PIKEVILLE, Ky. — Amid pomp, circumstance and bagpipes, former Kentucky Governor Paul Patton became the 18th president of Pikeville College Tuesday afternoon.

Among those speaking at the inauguration were University of Kentucky President Lee Todd, University of Louisville President James Ramsey and Hal Rogers, U.S. Representative, Kentuckys 5th District.

The main theme of the afternoon seemed to be what a perfect fit Patton, who is known as the “Education Governor,” is for the position of President of PC.

“As Kentucky’s legacy education governor, Paul dismantled the community college system and created Kentucky Community and Technical College System,” Todd said. “The Post Secondary Education Improvement Act of 1997 are some of the most important legislation passed in my time. Since then, Kentuckys high school graduation rate has gone from 63 to 72 percent, the number of undergraduate students has risen 24 percent, the number of bachelor degrees has doubled, and graduate degrees have risen 78 percent. These numbers are a testament to his reform. These things are why he is the ‘Education Governor.’ (Pikeville College) is in good hands.”

Patton’s background as an engineer was also used to illustrate his ability to bring together ideas with the means to turn those ideas into reality.

“Scientists can envision things,” Congressman Rogers said. “But, its the engineers that know how to make things happen. Vision without funding is just a hallucination — Paul Patton knows how to get things done.”

Rogers went on say Patton had a talent for bringing people together.

“Paul has built bridges between politics and statesmanship, between coal mining and education reform, between Democrats and Republicans and between engineering and social betterment. He is an engineer, that is what engineers do,” Rogers said.

Patton’s first address after being installed by Pikeville College Board of Trustees Chairman Terry Dotson and Robert King, President of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, evoked the ancient teacher and philosopher Aristotle.

“Aristotle would have been as inspired by us as we would have been by him,” Patton said. “He wanted to transfer knowledge and create a desire to learn. Now, thousands of years later, we cannot be bound by Aristotles limitations. We must be ready to change.”

Patton said, “Students must not only learn, but also be able to communicate what they learn. Lectures are still the most important component of a liberal arts education, but we must also integrate technology into that education.”

Patton spoke to current and future Pikeville College students, saying what they learn in the class room is just part of their total education.

“Make the most of your time on the hill,” Patton said, referring to the hillside campus with its famous Ninety-nine steps. “It will be the most important time you will ever spend.”

Patton summed up his hope for Pikeville students, “If we are successful, you will develop a passion for knowledge.”