Southeast honors new Hall of Fame alumni; Super Sunday event slated for Feb. 27 at Lynch church | SKCTC

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    Southeast honors new Hall of Fame alumni; Super Sunday event slated for Feb. 27 at Lynch church

    Turner is currently a Distinguished Professor of Appalachian Studies and a regional ambassador at Berea College. Born and raised in Lynch, he was awarded an associate in arts degrees from SKCTC in 1966, a bachelor of science degree from the University of Kentucky in 1968, and he received a doctorate in sociology from Notre Dame University in 1974. He was the first to combine interests in the fields of American-American and Appalachian Studies (AAS), having been the first director of AAS at Notre Dame in 1969, and he published a book entitled Blacks in Appalachia. He was appointed visiting Goode Professor of Black amp; Appalachian Studies at Berea College in 1988), and he has held teaching positions at Fisk and Howard universities and administrative positions at Kentucky State University and the University of Kentucky. Among the many honors he has received throughout his career, in 2009, the Appalachian Studies Association (ASA) honored him for a lifetime of service to the Appalachian region with its Cretis D. Williams/James S. Brown Service Award. The Christian Appalachian Project recognized Turner as its Citizen of the Year in 1994. In 2006, he was inducted as a Notre Dame Black Exemplar, and in 2007, he was honored with the state of Kentuckys Dr. Martin Luther King Citizens Award. Turner was inducted into the Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame in September 2007.

    Austin is a professor of English and Humanities Division Chairman at Jefferson Community amp; Technical College in Louisville. She has been teaching in the KCTCS System for 16 years. She earned an associate in arts degree from Southeast Kentucky Community amp; Technical College, a B.A. in secondary English education from the University of Kentucky, and a M.A. in English education from Union College. Her professional endeavors include presentations at the Kentucky Community amp; Technical College System New Horizons Conference for the past six years, Kentucky Association for Developmental Education (KADE), National Association for Developmental Education (NADE), and NISOD. In addition, Marlisa has served as secretary, president-elect, president and conference chair of KADE, conference local arrangements chair of the 2008 Two Year College English Association-Southeast Region Conference, and has served as the corresponding secretary of the Kentucky Association of Blacks in Higher Education (KABHE). She is a graduate of the KCTCS 2007-2008 Presidents Leadership Seminar, and has been published in the Two-Year College English Journal. She has also been recognized as Whos Who Among Americas Teachers for 2002 and 2006. She was awarded the 2006 KCTCS New Horizons Award of Excellence for Faculty and the 2008 Acorn Award for excellence in teaching in Kentucky. She is currently the corresponding secretary of the Kentucky Association of Blacks in Higher Education (KABHE).


    Peeples is the vice chairman of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) Board of Regents. He lives in Lexington and serves as the president of the Lexington Urban League. Peeples is a graduate of Southeast Kentucky Community amp; Technical College) and the University of Kentucky, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in elementary and special education. Mr. Peeples is active in several community and service organizations, some of which include the Kentucky Housing Corporation Board, Bluegrass Airport Board, Bluegrass Community Foundation Board, St. Joseph Hospital Foundation Board, Lexington Chamber of Commerce Board, World Equestrian Games 2010 Board, Fayette County Education Foundation Board, Fayette County Schools Equity Council and National City Banks Community Development Corporate Board. In June 2009, he was elected to a two-year term as the KCTCS board secretary and as a board vice-chairman in September 2010. He was appointed to the KCTCS Board of Regents for a six-year term that expires in 2012.

    Southeast remains close to my heart, said Turner. The college prepared me for my journey through higher education. I am honored and humbled to have been chosen to be included in the colleges Hall of Fame.

    Ms. Austin, who is on the faculty of Jefferson Community amp; Technical College, noted that SKCTC gave her the chance to receive a college education. After her graduation from the college, she transferred to UK receiving a bachelor in arts degree. She would soon return to Harlan County and teach English at Southeast before accepting a teaching post at JCTC. It (Southeast), gave me my start. I learned so much there as a student and was inspired intellectually by members of its wonderful faculty. I owe a great deal to the college. I am happy to be included in the Hall of Fame.

    Peeples remembers SKCTC as a place where he was challenged to excel and where he was pressed to climb toward an associate degree and then, upon his transfer to UK, he would draw on the knowledge received at SKCTC to excel and to achieve a degree in education. Southeast is where it all began for me, he said. I was fortunate, and I am blessed to have had the opportunity to attend Southeast. To be named to the schools Hall of Fame is a humbling experience, I am touched.

    Southeast will sponsor Super Sunday beginning at 11 a.m. at the Greater Mount Sinai Baptist Church in Lynch on February 27. On this day, SKCTC and each of the other 15 Kentucky community and technical colleges of the KCTCS System will partner with churches in the communities to host information fairs for prospective college students and for their families. Rev. Ronnie Hampton pastor at Mount Sinai along with SKCTC President Dr. W. Bruce Ayers will speak during the morning service.We at Southeast are elated to be able to honor three of our alumni as we place them into the Hall of Fame. The contributions made by Dr. Tuner, Mr. Peeples and Ms. Austin are remarkable and noteworthy. They got their beginnings at Southeast and have ascended to the heights of academic circles, government and community service, said Ayers.

    Super Sunday will be an annual initiative for Southeast. In subsequent years, the program will be expanded to target students from other racial and ethnic groups, such as the emerging Latino population, as well as more church partners.

    Higher education for southeastern Kentuckians begins at SKCTC, and so it is a vital part of the KCTCS mission to increase the educational opportunities for people of color, including African-American and Latinos. Super Sunday is a statewide initiative intended to increase the college-going rate of students of color. Southeast will partner with Mount Sinai Baptist Church to reach out to parents and students to promote higher education.

    For most Kentuckians, higher education begins at one of the states 16 community and technical colleges. It is a vital part of the KCTCS mission to ensure the states diverse populations receive every opportunity to obtain a college education. KCTCSs Super Sunday in modeled after a highly-successful program that California State University has hosted every year since 2005.