Resources for Faculty for a Successful Academic Year

Campus Colleagues,

The new academic year is underway and in full swing. In these first few weeks of the fall semester, I have experienced a renewed sense of community and camaraderie. Watching our students enjoy their first football games, participate in group study sessions in our libraries and discover new interests across campus, I can see for myself the powerful community we have built here at UK.  

This community is united in our mission to advance Kentucky in all that we do, and to do so, we must prepare students to lead, innovate and drive our state into the future. As faculty, your role is vital to that mission — you guide our students on their educational journeys, and in doing so, you ignite their passions. As faculty, you help lead this new generation of thinkers, creators and leaders both inside and outside your classrooms. 

With our focus on preparing our students to realize their full potential, I want to ensure each of you is equipped with the resources to support them. The first rounds of exams are beginning soon, and as you help your students prepare, I encourage you to communicate with them about the Office for Student Success and their programs and services that can assist in multiple ways. Students can utilize those services for support in their academics as well as their overall well-being. If you would like more information on how to connect your students to these resources, please click here. 

We must also ensure that you, as faculty, are supported with the resources you need to continue building UK as a leader in teaching, research and care. To that end, the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT) and the Office for Faculty Advancement (OFA) provide services and guidance for faculty at all stages of their careers. Both CELT and OFA regularly hold workshops and informational sessions to help faculty grow in their fields as both researchers and instructors. You can see some of those and find more information in The Provost’s Academic Pulse. I also encourage you to prioritize your own well-being and health with UK Human Resources Work-Life and Well-Being. 

By putting our students first, we can ensure they encounter the support they need to build lives of meaning and purpose — and by prioritizing your own well-being, you can ensure that you continue pursuing that meaning and purpose at UK. 

Thank you for your continued dedication to building UK’s role as a leader in education, research and care. 

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost