As required by federal law, the University of Kentucky is issuing a new policy concerning participation in foreign talent recruitment programs (FTRPs).  

The Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act of 2022 (the Chips and Science Act) required federal research funding agencies, e.g., the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Energy (DOE), to establish policies that require “covered individuals” to (a) disclose all participation in foreign talent recruitment programs and (b) certify that they are not a party to a malign foreign talent recruitment program (MFTRP) at the time of project proposal submission and annually thereafter for the life of an award issued by those agencies. Further, as a recipient of federal research funding, the university must certify that such individuals have been made aware of the requirement.  

As part of the policy, the university prohibits covered individuals from participating in MFTRPs.

The new university policy is effective Aug. 9, 2024. 

However, beginning on May 20, 2024, the university began its compliance with the NSF’s requirements for senior/key personnel submitting proposals to disclose and certify they are not a party to an MFTRP on their biographical sketch (biosketch) and current/pending documents, and this policy further outlines the university’s commitment to that expectation and the additional requirements of other agencies.

 For questions concerning the new policy, contact the Research Security Administrator in the Office of Sponsored Projects Administration, or Research Legal Counsel in the Office of Legal Counsel.

Campus Colleagues, 

Following the decision by the Board of Trustees in June to reconstitute the University Senate to a Faculty Senate, I want to share an important update with you. As of July 1, I am leading a Provisional Faculty Senate Executive Committee (Provisional FSEC) until a new Faculty Senate is seated. 

The Provisional FSEC consists of 22 members: 19 faculty members, the two elected faculty Trustees and myself. Following the Board’s decision in June, I asked each of the deans to nominate faculty members from their colleges and areas — the faculty chosen to serve on the Provisional FSEC are an integral part of creating the future Faculty Senate at UK. 

The Provisional FSEC will establish the rules and procedures of the Faculty Senate with elections for Faculty Senators to be held no later than Oct. 31, 2024. Those elected will take office no later than Nov. 30, 2024, and a new FSEC shall be elected no later than Dec. 31, 2024. 

In this period before the Faculty Senate is seated, we are continuing the important work shaping the new shared governance structure at the University. Information on Curriculog, proposals and syllabi has moved to the Office of the Provost website, while the former University Senate website continues to house relevant information important to the continuation of duties through the transition. You may also contact facultysenatetransition@uky.edu if you have any questions regarding this transition. 

The 19 faculty members and two faculty Trustees who will serve as part of the Provisional FSEC are as follows:

• Erin Abner, College of Public Health
• Becky Alley, College of Fine Arts
• Hubie Ballard, Faculty Trustee
• Emily Bergeron, College of Design
• Martha Biddle, College of Nursing
• Benjamin Commerford, Gatton College of Business and Economics
• Patricia Freeman, College of Pharmacy
• Sarah Hall, College of Medicine
• Stephanie Henderson, Libraries
• Melissa Henke, College of Law
• Vanessa Jackson, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment
• Aubrey Jones, College of Social Work
• Joneen Lowman, College of Health Sciences
• Kathleen Montgomery, Graduate School
• Justin Nichols, College of Education
• Kelly Pennell, Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering
• Nazmus Sakib, Lewis Honors College
• Hollie Swanson, Faculty Trustee
• Jessalyn Vallade, College of Communication and Information
• D. Stephen Voss, College of Arts and Sciences
• Alfred Wiemann, College of Dentistry

I extend my deepest gratitude to each of the faculty members for choosing to use their voices to help guide the formation of the Faculty Senate. 

And thank you for continuing your work to advance our University and Commonwealth.

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Campus Community, 

I am pleased to inform you that Jana Jasinski has agreed to serve as the vice provost at the University of Kentucky, effective August 15, 2024. This announcement is the result of feedback from faculty, staff and students and the search advisory committee.

Last fall, I announced that this new leadership role was being developed in the Office of the Provost. The vice provost will partner with colleges, their leaders and other senior leadership on campus — providing strategic leadership of resources, compliance and service excellence — to continue our mission to advance Kentucky.

Dr. Jasinski brings with her the experience and skills necessary to excel in this new role. She has served as the vice provost for Faculty Excellence at the University of Central Florida (UCF) since July 2018. In this role, she led faculty recruitment, retention, development and inclusion efforts among many other initiatives to support and strengthen their faculty body.

In 1999, Dr. Jasinski joined UCF as an assistant professor of sociology and has since served in multiple faculty and administrative roles, including chair of the Department of Sociology, associate dean in the College of Graduate Studies and associate dean in the College of Sciences. Over the past 25 years, Dr. Jasinski has earned many awards and honors for her dedication and service to the University of Central Florida.

Dr. Jasinski is a three-time graduate of the University of New Hampshire, where she earned her doctoral degree in sociology. Her research primarily focuses on the areas of interpersonal violence, substance use and institutional responses to violence. She has received multiple grants from the National Institute of Justice and served as a co-lead of UCF’s interdisciplinary Violence Against Women faculty research group.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Jasinski. I know she is eager to join our campus community in this new role.

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Campus Colleagues,

Earlier this month, I informed you of a new role within the Office of the Provost: associate provost for academic operations. I am pleased to announce that Christine Harper has agreed to serve as acting associate provost for academic operations. 

Christine joined the University of Kentucky in 2010, where she served in the role of assistant dean of admissions and student affairs within the College of Dentistry, and she has since worked in multiple other areas of the university, including the Office for Student Success and the Office of the Provost, as an associate provost. 

As associate vice president of enrollment and chief enrollment officer for UK, Christine has helped shape our success in growing our first-year undergraduate cohorts and expand access for transfer students to join UK through mapped Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) pathways. Through these efforts, she has worked closely with college faculty and staff to support their individual enrollment goals. In addition, Christine served on the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) compliance review committee through UK’s last accreditation. 

Christine’s experience collaborating with individuals and groups across the university, including faculty, staff and senior leadership, will allow her to continue working with college leadership and faculty as acting associate provost for academic operations. She will help the Office of the Provost and our colleges and programs focus and collaborate more on academic operational efforts at UK.

I appreciate Christine’s willingness to step into this role, and I am confident that she will use her experience to continue UK’s forward momentum.

Please join me in thanking her — and thank you for your continued efforts supporting our mission to advance our Commonwealth. 

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Campus Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that Paul E. Salamanca has agreed to serve as acting dean of the J. David Rosenberg College of Law, effective July 1, 2024.

Professor Salamanca joined the University of Kentucky in 1995 after graduating from Boston College Law School in 1989 and gaining invaluable practical experience in the field — first clerking for Justice David H. Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court, then practicing law with Debevoise & Plimpton in New York and serving as an assistant professor of law at Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans.

From 2019 to 2021, Professor Salamanca also served as a Senior Counsel and then a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) of the U.S. Department of Justice, where he supervised the Natural Resources and Land Acquisition Sections of ENRD. 

At UK, Professor Salamanca teaches courses focusing on constitutional law, civil procedure and federal courts, among others. He is dedicated to his students’ success and uses his wide array of experiences to continuously challenge students and develop their practical skills. He is a recipient of the Duncan Teaching Award and is the Wendell H. Ford Professor of Law. 

His commitment to guiding students in their learning is a testament to the determination he will bring to advancing the J. David Rosenberg College of Law and its reputation as an outstanding law school with an even more outstanding community. I know that Professor Salamanca — along with exceptional faculty, staff and students — will help lead the college into another era of growth and excellence.

Please join me in congratulating and thanking Professor Salamanca.

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Dear Colleagues, 
  
With today’s passage of the President’s Recommendations to the Board of Trustees, I know that many of you will have questions regarding how we will move forward together in our shared mission to advance Kentucky through the work we do here. As we continue building momentum in our progress, there are two matters I would like to bring to your attention.

First, I am pleased to announce a new role within the Office of the Provost: associate provost for academic operations. This will be a staff position.

This position will help us focus even more on our academic operational efforts across our colleges. The full position description and call for a permanent search will be provided soon. In the meantime, below are highlights of the role, which will first be filled on an acting basis:

• Serve as lead provost liaison to the Faculty Senate and other university committees and offices related to academic operations;  
• 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.
• 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 meet the academic administration and student success mission of the University.

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.
 
Anyone in the campus community may suggest names of candidates to serve as acting associate provost for academic operations. Please submit your recommendation for an acting associate provost for academic operations, including a brief justification, to Matthew Sanger (matthew.sanger@uky.edu), senior executive director, Office of the Provost. All recommendations will be treated confidentially. To ensure full consideration of the recommendations for acting associate provost for academic operations, please submit your nominations no later than noon on Friday, June 21.

Until the acting associate provost for academic operations is named, I will continue to lead and work with my leadership team to address any items associated with academic operations.  

Second, during the transition from a University Senate to a Faculty Senate, I will lead a Provisional Faculty Senate Executive Committee until a new Faculty Senate is seated. In the interim, the University Senate website will continue to hold relevant information for the continuation of duties. Information on Curriculog, proposals and syllabi has permanently moved to the Office of the Provost website. If you have any questions regarding the transition, please email facultysenatetransition@uky.edu. 

As we continue our work to meet the needs of Kentucky, thank you for your continued diligence and dedication to UK’s mission and its people.  
  
Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Campus Community,

I am pleased to inform you that Ned Crankshaw has accepted the position of dean of the College of Design, effective July 1, 2024, pending approval of the Board of Trustees. 

Professor Crankshaw has served as acting dean since August 2022. Under his leadership, the College of Design has seen sustained student enrollment growth as well as a move into the new home for the college in the Gray Design Building. In the new Gray Design Building, the possibilities for student learning and collaboration will reach new heights, and I am excited to see how the college grows into the space under his leadership.

With Professor Crankshaw’s guidance, the College of Design has continued supporting its scholars with funding programs and expanding research and the availability of fabrication equipment available to students and faculty. 

Professor Crankshaw also led the college as one of the recipients of the inaugural Provost IMPACT Awards that helped acquire soft goods lab equipment for the college’s Maker’s Suite to promote a new generation of innovation in students, faculty and all designers. The award also helped fund the hiring of new talent to the college and train faculty and students in research focusing on the intersection of design and textiles. 

Under his leadership, I am confident the College of Design will continue expanding opportunities for transdisciplinary collaboration efforts across campus. Professor Crankshaw will continue advocating for student success and growing our state’s capacity for design and forward-thinking innovation. 

Please join me in congratulating Professor Crankshaw on this new role. Thank you for all you do to advance UK. 

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Campus Colleagues, 

As you may be aware, UK’s Employee Benefits Committee is working to gather feedback regarding the future of employee benefits. The request for your input came from UK Human Resources last week, but the committee is looking for additional input from faculty on the feedback survey. Your voices are so important, and I want to be sure you have an opportunity to give input if you have not already.  

The Future of Benefits Feedback Exercise is an important tool for the university to help shape its long-term goal of recruiting and retaining the best faculty and staff possible. The survey is important for gauging what you find most beneficial in terms of benefits, and your feedback is crucial to guiding the committee’s work to support our employees.   

In an effort to give more time for your input, we are extending the deadline until May 31, 2024. The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete. 

You should have received an email from UK Human Resources last week with a link inviting you to participate. To help, I have included the link below: 

Future of Benefits Feedback Exercise

Thank you for all you do to advance our university.

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Campus Community, 

As you may know, Vice President and Dean Nancy Cox has notified us of her plans to retire from the university, upon the hiring of her replacement including transition time.  

We are deeply appreciative of Vice President and Dean Cox for her unwavering service, dedication and leadership to both the university and the Commonwealth of Kentucky. 

Dr. Cox held the roles of vice president for land-grant engagement and dean of the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. These are both vital roles to the University of Kentucky. They represent who we are and what we do for our state and beyond. 

The search process will begin soon with the goal of naming the next vice president for land-grant engagement and dean of the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment by early fall.  

As a land-grant institution, the role of the vice president for land-grant engagement is charged with suffusing the entire institution with the land-grant ethos — that commitment to service across our other missions of education, research and care as well as increasing the strength we have in transdisciplinary efforts. To that end, Dr. Cox has inaugurated the UK Engage effort with partners across campus to examine best practices and invest in pilot programs and initiatives around engagement. 

The Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment’s threefold land-grant mission — teaching, research and extension — serves the Commonwealth in diverse ways. They give students the skills to solve problems. They discover and deliver new knowledge and technologies through research and extension. Their goal is to improve the lives of residents across Kentucky. The Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is continuing the outstanding tradition of discovery, outreach and education at the University of Kentucky. Together, the faculty, students, staff and alumni of the college “grow ideas” and solve problems. 

The first step in the selection process is to form a search advisory committee composed of faculty, staff, students and alumni. In accordance with Governing Regulation VIII, which states that a request be made for a recommendation on matters of appointments from a committee, and as part of our efforts to enhance communication, transparency, inclusion and shared governance, the Office of the Provost, on behalf of the Office of the President, is seeking nominations to the search advisory committee. All recommendations and justifications are confidential. 

To nominate yourself or someone else to serve on the search advisory committee, please click here. Nominations are due Wednesday, May 22, at 5 p.m.  

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

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

Eli Capilouto, President
Robert S. DiPaola, Provost

Dear Colleagues,

During this season at the University of Kentucky, I hope you share my overarching sense of hope and joy at the prospect of witnessing our students cross the stage during the commencement ceremonies at Rupp Arena this week. 

Much like we place importance on K Week, we place a similar emphasis on commencement. These two events are often the beginning and conclusion of our students’ journeys through the university — from an introduction to the campus and their peers to the moment their hard work and perseverance result in the conferring of degrees.

Between those two endpoints, you, as our faculty, play a substantial role in shaping how our students grow, both inside and outside of the classroom. For the students who you mentored, the students whose passions you helped uncover and the students who learned valuable skills in your classes — you occupy similar chapters of significance in their time at UK.

And now, we have arrived at commencement. It is a culmination of all the effort and dedication that a degree symbolizes. 

Commencement is a symbol of the end of a journey — not just for our students, for whom it marks the end of this chapter in their academic, professional and personal growth, but also for us, the ones who helped guide our students to this point. 

But it is not the end of all journeys — some students may turn to their professional careers and paths now, and some may choose to continue in academia with graduate or professional school. These next chapters are what fill me with hope and joy — seeing what critical issues our students will go on to solve, what boundaries they will continue to expand and the ways they will continue to advance Kentucky and the world.

More than 4,300 graduates are set to participate in the ceremonies on May 3 and 4. I hope you will join their family and friends in celebrating their accomplishments. For more information on attending, click here.

Thank you very much on behalf of our students for all these chapters you helped to write — and for all you continue to do for UK. 

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost