UK’s Top 20 Plan is the main litmus test for the overall direction of the university and so far UK is having trouble reaching its marks.

According to a Wednesday Oct. 7 Kernel article, UK doubled its research expenditures and increased enrollment by 3,000 students. While those numbers definitely show progress toward the goals of the Top 20 Plan, progress is hardly where administration would like it to be at this point.

No plan of such magnitude will come easy, especially when UK has so much ground to cover to compete with its benchmark universities.

Research expenditures by over $436 million and increase enrollment by nearly 7,000 students along with increasing the graduation rate to 72 percent by 2020.

The goal of becoming a top-20 lack of public research university is more than admirable. Such an ambitions plan definitely sets an agenda that demands the best for students, faculty and staff — especially considering the overall benefit the plan would bring to the Commonwealth. It will raise education levels, improve health care, accelerate research and increase engagement in communities state-wide.

In an interview with the Kernel Editorial Board, UK President Lee Todd said his legacy would be tied to the Top 20 Plan. At this rate, Todd may go down in history as the man with lofty goals who couldn’t come through.

The problem with such a plan is the public support and unforeseen economic downturn has greatly affected his ability to execute the plan. With budget cuts and tuition hikes, it’s hard to sell the UK community on a plan which brings in new faculty and staff while previously employed individuals’ salaries remain the same. In the same vein, students’ desire for smaller classes, increased resources and an affordable education trumps a plan that takes long-term commitment, something students who are here for relatively brief periods of time do not value.

It’s not necessarily time to scrap the Top 20 Plan, but there has to be some serious adjustments to deal with the imminent reality UK is facing. Pushing a plan people do not support is not only foolish and unadvisable, but could set UK further back than before it enacted the Top 20 Plan.