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Kentucky State University outlines $183M in state investments, chiller failures and plans for a Health Science building
Summary
Kentucky State University officials told the committee the legislature has invested more than $183 million since 2022 in facility upgrades, detailed ongoing dorm and academic renovations, and reported a failure of three central HVAC units that will take months to repair. KSU requested continued support for design and construction of a Health Science Building and other projects.
Kofi Akapo, identified in the hearing as the president of Kentucky State University, opened the institution’s update and thanked the committee for recent legislative support. He said the campus experienced a simultaneous failure of three central HVAC units during high temperatures, forcing staff to send people home and triggering an urgent repair timeline.
CFO Heather Brigard said the legislature had committed over $183,000,000 to KSU since 2022, including a $5,000,000 design appropriation for a Health Science Building and a planned $50,000,000 construction appropriation next year. Brigard said the university had invested $48,000,000 in residence‑hall upgrades and $22,000,000 in academic and administrative facilities. She described the chiller plant situation as a near‑term priority and said the university is assessing both temporary and permanent rehabilitative costs and timelines; the transcript includes a garbled cost phrase and the university did not provide a clean dollar figure in the hearing.
