Dear Colleagues,

I hope that you have had a wonderful and rejuvenating winter break — time that can help us recharge for the semester ahead. While we prepare for the start of classes, here are some reminders and updates to help you. 

Earlier this week, you received an email from the Academic Ombud regarding the Spring 2025 Academic Reminders. These reminders are important information to review as you prepare for your first classes of the spring semester next week, as they contain details pertaining to course syllabi, attendance, academic integrityand other topics. Please ensure that you review these reminders and share them with any colleagues who teach.

The Office of the Provost is committed to supporting our incredible community of instructors at UK, and a major component of that commitment is ensuring you have the resources necessary to guide our students. The new Instructor Resources webpage contains important information for all instructors, including the updated syllabus guidance. 

Please contact the Office of the Provost or the Office of the Academic Ombud if you encounter any questions.

I am profoundly grateful for all the hard work and time you devoted to our university and our students leading up to and during the fall semester. And I am confident that, together, we will make this spring semester equally successful.

Thank you for continuing to make UK an amazing community for learning and discovery. 

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Dear Colleagues,

Our December commencement ceremonies will be held tomorrow in Rupp Arena, marking an important milestone in many of our students’ lives. Commencement signifies the end of this academic journey, the culmination of countless hours of hard work and dedication.

I have always enjoyed watching our students mark this milestone with their friends, family and other members of their support systems. You can find more details about attending tomorrow’s ceremonies here. 

It also is a testament to the hard work and dedication that you, our faculty, have put into each one of your students. It is your encouragement, insight and mentorship that inspire your students to reach beyond what they once believed possible and achieve their dreams.

They will go on to change the world through their creative genius, their skillful artistry — abilities you helped them discover and develop here at UK. 

You have guided your students to this precipice, and now it is time to watch them soar. 

I am incredibly proud of our students, and I am equally proud of the care and commitment you demonstrate for them.

On behalf of the University of Kentucky, thank you for helping create this moment and this memory for our students. I hope you find time over this winter break to rest so that we can approach the spring refreshed and reinvigorated.

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the reappointment of Dr. Danelle Stevens-Watkins as the acting dean of the College of Education, effective Jan. 1, 2025. She will serve in this role for either one year or until the new dean begins.

Dr. Stevens-Watkins has helped lead the College of Education through various milestones in the last year, such as the college’s 100th anniversary. The College of Education has launched new programs and certificates, including a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sport Leadership and an undergraduate certificate in Esport Athlete Performance and Management. 

Serving as acting dean of the College of Education since January 2023, Dr. Stevens-Watkins is also an accomplished researcher and educator in the Department of Educational, School and Counseling Psychology. Under her leadership, the college has seen continued growth and development as an outstanding innovator in teaching and learning through scholarship and practical application of research.

The search for the new dean of the College of Education is ongoing and proceeding as scheduled. The goal is to have a new dean starting by July 1, 2025, and I want to thank the search advisory committee for their hard work and dedication. 

I also want to thank Dr. Stevens-Watkins for her continued leadership during this era of expansion for the College of Education. I am eager to see what milestones the college achieves next. 

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Dear Colleagues, 

As we wind down the semester and enter a new holiday season, I want to express my deepest gratitude for all you have done and continue to do for our students, for our university and for each other.   

This year has undoubtedly been marked with challenges we have had to face — challenges we faced as a united front. We came together to chart a new path forward.  

For example, you helped convene the Consortium for Understanding and Reducing Infectious Diseases in Kentucky (CURE-KY) to help our state address urgent health issues. This transdisciplinary effort is marked by collaborations from clinicians, epidemiologists, behavioral researchers and basic scientists — working as one to effect change in our communities and their health.  

If our goal is to advance Kentucky in all that we do, we must help prepare the next generation to continue that mission. Educating our students happens in your classrooms, your research spaces and your studios. It takes place during your office hours, review sessions and in tutoring centers.  

But guiding them to realize their full potential — that is an effort each one of you put forth every day in concert with your colleagues, peers and partners across UK. 

I see that effort in the partnerships you create with each other. I see it in the ways you mentor and guide your students. I see it in the care and dedication you devote to your patients.   

I see each of you, and I am profoundly grateful for all you have done and continue to do — together.   

If there is one thing I have come to realize in my career working with faculty, staff and students, it’s that our impact is magnified when we work together to reach a shared goal. 

This year, you came together to build new bridges and connections. Next year, I hope we reach even greater heights — united in our mission to advance Kentucky. 

I want to extend my deepest thanks to you for inspiring each other — and me — to be our best selves.  

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. 

Warmest regards, 

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D.  
Provost  

Dear Colleagues,

Throughout the year, I have been honored and privileged to speak at events in your areas and colleges. These have ranged from ceremonies honoring your graduating students to orientations welcoming new faculty to the university. 

The highlight of all these events, though, is always the people — you.

One of the greatest strengths of UK is that we are a community made of many people who each have their own perspectives. I see that in every interaction I have with our faculty, staff and students.

We come together at different points in our respective paths. But despite the differences in our journeys, we have each arrived here, at UK, to create change, advance our communities and make an impact on Kentucky. 

The greatest reward of any role is making a positive impact, knowing you have contributed to the betterment of your community. 

My work — of supporting you — is even more meaningful because of the work that you do. I witness the blazing of new paths and the unraveling of mysteries at UK every day. 

As a community, we learn from each other and share our varied experiences — and we are stronger for it. 

That is what makes UK such a powerful place. And you are what makes my role worthwhile. 

Thank you for everything you have done — and continue to do — on behalf of our university and our state.

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Campus Community,

We are very pleased to announce that Laura Stephenson has agreed to assume the critical leadership positions of vice president for land-grant engagement and dean of the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Martin-Gatton CAFE).

Dean Stephenson will assume her new duties in mid-January. Currently, she serves as associate vice president for land-grant engagement and associate dean and director of extension. 

Dean Stephenson succeeds Nancy Cox, who, as so many of you know, has served as dean for more than a decade and as UK’s inaugural vice president for land-grant engagement. This leadership position is a recognition of our aspiration to embed our founding mission into every aspect of what we do.

Stephenson knows Kentucky well and has deep roots in our state and the college through her decades of work and leadership in Cooperative Extension. She has served in extension at both UK and the University of Tennessee. 

She has also served as a department chair, is the co-author of many journal articles and publications and is a leader on millions of dollars in grant awards around issues such as workforce training, nutrition, community building and health. At UK, she led a substantial reorganization of Cooperative Extension to ensure more efficient delivery of services and communication.

She is recognized and admired across the state, region and country for her leadership role in extension and agriculture.

Her appointments come at an inflection point for our university. Our Board of Trustees has directed us to focus even more intently on how we can advance the overall health of our state, working with partners and communities across Kentucky. 

Extension already plays a critical role in these efforts. That role will only expand and deepen under this initiative — what we are calling the Advancing Kentucky Together Network. Dean Stephenson is particularly well-positioned to help lead and support these efforts.

We also want to thank Dean Cox for her decades of service and leadership in agriculture and at the University of Kentucky. She is deeply admired across Kentucky — in agricultural circles, legislative hearing rooms and anywhere there is an understanding of the vital roles farming and agribusiness play in the life and health of our Commonwealth.

We know you join us in congratulating her as she assumes these new critical leadership capacities at UK.

Her appointment underscores the deep base of talent, expertise and commitment that exists on our campus. We are grateful to serve at a place where so many can do so much to advance the state that we all serve.

Eli Capilouto, President 
Robert DiPaola, Provost

Dear Colleagues,

Entering the holiday season and winter months is a different experience for all of us in so many ways, filled with different emotions.

One emotion I want to reflect on is gratitude, especially for all you do here, day in and day out. November comes quicker than anticipated after the early rush of the beginning of the academic year — while it is no less busy, I want to pause and reflect on what makes me thankful to work at UK. 

I am grateful for you, my colleagues — for showing up every day, dedicated to helping our students, caring for our patients and advancing our state. Throughout this semester, I have continually seen firsthand how committed our faculty, staff and students are to the mission and purpose of UK. 

I have seen your excellence in research and scholarship help build stronger communities in our state. 

I have seen how you prepare students to give back and impact other people’s lives.

I have seen how you use the arts to inspire passions and tell important stories. 

And I have seen how you care for our patients in need.

I am thankful that you continue to use your voices and your impact to help grow UK and its people. Our community of faculty, staff and students is central to our mission to advance Kentucky through teaching, research, service and care. 

As we begin to enter the holiday season, I hope we can take time to pause and reflect on the positive impact we have had on our students, our patients, our communities, our university — and on ourselves. While UK continues to build momentum in advancing Kentucky, the progress and change we make as individuals is no less exciting, no less worthy of celebration.

Thank you for continuing to make UK a great place to work — and thank you for building a community that uplifts one another.

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Campus Colleagues,

I want to thank all of our faculty for participating in the Faculty Senate elections in October — you are ensuring that your units, programs and colleges are given a voice at the university level with this important body of faculty representation. 

As a reminder, the inaugural Faculty Senate members are serving staggered terms to ensure that only one-third of seats will be up for election each year rather than the entire body. The seats were assigned term lengths randomly to make the process as fair as possible. 

The inaugural Faculty Senate members are listed below. An asterisk (*) denotes members of the Provisional Faculty Senate Executive Committee who were elected by their college to serve as a Faculty Senator.

Terms ending Aug. 14, 2025:

• Val Adams — College of Pharmacy
• John “JS” Butler — Graduate School
• Christopher Crawford — College of Arts and Sciences
• Sarah Hall* — College of Medicine
• Erin Haynes — College of Public Health
• Hyun Ju Jeong — College of Communication and Information
• Aubrey Jones* — College of Social Work
• Bradley Kerns — College of Fine Arts
• Joneen Lowman* — College of Health Sciences
• Douglas “Doug” Michael — College of Law
• Gregg Rentfrow — Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment
• Holly Stith — College of Nursing
• Kaveh Tagavi — Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering

Terms ending Aug. 14, 2026:

• Kimberly Anderson — Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering
• Emily Bergeron* — College of Design
• Martha Biddle* — College of Nursing
• Holly Hapke — Gatton College of Business and Economics
• Richard “Rick” Ingram — College of Public Health
• Jane McEldowney Jensen — College of Education
• Amy Laub — Libraries
• Joe Martin — Lewis Honors College
• Kirsten Metzler-Wilson — College of Health Sciences
• Stephanie Ratliff — College of Social Work
• Melissa Stein — College of Arts and Sciences
• Jessalyn Vallade* — College of Communication and Information
• Alfred Wiemann* — College of Dentistry

Terms ending Aug. 14, 2027:

• Becky Alley* — College of Fine Arts
• Bjoern Bauer — College of Pharmacy
• Stephanie Bennett — College of Education
• Enif Dominguez Fernandez — College of Dentistry
• Andrew McDonnell — Libraries
• Kathleen Montgomery* — Graduate School
• Michael “Mike” Murray — College of Law
• Mark O’Bryan — College of Design
• Sherelle Roberts — Lewis Honors College
• Nicholas “Nick” Teets — Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment
• Olivier Thibault — College of Medicine
• Leslie Vincent — Gatton College of Business and Economics

Thank you to all our faculty for participating in these important elections, and congratulations to our new Faculty Senators. I am eager to see how they will come together to continue advancing UK and our Commonwealth.

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Campus Colleagues,

I want to reiterate my deep appreciation for all the hard work you continue to perform to advance our university. I have witnessed firsthand how you contribute to our mission of excellence in teaching, research, service and care throughout campus.

What we achieve as an institution, our UK-PURPOSE, cannot be possible without your crucial efforts. And as we enter the latter half of the semester, I want to highlight the resources that support all that you do — and that support you as individuals — particularly during this time of year. In the weeks remaining of this fall semester, our schedules can often become crowded with competing deadlines and priorities. This is something we often tell students, but it can be true for faculty as well. 

Priority registration for the spring 2025 semester has begun, which means many are looking ahead to the future. But with only six weeks of classes remaining, we also want to remain focused on a strong finish to this fall semester. That focus can be difficult to maintain after all the hard work and effort starting off the academic year. 

These are resources that I encourage you to consider as you think of how to best care for yourself and your fellow campus community members as well.

• The Office for Faculty Advancement (OFA) — OFA works to promote and support faculty advancement in all forms, whether in the tenure process or through professional development opportunities. Consider how you can use these resources and programs to continue your growth as an instructor, researcher and leader.
• The Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT) — CELT engages with faculty across campus to continue evolving as successful and innovative teachers through individual consultations or support in groups or departments.
• Work Life and Well-Being — UK Human Resources provides various services and programs to help us thrive as both professionals and individuals, and they offer various opportunities to help us grow and continue flourishing at UK.

I also encourage you to connect with your students about resources available to them as we approach the close of another semester. 

• The Office for Student Success — The programs and departments in the Office for Student Success help engage students in their educational journeys and support them every step of the way. Encourage your students to explore all that they offer to continue growing as learners at UK.

Your efforts are what make UK such an incredible place — of learning, growth and hope. While we perform our crucial work for Kentucky, we must also continue taking care of ourselves at the same time. 

Thank you for everything you do to support our university and Commonwealth.

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Campus Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Jennifer Osterhage is serving as our new director of the Office of Transdisciplinary Educational approaches to advance Kentucky and began on Nov. 1, 2024. As part of the university’s Quality Enhancement Plan, the director of the program plays a critical role in continuing to revolutionize education and learning at UK. 

Dr. Osterhage is an associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Biology as well as the director of the S-STEM Program, an initiative funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to provide scholarships and support to low-income biology and neuroscience students at UK. 

She also has served as the director of undergraduate studies (DUS) in the Department of Biology. As DUS, Dr. Osterhage developed new courses to incorporate employability skills into student learning outcomes, and she led assessment efforts of the undergraduate curriculum, leading to a redesign of the student learning outcomes that has become a model for other units. 

I am confident in the leadership Dr. Osterhage has demonstrated and look forward to her role as director as we continue developing our students into Kentucky’s future leaders. This program is an important component of our efforts to transform education and how we prepare our students for success after graduation at UK — particularly using transdisciplinary approaches to combine multiple perspectives and areas of expertise. Dr. Osterhage brings extensive experience in learning and teaching across disciplines, and I am excited to see how it will continue to grow under her leadership.

I also want to extend a deep and sincere thank you to Dr. Susan Cantrell, who has served as the director since May 2023. Under her leadership, the program launched two cohorts of Faculty Fellows to support professional development and collaboration among faculty, as well as created various courses to develop essential skills in our students. Please join me in thanking Dr. Cantrell for her immense contributions and guidance.

I know you will also join me in congratulating Dr. Osterhage. I am deeply grateful for her dedication to and support of our mission to help our students and advance Kentucky.

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost