Dear Colleagues,

One of the many ways in which our university community excels is building connections with different groups — locally, regionally and globally. Our partnerships are key to ensuring we can provide leading edge instruction and care to those we serve. Collaboration with our partners enables transdisciplinary and shared learning experiences.

The Fulbright Program, administered through the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, partners with more than 160 nations around the world to offer international educational and cultural exchange programs. The Fulbright Scholar Program and the Fulbright Specialist Program (an offshoot of the traditional Fulbright Scholar Program) both provide awards and opportunities for faculty, administrators and staff to research and lecture abroad. 

These opportunities are designed to advance participants’ careers through cross-cultural experiences and foster long-lasting connections that enable institutions to create ties with and enrich each other.

For the 2024-2025 academic year, UK is once again proud to have esteemed colleagues counted among the Fulbright participants. Sue Roberts, Ph.D., is our associate provost for internationalization and has been selected as a Fulbright scholar for the Fulbright-Nehru International Education Administrators Program to India. Joshua Douglas, Ashland, Inc.-Spears Distinguished Research Professor of Law in the J. David Rosenberg College of Law, has received a Fulbright Specialist Program award in Rome, Italy. Read more about their accomplishments on UKNow. And as we learn more about those who have earned Fulbright awards, we will continue recognizing them.

The achievements of our esteemed faculty are a testament to the impactful work that you do each and every day. Without you, our mission to serve and enrich our Commonwealth would not be possible.

Thank you for continuing to inspire innovation and excellence at UK. 

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Dear Colleagues,

Recently, I was honored to speak with participants in a question-and-answer session hosted by the Transdisciplinary Educational approaches to advance Kentucky (TEK) team. This event connected our team and participants in the Faculty Fellows program with the community partners and experts we collaborate with to provide our students with the knowledge and skills required in Kentucky’s modern workforce.

The collaboration required in an initiative such as TEK is reflective of the teamwork we aim to see in our efforts across this campus — to effectively drive progress and continue our momentum in advancing our Commonwealth, we must work together.

The Faculty Fellows program leverages the combined knowledge of faculty and our TEK experts to prepare students with the transdisciplinary skills they will need beyond UK. The program helps to prepare faculty in both developing new courses focused on transdisciplinary skills or refreshing existing courses with transdisciplinary skills. The Faculty Fellows work as cohorts to help foster collaboration and innovation, and they are supported by the TEK team throughout the program.  

Together, our experiences, knowledge and resources provide our students with the education and understanding to succeed in their chosen fields. Combining our efforts allows us to transform the lives of our students and those we serve across our state. 

Much like the TEK community partners are able to equip our students with firsthand knowledge about Kentucky’s challenges, you are able to furnish our students with the tools and confidence they will use to address our communities’ future challenges. 

From you, our students learn how to communicate effectively and collaboratively. They learn how to work together as a cooperative unit, combining their individual skills to create solutions. They gain an appreciation for considering different perspectives when working jointly to solve complex problems.

TEK is a symbol of the importance of collaboration and how it drives our work — it demonstrates how our collaborative efforts and combined work inspires ingenuity and innovation. Through these partnerships and joint efforts, we advance our mission at UK to prepare the future leaders of Kentucky.  

Thank you for your continued efforts to serve our students. 

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Dear Colleagues,

A significant part of our mission to inspire ingenuity and innovation at the university relies upon the Office for Faculty Advancement to promote growth for faculty members who do so much for UK and its people. Part of those efforts for faculty development are implementing programs like the Southeastern Conference Academic Leadership Development Program (SEC-ALDP).

This prestigious program was established in 2007 to identify and foster the growth of academic leaders to lead universities into and beyond the future. To prepare the future of university leadership, each group of selected fellows engages in robust programming about a diverse range of topics, with the following goals:

• Stimulating academic leaders to think critically about the future of the academy.
• Increasing knowledge and understanding of academic leadership in the 21st century.
• Embracing the strength inherent in creating diverse and inclusive academic communities.
• Developing the managerial and organizational skills required to lead complex, diverse and inclusive organizations.
• Improving the general leadership skills and abilities of academic leaders.

Through a highly competitive application process, at least three but no more than four fellows are selected to participate in the program, where they learn to navigate the challenges and complexities of academic leadership. The fellows develop skills necessary to lead complex organizations and create the inclusive learning communities that SEC universities strive to achieve.

At UK, the four current fellows for the SEC-ALDP are:

• Carmen Agouridis, Ph.D., senior associate dean for instruction and extension professor in the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment
• Luke Bradley, Ph.D., acting chair and professor of Neuroscience in the College of Medicine
• Aaron Cramer, Ph.D., chair and TVA Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering
• Brandi Frisby, Ph.D., acting dean and professor in the College of Communication and Information

Throughout the academic year, each of these four outstanding leaders have participated in workshops both on UK’s campus and others. They have demonstrated impactful leadership and deepened their commitment to advancing our mission of teaching, research, service and care to support our Commonwealth’s continued growth. 

For those interested in applying for the SEC-ALDP, applications for next year’s cohort are open through May 10. More information is available here. 

Thank you for your continued efforts to support our community.

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Dear Colleagues,

Throughout the spring semester, we continue highlighting the excellent and pivotal work conducted by you and your peers across campus. This week, we focus on the Graduate School and their mission to support graduate education across all levels at the university.

Under the new leadership of Dr. Padraic Kenney, the Graduate School continues to innovate with new ways of supporting the development of graduate students as professionals and scholars. The Office of Graduate Student Professional Enhancement (GSPE) guides graduate students along their path of both academic and professional pursuits with a variety of online and in-person programs and services, such as various workshops and presentations, orientation for teaching assistants (TAs) and thesis and dissertation writing camps.

The Graduate School also continues supporting faculty in various ways, including the annual awarding of the Albert D. & Elizabeth H. Kirwan Memorial Prize and the William B. Sturgill Award. The Albert D. & Elizabeth H. Kirwan Memorial Prize is awarded to a full-time faculty member who is deemed to have made outstanding contributions to original research or creative scholarship, and the William B. Sturgill Award is presented to an outstanding graduate faculty member. Read more about the 2023 awardees here. 

We are now into the final stretch after spring break. As you continue your work, please reach out if we can be helpful. No matter if you teach graduate-level courses or employ TAs in your department, we are all impacted by the work of the Graduate School. You can learn more about the support they offer here.

Thank you for continuing to demonstrate excellence in everything you do for UK.  

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Campus Community,

I am pleased to inform you that Dr. Heather Bush has accepted our offer to serve as dean of the UK College of Public Health. She has served as the acting dean for the past two years, and I am grateful for her continued leadership in the college’s era of growth. 

Dr. Bush earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Mount Vernon Nazarene University, and she earned both her M.S. and Ph.D. in statistics from UK’s College of Arts and Sciences. After working in industry, she returned to UK in 2006, teaching courses at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels focused on statistical consulting and applications of biostatistics.

She has served the university and our greater community in numerous ways. As an endowed faculty in the Center for Research on Violence Against Women and an affiliate of the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC), she uses bystander-based training to promote violence prevention and harm reduction in college populations. She is also co-investigator in the HEALing Communities study, a four-year, $87 million study, the largest grant ever awarded to the University of Kentucky, with the goal of drastically reducing opioid overdose deaths in Kentucky. 

During her time as acting dean of the College of Public Health, Dr. Bush has overseen sustained growth of their student population and extramural research funding, furthering our university’s efforts to create positive change for the health needs of communities across Kentucky, and she has played a key role in the design of the Michael D. Rankin MD Health Education Building, the college’s new home. She is also a past recipient of the Provost’s Award for Outstanding Teaching and is a University Research Professor. 

Her dedication to our students and our community is a testament to the leadership she brings, which will help to nurture our students as they become trailblazers of our Commonwealth’s public health needs as we continue to grow.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Bush on her appointment as dean of the UK College of Public Health.

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Dear Colleagues,

The University of Kentucky is poised to expand our reach and impact throughout the region and beyond. Our reputation for innovation and education is upheld by each graduating class of students who go on to solve new challenges in our communities. To stimulate this innovation, and to foster new transdisciplinary efforts, we must recognize the excellence already at UK. 

Last year, the Office of the Provost launched the Institutional Multidisciplinary Paradigm to Accelerate Collaboration and Transformation (IMPACT) program to inspire greater ingenuity and elevate the world-class work you perform. The eight inaugural IMPACT Award recipients are each transforming learning and discovery at the university in unique ways. They are enhancing what it means to engage in life-changing research at UK. These teams and their projects encompass:

• Accelerating cultural transformation in business and engineering to support mental health.
• Developing a curricular partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to promote a curriculum of creative social entrepreneurship.
• Expanding soft goods specializations and material research.
• A Wildcat Teacher Residency program.
• A data applications librarian.
• A faculty exchange program.
• An AI and machine learning hub.
• Dental Integrated Research Education and Clinical Training (DIRECT).

Each team has submitted a six-month report on their progress, and their next update will come this summer. Their stories, their impact and their journeys will be highlighted in upcoming editions of UKNow.  

This year, I am excited to share that IMPACT will award even more funds for projects that you and your colleagues envision. Your efforts to advance our Commonwealth are why we can continue growing our impact throughout Kentucky in all areas. I will communicate with the leadership of each college about the 2024 IMPACT Awards and how we can amplify your meaningful contributions to our communities. 

Thank you for all you continue to do for UK and our students.

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Dear Colleagues,

For more than a decade, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) has celebrated the accomplishments of distinguished faculty members through the SEC Faculty Achievement Awards. This annual awards program was established in 2012 with the intent to celebrate the accomplishments and commitment of faculty across all SEC campuses in areas of teaching and scholarship. Each university nominates a recipient for the award, and one of those recipients is then chosen as the SEC Professor of the Year.

This year, UK’s winner is Sherali Zeadally, Ph.D., in the College of Communication and Information. Dr. Zeadally continually upholds the university’s dedication to teaching, research and service, and he embodies our commitment to our leadership role in Kentucky. Read more about Dr. Zeadally’s work here. 

Much like our campus supports the athletic endeavors of our Wildcats, the SEC is committed to highlighting and investing in its universities, particularly the faculty doing exceptional work every day. The SEC Academic Initiatives house collaborative programs for SEC students, faculty and staff, including the Faculty Achievement Awards Program, the SEC Acade­­­mic Leadership Development Program and the SEC Faculty Travel Program. These awards and initiatives help us to honor the essential work that you do at UK. Read more about them here.

Dr. Zeadally’s recognition underscores his commitment to our mission at UK: to advance Kentucky in everything we do. I know you join me in congratulating Dr. Zeadally on this esteemed honor. 

We are particularly appreciative of such an awards program for faculty, as we have enhanced multiple efforts for faculty advancement through our Office for Faculty Advancement (OFA). OFA has developed many mechanisms of support across the full career span of a faculty member. Additionally, OFA serves as­­­­ a mechanism for faculty to have input. We are also meeting with every college this year so that faculty can give input directly to myself and other leadership in the Office of the Provost as we work to enhance areas that matter to faculty. 

Thank you to all our faculty for the remarkable work you conduct at this powerful university. We are proud to support all that you continue to achieve. 

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Campus Community,   

The College of Design strives to be a leading force in the design disciplines, dedicated to building a collegial environment committed to excellence. The college embraces significant growth in enrollment, the development of multiple forms of scholarship and a transformation of facilities as part of the institution’s strategic imperative and mission to advance Kentucky.  

I am pleased to announce that a national search process for a permanent dean of the College of Design will begin next month. In accordance with Governing Regulation VIII, which states that I shall request a recommendation on matters of appointments from a committee, and as part of our efforts to enhance communication, transparency, inclusion and shared governance, we are seeking nominations for members of the search advisory committee, comprising faculty, staff and learners. All recommendations and justifications are treated confidentially. 

If you would like to nominate yourself or someone else to serve on the search advisory committee, please click here. If you have any questions, please contact Shavonna Ross, director of operations (shav.ross@uky.edu). Please submit your nominations by Friday, March 1, at 5 p.m. 

I look forward to working with you and listening to your input as we work through the search process. 

Thank you for all you do as we work together to advance Kentucky. 

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D.  
Provost

Dear Colleagues,

As the semester progresses, I encourage you to consider what you are passionate about in your role at the University of Kentucky, as you all have great impact on our state with meaning and purpose. Examine the principles that reinforce your purpose for being here and striving to advance our Commonwealth. Use those reasons and motivations to inspire even greater innovation in your field and among our community.

At UK, we are guided by our strategic plan, The UK-PURPOSE. The first principle of the plan calls on all of us to put students first in everything that we do. They are an essential component of our mission to drive progress for the state and the world we live in. By preparing our students for lives of meaning and purpose, we ensure they can address the challenges we face on a local, national and global level.

To continue leading in teaching and inspiring our students to flourish and thrive in their learning environments, I encourage you to communicate with them about the resources and services available to help them achieve success in their educational journeys. The Office for Student Success houses an incredible group of units to assist students in a variety of ways. To learn more about connecting students to these important resources, visit this site.

As your students prepare for their upcoming midterm exams, also be mindful that they could be experiencing stress and pressure from not only exams, papers and projects, but also factors outside of their academic pursuits. Ensure that they know that their holistic well-being matters and that they are encouraged to use our campus resources focused on their overall wellness.

As faculty, you guide our students’ educational experiences. The Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT) supports your work as engaging and innovative instructors for our learning communities. The Office for Faculty Advancement provides routes for your development as professionals and leaders in your fields. And UK Human Resources Work-Life and Well-Being empowers us to prioritize our own well-being to ensure we can be our best selves. 

Our community requires all of us — students, faculty, staff and others — to take part, fully and wholeheartedly. Additionally, our commitment to our work, and to one other, requires us to lean on each other when necessary. As we move further into this semester, remember this — we stand together in our mission to advance Kentucky.

Thank you for your efforts in helping our students, and each other, succeed.

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost

Dear Colleagues,

The power of a globally interconnected community cannot be overstated — our work is that much more impactful because of the diverse perspectives we bring to our table. Including different perspectives is vital as we build a more inclusive and welcoming campus. As the University for Kentucky, we hold an important leadership role in our state to contribute to the economic development and quality of life across the Commonwealth — and beyond.

UK’s International Center leads internationalization efforts, and their efforts impact students, faculty and staff across our campus. 

This past summer, the Explore First program, developed by the UK International Center and the Office for Student Success, took its inaugural cohorts of first-generation students abroad to Europe. The opportunity for education abroad helps develop our students as global citizens, able to contribute to Kentucky and our larger world. Students earned credit hours while learning crucial skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving and adaptability. 

UK’s International Center also recognizes the importance of faculty contributions to the university’s global engagement efforts with Global Impact Awards. Recent recipients include UK faculty members who demonstrated excellence in education and research abroad and innovative teaching in our classrooms. These awards highlight the important global work that you perform.

As we advance our Commonwealth, we embrace our collective experiences and shared diverse perspectives — this is who we are. And you, alongside UK’s International Center, enrich our campus by doing so. To learn more about their work and the services and opportunities the UK International Center offers, visit their website here.   

Thank you for your efforts in continuing to build a community of belonging.

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D. 
Provost