Northern Kentucky University’s Board of Regents on Wednesday accepted two anonymous gifts totaling $5.4 million to expand opportunities for students through the Votruba Young Scholars Academy and the creation of the Votruba Preparatory Academy. These gifts leverage a new appropriation from the Kentucky General Assembly of $5.4 million over the biennium that will help more Northern Kentucky students from low-income backgrounds begin preparing for higher education as early as sixth grade.
The Votruba Preparatory Academy will serve students in grades six through 12 through summer and school-year programming developed with local districts. It will complement the Votruba Young Scholars Academy, which provides early college opportunities for students in grades 11 and 12. Together, the academies will help students build a strong academic foundation, prepare for college-level coursework and develop the skills needed to succeed in higher education.
“At the heart of this work is a commitment to expanding college opportunity for students from low-income families who would be the first in their families to earn a college degree,” NKU President Cady Short- Thompson said. “We want to give students a clear path from sixth grade through college graduation. When students can see that path early and have the support to stay on it, a college degree can change what’s possible for them and their families.”
Breakthrough NKU, the preparatory academy’s signature program, is slated to launch in the summer of 2027 as a new affiliate of the national Breakthrough Collaborative. With an initial focus on students from Northern Kentucky’s River City Schools, the program will offer six weeks of summer learning each year for four consecutive summers, from the summer before sixth grade through the summer before ninth grade. School-year programming will help students continue building the academic skills they need to pursue opportunities such as the Votruba Young Scholars Academy.
“We are extremely grateful to our donors and the Kentucky General Assembly for investing in these students and the opportunities a college education can create for them and their families,” said Eric Gentry, vice president of advancement and executive director of the NKU Foundation. “Investments like this in NKU can change the course of a student’s life. These gifts, together with the state’s investment, will give more students in our region the chance to set foot on a college campus in middle school and build the skills and confidence to earn a degree.”
Breakthrough NKU will also help prepare future teachers. Paid undergraduate teaching fellows will gain classroom experience working with middle school students and receive training and coaching throughout the program.
State support includes $1.8 million in fiscal year 2027 and $3.6 million in fiscal year 2028 for the Votruba Young Scholars Academy, approved by the Kentucky General Assembly in April as part of the biennial budget.
NKU is accepting applications for an executive director of the Votruba Preparatory Academy and a Breakthrough NKU program director ahead of the summer 2027 launch. Applicants are encouraged to apply by Nov. 24.
Applications for both positions are available online:
Apply for the executive director position
Apply for the Breakthrough NKU program director position
Northern Kentucky University