The Profound Impacts of Collaboration

Dear Colleagues,

On Monday, I had the honor to speak at the grand opening of Miller Hall, where the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration has relocated. It was a dynamic crowd of individuals — faculty and staff, donors and patrons — all working together to accomplish the shared goal of preparing future policy leaders in the fields of law, government, public finance and more. 

The Martin School began as an individual’s dream. James W. Martin was a widely recognized and respected scholar in the field of government finance long before he began his career at UK. His influence on our campus community cannot be overstated, and the Martin School was named after him to honor his legacy of impactful scholarship and service for the public good. 

Today, the Martin School has a storied legacy that resonates across the country. Martin School alumni have gone into numerous and varied fields, including education, health care, public policy and city, state and federal government.

To accomplish James Martin’s dream, the Martin School has worked closely with many partners — the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce, the Henry Clay Center, the city of Lexington, its donors and patrons and many, many others. This kind of collaboration is necessary in order to expand the impact on what we do. 

Seeing the effect of that collaboration on Monday was a proud moment — the University of Kentucky is a powerful force for good in this state because we are a collaborative force. Our faculty, staff, students and community members are all working together to heal and serve more patients, discover and create new ways to solve problems and inspire others to teach and lead.

I am deeply grateful for and proud of the work our colleges perform, as well as the individual faculty, staff and students who make that work possible.

Thank you for creating a university that continually advances Kentucky. 

Robert S. DiPaola 
Provost