Dear Colleagues,

One of the greatest privileges of my role is to highlight the work and accomplishments of UK’s faculty. On Tuesday, I was honored to introduce this year’s Great Teachers at the annual awards dinner prior to their recognition on court at Rupp Arena. 

I am deeply proud to work alongside a faculty body whose membership is composed of prolific researchers, committed teachers and empathetic health care professionals. The Great Teacher Awards dinner allowed us to recognize the exceptional individuals who are dedicated to preparing our students to excel in their future lives and careers.

This year’s Great Teachers are Dr. Sahar Alameh and Dr. Channon Horn (College of Education); Dr. Gosia Chwatko, Dr. Isabel Escobar and Douglas Klein (Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering); and Dr. Matthew Kim (College of Arts and Sciences).

The SEC Faculty Achievement Award is another way UK honors and recognizes a faculty member who represents dedication to academic excellence and scholarship in pursuit of the university’s mission to advance Kentucky. Each year, one faculty member is selected from each SEC school, and of that group, one faculty member is announced as the SEC Professor of the Year.

This year, we recognize Dr. Rick Honaker, professor in the Department of Mining Engineering, as UK’s SEC Faculty Achievement Award recipient. Dr. Honaker is a pioneer and leader in his field, having published groundbreaking research on critical mineral extraction from coal and coal byproducts. 

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Honaker and our Great Teachers on these momentous achievements. They truly embody our mission of advancing Kentucky in everything we do — their revolutionary scholarship and commitment to our students are helping UK prepare students for lives of meaning and purpose outside the university. 

As I mentioned at the Great Teacher Awards dinner, our students are our future. And you, as all great faculty do, are helping them rise. 

Thank you for your commitment to our mission to building a more prosperous Commonwealth for all. 

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to inform you that we are initiating the search for a permanent associate provost for academic operations.   

In June 2024, I announced the creation of this new role within the Office of the Provost, which was initially filled on an acting basis. We are now moving forward with the process to fill this role permanently.    

As you may recall, this role was established to enhance our academic operational efforts across our colleges. Key responsibilities of this role include: 

• Develop and implement institutional efficiencies in academic operations and related areas of administration;  
• Direct the flow of information regarding academic operations to and from the provost to colleges, university units and state agencies regarding academic operations, administration initiatives and policies; and 
• Collaborate closely with the provost, provost executive management team, deans, associate/assistant provosts, associate deans, vice presidents and associate vice presidents with the design and implementation of new programs and policy changes to help meet the academic administration and student success missions of the university. 

The search process will begin soon with the goal of the associate provost joining us by May 1, 2025. 

Prospective candidates for this role should have a terminal degree in their field of study and have senior administrative experience leading an academic unit for more than 10 years; or a master’s degree with more than 15 years of administrative experience. Please note that this is a staff position. However, both faculty and staff may apply.  

You may nominate candidates by sending an email to shav.ross@uky.edu until 5 p.m. on March 8. All nominations will be confidential. All nominated individuals will be contacted with instructions regarding the application process.  
  
Interested candidates, regardless of whether they receive a nomination as described above, may submit applications via the UK Jobs posting beginning March 3 until 11:59 p.m. on March 10. All applications submitted will receive full consideration by the search advisory committee.  

If you have any questions about the process, please contact Shavonna Ross, director of operations (shav.ross@uky.edu). 

Thank you in advance for your valuable input. We appreciate all that you do to advance Kentucky. 

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Dear Colleagues,

Kentucky’s Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) recently held its 2025 Student Success Summit at UK. Its focus on leadership and collaboration reinforced for me the depth of expertise and talent that UK’s faculty represent. 

As we move toward midterms, I encourage you to continue building your skills and developing your passions. Our work as a university and institution of higher learning depends on our faculty, and one of our most important roles is to support you in that work.

The Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT) provides numerous opportunities for instructors, colleagues and leaders, such as workshops and support for grants and research endeavors. Your experiences as members of a world-class faculty are invaluable, and CELT will help you leverage those to further expand your skillset. 

Similarly, the Office for Faculty Advancement (OFA) exists to support faculty at UK as you evolve through different stages of your careers. I encourage you to use their resources, such as their various academies and development programs, to discover or deepen your passion for leadership. Your growth as professionals is paramount to UK’s mission to advance Kentucky in new and innovative ways. 

As always, it is also vital to consider your personal well-being as individuals as well as your professional growth. UK HR Work-life and Well-being provides personalized support for your overall well-being. Taking care of ourselves is important in ensuring we can approach our work with purpose and intention every day. 

I encourage each of you to utilize these resources — and ensure that your students utilize their resources, too. The Office for Student Success offers numerous academic and well-being services to support our students throughout their time at UK. 

This spring semester, continue finding ways to uplift yourselves and one another — I remain deeply grateful for the expertise and ingenuity you bring to UK. Thank you for continuing to advance UK and our Commonwealth. 

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Dear Colleagues,

When the Institutional Multidisciplinary Paradigm to Accelerate Collaboration and Transformation (IMPACT) Awards initiative launched two years ago, our goal was to drive innovation and collaboration within and between colleges. The groundbreaking work performed by faculty and staff each day at UK has the power to transform lives, and the IMPACT Awards initiative celebrates that. 

Now, two years after its launch, the IMPACT Awards initiative has helped generate numerous opportunities for partnerships across campus and beyond.

This spring semester, we will again highlight the invaluable and inspiring teaching, research and service conducted by the second cohort of IMPACT Awards projects on UKNow. I encourage you to read their stories and learn how they are impacting our university and our communities.

Your creativity and innovation are why the University of Kentucky is able to continue serving our Commonwealth. By sharing stories of our work with each other, we can continue inspiring not only those we serve, but our colleagues as well. 

I am profoundly grateful for your help in growing our impact as a university — thank you for continually reimagining how UK can advance Kentucky.

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Dear Colleagues,

It continues to be an exciting time to be a member of the University of Kentucky community — over the last year, we made significant strides in our efforts to advance our Commonwealth, and our momentum has not slowed.

Most especially, you — our faculty and instructors — have played an integral role in UK’s work of improving the lives of all our community members.

You helped us grow enrollment to record levels and graduate more students than ever before — in the fall semester, we enrolled nearly 36,000 students and conferred nearly 2,000 degrees for our December commencement. In 2024, we also welcomed new degrees and programs, such as the Bachelor of Science in Statistics and Data Science and the undergraduate certificate in Arts Emergency Management.

You also served our communities through excellence in research — from using innovative gaming to address opioid misuse among teenagers with the support of a $1.9 million grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, to helping improve health outcomes by addressing food insecurity through the Food as Health Alliance.

You helped heal our community members and earned UK Chandler Hospital recognition as the No. 1 hospital in the state by U.S. News & World Report for the ninth year in a row, as well as a top oncology ranking from Becker’s Hospital Review for Markey Cancer Center. Your groundbreaking work for our patients helps pave the way for even greater breakthroughs in healing and care. 

In the last year, we have grown and accomplished even more. You represent a world-class faculty body driving discoveries to improve the lives of countless individuals and communities around the world.

The momentum of your successes in 2024 carries us into the new spring semester, and I know you will continue inspiring your colleagues, students and communities to do even more in 2025.

Thank you for inspiring us all to do more and be more for Kentucky.

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

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