Metropolitan College: 10 years strong

By Kevin Hyde

 It was the chance of a lifetime—100 percent tuition assistance, book cost reimbursement, housing payments, loan forgiveness and an hourly wage with academic and graduation bonuses. For London, Ky., native Kevin Kester that chance—to attend the University of Louisville for free while working at UPS through the Metropolitan College program—came looking for him.

“If UPS had not actively recruited from Southeastern Kentucky and Appalachia, I would not have known about this program and could not have funded university studies on my own,” Kester says. “I may not have been afforded the opportunities I received after completing my degree at UofL through the program. It allowed me to travel and work abroad and continue my education.”

Hub 2000

During these harrowing financial times, it might be hard to imagine the circumstances that led to the formation of Metropolitan College 10 years ago. In late 1997 the city, county and state were trying to entice UPS to invest $860 million in its Louisville air hub, a venture that would make the region the heart of the company’s international operations.

But there was an unusual problem—a healthy economy. That, coupled with a declining population of young adults in the Louisville area, had strapped the labor market and UPS was concerned there might not be enough qualified workers to staff the new hub.

In response, then Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton rallied the presidents of the three area higher education institutions—UofL, Jefferson Community College and Jefferson Technical College—and asked them to develop a proposal to meet UPS’s workforce requirements. As state budget director at the time, current UofL President James Ramsey worked with the presidents to craft the proposal.

Considering that it led to such a huge economic development prize, it was appropriate that the proposal was delivered on Christmas Eve. Over the next few months, UofL volunteered university staff and expertise to refine and finalize the proposal.

On March 4, 1998, UPS announced that “Hub 2000” would be in Louisville. At the same time, officials revealed the fruit of the presidents’ proposal—the formation of Metropolitan College, which would provide UPS with a reliable source of part-time employees and in return offer those workers paid tuition at UofL, JCC or JTC. (In 2005, JCC and JTC consolidated to form Jefferson Community and Technical College.)  Since its inception, Metropolitan College has added two new corporate partners, Humana and Rescare

The UPS program has been a metropolitan success story ever since.

“Metropolitan College is a wonderful example of the far reaching power of our community partnerships,” Ramsey says. “The local economy was bolstered by having UPS locate their international hub in Louisville. The company has benefited by having a reliable source of capable, dedicated workers. And, most importantly, young people who might not otherwise be able to afford a college education are earning degrees and starting rewarding careers. Their success is our success.”

Under the program, full tuition (Kentucky in-state undergraduate rate per credit hour) is paid for each participant. UPS pays for 50 percent of the tuition while the remaining half is paid for by federal and state grants. If the student does not qualify for grants, or the grants available are not sufficient to cover 50 percent of the tuition, the state of Kentucky, Louisville Metro Government, UofL and JCTC to pick up the remaining balance. In addition, UPS funds an academic bonus, an educational loan repayment and a book reimbursement program to further assist employees with their academic expenses.

Metropolitan College students must work part-time in the UPS Next Day Air operation from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m., 15 to 20 hours per week, earning $8.50 an hour pay, health-care coverage, a 401k savings plan and vacation. Most positions are package handlers, although a few administrative and data entry positions are available. Currently, the work retention rate is about 85 percent.

Approximately 2,000 students are currently enrolled in the Metropolitan College program. Each student who attends UofL, who has less than 60 college credit hours, must have a minimum 3.0 high school grade point average and a minimum composite ACT score of 21. All students have the opportunity to start their education at JCTC and are encouraged to take advantage of the University of Louisville Transfer (ULTRA) program to ensure a successful transition to UofL.

Dedication

In 2005, when UPS committed another $1 billion capital investment and 5,000 new jobs to the community and state, company leaders said a major part was due to its partnerships and collaborations with UofL through Metropolitan College.

It’s easy to focus on the economic development successes, but the decade-long story of Metropolitan College becomes more compelling when you talk to its graduates, the impressive young men and women who seized the opportunity to make a better life through the program.

If not for Metropolitan College, Amanda Gardner thinks she might have lost her way. After graduating from Seneca High School in 1998, she hoped to go to college but wasn’t sure how to make that happen.

“My parents weren’t able to help out financially,” she says.

Then a friend who worked at UPS told her about the company’s education assistance program. In March 1999, she was hired to work in UPS’s night sort operation, and eventually enrolled in UofL’s College of Business, earning an accounting degree in 2006. Just as she was graduating, a supervisor asked her to consider a career with UPS.

Gardner is now a senior accounting associate with the company. She is proud of her beginnings at UPS, she says. Working nights “taught me dedication and perseverance. And it kept me out of trouble. If I had been hanging out all night like some of my friends, I might have lost my focus.

“I had people tell me, ‘You’ll never last,’ and, ‘You’ll never get promoted.’ But I knew what I was capable of, and I knew what I wanted. And UPS gave me the tools to do that through Metro College.”

Keja Davis was a JCTC student when she saw fliers for Metropolitan College. Since earning a UofL psychology degree through the program she has worked as a social worker with Seven Counties Services Inc., a community mental health center serving Jefferson, Bullitt, Henry, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer and Trimble counties in Kentucky.

Davis says working nights at UPS was hard, but it was a good experience. She emphasizes that she took advantage of “all the opportunities” offered through Metropolitan College, particularly the Connecting Resources Education and Workforce (CREW) Career Center. CREW is a partnership between Metropolitan College, JCTC and Kentuckiana Works that assists clients with career exploration, career planning and job placement. Services are free and available to the general public.

Metropolitan College representatives are also available at UPS nightly to help guide students through the program and assist with the balance of work issues. The program employs a team of student development counselors at UofL and JCTC to help students integrate and balance academics, personal life and work.

Davis advises current students to “stick with it, set goals and pace yourself. It’s hard while you are a student, but a degree is obtainable.”

Where I Am Today

For Kester, the London, Ky., native who introduced this story, Metropolitan College was the launching pad for a remarkable journey, one that’s still only beginning.

After graduating from UofL in 2004 with a music degree, Kester earned a master’s in peace education from the United Nations University for Peace. He then added a professional development certificate in peace education from the Teachers College at Columbia University in New York.

Kester is now a visiting professor with Woosong University in Daejeon, South Korea, and teaches with the Civic Education Project of the Center for Talent Development at Northwestern University. He also works with several other international organizations including the Foundation for Universal Responsibility of HH the Dalai Lama.

“I would not be where I am today if it was not for [Metropolitan College],” he says. “I strongly advocate the opportunities the program gave me and hope it continues for years to come.”