|
FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 11, 2024) — Kentucky’s esteemed Governor’s Scholars Program (GSP) will welcome a new leader following the close of this summer’s ongoing sessions at Centre College, Morehead State University and Murray State University, Gov. Andy Beshear announced today.
Dr. Jennifer Price of Georgetown, a 20-year veteran of the program and GSP Class of 1992 alumna, has been selected by the GSP board of directors to succeed long-serving Executive Director Dr. Aris Cedeño.
A 1992 GSP scholar at the Murray State University campus, Dr. Price went on to work for the program as a resident advisor (RA) beginning in 1994, serving as an RA on the Northern Kentucky University campus in 1995 when Gov. Beshear was a GSP scholar.
“Since the Governor’s Scholars Program was founded in 1983, the program has had a transformational impact on the lives of thousands of Kentucky students, including my own,” said Gov. Beshear. “I have had the great fortune of knowing Aris and Jen for many years, first as a GSP scholar and then as a GSP board member before I was elected Governor. Aris’s leadership has been instrumental to maintaining the integrity of the program while cultivating its continued success, and I can think of no one more suited to take over the GSP reins than Jen.”
Since her first summer as a scholar, Dr. Price has held every position within the GSP organization, including scholar, RA, head RA, office staff, faculty, associate campus director and campus director. For the last two summers, she has served as the academic dean.
“My experience as a Governor’s Scholar changed the trajectory of my life, helping to grow my confidence as a leader and showing me the rich diversity of perspectives across the commonwealth,” Dr. Price said. “Witnessing the profound and dynamic impact on thousands of scholars during my history with the program has provided me a unique understanding of the GSP’s mission and value in the lives of Kentucky’s next generations. What makes this program special is the way it brings together gifted young people from across a very diverse state, offering students an opportunity to take intellectual risks in the context of a supportive community built on a foundation of mutual respect. The GSP has meant so much to me, and I am deeply honored to serve in this new capacity.”
A native of Hopkins County, Dr. Price attended South Hopkins High School before attending Transylvania University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Price holds a master’s degree and Ph.D in clinical psychology from the University of Arkansas and completed a predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at Dartmouth Medical School and the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. She taught in the psychology department at Georgetown College for 20 years, recently serving as the institution’s Teaching and Learning Center director.
Dr. Price is the mother of two, the older of whom was a 2021 GSP scholar at Centre College, while the younger attends Scott County High School. Her family resides in Georgetown.
Dr. Price will replace outgoing Dr. Cedeño, who joined the GSP faculty in 1992 and has served as executive director since 2006. Dr. Cedeño will remain on the GSP staff through the fall to assist in the leadership transition and recruitment season.
“The Governor’s Scholars Program is not a high school, and it is not a college; it is education at its best. The nurturing environment of the GSP focuses on growing tomorrow’s leaders and, therefore, provides the ideal path for young minds to spread the waters of knowledge in every corner of Kentucky,” said Dr. Cedeño. “Serving the GSP for 33 summers has been an extraordinary trajectory that shaped my thinking, my educational approach and my commitment to foster intellectual curiosity among people. Participating in this endeavor transforms everyone into a scholar, but ultimately, the big winner is the commonwealth of Kentucky.”
Prior to his appointment as executive director, Dr. Cedeño served as GSP’s campus dean for Northern Kentucky University from 1995-2001 and academic dean from 1998-2023. Dr. Cedeño has also served on the board of the Kentucky Humanities and the National Conference of Governor's Schools. He has completed appointments as an American Council on Education Fellow (2006-2007) and a Bingham Fellow (2012).
Born and raised in Panama, Dr. Cedeño earned the degree of Attorney at Law at the University of Panama, where he taught political science before moving to the United States and obtaining his Ph.D in Spanish literature from Michigan State University. For 15 years, he worked as a professor at the University of Louisville, where his research interests included natural law, the 19th century and the Romantic Movement. He has published and edited a book and several papers on these topics and has also published a book on Panamanian culture.
The search for a new executive director took approximately three months and was led by the GSP Board of Directors with support from the Hanna Resources Group and input from a number of GSP alums.
“I’m so excited to welcome Jen as our next Executive Director,” stated Trey Grayson, a 1989 GSP alum who chairs GSP’s board and led the search process. “Her passion for students and the program impressed the board as well as recent alumni who assisted with the search. To paraphrase a statement made by another recent hire in the Commonwealth, Jen understands the assignment. She has the experience and skills to maintain the level of excellence that Aris has provided GSP for so many years, while bringing new ideas and innovations to the program.”
###
About the Governor’s Scholars Program
The Governor’s Scholars Program is a summer residential program for outstanding Kentucky high school students who are rising seniors. The program originated in 1983 to keep the state’s “best and brightest” from leaving the commonwealth to pursue educational and career opportunities elsewhere without fully understanding the potential of their talents at home. Students who are selected attend the program at no charge.
Students must be nominated by their high schools and then compete on a statewide level to be considered for GSP. Selection for the program is highly competitive, with an application process similar to that of prestigious colleges and universities. In addition to an academic profile that includes difficulty of course load, GPA, and at least one standardized test score, the application requires an outline of all extracurricular activities, a history of volunteer service, and a list of job positions held. A teacher recommendation, which includes both a quantitative evaluation and qualitative descriptions of the student’s performance and potential is required, as well as a community recommendation that shows how a student performs in a community setting. The final component of the application is an original essay.
To learn more about the GSP program, visit gsp.ky.gov.
Follow the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates.
|
