwealth's community and 
technical colleges under one system to serve as a gateway to 
postsecondary education for all Kentuckians. Dr. McCall was named as 
the founding president in December 1998. Since then, he has overseen 16 
colleges located on more than 70 campuses across the Bluegrass State.
  Under Dr. McCall's leadership, KCTCS has become the largest provider 
of postsecondary education in Kentucky, representing 47.1 percent of 
all undergraduate college students. KCTCS serves over 92,000 students, 
and since 1998 the KCTCS Board of Regents has ratified or approved more 
than 700 programs that result in certificates, diplomas, or associate 
degrees.
  KCTCS is also the State's largest provider of workforce training, 
serving more than 5,300 businesses and 52,000 employees annually. It is 
workforce training initiatives such as these that help develop 
Kentucky's labor force and therefore its economy.
  KCTCS has also become Kentucky's largest provider of online learning, 
offering more than 77 online credentials. Thanks to Dr. McCall's 
virtual learning initiative known as KCTCS Online, online learners can 
pursue higher education at any time that is convenient for them.
  Other KCTCS accomplishments achieved under Dr. McCall's tenure 
include the establishment of the North American Racing Academy, which 
is the first college-affiliated horse racing academy in the United 
States; the Kentucky Coal Academy; the Kentucky Fire Commission; and 
the Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services. It is clear that Dr. 
McCall has kept the interests and demands of Kentucky's students and 
businesses in mind while developing these programs.
  Dr. McCall has been an educator and served in community and technical 
colleges for more than 40 years. Throughout his career, he has been 
recognized for his leadership and dedication to education. He was the 
recipient of Phi Theta Kappa's prestigious State Community College 
Director Award of Distinction.
  Dr. McCall also received the National Council for Continuing 
Education and Training's National Leadership Award in 2005. In the same 
year the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development 
honored him with their International Leadership Award. In 2004 Kentucky 
Monthly Magazine named him the ``Kentuckian of the Year.'' Dr. McCall 
also served as board chair of the American Association of Community 
Colleges, completing his tenure in 2006.
  When KCTCS was first established, it set ambitious goals for 
improving the level of college attainment for Kentuckians. Thanks to 
Dr. McCall, KCTCS has met those goals.
  Under the leadership of Dr. Michael B. McCall, KCTCS has become a 
remarkable community and technical college system in the United States, 
and it will reach even higher in the future. I ask my Senate colleagues 
to join me in congratulating Dr. McCall and wishing him well upon his 
retirement. He has certainly proved to be a great educator and a great 
friend to the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

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