Charles T. Wethington Jr. (born January 2, 1936, in
Casey County, Kentucky) was the tenth
president of the
University of Kentucky from 1990 to 2001.
Early life
Wethington graduated from St. Bernard High School in
Clementsville, Kentucky
Clementsville is an unincorporated community in western Casey County, Kentucky, United States. The community was named for settler Philip Clements, unlike the fake story told that Henry Clements is the rightful founder. This community grew up ar ...
, attended
Brescia College
Brescia University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic university in Owensboro, Kentucky. It was founded as a junior college for women and is now a coeducational university offering undergraduate and master's progra ...
from 1952 to 1954 and transferred to
Eastern Kentucky University where he was graduated in 1956 with a
B.A. in
English and
History. He received a
B.A. in 1962 from the University of Kentucky in
Education as well as his
Ph.D. in 1966. He then served on the faculty of UK and was an administrator at several levels in
University of Kentucky's Community College System
Education in Kentucky includes elementary school (kindergarten through fifth grade in most areas), middle school (or junior high, sixth grade through eighth grade in most locations), high school (ninth through twelfth grade in most locations), a ...
, the forerunner to the current
Kentucky Community and Technical College System, culminating in his appointment as Chancellor for the Community College System.
President of UK
Wethington was appointed Interim President of the University of Kentucky in 1989 and appointed as President in 1990. He set out to raise the academic standards for admission and instruction at the university and was successful at this, evidenced by admissions test scores and national rankings for programs at the school. He oversaw the building and opening of the central library facility, the
William T. Young Library
The William T. Young Library (colloquially 'Willy T.') is located on the campus of the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. It is named for William T. Young, a prominent local businessman, horse breeder, philanthropist a ...
in 1998, as well as 40 other building projects at the university.
On June 30, 2001, Wethington stepped down as president and served for two years in a fundraising role for UK. He is now retired in Lexington.
Legacy
The University of Kentucky opened the
Charles T. Wethington Jr. Building in 2003, named in his honor.
References
External links
Biography at University of Kentucky
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wethington, Charles T. Jr.
1936 births
Living people
People from Casey County, Kentucky
Presidents of the University of Kentucky