Students, Faculty and Staff,

Welcome back.
 
I hope all of you are rested, motivated and ready to take on this new year. I was thinking just the other day about how, one year ago, I looked toward 2022 with promise and wonder. Recently, I did the same with 2023.
 
Who knows what this amazing year could bring us? Who knows what the opportunities and challenges will be? Well, I want to tell you how confident I am — because I know that no matter what we face, we in the College of Health Sciences have the best faculty, staff and students on campus. We will tackle whatever task comes our way. I know it.
 
I want to draw your attention to this upcoming Monday. It is, of course, more than just a holiday from work. It is a federal holiday which honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement.
 
Dr. King accomplished so much in the face of adversity, and in doing so, inspired so many. On Monday and Tuesday, we will be given the chance to remember and honor him in various ways — and it is a special time in Lexington, as this is the 50th anniversary of celebrating Dr. King:

• The annual MLK Freedom March will be held on Monday, Jan. 16, starting at 1 p.m. at the Central Bank Center in downtown Lexington. The march will conclude with the commemorative program held at the Central Bank Center at 2 p.m.
   
• On Tuesday, Jan. 17, the Office for Institutional Diversity is hosting a 50th anniversary celebration at the Singletary Center for the Arts, from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. The program includes powerful music, art and poetry readings from members of the UK family.
   
• Here in CHS, we’ll have our Cultural Celebration Series: Stop, Learn, & Go, which will focus on Dr. King and the origins of the day. Drop by the CHS Atrium anytime between 2-3 p.m. on Jan. 17 for more information.

I can think of no better way to celebrate the start of a semester than by honoring this amazing person. And I can think of no better people with whom to share the experience.
 
Thank you for all that you do.

Happy New Year, and continue to stay safe,
 
Dean Lephart