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University of Kentucky First Amendment Center Welcome Welcome to the web site of the University of Kentucky First Amendment Center. I hope you find the site useful. I encourage you to share your ideas with me and let me know how we can improve the site, which is continuing being upgraded. The Center was established in 1987 with a grant from the Kentucky First Amendment Congress and the Kentucky Post. The Center has received more than $200,000 in grants so far, including support from the Scripps Howard Foundation, Ashland Oil, the Gannett Foundation, the Kentucky Press Association and several newspapers and law firms. Judy Clabes, editor of the Kentucky Post and former chair of the Kentucky First Amendment Congress at the time and now President of the Scripps Howard Foundation, spearheaded the campaign to fund establishment of the Center. The Center was formally dedicated by CBS newsman Charles Kuralt on April 28, 1989. You can find a copy of the lecture he delivered, along with other materials about the dedication, on this web site. The Center has sponsored a variety of events and activities over the years and recently sponsored the eighth-annual Scripps Howard Foundation First Amendment Celebration. Celebration events included Pulitzer Prize winner Jeffrey Marx on a book tour; public policy forums on undecided voters in the presidential election campaign, on media bias and on civic literacy; two high school journalism workshops; and continuation of a popular "First Amendment in Action" speaker series. The Center also worked with the Kentucky Secretary of State's Office, the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning, Ball State University, Democratic and Republican student organizations, UK's Career Center and Experiential Education, and the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues to bring together faculty, students, civic leaders and citizens. The Center's relationship with the international Advanced Team StoryTelling Workshop for broadcast journalists blossomed into a long-term commitment from the group to the University. As a result, the Center played a key role on campus in enlightening citizens, especially students, about the importance of the First Amendment to our democratic society. You'll find a more detailed report of the activities on the web site. You can also find a list of our Advisory Committee. The Center is on the second floor of the Grehan Journalism Building that includes space to house our extensive collection of print and audiovisual materials. The Center is sponsoring a First Amendment national essay contest for college students for spring 2006. The first-place winner will receive $1000. We are also working with the local and regional media to offer periodic commentaries on First Amendment topics written by members of the Advisory Committee. I hope that, after reviewing our web site, you will consider supporting the Center. If you would like to make a contribution, just send your check to:
Indicate on your check that the contribution is for "The UK First Amendment Center." Thanks for visiting our web site. If you have any questions anytime or want more information about the Center, please let me know. You can contact me at farrell@uky.edu or 859-257-4848. Sincerely, J. Michael Farrell ,
Ph.D. |
Created 12/13/2005 and updated 8/8/2006 by Robert J.
Trader
for the First Amendment Center.