LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 14, 2021) – In the fall of 1970, a young man from southern Indiana enrolled at the University of Kentucky. Over 50 years later, Keith Elkins remains a part of the Lexington and Kentucky media scene.
In this edition of the ‘Behind the Blue’ podcast, Carl Nathe talks with Elkins, a 1974 graduate of UK, about his family ties to Kentucky and an ongoing career which includes sports radio play-by-play work, television news anchoring, public relations, and now podcasting.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 7, 2021) – What will the future of energy storage look like? Whether it be batteries for electronic devices like cell phones, laptops, tablets, and smart watches, or for electric cars and hybrid vehicles, or for units that play an integral role in the operations of major power plants, researchers at the University of Kentucky’s Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER) are working to speed the development of the next generation of more efficient and safer battery technology.
The CAER investigates energy technologies to improve the environment. Researchers contribute to technically-sound policies related to fossil and renewable energy.
The CAER is a UK unit that is staffed by professional scientists and engineers, has extensive interactions with faculty members and students, and provides analytical services for outside organizations. CAER adds to the teaching and instruction arm of UK by educating students from pre-college to postgraduate levels and being involved in labor force development for the Commonwealth.
On this episode, UKPR’s Carl Nathe recently talked with UK faculty members Chad Risko and Susan Odom about their work and how this research connects to students in the classroom and the laboratory.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 29, 2020) – In only his third year at the University of Kentucky, Jason Brooks already is making a very significant imprint by positively impacting the lives of students, faculty, and staff across campus.
The Kansas native joined UK in 2018 as director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Cultural Center and promptly expanded programming, educational opportunities, and outreach raising the profile of the center to many citizens in the greater Lexington area. In 2020, he was named to a new position, executive director of institutional engagement for UK.
In this edition of the ‘Behind the Blue’ podcast, Brooks talks with Carl Nathe about the work he and his office are doing in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion and more.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 22, 2020) – Dr. Mark V. Williams is in his seventh year as a member of the UK HealthCare team at the University of Kentucky. This highly respected physician and researcher is constantly looking at ways to improve the patient experience, drawing upon what he has learned during a career which has taken him from Emory University in Atlanta, to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, to Northwestern University in Chicago, and now to Kentucky.
Carl Nathe visited with Williams in a wide-ranging interview which makes up today’s edition of our ‘Behind the Blue’ podcast.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 17, 2020) – For over 80 years, the UK College of Social Work (CoSW) has been a leader in social work education. Through rigorous research, excellence in instruction, and steadfast service, the CoSW works to improve the human condition. Always, in all ways, according to their mission.
In addition to the main campus in Lexington, the College has satellite campuses at the Center of Excellence in Rural Health in Hazard, Kentucky and Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. The College offers four unique academic programs, including a Bachelors of Arts in Social Work, Master of Social Work, Doctor of Social Work, and Doctorate of Philosophy in Social Work.
Not yet 40 years of age, Jay Miller is in his second year as dean of the University of Kentucky College of Social Work. Miller grew up in foster care and thus is acutely aware of what an important role effective, professional social work can play in the development of a young person and how social work can make a positive impact on individuals and the broader society.
Miller recently joined Carl Nathe for a ‘Behind the Blue’ podcast interview about ways the college is expanding access to social work education at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 15, 2020) – As the fundraising arm of the University of Kentucky, the Office of Philanthropy is charged with furthering the university’s mission and vision. The philanthropy staff works with faculty, students, programs, colleges and administration to identify the university’s top priorities. Then, it connects the university to the people, corporations and foundations who can make their dreams a reality.
In the fall of 1969, Muhlenberg County native Mike Richey enrolled at the University of Kentucky in Lexington as a college freshman. More than 51 years later, the University’s Vice President for Philanthropy and Chief Philanthropy Officer’s love for UK burns brighter than ever.
Recently, Richey joined Carl Nathe for a ‘Behind the Blue’ podcast interview to talk about the school’s ongoing ‘Kentucky Can’ efforts, the 21st Century Campaign for the University of Kentucky and more.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 10, 2020) – The mission of UK’s Extension department is to make a difference in the lives of Kentucky citizens through research-based education. Jointly with our other land-grant partner, Kentucky State University, UK Extension takes the University to people in their local communities, addressing issues of importance to all Kentuckians.
Now in her 32nd year as a University of Kentucky Extension Agent, Jennifer Bridge recently received a major national award in recognition of her innovative service and tireless dedication to the people of Meade County.
In this edition of the ‘Behind the Blue’ podcast, Carl Nathe talks with Bridge about the passion she brings to her work and some of the ways this family and consumer sciences agent goes above and beyond in improving the lives of those around her.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 9, 2020) – It has been nearly one year since the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus changed the world. With millions of people infected and over a quarter million dead in the United States, the novel coronavirus continues its pervasive hold on our health and well-being.
After months of stress, frustration and uncertainty, people are itching to travel and visit loved ones during the height of the holiday season, despite increasing cases of COVID-19. As the virus continues to dominate news coverage, people are clinging to the anticipation of promising vaccine trials from Pfizer, Moderna and several other companies. How will these vaccines, and potentially others still to come, change the course of the pandemic? Will we be able to return to normal and how long could that take?
On this episode of Behind the Blue, we speak with Vincent Venditto, an assistant professor in the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutical Science, and Brooke Hudspeth, an associate professor and Chief Practice Officer for the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy. In our third and final part of this interview, we ask Vince and Brooke about how this pandemic possibly ends, and how we progress into a new world after COVID-19.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 8, 2020) – It has been nearly one year since the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus changed the world. With millions of people infected and over a quarter million dead in the United States, the novel coronavirus continues its pervasive hold on our health and well-being.
After months of stress, frustration and uncertainty, people are itching to travel and visit loved ones during the height of the holiday season, despite increasing cases of COVID-19. As the virus continues to dominate news coverage, people are clinging to the anticipation of promising vaccine trials from Pfizer, Moderna and several other companies. How will these vaccines, and potentially others still to come, change the course of the pandemic? Will we be able to return to normal and how long could that take?
On this episode of Behind the Blue, we speak with Vincent Venditto, an assistant professor in the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutical Science, and Brooke Hudspeth, an associate professor and Chief Practice Officer for the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy. In part two of our interview with Vince and Brooke, we discuss who exactly takes part in vaccine trials, the issues those trials may run into, when to expect some type of herd immunity and more.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 7, 2020) – It has been nearly one year since the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus changed the world. With millions of people infected and over a quarter million dead in the United States, the novel coronavirus continues its pervasive hold on our health and well-being.
After months of stress, frustration and uncertainty, people are itching to travel and visit loved ones during the height of the holiday season, despite increasing cases of COVID-19. As the virus continues to dominate news coverage, people are clinging to the anticipation of promising vaccine trials from Pfizer, Moderna and several other companies. How will these vaccines, and potentially others still to come, change the course of the pandemic? Will we be able to return to normal and how long could that take?
On this episode of Behind the Blue, we speak with two members of the UK College of Pharmacy all about the history and implementation of vaccines, and what to expect from the rollout of these new vaccines designed to combat our current pandemic.
Vincent Venditto is an assistant professor in the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutical Science. Dr. Venditto received training in organic synthesis and vaccine development. He obtained a BS in chemistry from Gettysburg College and then worked for two years at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health as a cancer research trainee before attending graduate school. He obtained a PhD in chemistry from Texas A&M University and worked on vaccine development as an NIH postdoctoral fellow at University of California, San Francisco.
Brooke Hudspeth is an associate professor and Chief Practice Officer for the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy. An alumnus of the college’s PharmD and Community Residency programs, she serves as a preceptor for pharmacy students and residents, and as the CPO, oversees all community pharmacy efforts for the college while working to elevate the care available to those in the Commonwealth.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 3, 2020) – Since its inception in 1889, the UK Alumni Association is a self-governed, nonprofit membership organization that serves the University of Kentucky and its many alumni, students, parents and friends.
From maintaining the Helen G. King Alumni House as the alumni home on campus, to scholarships, Homecoming and Golden Wildcat reunion activities, providing networking opportunities with UK graduates around the world and more, the vision of the UK Alumni Association is to “Enhance the lives of alumni, the university, and its students and provide opportunities for increased engagement by current and future alumni in service to each other, to the university, and to the communities that the university serves across the Commonwealth and beyond.”
On this episode of Behind the Blue, UKPR’s Carl Nathe is joined by Jill Smith, Executive Director and Associate Vice-President of the UK Alumni Association, and current UK Alumni Association President Hannah Myers. Myers and Smith talk about their shared UK backgrounds and how their time here inspired them to give back to their communities, the 131 year history of the Alumni Association and how it has developed and adapted over that time, the importance of being the “history holders” and tradition-keepers for the University, and more.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 26, 2020) – Coming from a large family in Nebraska, Dr. Mark Prendergast grew up with a desire to help others.
Prendergast, the Director of the Neuroscience Bachelor of Science degree program in the UK College of Arts & Sciences, has used that desire to find demonstrative ways to increase the number of students of color in the neuroscience field.
“We have a longstanding commitment to addressing issues of diversity, inclusivity and equity,” says Prendergast. “And one of our most important missions as faculty and scientists is to train the next generation of scientists and professors. And we have to, absolutely must do that, with diversity, inclusivity and equity in mind.”
From 2013-2019, he co-directed a NIH-funded research training program for undergraduate students. The 10-week lab course studied alcohol at different levels of analysis, including cellular, behavioral and social. Prendergast says their mission was to address underrepresented minorities in the program.
In 2020, Prendergast began working with Joe Springer, Director of the UK Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, to develop the African-American Research Training Scholars Program. The program funds up to five 12-month awards for undergraduate students who identify as Black or African-American to work in a laboratory studying spinal cord injury or neuro-trauma.
On this episode of Behind the Blue, UKPR’s Carl Nathe talks with Prendergast about developing partnerships across campus, keeping students engaged in programs with work opportunities and mentorships, and more.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 19, 2020) – The statistics on Alzheimer’s and dementia inducing brain disease are frightening to look at, and unlike research into cancer and heart disease, researchers have often been frustrated in their efforts to make progress in understanding these diseases.
Dr. Peter Nelson, of the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, has spent the last 15 years in the Commonwealth helping to lead the fight against Alzheimer’s and dementia inducing brain disease. “Clinical trials are where we’re going to make the difference in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia research,” says Nelson. “My colleagues who do the clinical trials do the most clinical trials of anybody in the country. More than Harvard, more than Stanford, more than U. Chicago, the very best in the world. So, if people want to be involved in clinical trial research, this is the place they go.”
On this episode of Behind the Blue, UKPR’s Carl Nathe talks with Nelson about the work of the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, the strategies involved in working with such a complex set of diseases, the personal experience that drives his efforts in this research, and more.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 12, 2020) – The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on colleges and universities across the country, and while current students have been severely affected, prospective students are also suffering due to limitations on taking the standardized ACT or SAT tests for admission.
As the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s flagship, land-grant institution, UK is doing everything possible to insure that access to higher education is simpler for future students. For the 2021-22 academic year admissions cycle, the University of Kentucky will be test-optional, meaning students can apply without a test score.
“We ran our data here at the University of Kentucky, and it paired very well with the national data” says Christine Harper, UK’s Associate Vice-President for Student Success and Chief Enrollment Officer, “finding that GPA is a better indication of student success and retention.”
On this episode of Behind the Blue, Harper is joined by Asia Payne, UK’s Assistant Director of Academic Scholarships to talk about what test-optional means for prospective students, the range of scholarships available, the continuing availability of campus tours, and more.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 30, 2020) –
Tuesday will mark one of the most important – and certainly unusual – elections in decades.
Local, state and federal elections are being contested in the midst of a pandemic and in the wake of unrest across the country around issues of racism. The country is deeply polarized. Recovery from a deep recession is uneven and unsure. The Congress is in a stalemate over whether to provide more stimulus as part of relief from COVID-19.
Tuesday night – and the days afterward – will determine who controls both the House and the Senate as well as the Presidency. In Kentucky, major races for the U.S. Senate, Congress and local legislative offices have captured national attention and drawn tens of millions of dollars in contributions from individuals and groups across the country.
To help sort out all the questions and bring clarity to a confusing and anxious election season, Behind the Blue interviewed D. Stephen Voss, an associate professor of political science at UK, and resident expert in elections and voting behavior. (https://polisci.as.uky.edu/user/1620) In thisepisode, Voss discusses potential outcomes in a number of races, the vagaries of polling and how deeply divided politically our country is right now.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 27, 2020) – The University of Kentucky has recently announced plans to elevate and expand its commitment to diversity, student success, accountability and its historic land-grant mission of service as part of an expansion of UK President Eli Capilouto’s leadership team.
As part of that expansion, UK is creating the position of chief accountability officer and audit executive, which will serve as a direct report to Capilouto, who says that the major reorganization is focused on the strategic imperatives, critical to UK’s capacity to not only survive, but thrive as the institution confronts what he calls the “twin pandemics” of COVID-19 and systemic racism.
Currently chief auditor, Joe Reed will move along with the division he oversees from the Office of the Executive Vice President for Finance Administration, into this new role of Chief accountability officer and audit executive.
On this episode of Behind the Blue, Reed discusses this new role; how it differs from his previous position as chief auditor, why this organizational change was needed at UK, the meaning and impact it provides to the overall mission of the University of Kentucky, and more.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky, (Oct. 22, 2020) – Nationwide protests in the U.S. have captivated humans around the globe, catapulting discussions of race, justice and policing to the forefront of national discourse.
While police brutality has been prevalent in the United States for decades, high-profile incidents of police using deadly force against unarmed people of color has emphasized the need for intentional dialogue surrounding racial injustice and systemic racism.
“For people who are racially minoritized, the recent uprisings are part of a continued conversation that has never been optional to engage,” said Nicole Martin, director of Inclusive Excellence and Diversity Education (IEDE) at the University of Kentucky. “What we are witnessing in the uprisings is a response to a centuries long cry for recognition of Black humanity and Black life. For those whom society at large does not appear to apply the lens of race, there has been an increased desire for education around the history and theories of race in the United States.”
As protests continue around the world, it is evident that individuals are ready to engage in advocacy, revolution and, most often, conversation.
Although conversation alone will not lead to the dismantling of the oppressive systems that have led to the political, economic and social suppression of Black people, Indigenous people and people of color, ongoing dialogue can serve as a catalyst in igniting the change necessary to create the equity that marginalized communities deserve.
On this week’s edition of “Behind the Blue,” Martin and her colleague Rae Loftis, IEDE associate, discuss navigating difficult conversations surrounding race and equity, why these conversations are important in moving the campus forward and the role IEDE plays at the university in creating a campus community invested in expanding diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
IEDE serves the university as a centralized educational unit for expanding diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Rooted in an organized effort to create a campus community invested in exposing, challenging and minimizing the effects of interpersonal and institutionalized discrimination, IEDE is committed to supporting the broader mission of UK’s strategic plan.
To learn more about IEDE and its services, click here.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 8, 2020) – Totaling more than $429 million, the University of Kentucky saw a record-breaking year of research funding for the 2019-20 academic year, a 3% increase from the previous year. UK also continues to climb in national research rankings, coming in at 63rd among 624 public and private universities.
Leading the way in this area is Dr. Lisa Cassis, UK’s Vice-President for Research. Cassis oversees the university’s vast research efforts on fighting cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, opioid addiction and more.
On this week’s episode of Behind the Blue, Cassis joins UKPR’s Carl Nathe to discuss the many areas research is prioritizing, including greater diversity and inclusion, the increasing commitment to opportunities for undergraduate research, returning research efforts to higher capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic, and more.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 24, 2020) – The University of Kentucky is six weeks into a fall 2020 semester built around a hybrid of in-person and online classes. Masks, distancing, hand-washing, daily screenings and campus wide COVID-19 testing have become the protocol for the campus population, an initiative determined to provide a safe environment to fulfill UK’s missions of education, research, service and care.
As the university begins its all-SEC football season, starting September 26th at Auburn, University President Eli Capilouto recently joined UKPR’s Carl Nathe in a conversation for ‘UK at the Half.’
On this edition of Behind the Blue, we present that interview in its entirety, as Capilouto discusses the University’s return to classes, how the planning process which started in the spring continues to inform decisions made in the midst of changing circumstances, ongoing efforts regarding diversity, equity and inclusion and more.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 22, 2020) – The University of Kentucky recently announced a major reorganization of senior administration that energizes three strategic imperatives: putting students and their success at the center of all we do; constructing a bigger table for decision-making with people and resources to get the job done; and creating more accountability around the plans we make and more transparency on how we measure our progress.
In doing so, the president has expanded budget authority and responsibility for the Office for Institutional Diversity (OID) and announced the launch of a national search in the coming weeks for a permanent vice president for institutional diversity (VPID).
Currently, George Wright fills the role of interim VPID. Wright will continue in this role through the national search and move to the permanent position of senior adviser to President Capilouto once the new VPID is selected.
On this week’s edition of “Behind the Blue,” Wright discusses his role in the reorganization, his vision for OID’s future and how this reorganization will guide the university to accelerate its progress, even in the midst of this uncertain moment.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (September 11, 2020) – University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Dean Nancy Cox has recently been named by President Eli Capilouto as the Vice President for Land-Grant Engagement.
Dean Cox will take on this additional role while continuing her academic leadership in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Cox became dean of the college in 2014, having previously served as Associate Dean for Research and Associate Director of the Experiment Station at UK.
This edition of “Behind the Blue” explores Cox’s vision for the newly-created position, the ever-evolving role of extension and the responsibility behind being a land-grant institution for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 27, 2020) – Rural and African American communities face a number of health challenges – diabetes, lung cancer and heart disease being among the most common.
Dr. Lovoria Williams in the UK College of Nursing is surveying the congregants in Appalachian and central Kentucky churches to develop interventions designed to help people in those communities adapt their behavior and adopt healthy lifestyle choices. Additionally, she’s examining the effect of COVID-19 on those communities and the impact it has had on the congregants’ mental, emotional and financial well-being.
On this episode of Behind the Blue, Dr. Williams discusses her research, how it’s being received in those rural communities, what insight they hope to gain from the data and more.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 20, 2020) – As the University of Kentucky prepares for the start of the fall 2020 semester, efforts are underway to provide COVID-19 testing for all students planning a physical return to campus. Between August 3rd and August 22nd, testing for all 30,000 students – undergraduate, graduate and professional will be available at no cost to students at five sites on campus. The idea is to create a baseline for university officials as plans are implemented for ongoing daily screening, contact tracing and other health measures.
In addition, students moving into residence halls on campus are being provided ‘health kits’, containing digital thermometers, sanitizers, masks and other items, in an effort to promote healthy behavior to reduce transmission of the virus and flatten the infection curve. This behavior includes washing hands, sanitizing common surfaces, and maintaining at least 6 feet of distance from others…otherwise known as the more familiar term “social distancing”.
It’s that concept of distancing that is the focus of this episode of Behind the Blue. While distancing from each other is part of the desired behavior our health officials have been urging in order to combat this pandemic, humans have basic needs for emotional and social connection, and members of our society are being asked to do what we aren’t always well-equipped to do in the face of a crisis – nothing. On this week’s podcast, Tony Love, an assistant professor of sociology in the UK College of Arts and Sciences, and we’ll be talking about the importance of staying socially connected – even during times when we cannot be physically together.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 6, 2020) – The discussions over removal of Confederate memorials in the United States have been some of the more prominent ones in our current cultural landscape. Gaining momentum from other recent social movements that are happening concurrently, from Black Lives Matter to #MeToo and beyond, the focus of these discussions now seems to have widened to include memorials and statues that go well further back than the American Civil War, and beyond the borders of this country.
Amy Murrell Taylor, the T. Marshall Hahn Jr. Professor of History at the University of Kentucky, last appeared on Behind the Blue in September of 2017. On this newest episode, Taylor returns to discuss how this movement has progressed over the past three years, and how the University and Lexington are approaching these conversations. “I think Lexington has gotten past the most contentious part of the monument piece of all of this,” says Taylor. “But monuments are just one piece of a much bigger struggle for racial justice.”
Taylor also talks about her recent book, “Embattled Freedom: Journeys Through the Civil War’s Slave Refugee Camps”, and its themes of freedom not just coming to people despite the war and its resolution, but that it had to be sought after in the midst of it.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 30, 2020) – This summer, the United States has seen nationwide demonstrations and protests in light of, among other things, the killing of George Floyd during an arrest in Minneapolis on may 25th. Local protests quickly spread across the country, and the New York Times cited polls that estimated, as of July 3rd, between 15 and 26 million people had participated at some point in the demonstrations, making them the largest in U.S. history.
On this week’s episode of Behind the Blue, UK Assistant Professor of History Dr. Eladio Bobadilla discusses these movements, and helps provide some context to what we’re seeing. “Historically, only sustained, prolonged, well-organized movements have accomplished meaningful political and social change,” explains Dr. Bobadilla, discussing the arc of social movements. “Successful movements take time, they take pressure, they take criticism, they take organization, and they take sacrifice. I think if I were to sum up the history of social movements, when a movement succeeds those are the elements that it requires.”
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.