Southeast students give support to state transportation initiative by gathering over 300 surveys | SKCTC

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    Southeast students give support to state transportation initiative by gathering over 300 surveys

    Rhonda Creech and her students displaying their surveys

    A class project instigated by Southeast Kentucky Community amp; Technical College Professor Rhonda L. Creech has been successful in gathering over 300 surveys that will likely play a key role in the planning decisions by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KTC). Students enrolled in her statistics STA 220 classes enthusiastically agreed to join with their teacher in the project that begin in early January with the reading of a newspaper article in The Harlan Daily Enterprise seeking input from citizens about transportation needs across the commonwealth.

    Upon reading the article, Professor Creech contacted KTC information officer, Ryan Watts, in Frankfort, telling him that her classes had agreed to get involved with the project and would have the surveys completed by January 29. Creech noted the survey was a list of 19 questions concerning demographics, transportation needs along with desires and funding options. The state agency will use the contributions by Southeast to consider changes in community freight movement, financial resources, economic development and highway safety, along with other issues which are important to our community, she explained.

    The project was supported whole heartedly, Creech said, by the Southeast administration, especially by Dr. Wheeler Conover, the colleges chief academic officer.


    SKCTC students worked tirelessly to collect over 300 surveys to mail to Frankfort. The surveys highly represented Harlan and Bell counties but also included input from those living across the state, as one section of the statistics class is taught and delivered online. After the assessments have been received, the KTC will compile and analyze the responses which will likely form the transportation cabinets planning decisions over the next two decades, explained Creech.

    Class members participating in the project were Zac Howard, Tommy Noe, Taylor Bowman, Josh Owens, Jacob Carroll, Tracy Devore, Wes Howard and Danielle Brock.