Important Notice
"Thanks to an education, my life is better" said Janice Hagans-Higgins. In 2011, she graduated from Hazard Community and Technical College with an associate degree. She then utilized the University Center of the Mountains to enroll at Lindsey Wilson College and obtained a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources and Counseling in 2012.
David B. Crawford of Hazard is the Eastern Kentucky University School of Justice Studies Distinguished Undergraduate Student Award recipient for 2013. He was recognized at the Night of Distinguished Professionals awards dinner on Wednesday, April 3, at EKU. Crawford currently attends EKU through the University Center of the Mountains (UCM) located on the Hazard Campus of Hazard Community and Technical College.
UCM Summer Hours 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
The University Center of the Mountains (UCM) is a dynamic consortium of postsecondary educational institutions bringing more bachelor's and master's degrees and educational opportunities close to home in southeastern Kentucky. The partnership will add other universities and colleges to deliver more advanced degrees based on student, employer and community demand.
The eight present partners are:
The UCM service area is the Kentucky River Area Development District (KRADD) which serves the following eight counties: Perry, Breathitt, Knott, Letcher, Lee, Leslie, Owsley and Wolfe.
The UCM is a wonderful example of a partnership at its best. Since the UCM opened its doors in fall 2004, through the collaborative efforts of its partnering four-year institutions and the community college system, as of May 2012, 912 degrees (bachelor's and/or master's) have been awarded to eastern Kentuckians.
The UCM provides increased access to bachelor's and master's level degree attainments for both traditional and non-traditional students by overcoming several of the challenges (geographic and financial access) that have previously made it difficult for Eastern Kentuckians to earn a post-secondary education by bringing select bachelor's and master's degree programs closer to home. In addition, the UCM partnership provides efficient use of financial resources and human resources (while also avoiding duplication of services) during increasingly difficult economic times because of the shared use of administrative/staff resources and shared classroom, meeting, and office space provided within the UCM facility on the Hazard HWY 15 South campus of HCTC.