U of L President John Shumaker, left, Governor Paul Patton and UK President Lee Todd announce deeper commitment to collaboration at news conference in Frankfort.

"This type of advancement and exchange of information is the guiding principle behind the administration's reform of postsecondary education. As we move forward and continue to fund our colleges and universities, we are going to see more and more results of research and technology benefiting Kentuckians."

-- Paul E. Patton, Governor,
Commonwealth of Kentucky

CONTACT:
Rusty Cheuvront or
Terry Sebastian,
Governor's Office,
(502) 564-2611

Aug. 31, 2001 -- (Frankfort, Ky.) -- Governor Paul Patton joined University of Kentucky President Lee Todd and University of Louisville President John Shumaker today as the two schools announced plans to form a new collaborative partnership aimed at enhancing the state's research potential. The trustees of both universities were also on hand.

The historical meeting was held at the Council for Postsecondary Education (CPE) after a luncheon at the Governor's Mansion. The CPE site allowed the universities to teleconference from their campuses with Governor Patton, and their trustees and presidents in Frankfort as a way of explaining plans to establish a statewide network to enhance biomedical research.

"This type of advancement and exchange of information is the guiding principle behind the administration's reform of postsecondary education," Governor Patton said. "As we move forward and continue to fund our colleges and universities, we are going to see more and more results of research and technology benefiting Kentuckians."

Other programs the universities highlighted for Governor Patton included the Kentucky school of public health, the universities completing a statewide tele-health network and clinical care program, expanding the joint lung cancer research program into the pharmaceutical production of plant-based drugs and the Kentucky industries for the future project.

U of L President Shumaker said, "It is important that we formalize our collaborative relationships. We want our faculties to be confident when they seek collaborative relationships with the other institution, they will have the full suppprt of both the presidents and the boards of trustees."

UK President Todd agreed, adding that one area where UK and U of L cooperation will pay big dividends is when the schools seek federal assistance for their programs in Washington, D.C. By working together, Todd said, "We will be able to fight the war outside the boundaries (of the state) rather than inside the boundaries."

Last month, Governor Patton and the two university presidents announced plans to open a grants office in Washington, D.C., to help attract more research funding. Governor Patton took advantage of that meeting with the universities to share with them the progress being made in all areas of postsecondary education since 1997 when he helped author its reform - the "most critical issue this administration has faced," he said.

Rising enrollment figures, advancements in the state's virtual university and library programs, support for the community and technical college system and "Buck for Brains" were all initiatives Governor Patton mentioned as high priorities of his office.

"We need to continue to help our colleges and universities meet these and other needs in new ways. We have created trust funds that have helped focus our collective attention on the areas of increasing enrollments and retaining more students," he said. "The challenges we face in Kentucky are too great and the needs of our fellow Kentuckians are too important to settle for anything less than a fully cooperative spirit."