Thought Leadership
August 19, 2026
Dr. Michael Strysick, Chief Strategic Communications Officer at Kentucky State University, shared his perspectives on leveraging student success initiatives to drive Gen Z enrollment during an exclusive panel webinar with Kaplan. Key takeaways encompass delivering on the value proposition of students’ college experience, equipping students with tools they need to achieve their goals, and understanding how sustainable student engagement requires a balance between digital efficiency and authentic human touchpoints. The following excerpts are taken from the interview.
Dr. Michael Strysick: Kentucky State University is located in Frankfort, Kentucky, the capital of the commonwealth. We were founded in 1886 and are now celebrating our 140th anniversary. We are also a public, Historically Black 1890 land-grant institution.
Our campus has about 3,000 students, of which most are undergraduates. We’re also growing in dual credit enrollment and we have a number of graduate programs including a Doctorate of Nursing Practice; we are very strong in STEM+H.
Kentucky State is a largely first-generation and Pell-eligible student audience and that focuses a lot of the work that we do in terms of recruitment. It also is something that is near and dear to my heart as a first-generation college student as well. And we are really at an interesting moment in the history and evolution of the institution. In April 2026, the Kentucky General Assembly passed Senate Bill 185, and Kentucky State has begun a five-year transition to become a more comprehensive polytechnic institution.
We are looking into some of the models we see in Tuskegee University, Howard University, Spelman College, and Morgan State University, for example. We are an institution that has really been working on expanding opportunity, preparing students for meaningful work and serving communities across the commonwealth and beyond our borders.
Dr. Strysick: My role as chief strategic communications officer means I am Kentucky State’s chief storyteller. I participate in our institution’s President’s Cabinet which helps me not only know what is going on but also to share what stories need to be told. It helps me to continually insist that we need to deliver on the promises that we make about what we are offering to students and how we are thinking about them not only on day one but before they get here, how they are going to be successful, and how we can follow through for their success.
I do a lot of work to support enrollment management, but we really do a lot to tell stories all the time about the ways in which our students are being mentored—mentoring is very important to us—and to show how they are being involved in internships and co-op experiences and other high-impact practices.
Supported by significant federal funding from agencies including the USDA, NSF, and Department of Energy, Kentucky State maintains the third-largest university research portfolio in Kentucky, according to the latest federal data. These opportunities are not limited to graduate students; undergraduates also contribute directly to funded research.
With that, we have been leaning into the research opportunities that our students can find as well, which makes a lot of sense with the shift to the polytechnic focus. Again, thinking about the demographic that we serve, I think we have all found that student success has been a retention strategy for a long time. It is really now an enrollment strategy. It is not something that happens after students start to struggle, but it is for everyone. It is for those who may be struggling and for those who are very ambitious as well. We need to take a very holistic approach.
We need to make sure that people know that their college investment is something they will see a return on, especially if you are from a first-generation college family, this is a really big deal. Our students should not have to know ahead of time how college works in order to benefit from college. If they do not have that background and that legacy, that ends up becoming a part of our value proposition as well.
And we’re still growing and working through figuring all this out. We recently created a new position for VP of enrollment management and student success; we combine that because we do not see those as silos. We really see those areas as things that are so closely connected.
"Our students should not have to know ahead of time how college works in order to benefit from college. If they do not have that background and that legacy, that ends up becoming a part of our value proposition as well." — Dr. Michael Strysick
For context, Kaplan’s All Access License® is an umbrella program where institutions have the opportunity to offer students industry-leading test preparation for graduate admissions exams, licensure, credentials as well as skills development courses all for one flat fee. With zero out-of-pocket costs to students, this solution removes cost barriers and unlocks new opportunities as they take high-stakes exams such as for the MCAT®, LSAT®, or GMAT™ or career readiness programs such as Critical Thinking or Confident New Hire, among others.
Dr. Strysick: For us, we saw that preparation itself can really become an access issue. Given the demographic that we serve—a student body that includes many first-generation and Pell-eligible students—“access for all” has been such an important issue for us.
We have found that students may come in with talent, discipline, ambition, but they are just not prepared for the test prep or credential preparation and that becomes a hidden barrier. In fact, they may not even know that that is something that they have to expect as part of the path on the journey that they are making to become successful.
"We are not about lowering the bar. We are about setting it very high while making sure students have the tools they need to clear it." — Dr. Michael Strysick
There are a lot of educational components that go in, from our standpoint, to make sure that they are aware of that. But we are doing everything we can to make sure that especially for first-generation and Pell-eligible students that those hidden costs are not a surprise. Because there is no hidden cost anymore. We can tell them that this is something that is available to them.
What we can say to our students, thanks to Kaplan’s All Access License, is that your next step should not depend on whether or not you can afford the next step in this preparation outside of the classroom. What this helps us do is really align with our mission of access and opportunity. We are not about lowering the bar. We are about setting it very high while making sure students have the tools they need to clear it. Kaplan’s All Access License has really been vital and important to open access for all here at Kentucky State University.
Dr. Strysick: If we step back for a moment in terms of what is going on right now in higher education, we are reading about program cuts at institutions, both public and private across the country. At Kentucky State, we are making this broader change as an institution in part by Senate legislation. Along with that is coming a lot of appropriations to the size that we have never had before, because we are really trying to partner with all entities across Kentucky to make sure that the preparation we are providing is for the jobs that are out there right now and the needs that exist.
The grants that we get are competitive. We are getting this because we can demonstrate that we are trying to provide solutions. Our students see that, prospective students see that, and again, the stories that we tell about that end up being very important.
"We are trying to make sure that we are providing an education that is extremely relevant to current needs, but we are also providing all of those resources to make sure that those credentials are being met along the way as well." — Dr. Michael Strysick
We are currently conducting a comprehensive academic program review as part of Kentucky State’s transition to a more comprehensive polytechnic institution. Faculty governance remains an important part of that process. I think that resonates with students when they look at us in terms of ROI. Because our students are already doing things in terms of workforce readiness.
But again, the credentials are important. We are very strong in nursing and STEM+H. There are so many credentials that need to be achieved. We are trying to make sure that we are providing an education that is extremely relevant to current needs, but we are also providing all of those resources to make sure that those credentials are being earned along the way as well.
It is really a combination of institutional focus and relevance and then making sure that we are providing all of those elements along the way.
Dr. Strysick: AI will continue to change how we create, communicate, and work, but its growth also makes human judgment and connection more important. Gen Z expects convenient digital access while still valuing relationships with faculty members, advisers, and other trusted people. Over the next five years, one of our greatest opportunities will be finding the right balance between digital efficiency and meaningful human engagement.
Kentucky State’s implementation of Kaplan’s All Access License illustrates that balance. The digital platform provides students with convenient access to valuable resources, while faculty members, advisers, and other trusted sources help students understand and use those resources effectively. Sustainable student engagement requires both.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the individual and not necessarily those of Kaplan or their institution. Student experiences may vary.
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