By Todd Hatton
Frankfort, KY – Former Kentucky Governor Paul Patton has resigned his seat on the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. Patton currently serves as president of the University of Pikeville. He announced his departure Friday, saying it will avoid a potential conflict of interest as he pushes to have the private college added to the state's system of public universities. Governor Steve Beshear says he will seek advice from the council on whether the state should take over the Pikeville campus, which includes an osteopathic medical school. Patton says Beshear has ordered a study of the proposal. A search officially began Friday for a consultant to lead that study, which is expected to take up to two months. The state conducted a similar review before adding the University of Louisville to the state system in 1970.