Pride in Kentucky Blue

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There has always been something special about Kentucky blue. You can feel that uniqueness from the moment you arrive in Lexington, a warm and friendly community that is nestled in the heart of Kentucky’s scenic Bluegrass Region.

Blue also happens to be on the one color that connects every generation of the University of Kentucky family. In fact, blue is much more than a color to UK’s students, faculty, staff, and alumni. It is a sense of pride, purpose, and excellence in everything they do.

From its beginnings with only 190 students and 10 professors, UK’s campus now covers more than 716 acres in Lexington and is home to more than 27,000 students and over 13,500 employees. UK is the Commonwealth’s leader in higher education, offering 200 majors and degree programs in 17 academic and professional colleges. UK's diverse student population represents 117 countries, every state in the nation, and every Kentucky county.

What makes UK unique is that, despite its large size, UK boasts a small-town college environment. The university has 340 student organizations and numerous activities specifically designed to make its students feel right at home. That atmosphere helped attract one of the most diverse and academically-talented classes in school history in fall 2007, when 4,000 first-year students elected to call UK home.

UK is in the midst of one of higher education’s most inspired journeys. In 1997, the people of Kentucky formed a compact with their flagship university, calling on UK to become a Top 20 public research university by 2020. In return for making the investments necessary to achieving this goal, the people of Kentucky would receive the benefits that come from it: an institution defined by academic excellence, world-class research, and vigorous engagement in Kentucky communities.

In the eight years since House Bill 1 passed, UK has made great progress in its quest to build a Top 20 university. UK is educating more students, increasing the overall student enrollment by about 2,400 students. It is graduating more students as well, as the graduation rate jumped from 48 to 60 percent. The university’s research expenditures have risen dramatically, placing UK 24th among public research universities and deepening UK’s commitment to addressing Kentucky's most challenging health care problems, from lung cancer to heart disease. The University also became only the 31st American university – both public and private – to complete a billion dollar fundraising campaign. The fund-raising effort – the largest in state history – helped grow UK’s endowment, as it increased from $195 million in 1997 to more than $1 billion today.

In December 2005, the University made a bold move in its drive for greater national prominence, unveiling its Top 20 Business Plan, a quantitative analysis of what it will take for UK to achieve its state-mandated goal of building a Top 20 public research university. Widely hailed as the first business plan by a public university in the nation, UK’s plan garnered widespread national media attention.  The Top 20 Business Plan also gained support throughout the Commonwealth.

UK has spearheaded an effort to revitalize health care in Kentucky. UK unveiled the Commonwealth’s Medical Campus of the Future, a multi-phased project aimed at providing Kentuckians with cutting-edge, 21st century health care. As part of the revamped academic medical campus, it will construct a new, one million square foot UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital, a new College of Pharmacy, and a new University Health Service (UHS) facility.

The University works hard to make sure its impact can be felt in the homes and businesses across the Commonwealth. UK’s faculty, staff, and students are engaged in research projects, outreach initiatives, and collaborative partnerships in all 120 Kentucky counties.

UK’s agenda aims to accelerate the University’s movement toward academic excellence in all areas and gaining worldwide recognition for its outstanding academic programs, its commitment to undergraduates, its success in building a diverse community, and its engagement with the larger society. And it is a major reason why Kentuckians across the globe see blue in everything they do.