Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College celebrates Class of 2026 and Presidential Investiture

Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College celebrated the achievements of the Class of 2026 Thursday evening during its Spring Commencement Ceremony at Harlan County High School while also formally investing Dr. Andrea “Lee” Harrison as the college’s 11th president.

Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College celebrated the Class of 2026 at the Harlan County High School gymnasium on Thursday, May 7.

During the ceremony, Dr. Andrea "Lee" Harrison was formally invested as Southeast’s 11th president. KCTCS Provost and Executive Vice President Dr. Phillip Neal presided over the investiture.
The ceremony brought together graduates, families, faculty, staff, community members, and regional partners to honor student success and mark a new chapter in the college’s 65-year history.

Dr. Phillip Neal, provost and executive vice president of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, attended on behalf of KCTCS President Dr. Ryan Quarles. Neal presided over the formal investiture ceremony and delivered greetings on behalf of the system.

“On behalf of KCTCS, I am honored to congratulate Dr. Harrison on her investiture as president of Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College,” Neal said. “Dr. Harrison brings a deep commitment to student success, a strong understanding of this region, and the vision needed to lead Southeast into its next chapter. We are excited for her leadership and confident that, under her guidance, Southeast will continue to be a powerful force for opportunity, workforce development, and community advancement across Southeast Kentucky.”

The ceremony featured participation from students, faculty, alumni and staff, including the Southeast Choir, Harlan County High School JROTC Color Guard, and student representative Brett Wes Johnson.

In her remarks, Harrison reflected on leadership, service, and the shared responsibility of building stronger communities across Southeast Kentucky. She challenged graduates to lead with gratitude, compassion, and a commitment to helping others while also emphasizing the important role the college plays in strengthening the region.

“It is especially meaningful to me that this installation is part of commencement, because it reminds us of something essential: leadership in higher education begins and ends with students,” Harrison said.

Harrison also highlighted the college’s recent momentum, including growing enrollment, strong financial stewardship, new academic programs, and record numbers of credentials awarded this year.

“We are at a pivotal moment,” Harrison said. “This college is one of this region’s greatest drivers of opportunity, workforce, economic strength and hope.”

The commencement ceremony recognized graduates from across Southeast’s campuses and academic programs, including academic transfer, healthcare, career and technical education and workforce training pathways.