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BY TOM LATEK

Kentucky Today

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System announced Friday that Paul Czarapata, the institution’s third president, departed from the system effective Feb. 2, to return to his roots in technology.

Czarapata became KCTCS president in April 2021, but was with the system for over 20 years, serving as vice president of Technology Solutions prior to the presidency.

“The 23 years I have been here have been some of the most fulfilling not only in my career, but in my life,” Czarapata said. “My passion and career background have been in technology, and I am at a point in my life that I want to head back in that direction. I want to thank the faculty, staff and KCTCS Board of Regents for all of their support during my tenure and I wish the system nothing but the best as it plays a most vital role for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.”

KCTCS Board of Regents Chair James Lee Stevens said, “On behalf of the entire Board of Regents, I want to thank Dr. Czarapata for his dedication to the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. We thank him for his many years of service at KCTCS, including his tenure as president; congratulate him on his many achievements; and wish him our very best in his future professional endeavors.”

Stevens also announced that Larry Ferguson was named acting KCTCS president.  Ferguson was the former vice president and acting chancellor for KCTCS before taking on his current role as president and CEO of Ashland Community and Technical College. He was previously president of Bevill State Community College in Jasper, Alabama.

“The board has great confidence in Dr. Ferguson’s leadership and appreciates him stepping up in this time of transition,” Stevens said.

The board will now assemble a committee to be charged with appointing an interim president, who will serve in that role until a national search can be conducted for the fourth president of the system.

“We look to forward to naming an interim soon, and then beginning the search for our next KCTCS president,” Stevens said. “I want to assure our students, faculty and staff that the KCTCS Board of Regents is acting with their best interest in mind and while we know that change can be hard, it can also lead to new paths of success.”

KCTCS consists of 16 colleges and a system office in Versailles.