In a September 26th email to faculty members of the Department of Teaching, Learning and Educational Leadership (TLEL) it was announced that EKU has signed a contract with the for-profit “talent development provider” BloomBoard, Inc. By the terms of this contract, BloomBoard could grant course credits to incoming students in EKU’s Online Elementary Education program for “prior work experience.” Faculty in TLEL were not allowed to decide whether or not this contract would be signed, nor will they have any say in what counts as applicable work experience. Also, not only would the University be paying fees to BloomBoard, but students would be paying BloomBoard additional fees, beyond their normal tuition, in order to access this “service.”  

This contract will diminish the quality and reputation of EKU’s Teacher Education program, an academic program that has won national recognition through the hard work of dedicated faculty. It will replace faculty-designed curricula with prepackaged online courses that don’t address the needs of our student population. It will also necessarily reduce the number of courses being taught by EKU faculty, leading to less faculty and a cheaper pathway to awarding degrees. There is potential the contract could be a net loss for the university if the fees it pays to BloomBoard are not offset by substantial enrollment increases. Finally, it sets a dangerous precedent that will move Eastern Kentucky University away from educationally sound teacher preparation and towards a for-profit, “pay-to-play” model awarding credentials.

This is not the first time EKU has outsourced its operations to for-profit companies: a few years back EKU fired almost all of its custodial and food services staff and allowed the Aramark corporation to hire them back for less pay and with less job security. This decision is also part of a broader pattern of administrators acting unilaterally, with little to no transparency around their decisions, and no accountability if and when their plans fall apart, as happened with our contract with the Ohio Valley Conference.

Left unchecked, the administration will continue to consolidate its authority and keep pushing our institution of higher learning into a business selling “educational products.” Enough is enough. Over 100 EKU staff, faculty, and student workers have come together to organize as an independent union of workers. Through this organization, we are able to stand up and push back against disastrous decision-making and rebuild EKU as a place where our voices, experiences, and expertise matter.

Join us today by signing onto the statement below asking the Board of Regents to end EKU ties with BloomBoard Inc, and institute greater oversight and worker control over third party contract deals moving forward.