The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...
land-grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...
research university
A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kno ...
in
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...
. Founded in 1865 by
John Bryan Bowman
John Bryan Bowman (October 16, 1824 – September 21, 1891) was an American lawyer and educator, most notably as the founder of Kentucky University and the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky. He was the grandson of Kentucky frontie ...
as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky,
the university is one of the state's two land-grant universities (the other being
Kentucky State University
Kentucky State University (KSU and KYSU) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically black land-grant university in Frankfort, Kentucky. Founded in 1886 as the State Normal School for Colored Persons ...
) and the institution with the highest enrollment in the state, with 30,545 students as of fall 2019.
The institution comprises 16 colleges, a
graduate school
Postgraduate or graduate education refers to Academic degree, academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by higher education, post-secondary students who have earned an Undergraduate education, un ...
, 93
undergraduate
Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...
programs, 99
master programs, 66
doctoral
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...
programs, and four professional programs.
It is
classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". According to the
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National I ...
, Kentucky spent $393 million on research and development in 2018, ranking it 63rd in the nation.
The University of Kentucky has fifteen libraries on campus. The largest is the
William T. Young Library, a federal depository, hosting subjects related to
social sciences
Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soci ...
,
humanities
Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...
, and
life sciences
This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, the ...
collections. Since 1997, the university has focused expenditures increasingly on research, following a compact formed by the
Kentucky General Assembly
The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives.
The General Assembly meets annually in the ...
. The directive mandated that the university become a ''Top 20'' public research institution, in terms of an overall ranking, to be determined by the university itself, by 2020.
2 alumni from the university have won
Nobel Prizes
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfre ...
.
History
University origins
In the early commonwealth of Kentucky, higher education was limited to children from prominent families, disciplined apprentices, and young men seeking entry into clerical, legal, and medical professions. As the first university in the territory that would become Kentucky,
Transylvania University
Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...
was the primary center for education, and became the forerunner of what would become the University of Kentucky.
John Bryan Bowman
John Bryan Bowman (October 16, 1824 – September 21, 1891) was an American lawyer and educator, most notably as the founder of Kentucky University and the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky. He was the grandson of Kentucky frontie ...
founded the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky (A&M), a publicly chartered department of Kentucky University, after receiving federal support through the
Morrill Land-Grant Act in 1865.
Courses were offered at
Ashland, The Henry Clay Estate.
Three years later,
James Kennedy Patterson
James Kennedy Patterson (March 26, 1833August 15, 1922) was an academic who served as the first president of the University of Kentucky. His family immigrated from Scotland to Indiana in 1842 when he was nine years old. He pursued what meager educ ...
became the first president of the land-grant university and the first degree was awarded. In 1876, the university began to offer
master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. programs. Two years later, A&M separated from Kentucky University, which is now
Transylvania University
Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...
.
For the new school, Lexington donated a park and fair ground, which became the core of UK's present campus.
A&M was initially a male-only institution, but began to admit women in 1880.
In 1892, the official colors of the university, royal blue and white, were adopted. An earlier color set, blue and light yellow, was adopted earlier at a Kentucky-
Centre College
Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky. It is an undergraduate college with an enrollment of approximately 1,400 students. Centre was officially chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819. The college is ...
football game on December 19, 1891.
The particular hue of blue was determined from a necktie, which was used to demonstrate the color of royal blue.
On February 15, 1882,
Administration Building was the first building of three to be completed on the present campus.
Three years later, the college formed the Agricultural Experiment Station, which researches issues relating to agribusiness, food processing, nutrition, water and soil resources and the environment.
This was followed up by the creation of the university's ''Agricultural Extension Service'' in 1910, which was one of the first in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
The
extension service library Extension service may refer to:
* Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES), a USDA office
* Agricultural extension services, educational services offered to farmers and other growers
* Church extension service ...
became a model of the federally mandated programs that were required beginning in 1914.
Coeducational school: modern period
![Patterson Hall 1905](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Patterson_Hall_1905.jpg)
Patterson Hall, the school's first women's dormitory, was constructed in 1904. Residents had to cross a
swamp
A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
y depression, where the now demolished Student Center later stood, to reach central campus.
Four years later, the school's name was changed to the "State University, Lexington, Kentucky" upon reaching
university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
status, and then to the "University of Kentucky" in 1916.
The university led to the creation of the College of Home Economics in 1916, and
Mary E. Sweeney was promoted from chair of the Department of Home Economics to dean of the college. (Later renamed the College of Human Environmental Sciences, this educational unit was folded into the College of Agriculture in 2003 as the School of Human Environmental Sciences). The College of Commerce was established in 1925, known today as the
Gatton College of Business and Economics
Gatton College of Business and Economics is a college of the University of Kentucky. Gatton College educates more than 4,000 undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students in accounting, economics, finance, management, and marketing and supply ...
.
In 1929,
Memorial Hall
A memorial hall is a hall built to commemorate an individual or group; most commonly those who have died in war. Most are intended for public use and are sometimes described as ''utilitarian memorials''.
History of the Memorial Hall
In the aft ...
was completed, dedicated to the 2,756 Kentuckians who died in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
This was followed up by the new
King Library, which opened in 1931 and was named for a long-time library director, Margaret I. King.
On March 15, 1948, Lyman T. Johnson applied to the University of Kentucky Graduate School for a doctorate degree in the Philosophy of History. Johnson was subsequently denied admission, with the registrar citing the previously passed
Day Law
The Day Law mandated racial segregation in educational institutions in Kentucky. Formally designated "An Act to Prohibit White and Colored Persons from Attending the Same School," the bill was introduced in the Kentucky House of Representatives by ...
. Johnson, citing
Plessy v. Ferguson
''Plessy v. Ferguson'', 163 U.S. 537 (1896), was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in which the Court ruled that racial segregation laws did not violate the U.S. Constitution as long as the facilities for each race were equal in qualit ...
in 1896 filed suit against the university for wrongful discrimination and failure to maintain equal learning intuitions. On April 27, 1949,
Judge Hiram Church Ford presided over the court case. After one day of testimony, Ford determined that the Commonwealth had failed to establish a graduate school with equal opportunity and educational quality as the graduate students offered to whites. Citing the Fourteenth amendment, Ford ruled that all qualified individuals, regardless of race, be allowed to attend the university's graduate program until an equally academically acceptable institution is established for the use of African Americans. Johnson would eventually leave the graduate school before the conclusion of the summer session, and he made it known that his fight was to pave the way for other black students to attend graduate school, not him personally. university's graduate and professional programs became racially integrated in 1949 when
Lyman T. Johnson
Lyman Tefft Johnson (June 12, 1906 – October 3, 1997) was an American educator and influential role model for racial desegregation in Kentucky. He is best known as the plaintiff whose successful legal challenge opened the University of Kentucky ...
, an
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, won a lawsuit to be admitted to the graduate program. African Americans would not be allowed to attend as undergraduates until 1954, following the US Supreme Court's
Brown v. Board of Education
''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segrega ...
decision.
In 1939, Governor Happy Chandler appointed the first woman trustee on the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees, Georgia M. Blazer of Ashland. She served from 1939 to 1960. In 1962, Blazer Hall was opened as the Georgia M Blazer Hall
ormitoryfor Women in tribute to her twenty-one years of service as a University of Kentucky trustee.
Ground was broken for the Albert B. Chandler Hospital in 1955, when Kentucky Governor
Happy Chandler
Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler Sr. (July 14, 1898 – June 15, 1991) was an American politician from Kentucky. He represented Kentucky in the U.S. Senate and served as its 44th and 49th governor. Aside from his political positions, he also se ...
recommended that the Kentucky General Assembly appropriate $5 million for the creation of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and a medical center at the university.
This was completed after a series of studies were conducted that highlighted the health needs of the citizens, as well as the need to train more physicians for the state. Five years later, the
College of Medicine and
College of Nursing
Nurse education consists of the theoretical and practical training provided to nurses with the purpose to prepare them for their duties as nursing care professionals. This education is provided to student nurses by experienced nurses and other med ...
opened, followed by the
College of Dentistry in 1962.
Nine years after the founding of The Northern Extension Center in Covington, representing the Ashland Independent School Board of Education, Ashland attorney Henderson Dysard and
Ashland Oil & Refining Company founder and CEO
Paul G. Blazer
Paul Garrett Blazer (September 19, 1890 – December 9, 1966) was President and CEO of Ashland Oil and Refining Company (Ashland, Inc.) located in Ashland, Kentucky.
Early life
Blazer was born on September 19, 1890, in New Boston, Illinois to Pre ...
presented a proposal to President Dickey and the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees for the university to take over the day-to-day operations and curriculum of the Ashland
unicipalJunior College, creating the Ashland Center of the University of Kentucky in 1957. University of Kentucky Extension Centers in Fort Knox (1958), Cumberland (1960), and Henderson (1960) followed.
In 1959, the
Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce Patterson may refer to:
People
* Patterson (surname)
Places
;Canada
*Pattersons Corners, Ontario
*Patterson Township, Ontario
*Patterson, Calgary a neighbourhood in Calgary, Alberta.
;United States of America
* Patterson, Arkansas
*Patterson, Ca ...
opened and began training professionals at the master's and doctoral level for careers in international affairs. The program was the vision of UK's first president
James Kennedy Patterson
James Kennedy Patterson (March 26, 1833August 15, 1922) was an academic who served as the first president of the University of Kentucky. His family immigrated from Scotland to Indiana in 1842 when he was nine years old. He pursued what meager educ ...
who had identified the need for the United States to develop a cadre of professionals to advance its diplomatic and commercial interests around the globe. Patterson bequeathed his entire estate to establish this entity.
Authorized by the
Kentucky General Assembly
The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives.
The General Assembly meets annually in the ...
and signed by Governor
Bert Combs
Bertram Thomas Combs (August 13, 1911 – December 4, 1991) was an American judge, jurist and politician from the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Kentucky. After serving on the Kentucky Court of Appeals, he was elected the List of Gov ...
on March 6, 1962, a mandate was placed upon the University of Kentucky to form a community college system.
Two years later, the Board of Trustees implemented the legislation and established the Community College System, creating centers in
Covington,
Ashland,
Fort Knox
Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository, which is used to house a large portion of the United States' official gold res ...
,
Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...
,
Henderson Henderson may refer to:
People
*Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname
*Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan
Places Argentina
*Henderson, Buenos Aires
Australia
*Henderson, Western Australia
Canada
* H ...
and
Elizabethtown. In 1969, the
Patterson Office Tower
The Patterson Office Tower is a high-rise building on the University of Kentucky (UK) campus in Lexington, Kentucky. It is UK's only current high-rise following the 2020 demolition of the Kirwan–Blanding residence hall complex, which had incl ...
was completed, currently the tallest building on campus.
![UKMillerHall](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/UKMillerHall.jpg)
In May 1970, students at the university began protesting the
shootings at Kent State University.
In response, Governor
Louie Nunn
Louie Broady Nunn (March 8, 1924 – January 29, 2004) was an American politician who served as the 52nd governor of Kentucky. Elected in 1967, he was the only Republican to hold the office between the end of Simeon Willis's term in 1947 and t ...
deferred to the
National Guard
National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards.
Nat ...
in an attempt to disperse the protesters. An outdated
ROTC
The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces.
Overview
While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...
building was destroyed by fire. The
Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History The Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, also known as The Nunn Center, the University of Kentucky, is one of the premier oral history centers in the world, known for a comprehensive oral history archival collection, ongoing interviewing projects, ...
at the University of Kentucky Libraries has 13 oral history interviews with participants in the protests, university officials as well as former governor Nunn.
Nine years later, the Singletary Center for the Arts opened, named in honor of former university president Otis Singletary.
In 1979, the University of Kentucky hosted the first
Kentucky Women Writers Conference, which is now the longest-running conference of its kind.
Contemporary history
![Engineering plaza](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Engineering_plaza.jpg)
In 1997, the
Kentucky General Assembly
The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives.
The General Assembly meets annually in the ...
reorganized the community college system, withdrawing the university's jurisdiction from all but the Lexington Community College.
The other colleges were merged with the
Kentucky Technical College system and were placed under a separate board of control.
On April 3, 1998, work began on the
William T. Young Library, which was the largest university project at the time of completion.
The six-level William T. Young Library was constructed on south campus and the largest book endowment among all public university libraries in the country.
William T. Young
William T. Young (February 15, 1918 – January 12, 2004) was an American businessman and major owner of thoroughbred racehorses.
William T. Young attended the University of Kentucky where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. ...
got his fortune from selling his peanut butter company to
Procter & Gamble
The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer hea ...
in 1955. Nine years after the completion of the William T. Young Library, on April 13, 2007, an entire city block of neighborhood homes were demolished and ground was broken for the
Biological Pharmaceutical Complex Building, the largest academic building in the state of Kentucky, and one of the largest in the United States.
![Chemistry-Physics Building (U](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Chemistry-Physics_Building_%28U.K.%29.jpg)
The Biological Pharmaceutical Complex Building complements the adjacent
Biomedical Biological Science Research Building, and is expected to be part of the new university research campus. Other recent announcements include the construction of the new $450 million
Albert B. Chandler Hospital
Opened in 1962, the Albert B. Chandler Hospital along Rose Street at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky is the flagship component of UK HealthCare. It is named for twice-former Governor of Kentucky A. B. "Happy" Chandler. The 945 ...
, which will was one of the largest projects in the state's history in terms of size and economic impact.
In 1997, the
Kentucky General Assembly
The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives.
The General Assembly meets annually in the ...
formed a compact with the university. The Top 20 Plan mandates that the University of Kentucky becomes a Top 20 public research university by 2020.
According to the compact, states with "Top 20" universities feature higher average household incomes, higher education attainments, healthier lives and more financial security.
As a result, fewer citizens live in poverty and as a result, fewer public dollars are spent on health care.
The plan would also spur technological advancements due to university-based research and increase the marketability of the state to investors.
![Main Bldg (UK)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Main_Bldg_%28UK%29.jpg)
As part of the "Top 20" plan, the university stated that it plans to,
# Increase enrollment by 7,000 students to 34,000;
# Increase the state's highest graduation rate by 12% to 72%;
# Increase the number of faculty by 625 to total 2,500;
# Increase research expenditures by $470 million to total $768 million per year; and
# Increase the university's role in Kentucky's "schools, farms, businesses and communities."
The "Top 20" plan has produced some results,
# Total enrollment increased from 24,061 in 1996 to 26,440 in 2004, an increase of 2,379.
# The six-year graduation rate increased from 59.5 percent in 1998 to 61.2 percent in 2007.
# Research expenditures increased from $124.8 million in 1996 to $297.6 million in 2003.
It dipped slightly to $274 million for 2005.
It is currently ranked 28th among public universities in sponsored research.
# Endowment increased from $195.1 million in 1997 to $538.4 million in 2005.
In 2000, to help finance the "Top 20" plan, the university launched "The Campaign for the University of Kentucky", a $600 million
fundraising
Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...
effort that was used to "enhance facilities, academic programs, public service, and scholarships."
It passed that goal and the effort was raised to $1 billion. In March 2007, $1.022 billion was raised, months before the fundraising effort was set to end.
According to the ''Statewide Facilities Condition Assessment Report'' released on April 4, 2007, the university needs $12.5 billion to complete the 1997 mandate to become a "Top 20" institution.
As of 2019, The University of Kentucky has an endowment of 1.407 billion.
[As of June 30, 2020. ] Prior endowments were 831.8 in 2007,
$538.4 million in 2005, and $195.1 million in 1997, the rapid increases partially attributed to the "Top 20" Plan.
Currently, the William T. Young Library book endowment is the largest among public universities in the United States.
In 2018, the new Gatton Student Center was opened on North Campus. The $200 million, 378,000-square-foot facility contains a cinema, a dining facility, several chain restaurants, ballrooms, the UK Bookstore, the renovated UK Federal Credit Union, offices, and more.
Academics
Departments
Students are divided into 16 colleges, a
graduate school
Postgraduate or graduate education refers to Academic degree, academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by higher education, post-secondary students who have earned an Undergraduate education, un ...
, 93
undergraduate
Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...
programs, 99
master programs, 66
doctoral
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...
programs, and four professional programs.
The University of Kentucky has fifteen libraries on campus. The largest is William T. Young Library, a
federal depository, hosting subjects related to
social sciences
Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soci ...
,
humanities
Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...
and
life sciences
This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, the ...
collections. In recent years, the university has focused expenditures increasingly on research, following a compact formed by the
Kentucky General Assembly
The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives.
The General Assembly meets annually in the ...
in 1997. The directive mandated that the university become a ''Top 20'' public research institution, in terms of an overall ranking to be determined by the university itself, by 2020.
The university is ranked tied for 132nd in National Universities and tied for 60th among
public universities
A public university or public college is a university or college that is in owned by the state or receives significant public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private university. Whether a national university ...
in the 2020 ''
U.S. News & World Report'' rankings.
Students are divided into several colleges based on their interests and specializations:
*
College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, founded 1908
*
College of Arts and Sciences
A College of Arts and Sciences or School of Arts and Sciences is most commonly an individual institution or a unit within a university that focuses on instruction of the liberal arts and pure sciences, although they frequently include programs and ...
, founded 1908
*
Gatton College of Business and Economics
Gatton College of Business and Economics is a college of the University of Kentucky. Gatton College educates more than 4,000 undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students in accounting, economics, finance, management, and marketing and supply ...
, founded 1925 (originally as the College of Commerce)
*
College of Communication & Information, founded 1976
*
College of Dentistry, founded 1962
![Biological-Pharmaceutical Building U](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Biological-Pharmaceutical_Building_U.K.jpg)
*
College of Design, founded 1964 (originally as the College of Architecture)
*
College of Education
In the United States and Canada, a school of education (or college of education; ed school) is a division within a university that is devoted to scholarship in the field of education, which is an interdisciplinary branch of the social sciences en ...
, founded 1923
*
College of Engineering
Engineering education is the activity of teaching knowledge and principles to the professional practice of engineering. It includes an initial education ( bachelor's and/or master's degree), and any advanced education and specializations tha ...
, founded 1918 (through a merger of the original Colleges of Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Mines and Metals)
*
College of Fine Arts
The School of Fine Arts or College of Fine Arts is the official name or part of the name of several schools of fine arts, often as an academic part of a larger university. These include:
The Americas
North America
*Alabama School of Fin ...
, founded 1976
*
College of Health Sciences, founded 1966 (originally as the College of Allied Health Personnel)
*
J. David Rosenberg College of Law, founded 1908
*
College of Medicine, founded 1954
*
College of Nursing
Nurse education consists of the theoretical and practical training provided to nurses with the purpose to prepare them for their duties as nursing care professionals. This education is provided to student nurses by experienced nurses and other med ...
, founded 1956
*
College of Pharmacy
This article is a list of pharmacy schools by country.
A
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
B
Bangladesh
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil
Bulgaria
C
Cambodia
Canada
China
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jia ...
, founded 1947 (originally established in 1870 in Louisville)
*
College of Public Health, founded 2004
*
College of Social Work, founded 1968
*
University of Kentucky Graduate School
A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...
, founded 1912
*
Martin School of Public Policy and Administration
*
Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce Patterson may refer to:
People
* Patterson (surname)
Places
;Canada
*Pattersons Corners, Ontario
*Patterson Township, Ontario
*Patterson, Calgary a neighbourhood in Calgary, Alberta.
;United States of America
* Patterson, Arkansas
*Patterson, Ca ...
Other colleges no longer in existence at the University of Kentucky include the College of Library Science (separating out of the College of Arts & Sciences in 1968 and incorporated in 2003 into what is now the College of Communication and Information) and the College of Home Economics (created in 1916 and whose founding dean was
Mary E. Sweeney) now a School of Human Environmental Sciences located within the College of Agriculture.
Lewis Honors College
![Lewis Honors College](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Lewis_Honors_College.jpg)
The Honors Program at the University of Kentucky began in 1961. It offers interdisciplinary, seminar-style classes of 15–20 students each as well as "H-section" classes that accelerate common course offerings such as chemistry, biology, and physics. The program is intended to supplement the individual interests of the students. Students are offered priority registration, one-on-one faculty attention, dedicated advising, the opportunity to engage in undergraduate research from their first semesters on campus, and are directed to other programs, including the Chellgren Fellows program, the Gaines Fellowship in the Humanities, the University Scholars Program (which allows simultaneous undergraduate and graduate study), and external scholarship opportunities. Additionally, students are offered assistance with fellowship applications, scholarship applications, study abroad opportunities, Honors designation on transcript and diploma, and/or service learning interests, among other things.
In October 2015, the University of Kentucky received the largest single gift in its history, $23.5 million from alumnus, longtime donor and successful entrepreneur Thomas W. Lewis and his wife Jan to create the Lewis Honors College.
The Lewis Honors College was transitioned from the Honors Program at UK in 2015. From 2017, the Honors Program became the Lewis Honors College. On July 10, 2017, Dr.
Christian Brady was announced as the inaugural dean of the college. As of August 2017, construction had been completed on Lewis Hall.
It headquarters are in Lewis Hall, which also serves as one of several residence halls for Honors College students. Lewis houses 2-bedroom suite style rooms for the Honors students. The building also includes classrooms, study spaces, and a small ballroom for programming.
SECU: SEC Academic Initiative
The University of Kentucky is a member of the SEC Academic Consortium. Now renamed the
SECU
Secu is a commune in Dolj County, Oltenia, Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the wes ...
, the initiative was a collaborative endeavor designed to promote research, scholarship and achievement among the member universities in the
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
(SEC). The SECU formed its mission to serve as a means to bolster collaborative academic endeavors of
SEC universities. Its goals include highlighting the endeavors and achievements of SEC
faculty, students and its universities and advancing the academic reputation of SEC universities.
Student life
Students
The University of Kentucky strives for a diverse and international student population, with a selective admissions process.
In fall 2014, there were 30,000 students enrolled for the first time. This is due in part by the high number of out-of-state students. The percentage mix of students at this time were 62% in state and 38% out-of-state. During this time, the freshman class was recorded at 5,000 students.
Student government
The University of Kentucky Student Government Association (UKSGA) represents all undergraduate, graduate and professional students enrolled at the university in several critical ways. UKSGA exists to increase student influence over academic policy and to provide many helpful, creative and necessary student services. UKSGA also exists to protect and expand student substantive and procedural rights with the university and surrounding municipalities. Finally, UKSGA exists to better represent the student body in relations with faculty, administration, Board of Trustees and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
UKSGA includes an Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branch.
*Executive Branch: oversees day-to-day operations, manages budget, and facilitates major programs.
*Legislative Branch: includes the Student Senate. There are 46 legislators in this branch. Their goal is to allocate funds, approve presidential appointments, facilitate legislative changes, and represent the larger student voice.
*Judicial: composed of one chief justice and six Supreme Court justices. The Supreme Court rules on the constitutionality of legislation, handles claims levied against SGA officials, hears any election rules violation complaints and validates election results.
Several of their current programs include:
*Kentucky Wildcab: a late night transportation service designed to enhance the safety efforts of the university and surrounding community in partnership with UK Transportation.
*Wildcat Wardrobe: provides UK students with free professional dress clothing for interviews and jobs
*Safe CATS: provides UK students with a safer way to travel around campus by having SafeCats team members escort students to their destinations on-foot or by golf cart
*Student Legal Services: free on-site consultation for any legal issue by a local attorney
*
Childcare
Child care, otherwise known as day care, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose ages range from two weeks of age to 18 years. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(r ...
Grants: available for part-time and full-time UK students, both at the undergraduate and graduate level, who need financial assistance for day-care service for their children.
*Scholarships
*Student Organization Funding: General Funding Grants, Club Sports Grants, Service Grants, Academic/Professional Conferences, and Senate Special Projects
Several distinguished student body presidents include Governor
Steve Beshear
Steven Lynn Beshear (born September 21, 1944) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 61st governor of Kentucky from 2007 to 2015. He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1974 to 1980, was the state's 44th atto ...
.
Student media
The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department was the home of one of the earliest college amateur
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
s in the United States, beginning with
W4JP W4JP is the callsign of the amateur radio station operated by the University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman ...
that began continuous operation prior to
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. In 1927, the station was relicensed as 9JL (later W9JL).
Students currently run two independent
FM stations. The first, 91.3 FM
WUKY
WUKY (91.3 MHz) is a listener-supported, public FM radio station in Lexington, Kentucky. Owned by the University of Kentucky (UK), it has an Adult Album Alternative radio format, airing more than 100 hours of music per week. Some news and inform ...
, is a
Triple-A station and was the first university-owned FM radio station in the United States and Kentucky's first public radio station.
The operations started on October 17, 1940, as
WBKY out of
Beattyville, although the station moved five years later to Lexington.
In 1971, WBKY was one of the first to carry NPR's "All Things Considered" and helped debut
National Public Radio
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...
, changing its call letters to WUKY in 1989 to better reflect its affiliation with the university. In 2007, it became the first Lexington radio station to broadcast in high-definition digital radio.
The second is 88.1 FM
WRFL
WRFL, Lexington (Radio Free Lexington) is a 7900-watt college radio station that broadcasts live, 24 hours a day, from the University of Kentucky campus in Lexington, Kentucky. The station has broadcast continuously at 88.1 MHz on the FM ra ...
which has been in operation since 1988.
WRFL is operated by students and broadcasts live 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and features music that is spread across most genres.
The campus is also served by the
Kentucky Kernel
The Kentucky Kernel is the student newspaper of the University of Kentucky.
The ''Kernel'' is distributed free on and around the University of Kentucky campus. It claims a circulation of 8,000 and readership of more than 30,000. Its sole source ...
, a student-run, financially independent daily newspaper, with the first issue published in 1915. The official
yearbook
A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a type of a book published annually. One use is to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school. The term also refers to a book of statistics or facts published annually. A yearbook often ...
of the University of Kentucky is the ''Kentuckian'', first published in 1906.
The ''Kentuckian'' was preceded by at least one previous book, the ''Echo''.
Black Student Union
The University of Kentucky
Black Student Union
In higher education in the United States, a Black Student Union (BSU) is an organization of Black students, generally with a focus on protest. Historically functioning as a Black counterpart to the largely white organization Students for a Democrat ...
(BSU) was established on February 17, 1968. They were the first organization on campus that was created to support and protect students of color. Their goal was to fight for change on campus for diverse students. They work closely with other organizations on campus such as the Student Activities Board, Student Government Association and various fraternities. Their main mission is to educate the campus community on
Black American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
students and to assist incoming minority students.
Jim Embry, born in
Richmond, Kentucky
Richmond is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Madison County, Kentucky, United States. It is named after Richmond, Virginia, and is home to Eastern Kentucky University. In 2019, the population was 36,157. Richmond is the fourth-la ...
, was the founding member of the organization, as well as, the first elected president. 51 years later, Embry is still fighting for progress in the social injustices and systemic racism on campus.
Greek life
Nineteen
sororities
Fraternities and sororities are Club (organization), social organizations at colleges and universities in North America.
Generally, membership in a fraternity or sorority is obtained as an Undergraduate education, undergraduate student, but conti ...
and twenty-three
fraternities
A fraternity (from Latin ''frater'': "brother"; whence, "brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in ...
serve the university, representing over 3,000 students with a budget of $3.2 million per year. The governing bodies include the
National Pan-Hellenic Council
The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) is a collaborative umbrella council composed of historically African American fraternities and sororities also referred to as Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs). The NPHC was formed as a permanent ...
, an organization for nine historically black organizations, international Greek assemblies, the
National Panhellenic Conference
The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) is an umbrella organization for 26 (inter)national women's Fraternities and sororities, sororities throughout the United States and Canada. Each member group is autonomous as a social, Greek alphabet#Use ...
for sororities and the
Interfraternity Council for the fraternities.
There are many non-Greek organizations on campus, like
Alpha Kappa Psi
Alpha Kappa Psi (, often stylized as AKPsi) is the oldest and largest business fraternity to current date. Also known as "AKPsi", the fraternity was founded on October 5, 1904, at New York University and was incorporated on May 20, 1905. It is cu ...
, an internationally recognized Professional Business Fraternity and
Tau Beta Sigma
Tau Beta Sigma Honorary Band Sorority, (, colloquially referred to as TBSigma or TBS) is a co-educational service sorority.
The sorority, headquartered at the historic Stillwater Santa Fe Depot in Stillwater, Oklahoma, numbers over 3,800 active ...
, a band fraternity. The university also hosts a chapter of the
Alpha Phi Omega
Alpha Phi Omega (), commonly known as APO, but also A-Phi-O and A-Phi-Q, is a coeducational service fraternity. It is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses, an active membership of over 25,0 ...
co-educational
Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...
service fraternity
Service fraternity may refer to any Fraternal and Service Organizations, fraternal public service organization, such as the Kiwanis or Rotary International. In Canada and the United States, the term fraternal organization is more common as "frate ...
.
Farmhouse's chapter was suspended in 2021 for 4 years by the university, after a
pledge
Pledge may refer to:
Promises
* a solemn promise
* Abstinence pledge, a commitment to practice abstinence, usually teetotalism or chastity
* The Pledge (New Hampshire), a promise about taxes by New Hampshire politicians
* Pledge of Allegianc ...
died while attending a party in the fraternity's house.
Athletics
![rupparenaK](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/RupparenaK.JPG)
University of Kentucky student-athletes compete as the Wildcats under colors Kentucky blue and white.
Beginning in the 1890s, students at the A&M scheduled
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
games with neighboring colleges.
In 1902, the
women's basketball
Women's basketball is the team sport of basketball played by women. It began being played in 1892, one year after men's basketball, at Smith College in Massachusetts. It spread across the United States, in large part via women's college compet ...
program began on campus,
and the
men's team was added one year later. The "
Wildcat
The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...
s" became associated with the university shortly after a
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
victory over
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
on October 9, 1909.
The then-chief of the military department, Commandant Carbuiser, stated that the team had "fought like wildcats." The slogan was later adopted by the university, and a costumed mascot debuted in 1976.
In 1930, then-
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
coach
Adolph Rupp
Adolph Frederick Rupp (September 2, 1901 – December 10, 1977) was an American college basketball coach. He is ranked seventh in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching at the Univ ...
was hired as a basketball coach for the university. He had a career that would span 42 years until 1972.
During his tenure, he led the
men's basketball team to four
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
championships in 1948, 1949, 1951 and 1958.
The Wildcats later won a fifth championship under
Joe B. Hall in 1978, another in 1996 under
Rick Pitino
Richard Andrew Pitino (born September 18, 1952) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach for Iona College. He was also the head coach of Greece's senior national team. He has been the head coach of several teams in NCAA D ...
and the next under
Orlando "Tubby" Smith in 1998.
In 2007, the University of Kentucky named
Billy Gillispie
Billy Clyde Gillispie ( ; born November 7, 1959), also known by his initials BCG and Billy Clyde, is an American college basketball and current men's basketball coach at Tarleton State. Gillispie had previously been head coach at UTEP, Texas A ...
as the head coach of the men's basketball team and on March 30, 2009, the university named
John Calipari
John Vincent Calipari (born February 10, 1959) is an American basketball coach. Since 2009, he has been the head coach of the University of Kentucky men's team, with whom he won the NCAA Championship in 2012. He has been named Naismith College C ...
as the head coach of the Wildcats. Calipari coached the team to its eighth national title in 2012.
On December 21, 2009, the men's basketball team reached another milestone, becoming the first college basketball team to reach 2000 all-time wins. The 2000th win was an 88–44 victory over the
Drexel Dragons
The Drexel Dragons are the athletic teams of Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The school's athletic program includes eighteen NCAA Division I sports including nine men's and nine women's teams, with most sports teams competing in ...
. Kentucky was also the first school to reach the 1000 all-time wins, which they accomplished in 1969.
The university boasts of numerous national championships, with its latest coming in 2012 when the men's basketball team won its eighth national title. UK also boasts of a
cross country national team championship (women's, 1988), eight individual championships in
gymnastics
Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...
, an
Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
medalist in
track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
, and 24 national championships in
cheerleading
Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...
. (Not an NCAA recognized championship)
After defeating number-one ranked Oklahoma 13–7 in the Sugar Bowl under legendary coach Bear Bryant, Kentucky was also a co-national champion for the 1950 season.
![KentuckyCommonwealthStadium-EZInterior](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/KentuckyCommonwealthStadium-EZInterior.jpg)
The University of Kentucky Dance team is currently ranked 5th in the nation in
Hip Hop and 7th in
Pom at Universal Dance Association. These are not NCAA recognized championships.
Other athletic programs sponsored at the varsity level include
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
, men's and women's
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
, men's and women's
cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...
,
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
, men's and women's
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...
, women's
gymnastics
Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...
, the coeducational sport of
rifle
A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...
, men's and women's
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
, women's
softball
Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...
, men's and women's
swimming
Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...
and
diving
Diving most often refers to:
* Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water
* Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes
Diving or Dive may also refer to:
Sports
* Dive (American football), a ...
, men's and women's
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
, men's and women's
track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
and women's
volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
. The school also has a popular club-level men's
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
team and a rugby program that competes at the Division 1 level.
The University of Kentucky football coach is
Mark Stoops
Mark Thomas Stoops (born July 9, 1967) is an American college football coach and former player. He is currently the all time winningest head football coach in the history of the Kentucky Wildcats.
Early life
Stoops, one of six children born to ...
, named the successor to
Joker Phillips
Joe "Joker" Phillips Jr. (born May 12, 1963) is an American football coach and former player. He is the assistant head football coach and wide receivers coach at North Carolina State University, a position he had held since the 2021 season. Philli ...
, who was the first African American football coach in Kentucky's history.
Notable among a number of songs commonly played and sung at various events such as
commencement,
convocation
A convocation (from the Latin ''wikt:convocare, convocare'' meaning "to call/come together", a translation of the Ancient Greek, Greek wikt:ἐκκλησία, ἐκκλησία ''ekklēsia'') is a group of people formally assembled for a speci ...
and athletic games is the University of Kentucky
fight song
A fight song is a rousing short song associated with a sports team. The term is most common in the United States and Canada. In Australia, Mexico, and New Zealand these songs are called the team anthem, team song, or games song. First associated ...
: ''
On, On, U of K''.
Additionally, the song ''Kentucky Fight''
is played before games.
Esports
University of Kentucky partnered up with
South Korean Esport Organisation
Gen.G Esports and International Studies Abroad (ISA) to launch an international esports exchange programme in
Seoul, South Korea.
Campus
![WilliamtyounglibraryUK](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/WilliamtyounglibraryUK.JPG)
The University of Kentucky offers seven main dining facilities, 23 residence halls, and numerous recreation facilities spread between three distinct campuses: north, south, and central. It is also home to more than 250 student-run organizations.
The university campus is home to numerous notable structures, such as
Main Building, a four-story administration building dating to 1882,
which was gutted by fire on May 15, 2001. The cause of the blaze was attributed to a welders torch during repairs to the building's roof. Total costs for reconstruction after the fire exceeded $17 million. The
Patterson Office Tower
The Patterson Office Tower is a high-rise building on the University of Kentucky (UK) campus in Lexington, Kentucky. It is UK's only current high-rise following the 2020 demolition of the Kirwan–Blanding residence hall complex, which had incl ...
is the tallest building on campus. The university is also home to several major construction projects, including the
Albert B. Chandler Hospital
Opened in 1962, the Albert B. Chandler Hospital along Rose Street at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky is the flagship component of UK HealthCare. It is named for twice-former Governor of Kentucky A. B. "Happy" Chandler. The 945 ...
expansion. As of 2016, construction projects include Student Center renovation and expansion, and Alumni Gym.
The University of Kentucky once operated 14
community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...
s with more than 100 extended sites, centers and campuses under the
Kentucky Community and Technical College System
The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) comprises 16 community and technical colleges in Kentucky with over 70 campuses. Programs offered include associate degrees, pre-baccalaureate education to transfer to a public 4-year in ...
, but relinquished control under the
Postsecondary Education Improvement Act of 1997.
The network of community colleges is now known as the
Kentucky Community and Technical College System
The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) comprises 16 community and technical colleges in Kentucky with over 70 campuses. Programs offered include associate degrees, pre-baccalaureate education to transfer to a public 4-year in ...
(KCTCS). Adjoining Lexington Community College, despite the reorganization of the community colleges, remained integrated with the university, but separated from the University of Kentucky in 2004 and became a part of KCTCS; it is now known as
Bluegrass Community and Technical College
Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC) is a public community college in Lexington, Kentucky. It is one of sixteen two-year, open admission colleges of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS). It was formed from th ...
.
The College of Engineering currently operates a satellite campus in
Paducah
Paducah ( ) is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky. The largest city in the Jackson Purchase region, it is located at the confluence of the Tennessee and the Ohio rivers, halfway between St. Louis, Missour ...
, located on the campus of
West Kentucky Community and Technical College.
Campus libraries
The University of Kentucky is home to nine campus libraries. Among them is the William T. Young Library, which houses a general undergraduate collection and social sciences, humanities, business, biology, and agricultural materials. The library is also a
Federal Depository Library
The Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) is a government program created to make U.S. federal government publications available to the public at no cost. As of April 2021, there are 1,114 depository libraries in the United States and its ter ...
and a
public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants.
There are ...
for the
Commonwealth of Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
.
Campus landmarks
The University of Kentucky has several noteworthy landmarks:
*
Kroger Field
Kroger Field, formerly known as Commonwealth Stadium, is a stadium in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, located on the campus of the University of Kentucky that primarily serves as the home field for the Kentucky Wildcats football team. The stad ...
*
Memorial Coliseum
*
Memorial Hall
A memorial hall is a hall built to commemorate an individual or group; most commonly those who have died in war. Most are intended for public use and are sometimes described as ''utilitarian memorials''.
History of the Memorial Hall
In the aft ...
*
Singletary Center for the Arts
Originally opened on November 1, 1979, as Center for the Arts'','' the Singletary Center for the Arts is a fine arts complex located on the campus of the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky. Nearly eight years after its opening, on April ...
*
University of Kentucky Art Museum
*
University of Kentucky/Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Arboretum
*
University of Kentucky Research and Education Center Botanical Garden
*
William T. Young Library
Notable faculty
*
Kimberly W. Anderson, Chemist, Gill Eminent Professor of Chemical Engineering and Associate Dean for Administration and Academic Affairs in the
College of Engineering
Engineering education is the activity of teaching knowledge and principles to the professional practice of engineering. It includes an initial education ( bachelor's and/or master's degree), and any advanced education and specializations tha ...
*
John Clubbe
John Clubbe (17031773) was an English cleric and satirical writer.
Life
The son of the Rev. George Clubbe, rector of Whatfield, Suffolk, he was born in or about 1703. He matriculated as a sizar of King's College, Cambridge in 1722, and took the ...
, expert on Byron,
Guggenheim Fellow
Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...
*
Arthur G. Hunt, American plant and soils scientist
*
Melynda Price, Professor of Law, Director of
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
and
Africana Studies Program in the
College of Arts and Sciences
A College of Arts and Sciences or School of Arts and Sciences is most commonly an individual institution or a unit within a university that focuses on instruction of the liberal arts and pure sciences, although they frequently include programs and ...
*
Ronald Werner-Wilson (born 1962), Chair of the Family Studies Department and Kathryn Louise Chellgren Endowed Professor for Research in Family Studies
Notable alumni
The university has more than 140,246 alumni in the state of Kentucky,
216,737 in the United States, and 1,119 internationally. The University of Kentucky Alumni Association is the primary affiliation for former students and faculty, and is located at the corner of Rose Street and Euclid Avenue. The building, dedicated in 1963, is named for Helen G. King, the first permanent director of the association and a former "Miss University of Kentucky". The association also meets at
Spindletop Hall
Spindletop Hall, located at 3414 Iron Works Pike in Lexington, KY, is the former home of Pansy Yount, wife of Miles Franklin Yount of the Yount-Lee Oil Company. It is currently the home of the University of Kentucky's staff, faculty, and alum ...
, a large mansion along Iron Works Pike, which serves as a central alumni gathering point.
The University of Kentucky boasts seven governors, including four former
Governors of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of Kentucky, and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws; the power to either approve or veto bills passed b ...
:
Steve Beshear
Steven Lynn Beshear (born September 21, 1944) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 61st governor of Kentucky from 2007 to 2015. He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1974 to 1980, was the state's 44th atto ...
,
Ernie Fletcher
Ernest Lee Fletcher (born November 12, 1952) is an American physician and politician. In 1998, he was elected to the first of three consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives; he resigned in 2003 after being elected the 60th ...
,
Paul E. Patton
Paul Edward Patton (born May 26, 1937) is an American politician who served as the 59th governor of Kentucky from 1995 to 2003. Because of a 1992 amendment to the Kentucky Constitution, he was the first governor eligible to run for a second ter ...
, and
Albert "Happy" Chandler;
Chandler
Chandler or The Chandler may refer to:
* Chandler (occupation), originally head of the medieval household office responsible for candles, now a person who makes or sells candles
* Ship chandler, a dealer in supplies or equipment for ships
Arts ...
was also a former
U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
, and was the Commissioner of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
from 1945 to 1951. Rounding out the other seven are the former
Governor of Ohio
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Ted Strickland
Theodore Strickland (born August 4, 1941) is an American politician who was the 68th governor of Ohio, serving from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, representing ...
, former
Governor of North Carolina
The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The governor directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander in chief of the military forces of the state. The current governor, ...
Beverly Perdue, and former
Governor of Arkansas
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...
Tom Jefferson Terral
Thomas Jefferson Terral (December 21, 1882 – March 9, 1946) was an American attorney and the 27th governor of Arkansas.
Early life
Terral was born in Union Parish in northern Louisiana. He attended the University of Kentucky at Lexington ...
. Former
U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
Ken Lucas from the commonwealth's fourth
congressional district
Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts and legislative districts, electorates, or wards in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional bod ...
, and current
U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
Mitch McConnell
Addison Mitchell McConnell III (born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and retired attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Kentucky and the Senate minority leader since 2021. Currently in his seventh term, McConne ...
are other government officials that called the university home.
Kelly Craft
Kelly Dawn Craft (; born February 24, 1962) is an American businesswoman, political donor, politician, and former diplomat who served as the United States ambassador to the United Nations from 2019 to 2021. Craft previously served as the United ...
(née Guilfoil), former
United States Ambassador to the United Nations
The United States ambassador to the United Nations is the leader of the U.S. delegation, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. The position is formally known as the permanent representative of the United States of America to the United Nations ...
and
, attended the university.
The United Methodist Bishop
Alfred W. Gwinn also attended the university.
Carol Martin “Bill” Gatton, an automobile dealer executive, was the donor of the largest gift ever to the university, and is the namesake for the
Gatton College of Business and Economics
Gatton College of Business and Economics is a college of the University of Kentucky. Gatton College educates more than 4,000 undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students in accounting, economics, finance, management, and marketing and supply ...
and the
Gatton Student Center
The Gatton Student Center is a student activity center for meetings, conferences, meals, recreation, and shopping for students on the University of Kentucky campus in Lexington, Kentucky. The building houses University of Kentucky's student servi ...
. Paul Chellgren,
Chairman
The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...
and
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of
Ashland Inc.
Ashland Global Specialty Chemicals Inc. is an American chemical company which operates in more than 100 countries. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, the company traces its roots back to the city of Ashland, Kentucky, where it was headquarter ...
,
also attended the university, and is the namesake for
Chellgren Hall, formerly known as Woodland Glen I.
The university was also the home of
Dr. Thomas Hunt Morgan, a scientist and winner of the 1933
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, accord ...
, and
William Lipscomb
William Nunn Lipscomb Jr. (December 9, 1919April 14, 2011) was a Nobel Prize-winning American inorganic and organic chemist working in nuclear magnetic resonance, theoretical chemistry, boron chemistry, and biochemistry.
Biography
Overview
L ...
, 1976 winner of the
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then "M ...
.
Doris Yvonne Wilkinson was the first African American to graduate from the university as an undergraduate student in 1958, and
Joyce Hamilton Berry, a former clinical psychologist, was the first female African American to earn a Ph.D. from UK in 1970.
Journalist and
Miss USA 2021
Miss USA 2021 was the 70th Miss USA pageant, held on November 29, 2021, at the Paradise Cove Theater of River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The competition was hosted by Zuri Hall and Patrick Ta, while Nicole Adamo served as a lounge ...
Elle Smith
Ellen Elizabeth "Elle" Smith (born June 19, 1998) is an American model, journalist, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA 2021. As Miss USA, she represented the United States at Miss Universe 2021 where she was placed in the top ...
also attended the university.
Actresses such as
Miss Elizabeth
Elizabeth Ann Hulette (November 19, 1960 – May 1, 2003), best known in professional wrestling circles as Miss Elizabeth, was an American professional wrestling manager, occasional professional wrestler and professional wrestling TV announcer. S ...
,
Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd (born Ashley Tyler Ciminella; April 19, 1968) is an American actress. She grew up in a family of performing artists: she is the daughter of the late country music singer Naomi Judd and the half-sister of country music singer Wynonna ...
, and
Adunni Ade
Adunni Ade is an Nigerian actress and model. She was born on the 7th of June in Queens, New York to a German American mother and a Nigerian father from Lagos.
Early life and education
Adunni Ade was born in Queens, New York to a German-Iris ...
also attended the university.
Randall Cobb, a wide receiver for the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
,
Josh Allen Josh or Joshua Allen may refer to:
* Josh Allen (offensive lineman) (born 1991), former American football player
* Josh Allen (quarterback) (born 1996), American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills since 2018
* Josh Allen (defensi ...
, a defensive end for the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
,
Anthony Davis
Anthony Marshon Davis Jr. (born March 11, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the power forward and center positions. Davis is an eight-time NB ...
, a power forward and center for
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
, and
Derek Bryant, a former outfielder for the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
from 1973 to 1981, are a few sports alumni from the university.
Tyrese Maxey
Tyrese Kendrid Maxey (born November 4, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Born in D ...
is a point guard for the
76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...
.
File:Kelly Knight Craft (cropped).jpg, Kelly Craft
Kelly Dawn Craft (; born February 24, 1962) is an American businesswoman, political donor, politician, and former diplomat who served as the United States ambassador to the United Nations from 2019 to 2021. Craft previously served as the United ...
, US Ambassador to the United Nations
The United States ambassador to the United Nations is the leader of the U.S. delegation, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. The position is formally known as the permanent representative of the United States of America to the United Nations ...
, US Ambassador to Canada
File:Ashley Judd head.jpg, Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd (born Ashley Tyler Ciminella; April 19, 1968) is an American actress. She grew up in a family of performing artists: she is the daughter of the late country music singer Naomi Judd and the half-sister of country music singer Wynonna ...
, actress
File:William n lipscomb jr.jpg, William Lipscomb
William Nunn Lipscomb Jr. (December 9, 1919April 14, 2011) was a Nobel Prize-winning American inorganic and organic chemist working in nuclear magnetic resonance, theoretical chemistry, boron chemistry, and biochemistry.
Biography
Overview
L ...
, 1976 winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
File:Mitch McConnell official photo.jpg, Mitch McConnell
Addison Mitchell McConnell III (born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and retired attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Kentucky and the Senate minority leader since 2021. Currently in his seventh term, McConne ...
, U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
, current Senate Minority Leader
The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and members of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as the chief spokespersons for their respective political parties holding ...
File:Thomas Hunt Morgan.jpg, Thomas Hunt Morgan
Thomas Hunt Morgan (September 25, 1866 – December 4, 1945) was an American evolutionary biologist, geneticist, embryologist, and science author who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1933 for discoveries elucidating the role tha ...
, recipient of the Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
in Physiology or Medicine, and father of modern genetics
Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...
See also
*
List of forestry universities and colleges
This is a list of tertiary educational institutions around the world offering bachelor's, master's or doctoral degrees in forestry or related fields. Where noted, the country's accreditation board standard has been used and cited. They are group ...
Notes
References
External links
*
University of Kentucky Athletics websiteDigitized images of the University of Kentucky from the Glass plate negative collection, 1898–1918housed at the University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kentucky, University of
Land-grant universities and colleges
Educational institutions established in 1865
Flagship universities in the United States
Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Universities and colleges in Lexington, Kentucky
Distance education institutions based in the United States
Public universities and colleges in Kentucky
1865 establishments in Kentucky