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awards $22 million grant for math and science education
NSF awards $22 million grant for math and science education
On Oct. 1, the University of Kentucky was awarded a $22 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to help strengthen and reform education in math and science in pre-K through grade 12 classrooms in Kentucky. The five-year grant, which is part of NSF's Math and Science Partnership program - an anticipated investment of $240 million over five years in projects - is one of the largest single awards in UK's history. A key facet of President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind education plan and the first investment in his five-year $1 billion math and science partnership initiative, these new partnership activities are designed to enhance the performance of American students in mathematics and science. "This is a great day for UK and a great day for American education," said President Lee T. Todd Jr. "There is no doubt that our knowledge-based economy demands skills in mathematics and science. This NSF funding will enable the University of Kentucky to help students throughout the state obtain greater math and science proficiency." Paul Eakin, professor of mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences and principal investigator on the project, said the program seeks to demonstrate improved student achievement in mathematics and science through the support of partnerships that unite the efforts of teachers, administrators and guidance counselors in local schools with administrators and faculty at area colleges and universities. The Appalachian Mathematics and Science Partnership (AMSP), which is comprised of 52 school districts and nine institutions of higher education, implements four components to address the needs of the region: 1) preservice teacher and administrator education; 2) professional development of personnel in pre-K through grade 12 classrooms; 3) student learning opportunities, including parent/community engagement; and 4) research to advance the understanding of rural education reform. "Our goals are to eliminate the achievement gap in science and mathematics in the Central Appalachian region and to build an integrated elementary, secondary and higher education system in this underserved region," said Eakin. Wimberly Royster, former UK vice president for research and graduate studies and professor emeritus of mathematics, said the program is designed to increase the number of teachers in mathematics and science in the rural areas. "We want to develop courses and procedures whereby we can prepare preservice teachers to move into the rural districts and hit the ground running," said Royster, who is co-principal investigator and project director. "The university is thrilled by this award and the opportunity it creates for us to improve the education and achievements of students in math and science," said Mike Nietzel, UK's acting provost. "Under the leadership of Paul Eakin and Wimberly Royster, faculty at UK and several partner institutions have come together to design a creative and comprehensive program for improving many aspects of math and science education in Appalachia. We are excited to begin the work." UK, the lead partner in the project, will work with the Appalachian Rural Systemic Initiative (ARSI) at the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation and eight institutions of higher education, including Eastern Kentucky University, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Pikeville College, Union College, University of Virginia College at Wise, University of Tennessee and Somerset Community College. Other colleges and universities are expected to join as the project progresses. The AMSP further partners with the Pritchard Committee on Academic Excellence, the Appalachian College Association and the Kentucky Gear-Up project. Other key personnel on the project include Ron Atwood, UK science education professor and co-principal investigator of the science program component and research component; Steve Henderson, ARSI project director and co-principal investigator and director of program delivery; and Carl Lee, UK math professor and co-principal investigator of the mathematics program component. topPresident Todd renews call for greater impact in statePresident Lee T. Todd Jr. reiterated his vision for the University of Kentucky to have a greater impact on the lives of average Kentuckians during his State of the University address to the University Senate on Sept. 30. "The real challenge for this university is not just piling up research dollars," Todd told the faculty representatives. "It's changing the state of Kentucky." "We need to make ourselves more accessible to the community," he added. Noting he has just begun his second academic year at UK's helm, Todd said the university has started using the College of Agriculture's Cooperative Extension Service to distribute more information about university research on health issues to Kentucky residents. But, he said, the university can do more to get practical information out to the public. "I want to find rewards for people who are really doing something for university outreach," he said. University officials need to find ways to build expectations for outreach into the faculty tenure process and into staff promotions, he suggested. Todd also sounded an alarm regarding the university's budget. State revenue projections remain unsteady and may affect UK, he said. "We're going to be watching dollars as closely as we can," he said. The uncertainty about state appropriations provides more incentive for various operations to find ways to bring in their own revenue, Todd said. "We've got to be quicker afoot to bring in more revenue, and we've got to be smarter in what we do with it." Todd urged more entrepreneurial thinking regarding UK's relationships with its vendors, looking for opportunities for revenue-producing partnerships. UK administrators are beginning to prepare the university's next strategic plan, Todd said. The document will not be like previous ones. "It'll be short - 10 pages or less. It won't have 37 items in it. We need to have something short enough that everybody will read," Todd said. He promised the University Senate would be involved in the plan's preparation. Many of its goals will be drawn from the recommendations of the Top 20 Task Force and the UK Futures Task Force, he said. Todd noted that for the second straight year, UK has set an enrollment record. "This is the best prepared (freshman) class we've ever brought in," he said. He said UK admissions officers have targeted the most talented Kentucky students for recruitment efforts. "We're going aggressively after the ones we really want," Todd said. topCenter for Research on Violence Against Women established at UKOn Sept. 27, University of Kentucky President Lee T. Todd Jr. and Kentucky First Lady Judi Patton announced plans to develop a Center for Research on Violence Against Women at UK. The center's primary focus will be to bring faculty together to conduct research on issues dealing with domestic violence, rape, stalking and other related crimes against women. An initial faculty advisory group identified three major areas of concentration for the center: the health and mental health effects of violence, legal issues, and public policy and administration. An additional goal of the center would be to help create a national research agenda on violence against women. "The Center for Research on Violence Against Women will fit well with the university's priority focus on gender issues and risk-related behavior and should provide an avenue for accessing research funding to study one of the most devastating social problems of our time," Todd said. "Creation of this center will provide an innovative and far-reaching way to address the welfare of women victimized by violence and will enhance the stature and reputation of Kentucky's postsecondary education system across the country," Patton said. It is expected that the university approval process for the center will be completed prior to the end of 2002 and that initial activities of the center will begin shortly thereafter. Todd also was honored by Kentucky's First Lady for contributing significantly to ending violence against women. He was one of 21 men who received the recognition as part of Patton's White Ribbon Project. He was presented with the ribbon on Oct. 1 at a luncheon in Frankfort. Submitted topBriefsStaff
Senate Web site up and running Graduate School
accepting nominations for awards Ben Folds opens
new series at Singletary Center Soviet-era military
books, journals on display at William T. Young Library top1000th Gamma Knife procedure performed at UKFaculty and staff at Kentucky Neurosciences Institute at UK Hopsital and Gamma Knife Radiosurgery completed the 1000th gamma knife procedure Sept. 18. UK was the sixth site in the United States to do Gamma Knife treatment in 1991 and remains the only Gamma Knife program in Kentucky. "Gamma Knife radiosurgery is very effective, safe and precise," said Byron Young, the neurosurgeon who performs the procedure. Young is professor of surgery and chief of neurosurgery, College of Medicine. "With Gamma Knife treatment, we are able to aim radiation at a precise site in the brain, destroying an abnormality, yet not affecting the surrounding healthy tissue," Young said. "Even after 1,000 procedures, it's still revolutionary." Gamma Knife has been referred to as "brain surgery without a knife." It can be used to treat abnormalities of the brain's artery and vein systems, benign and malignant brain tumors, and functional disorders. Since Gamma Knife radiosurgery is performed without an incision, risks associated with conventional brain surgery are decreased. A multidisciplinary team, comprised of neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists, neuro-radiologists, medical physicists, nurses and a patient service coordinator, treats patients. Most patients do not realize that they are receiving treatment because they are unable to see or hear anything and do not experience any pain. The total treatment takes between 15 minutes to several hours, depending upon the size of the lesion and the prescribed amount of radiation. Patients are able to return to their usual lifestyle the next day. topUK, Morehead offer dual bachelor-graduate degreesA new agreement between the University of Kentucky and Morehead State University permits students who are enrolled in Morehead State's Institute for Regional Analysis and Public Policy program to study for a master's degree in public administration at the UK Martin School of Public Policy and Administration while simultaneously completing their baccalaureate degrees. President Lee T. Todd Jr. and Morehead State President Ronald G. Eaglin announced the agreement on Oct. 2. Todd cited the program as an example of the way Kentucky's regional universities and the state's leading research university can collaborate "to enrich the educational opportunities for students and the research and grant opportunities for faculty." Eaglin said the program "illustrates the collaborative efforts in instruction and research that our state's top academic units should aspire to establish," and he praised the Martin School as a "prestigious, nationally ranked program." U.S. News & World Report ranked the Martin School fifth nationally in the category of public finance and budgeting in the publication "Best Graduate Schools 2002," positioned between Harvard and Carnegie Mellon universities. The school's master of health administration program was ranked 35th. Overall, the school ranked 31st among some 250 public and private schools of its type. Among public institutions alone, the school ranked 18th overall. Eugenia Toma, Martin School director, attributes the high rankings to the addition of an endowed chair in public finance, faculty members' successful participation as officers of prominent national organizations, and the achievements of Martin School graduates, many of whom hold leading positions as city and state finance officers, city planners, health-service executives, and other high-level positions in the public and non-profit sector in Kentucky and across the nation. The skills that come with a degree from the Martin School include the understanding of enormous and highly bureaucratic organizations, comfort in managing huge and complex budgets, and the skill to bring competing interest groups to the table. The usefulness of such a degree is expected to increase as tens of thousands of baby boomers retire from their government jobs. The Martin School offers the following degrees: •Master of Health Administration, which prepares candidates to work in administrative and managerial positions in all health care settings. •Pharm.D./Master of Public Administra-tion, which is the only such program in the United States. This degree prepares candidates who seek careers in state and federal regulatory and administrative agencies, the pharmaceutical industry, managed care organizations, and the academic field. •Master of Public Administration, which prepares students for a career in public or nonprofit managerial positions. top
The new Dorotha Smith Oatts Visitor Center at the University of Kentucky/Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Arboretum was dedicated on Sept. 30. The center is named for UK alumnus Dorotha Smith Oatts who made a $200,000 challenge gift toward the 3,200-square-foot building's construction. It contains offices for the arboretum staff, a large meeting room and restrooms for arboretum visitors. Lexington Mayor Pam Miller and President Lee T. Todd Jr. spoke during the dedication ceremony. Todd said the developments at the arboretum, including the new building, are "proof of the fruits of true town/gown cooperation." The president added that, "Buildings like this help add a personality to an institution such as UK. It is a real sweet spot." About 100 acres near Commonwealth Stadium were officially set aside in 1986 for the arboretum. In March 2000, the Kentucky General Assembly designated the area the "Official State Botanical Garden for the Commonwealth of Kentucky." The arboretum is open from dawn to dusk and features a children's garden, an old stand of walnut trees and a "Walk Around Kentucky" that includes trees from every region of the state. For more information go to www.uky.edu/Arboretum/. topHistorian to present lecture on AppalachiaNoted oral historian and author Alessandro Portelli will visit the University of Kentucky Oct. 29 to present a lecture on "Appalachia as a Global Region." The Appalachian Center is co-sponsoring his visit to kick off its 25th anniversary celebration. Considered one of the foremost practitioners of oral history, Portelli is the author of "The Battle of Valle Giulia: Oral History and the Art of Dialogue." The book includes essays on oral history genre and the ethics of interviewing, memory, and the use of narrative in autobiography and oral history. It also highlights the 1930s labor struggles in Kentucky's coal fields and interviews with War on Poverty workers in Appalachia in the 1960s. "It is full of valuable insights into the meanings of history, the relations between individual memory and history, and the art of storytelling," wrote Bernard Mergen, reviewer for American Studies International. A native of Italy, Portelli came to the U.S. in 1960 as a visiting high school student and later returned to America to pursue his interests in folk music and Appalachian culture. His interest in American folk music led to a dissertation on Woody Guthrie. In 1970 he began work on a project to compile an anthology of American protest songs for an Italian-based company. In 1973, he met David Walls, one of the founders of the Appalachian Center, and became interested in Kentucky history and the connection of mountain music to the struggles of the 1930s labor movements. In the early 1980s, Portelli spent two months at the Appalachian Center as a James Still Fellow conducting research on Appalachia and oral history in Harlan County. In May 2001, Portelli visited UK to participate in an Appalachian Center-sponsored conference titled "At the crossroads of globalization: the planetary life crisis, universities, and global regional studies." For more information about Portelli's visit to UK or the Appalachian Center, contact Jeff Spradling, assistant director of the Appalachian Center, at (859) 257-8265, or e-mail jspra2@uky.edu. The Appalachian Center's Web address is www.appalachiancenter.org. topCancer registry Web site now onlineThe Cancer Control Program at the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center will provide a way to help health professionals, policymakers, researchers and the public quickly access cancer incidence rates. An information session on the Kentucky Cancer Registry's new Web site will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, in room 502A Health Science Learning Center. The new site allows users to access cancer incidence rates, along with maps and charts by state, counties, groups of counties and Appalachian/non-Appalachian regions. The rates also can be defined by cancer type, gender and race. Comprehensive cancer incidence rates for Kentucky are available on the Kentucky Cancer Registry's new Web site at www.kcr.uky.edu. The KCR is the official source for Kentucky cancer incidence statistics. Staff Report topCampus ready for Homecoming festivities, Georgia football gameUniversity of Kentucky students and alumni will be celebrating "Homecoming with Da Family: Fughedaboudit" during the 2002 Homecoming festivities. Homecoming Week, Oct. 20-26, will feature several events with a 1920s theme, including the "Roaring '20s Homecoming Gala" and Casino Night, as well as the traditional pep rally and parade. Events set for the week are: Sunday,
Oct. 20 - 5K Run/Walk Monday,
Oct. 21 - Casino Night Tuesday,
Oct. 22 - Movie Night Wednesday,
Oct. 23 - Patio Party Thursday,
Oct. 24 - The Roaring '20s Homecoming Gala Friday,
Oct. 25 - Parade and Pep Rally The annual Homecoming Parade begins at 8 p.m. at Commonwealth Stadium and ends at the Pep Rally at Stoll Field beside the Student Center. Saturday,
Oct. 26 - The Game Homecoming Week culminates as the UK Wildcats play the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday evening. Paint
the Town Blue Homecoming is presented annually by the Student Activities Board. Information about Homecoming 2002 can be found on the Internet at www.uky.edu/SAB. top
topHES celebrates 96 years of historyCelebrating "96 Years Dedicated to Kentucky Families and Children," the University of Kentucky College of Human Environmental Sciences will hold a week-long series of events celebrating its long history. The festivities kicked off Friday, Oct. 18, with the Evening of Excellence in which the college recognized its Scholarship Donors and student recipients, in addition to other awards, during ceremonies at E.S. Goodbarn on campus. Activities continue with the 2002-03 Distinguished Lecture by Sharon Nickols at 3 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21. Nickols, national president of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences and dean of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Georgia, will speak on "A Passion for People" in the Center Theatre at the Student Center. On Thursday, Oct. 24, the 2002-03 HES Hall of Fame inductees will be honored in a ceremony at William T. Young Library auditorium at 3:30 p.m., with a reception to follow at 4:30 p.m. in the William T. Young Library gallery. This year's inductees are Audrey Thornton Carr, Helen Horlacher Evans, Marjorie Smock Stewart and Sue Cravens Stivers. Closing out the week is the HES Alumni Annual Meeting and Brunch at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Boone Center. The anniversary classes of 25, 50 and 60-plus years will be recognized before UK Board of Trustees member Marian Moore-Sims speaks. Closing out the meeting will be an awards ceremony honoring outstanding alumni, the First Decade Award and the Mid-Career Award. Following the meeting at 1 p.m. will be the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Nutrition Lab in UK's Erikson Hall. topU.S. Treasury Secretary speaks hereU.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill carried his view of optimism about the American economy to more than 250 students, faculty, staff and Lexington residents during a 90-minute session at the University of Kentucky on Sept. 23. "We've become victims of too much data and not enough information," O'Neill told his audience at the UK Student Center's Worsham Theatre. He was referring to media reports on economic indicators that are released then later revised. The initial indicators receive a great deal of media attention, but the revised reports - which are more accurate - often go unreported or receive poor play in newspapers and on broadcast news programs. "It's another thing that's interesting to me, the market for bad news even when there's good news," O'Neill said. A recent example is the national unemployment rate of 5.7 percent. Earlier estimates had placed the rate at 5.9 percent, and some analysts had predicted unemployment as high as 6.1 percent, O'Neill said. O'Neill did say there are areas that need attention, including recent cases of corporate executives filing misleading reports and obtaining huge benefits packages while their companies founder. "It never occurred to me we needed to be clearer with CEOs about their responsibilities," said O'Neill, a former chairman of Alcoa Inc. and a former president of International Paper Co. He noted actions are being taken to correct those problems. "I think we're on our way to tightening up the system in a way that's unmistakable," O'Neill said. "You won't be surprised to hear me say I believe President Bush deserves a good deal of credit" for the strength of the economy, O'Neill said. He credited Bush's 2001 tax cut initiative for preventing unemployment from rising to even higher levels. O'Neil estimated that without the tax package, one million more Americans would be jobless. O'Neill's remarks preceded a discussion with a panel comprised of Kelly Swartz, a graduate student at the UK Gatton School of Business and Economics; Anne Shirley, a graduate student in the UK Martin School of Public Policy and Public Administration; Jeffrey Mace, a graduate student in the UK Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce; Henry Jackson, owner of Jackson Industries of Nicholasville; Dan Bork, vice president of tax for Lexmark Inc.; and Kathy Gornick, owner of Thiel Audio of Lexington. O'Neill noted that his chief of staff is Tim Adams, who earned his bachelor's degree from the Gatton College of Business and Economics, and master's degrees from the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce and the Martin School of Public Policy and Public Administration. toptopFlu shot schedule announcedWith fall and winter approaching, a schedule for adminstration of flu shots to staff, faculty and students has been released. University Health
Service - Flu shots will be offered to all UK and Lexington Community
College full-time and part-time students free with student identification.
Non-students must pay $10. The following are the times and locations to
receive a vaccination: UK Hospital - Hospital employees can receive their vaccination free from 7 to 9 a.m., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Oct. 28 through Nov. 1; 7-8 a.m. Nov. 2; 7-8 p.m. Nov. 3; and 7-9 a.m., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., Nov. 18 in H133A in the hospital. UK College of
Pharmacy - Flu shots will be offered to community members with vaccination
prescriptions at five Kroger stores in Lexington and Richmond. UK College
of Pharmacy faculty and residents will assist in administering the vaccinations.
Vaccinations cost $15. Kroger pharmacies will offer flu vaccinations from
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the following dates and locations: Internal Medicine Clinic - Flu shots are being administered until Nov. 1. Patients with scheduled appointments should receive their vaccinations during those visits. Patients without appointments can go to the first floor medicine clinic between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and to the second floor clinic between 1 and 4 p.m. on Fridays. Family Practice Clinic - Flu shots will be administered during regular office hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, to family practice patients only. No appointment is necessary. Pediatrics Clinic - Flu shots are being administered to high-risk patients at this time. Parents should call their child’s health care provider to check on vaccine availability. Kentucky Clinic South - Flu shots are being administered to high-risk patients until Oct. 28. Administrators anticipate opening flu shots to all patients after Oct. 28. Kentucky Clinic North - Flu shots are being administered to high-risk patients. Patients should consult with their health care provider about whether they need to be vaccinated. At this time, the clinic will not hold walk-in clinics for flu shots. topCamp Nelson designated distinguished geologic siteOn Sept. 20, the Camp Nelson area in Jessamine and Garrard counties was designated a Distinguished Geologic Site by the Kentucky Society of Professional Geologists. For more than 200 years, Camp Nelson has been a key site for transportation along and across the Kentucky River. During the Civil War, it was the location of a major Union Army supply depot and recruitment center for African-American soldiers. The unique geology of the area has been a classic locality for geologic field trips for many decades. James Cobb, state geologist and director of the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) at UK, said, "Numerous geological exposures in Kentucky have attracted the interest of geoscientists from the United States and Europe; they use these key sites to expand or enhance their scientific studies." This is the second location designated a Distinguished Geologic Site by the geologists. The first site, Pound Gap in Letcher County, was designated in September 1998. topAdult back-to-school workshop slatedThe University of Kentucky will hold a free Back-to-School Workshop for Adults from 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 24, in 230 Student Center on the UK campus. The workshop is open to all adults who are returning to college or to those who will attend college for the first time. Representatives from the UK offices of graduate and undergraduate admissions, academic advising and financial counseling will offer guidance and answer participants' questions. For more information, call (859) 257-8126 or (859) 257-3159, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Submitted topGood to go: Transportation Center gets federal funding for projectsU.S. Rep. Hal Rogers has announced that the University of Kentucky Transportation Center will get $3.64 million in federal earmarked funding for the following transportation projects (pending Congressional approval): •$2 million for the Academy for Community Transportation Innovation. Funding will be used to educate transportation professionals and study transportation development, planning and design of suburban and rural areas. •$1.64 million for commercial vehicle monitoring by UK and Veridian along I-75. The academy intends to develop approaches that encourage community involvement in the early stages of roadway development planning in order to avoid lengthy delays. An example of the delays that can occur may be seen in the widening of Paris Pike, a project that was first announced in the mid-1960s and was delayed by public hearings and litigation. The results of this initiative are expected to have national significance. The project that would monitor commercial vehicles in an effort to improve the safety and efficiency of the motor-carrier industry. Said President Lee T. Todd Jr. of the projects: "The Kentucky Transportation Center at the University of Kentucky has a long history of working to improve the safety and efficiency of trucking operations throughout North America. We are proud to be partners with the CUBRC/Veridian team, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and Lexington Cartage Company in this vitally important project. We believe the onboard systems being developed and deployed through this project can have a significant impact on safety and operational efficiency for the motor carrier industry." Staff report topUK leads excavation at Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate
Mid-19th century barn piers, a sidewalk, a cellar foundation and artifacts from archaeological digs at Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate, were exhibited during an excavation "open house" at the estate on Oct. 7. Included in the artifacts was a piece of china table setting probably used by John Bowman, a former resident of Ashland who was the founder of the school which eventually became the University of Kentucky. James Holsinger, UK senior vice president and chancellor of the Chandler Medical Center, told visitors to the open house that early students of the Kentucky Agricultural and Mechanical College were housed in dormitories at Ashland. Holsinger said the archaeological excavations at Ashland are further proof of the continually improving "town/gown" relationships between UK and public entities such as the city of Lexington and the Henry Clay Foundation which manages Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate. Among those participating in the open house activities and the actual explorations at Ashland were about 100 students from the Anderson County High School and an anthropology class from Pikeville College. More than 3,000 students have participated in the explorations at Ashland since a joint excavation project began there three years ago. Kelly Hall, Ashland Estates director, and Kim McBride, UK adjunct assistant anthropology professor, College of Arts and Sciences, and co-director of the Kentucky Archaeological Survey, said the students participate in the excavations with professional supervision and help clean and wash artifacts such as the china which was found in a privy on the estate. The archaeological project has received joint funding of $257,700 from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the Keeneland Foundation, the Henry Clay Memorial Foundation and in-kind support from the University of Kentucky. The Kentucky Archaeological Survey is a joint undertaking of the UK anthropology department and the Kentucky Heritage Council. Its primary mission at Ashland is to research plantation layout and 19th century cultural material at the Henry Clay Estate, located just east of downtown Lexington on Richmond Road. David Morgan, director of the Kentucky Heritage Council and the state historic preservation officer, said, "This partnership between state government, the University of Kentucky and a historic house museum, is especially exciting because it provides educational opportunities for students while enhancing our understanding of life at Ashland." For more information about Ashland, go to www.henryclay.org/index.htm. For information about UK's anthropology department, go to www.uky.edu/AS/Anthropology/. For information about the Kentucky Heritage Council, go to www.state.ky.us/agencies/khc/khchome.htm. topTodd tackles rising health benefits costs with new initiativePresident Lee T. Todd Jr. has announced a unique, new initiative to hold the line on the university’s rising health benefits costs by helping employees become better consumers of health care and health benefits. The new Health Literacy Project will offer UK employees and retirees a triple approach of education, pharmaceutical counseling and behavior modification. "We will ask our employees to become more involved in their health care, empower them to make decisions that improve their health and reward them financially for doing so," Todd said. The university is partnering with the administrators of its self-funded health benefit plans, Humana Inc. and CHA Health, to provide new consumer-driven health plans. The new plans will be supported with an extensive educational effort. An online program will help benefits participants choose the best plan to suit their needs. Based on responses to questions, the program will provide a ranking of the plans and provide information for comparison of all plans. This assessment program will be piloted over the next two months and available to all enrollees by early 2003, prior to the benefits enrollment period, which begins in April. The program will be provided by alternate means to employees and retirees who do not have access to the Internet. The Health Literacy Project also will use various forms of communication to keep participants informed about all their benefits options as well as the opportunities to improve their own health. The rising cost of pharmaceutical drugs has prompted the UK College of Pharmacy and the Kentucky Clinic Pharmacy to offer new programs to help relieve the financial burden for many employees and retirees. Currently the College of Pharmacy offers a unique service called "co-pay counseling" whereby a registered pharmacist analyzes a patient's prescriptions and determines if a less expensive generic drug could be used just as effectively. The pharmacist then makes that recommendation to the prescribing physician or health care provider. Also, three months' worth of maintenance medication is available at the cost of a two month's supply at the Kentucky Clinic Pharmacy. Other pharmacy outreach programs are planned as well. The third component of the Health Literacy Project is a new service offered by the UK Wellness Program called BeH.I.P. (Health Improvement Plan). It targets seven high-risk health areas like tobacco use, sedentary behavior and diabetes, and provides written materials as well as ongoing personal counseling for healthier lifestyle changes. UK employees and retirees may enroll in BeH.I.P. on their own, or physicians may prescribe the BeH.I.P. program. The Health Literacy Project is an outgrowth of recommendations by the University's Health Benefits Task Force, appointed soon after Todd became president in July 2001. For more information, a Web site will be established by Nov. 1. Links will be available through the Web pages of Human Resources, College of Pharmacy and the Wellness Program. top
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