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Strategic Plan

UK-PURPOSE

Plan for Unprecedented Research, Purposeful and Optimal Service and Education

The north star that guides everything we do at the University of Kentucky must be to advance Kentucky — from its economy to its health and from its culture to its levels of educational attainment so critical to progress.

In 2021, the UK Board of Trustees approved a strategic plan that serves as a roadmap for our progress together. It clearly articulates for our campus — and all those who invest in and care about this special place — how we are working to advance the Commonwealth.

These principles serve as the foundation of how UK will operationalize honoring its mission as a land-grant institution in the 21st century.

Upon its adoption in 2021, the strategic plan anticipated going through changes as the primary topic surrounded the COVID-19 response. As such, the strategic plan is currently being reworked to better reflect and respond to current opportunities and considerations. Updates will be forthcoming. In the interim individual pages like Ensuring Greater Trust, Transparency and Accountability will be updated.

Our Five Principles to Advance Kentucky

Putting Students First

Our students are why we are here. Through tailored and intentional support systems to opportunities for advancement with cutting-edge tools, we are committed to ensuring they are prepared for the workforce and to lead lives of meaning and purpose.

72% 6-year Graduation Rate

PREPARING FOR SUCCESS

Taking Care of Our People

More than 10,000 dedicated health care professionals are committed to providing advanced subspecialty care for the most critically injured and ill patients from the Commonwealth and beyond. UK HealthCare also is home to the only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for the tiniest and sickest newborns and the region’s only Level 1 trauma center.

10K+ dedicated health care professionals

CARING FOR KENTUCKY

Inspiring Ingenuity

Higher education is the vehicle to inspire ingenuity. We are intentional about creating effective pathways from campus into public venues for our research, teaching, innovation and creative work. To inspire ingenuity, using available resources, we must be strategic, innovative and use one of our strongest UK attributes — the ability to work collaboratively to address complex challenges.

$1.02B in economic impact of UK R&D for Kentucky in FY25

ADVANCING THROUGH DISCOVERY

Ensuring Greater Trust, Transparency and Accountability

The University of Kentucky is an $8.7 billion enterprise and fulfills its land-grant mission through teaching, research, service and health care — from students discovering their passions, to researchers making breakthroughs, to clinicians providing critical care in communities of every size. We have a heightened responsibility to ensure trust, as a core value of our community, and to increase accountability and transparency for everyone who invests in this place.

Learn More

$8.7B budget supporting our enduring mission

MAINTAINING TRANSPARENCY

Bringing Together Many People, One Community

With more than 33,000 employees, we are among the state's largest employers. We serve every community of the Commonwealth and extend care to all corners of Kentucky. And our nearly 38,000 students represent each of our 120 counties. Simply put, we are Kentucky's university.

71,000 students and employees

A WILDLY POWERFUL COMMUNITY

Read the past strategic plan

Email	pres@uky.edu
Phone	859-257-1701
Fax	859-257-1760