HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. —

The victim in a deadly home invasion shooting in Madison County was a graduate of Northern Kentucky University's Chase College of Law and was a former assistant commonwealth attorney for Boone and Gallatin Counties.

32-year-old Jordan Morgan was shot and killed Tuesday at her parent's house.

"She came from a political family. Her father was a state legislator. She had a lot of access to the world of Kentucky politics," said NKU law professor, Ken Katkin. "She was working for congressman Massie part-time while she was going to Chase, and she was also working on Governor Bevin's campaign in 2015."

Katkin said Morgan just started a new job at an elite law firm in Lexington. He described Morgan as intelligent, resourceful and a natural leader.

"In the student organization, the Federal Society, they pretty much made her the president by acclimation. It wasn't even really seriously considered that anyone else could be the president. She was obviously presidential that she was the automatic choice for that," Katin said.

Kentucky State Police said Shannon Gilday, who is from Taylor Mill, Kentucky, forced his way into the home on Willis Branch Road around 4 a.m. armed with a rifle.

Police said once he was inside, he shot and killed Morgan while she was in bed.

Police then say Gilday allegedly confronted the homeowner, when gunshots were exchanged between the two.

The homeowner suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and Gilday left the scene in a 2016 white Toyota Corolla.

Former state Rep. Wesley Morgan owns the home, according to the Madison County property valuation administrator’s office.

Morgan told the Lexington Herald Leader that his daughter was killed.

Morgan served one term as a state representative for Richmond and Berea in Madison County.

Shannon's mother, Katie Gilday, said that she is saddened for the Morgan family's loss. She said her son has "not been of sound mind the last couple of weeks, distraught with the certainty a nuclear war is imminent."

The mother says her son spoke of building a bunker and the CIA following him. She said she tried to get him psychiatric help but was unsuccessful.

"I plead to Shannon to turn himself in so that he can get the help he so desperately needs. Meanwhile, I thank my family and friends for their love and support and ask for our privacy as we navigate through this unthinkable tragedy," the mother said.

Kentucky State Police told WLWT the bunker could be what led Gilday to the mansion. Online realtor postings show the $6.5 million home was built with a fallout shelter underneath.

KSP said until Gilday is located, they are looking at all possibilities.

Shannon Gilday has an active arrest warrant for murder, burglary, criminal mischief, assault and two counts of attempted murder.

He is considered armed and dangerous. He is believed to be driving a White 2016 Toyota Corolla with minor damage to the front grill, and a license plate of 379-VMJ.

Gilday is 6 feet tall and weighs 167 pounds. He has brown hair and blue eyes. Surveillance footage showed him wearing a camo or tactical style pants and jacket, dark-colored hooded sweatshirt, gloves and a light-colored face mask.

People are asked not to approach the vehicle or attempt to contact the driver for safety reasons. Anyone with additional information about the investigation is urged to call KSP Post 7 at 859-623-2404.

CINCINNATI — Two former University of Cincinnati men's soccer players have announced they are transferring to Northern Kentucky University less than a month after UC discontinued its program.

Former UC freshman midfielder Ben Hegge (Moeller graduate) and former UC freshman forward Sam Robinson (Talawanda) announced on Twitter their intentions to transfer to NKU and play for the men's soccer program.

"It's awesome," Hegge told WCPO.

Both players decided to transfer from UC after Athletic Director John Cunningham announced April 14 the men's soccer program was being discontinued immediately after a comprehensive review of the department's budget.

The UC men's soccer program was started in 1973 and the team had an all-time record of 385-408-84.

Hegge said it was a hectic experience the past few weeks especially with final exams going on, too. Hegge said he reached out to NKU and really believes in the coaching staff and their commitment to the program. He also considered the University of Dayton.

In the end, NKU proved to be the best fit.

"Selfishly, it's fantastic for the Welker family who went to the majority of his home games last year at UC," Welker told WCPO. "Mason and Levi (two of Welker's sons) love watching him play."

Welker couldn't overstate how significant of a loss the UC men's program would be for college recruiting in the Cincinnati area, but he said Monday he is very glad Hegge was able to land with the Norse.

"For Moeller this just continues another pathway and pipeline for our guys to continue to play high-level Division I soccer in front of their families here locally," Welker said. "We're so pumped for Ben and so happy he was able to land at a great location that plays a great style of soccer."

The Norse (7-10-1 in 2019) picked up two significant wins over 2019 Horizon League tournament champions Wright State and 2018 Horizon League tournament champions University of Illinois at Chicago. NKU is coached by Stu Riddle, who completed his third season with the Norse in 2019.

"I hope to reach out to Coach Riddle and get a game or two at NKU's stadium to hopefully provide even more exposure for Moeller guys in the future," Welker said.

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — Northern Kentucky University will work to diversify the education workforce, thanks to a grant awarded by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. 

“Nationally, about 80% of teachers are white. In Kentucky, 95% of teachers are white. It’s a moral imperative at this point that we do something about diversifying the workforce,” said Ginni Fair, Dean of NKU’s College of Education.

The grant is for $100,000. NKU will match that with an additional $100,000.

According to Fair, the university will take a three-pronged approach to achieving its goal.

First, it’ll work to meet an immediate need by offering scholarships for the Masters of Arts in Teaching program to teachers of color. That’s an 18-month online program where teachers can work in the classroom while getting their certification. Students on campus for content area majors such as history or math can also receive a scholarship to pursue a minor in education.

The university also plans to create a pipeline of future educators.

“(We plan) to get into these diverse high schools and establish some clubs for groups such as Educators Rising so we can start connecting with those students as early as 11th and 12th grade,” said Fair.

Finally, Fair said, the university will look at how it prepares all educators, helping them to be the “most effective advocates for their students in the classroom.”

NKU will partner with three area school districts as part of this initiative, including Covington Independent Schools, Newport and Erlanger-Elsmere school districts.

“We whole-heartedly acknowledge the need for our staff to better reflect our population. It just makes sense,” said Ken Kippenbrock, Executive Director Human Resources and operations at Covington Independent Schools.

According to Kippenbrock, 62% of students attending the district are students of color. Yet, only 23% of the total staff at the district are people of color.

“We simply don’t have the candidates and we need to be more intentional about our recruiting efforts,” he said.

“It’s not that folks don’t want to be teachers. It’s that a lot of them don’t understand that it’s a viable option for them,” said Dr. David Childs, NKU professor and founder of Black and Brown Educators of Excellence.

Childs said the grant money will not only help to diversify the education workforce, but will create a better learning environment for students.

“The research shows, when students have someone that looks like them and also can culturally relate to them and can affirm them, they perform better academically,” he said.

Fair said the university plans to recruit during the springtime, with the hope of enrolling people into the MAT program in the summer.

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — A woman who died in a crash in Boone County on Monday is being remembered for her friendship, humor and dedication to her craft this week.

Twenty-one-year-old Allyson Davis, who hailed from Floyd County, Kentucky and was a senior musical theatre student at Northern Kentucky University, died Monday morning in a crash on I-75 near Walton.

"She was a wonderful young lady and it is an understatement that we will miss her greatly," NKU School of the Arts leaders said in an online statement.

Davis was recently the lead in “Tick Tick Boom!” and played Little Buttercup in “HMS Pinafore” at NKU.

“Her talent was only matched by the size of her heart and her infectious smile, which could light up any room. Ally was loved by her classmates and a true friend through the best and hardest of times. The dedication to which she pursued her craft was an inspiration to all of us,” the statement continued.

“In class, on stage, or passing in the hallways, Ally made you feel as if you'd been friends for a lifetime. She represents the best in all of us, and we will forever be lucky to have enjoyed her artistry, friendship, and love of life.”

A GoFundMe set up by students for a memorial for Davis and to support her family has already raised over $8,300 as of Wednesday afternoon. To donate to the GoFundMe, click here.

A visitation for Davis will be held from noon to 2 p.m. at the Mountain Arts Center in Prestonsburg. A memorial service will follow at 2 p.m.

CINCINNATI — College students – and their professors – found themselves forced online in spring 2020. Suddenly, every class was a virtual one and the idea of limited classroom time continued into the fall, as the pandemic dragged on.

WCPO surveyed local universities to see how online enrollment and virtual or hybrid class numbers changed since 2019. We found a steady, but not rapid, increase in online learning in our area.

"You can't just snap back to 2019 and expect this stuff to work," said Matthew Cecil, Northern Kentucky University's new provost. "We need to know our students better. That's the challenge for everyone in higher education."

Cecil started at NKU in highland Heights this summer and said he plans to spend the next six months or so meeting students and listening to what they want in terms of mix of in-person and online learning.

WCPO

Data provided by NKU shows 4,500 students enrolled in accelerated online programs -- generally graduate or professional certifications -- for the fall, which equals out to one in four students at the university. This fall, 27 percent of other courses will be online, up from 18 percent in fall 2019.

"I do think it will stick," Cecil said. "I don't know exactly where the percentages will come down, but I think it is highly likely that we will see this kind of mix [going forward]."

Other local universities are seeing more mixed moves toward online learning.

Thomas More University in Crestview Hills told WCPO it will offer 114 courses online in the 2021-22 school year, up from 80 courses in the 2018-19 school year. Enrollment is climbing, too. 798 students have enrolled in online courses for the upcoming school year, compared to 683 in 2018-19.

Miami University is offering 724 online courses across all its campuses this fall, or 15.6 percent of courses, up from 528 in fall 2019, representing 11.1 percent. But that's down dramatically from the forced online presence of 2020, when Miami recorded 2835 online courses.

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It will also offer 157 hybrid courses this fall, or about three percent of courses.

At Xavier University in Evanston, a spokesman said "nearly all" courses were returning to in-person, but did not have exact numbers readily available for fall 2021.

The University of Cincinnati also did not provide exact numbers to compare its fall online courses and enrollment, but said it offers "a good mix of online and in-person options."

UC noted, like Xavier, it was returning to a more traditional fall semester, but had an eye on online-only options moving forward.

So, if you thought the pandemic was pushing the end of the days of huge campus construction projects, new dorms, and a college building boom – think again.

"The reality, of course, is that there's always going to be an audience of students who want that on-campus residential experience," said NKU's Cecil. "You still have to attract that audience that wants the nice dorm rooms, the dining halls, all the activities you have on campus."

Cecil warned, though, that colleges and universities needed to meet more students – and prospective students – where they are.

"I need to know more about the students, and what their experiences were during COVID – and we know they weren't always what they wanted them to be – and what they need from us going forward," he said.

Cecil jokes that one day some university will make lots of money by figuring out a way to provide virtual courses in a similar space as newly popular workout programs, like Peloton.

Online-only universities fared particularly well during the pandemic.

Columbus, Ohio-based Franklin University has seen steady growth through the pandemic. According to data it provided to WCPO, its enrollment has grown from 4,333 in spring 2019 to 5,352 in spring 2021.

"The way the world is now, we're always moving," said K.L. Allen, president of Western Governors University Ohio. "It forced us to pivot and, luckily, we were already 100 percent online and students were able to continue to live their life and go to school."

WGU Ohio has seen enrollment grow more than 13 percent this year, and its graduation rate has increased 33 percent.

Michael Benedic

"[My students] always look on my wall – I have pictures of when I was in school, my first teaching job – and they always ask me questions like, 'That's you in that picture? Where did you go to school at?'" said Jaton Kershaw, a teacher at Cincinnati's Woodford Academy. "And I tell them, 'I didn't go to a traditional school where you would go into a building. I graduated from an online school."

Kershaw got her teaching degree online after she left the University of Cincinnati when tragedy struck and turned her life upside down.

In 2004, she was at the Black Family Reunion along the riverfront downtown when gunfire erupted. Kershaw was shot and spent time in the hospital and then at home recovering, dreading returning to school.

"I conquered my fear, I did," she said. "I had a lot of anxiety and didn't want to go into a lot of public places. I didn't trust large crowds."

The numbers show more people are taking Kershaw's approach to higher education – more options, less expensive, on their time.

"We now have lives we have to live, we have responsibilities as adults to take care of our family, we want the American Dream on our time," said WGU's Allen.

But there is not a dramatic shift happening to online courses, hastened by the pandemic. At least, not yet.