It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to this inaugural issue of Kaleidoscope, the new University of Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship.

The extraordinarily high quality of the contributions by UK undergraduates is most impressive. I am also struck by the breadth of disciplines and styles represented. The articles come from the humanities, social sciences and engineering, and include fiction, personal narrative, a technical report, and two beautifully designed historical maps. The pieces relating to adolescent alcoholism are particularly timely. Excessive alcohol consumption, binge drinking, and all of the associated risks remain an issue on college and university campuses across the country. These two candid discussions of the personal impacts of alcoholism and the realities of dealing with it should serve as an awakening for us all.

I've said all along that University of Kentucky students can compete with students anywhere. This year, for example, our undergraduates have won a British Marshall Scholarship, two Truman Scholars awards, and two Beckman Foundation Scholars awards, among many other national, regional, and local honors. In addition, the level of scholarship displayed by our students continues to amaze and thrill me; it makes me proud of them and of the educational experiences offered at UK. Hundreds of our undergraduates work with their faculty mentors as full-fledged partners, participating in research laboratories and other scholarly endeavors, and authoring or co-authoring publications that have appeared in some of the most prestigious journals in their fields.

All top-20 universities have outstanding undergraduate programs that serve as the foundation for the institution's excellence in research and service. In its quest to become a top-20 university by the year 2020, UK is committed to further enhancement of its already strong undergraduate experience. We are strengthening such current offerings as the undergraduate research opportunities and the Freshman Discovery Program. In addition, we are developing new innovative and exciting undergraduate options for students, such as publishing their work in this peer-reviewed journal. Also, we initiated a program this summer that allows 22 of our African-American undergraduates to receive support while conducting research with several of our "Bucks for Brains" professors.

The extraordinary talents and scholarly productivity of our undergraduates is clearly demonstrated by the quality of this first issue of Kaleidoscope. I am certain that this journal will continue to provide an exciting venue for undergraduate students to showcase their scholarly productivity. Kaleidoscope will demonstrate to the people of the Commonwealth and the nation that the students at UK meet and exceed the highest academic standards while conducting research and other scholarly pursuits that are of national interest and importance. I look forward to reading future issues.