Honoring the contributions of our community February 9, 2023

Key Takeaways

• Black History Month is a time to honor and celebrate the Black community at UK and beyond.
• Several distinguished faculty members have been recognized as Great Teachers for their outstanding work in preparing our students for lives of meaning and purpose.
• Members of the UK community can provide feedback on a draft of Work Location Guidelines by Feb. 15 at 5 p.m.

Dear Campus Community:

Black History Month is an important time to reflect on and be grateful for the invaluable contributions of members of our Black community — from activists and civil rights pioneers to leaders of industry, politics, science and culture.

In honoring their contributions, the university is hosting several events on campus throughout February. You can find a full list of events here.

We are, undoubtedly, the vibrant and diverse institution we are today because of the remarkable Black alumni who forced open our doors and paved a path for those who would follow. We have taken steps to advance our work around diversity, equity and inclusion through our implementation plan, which you can read more about here.

But this work — and our progress — is never complete. 

I hope you’ll join me in learning these stories of Black history and having more conversations — and creating new stories together — around diversity, equity and inclusion throughout this month and every month of the year.

Great Teachers

Education, as we know, does not only prepare students for an occupation. It helps shape them into a citizenry that is essential for our democracy; for a lifetime of contribution to causes and communities larger than themselves.

Earlier this week, I had the privilege of celebrating those who were recognized by our students as teachers and mentors who live this promise each day in their classrooms.

UK’s 2023 Great Teachers, a group of distinguished faculty joining the ranks of some 300 in our institution’s history, have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to our students, this university and the future of our state and world. Each of these individuals — and so many faculty members on campus — represent the most fundamental element of who we are and how we serve:

Teaching.

I want to thank the Alumni Association for sponsoring the award, as well as this year’s recipients, including Dibakar Bhattacharyya, College of Engineering; Derek Lane, College of Communication and Information; Jennifer Bird-Pollan, J. David Rosenberg College of Law; Candice Hargons, College of Education; Martina Vasil, College of Fine Arts; and Kenton Sena, Lewis Honors College.

Work Location

Last week, I shared with you a draft of Work Location Guidelines the university plans to finalize later this spring.

Faculty and staff are invited to review the draft at this link and provide feedback by Feb. 15 at 5 p.m. As a reminder, you can find a complete outline of the process here.

This process is essential to ensuring we are supporting our employees while thinking about how we can fulfill our institutional mission and efforts to advance Kentucky.

Thank you to the members of the multiple workgroups and steering committee for their commitment to this initiative, as well as to every employee who has thoughtfully provided feedback for this important work.

Eli Capilouto

President