By Lindsay Travis 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 2, 2023) — On Friday, the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees approved 16 University Research Professors for the 2023-24 academic year. Established by the Board of Trustees in 1976, the program recognizes excellence across the full spectrum of research at UK.

“The Commonwealth and university continue to benefit from the work and

By A Fish 

LEXINGTON;, Ky. — Oswald Research and Creativity Competition is a staple at the University of Kentucky. The competition is intended to promote creativity in all fields of study and accepts many varied forms of media as part of the competition. Colton Barton, a College of Arts & Sciences junior from Scottsville, Kentucky, received second place in the Social Sciences category for the paper “Gaymer Avatars: Analyzing the Relationship Between Gay Men and their Created Video Game Avatars” and an honorable mention in the Humanities: Critical Research categories for “A Potential for a Queer Utopia: Queer Futurity and Potentiality in Octavia Butler's Dawn” in the 2022-23 competition. He is also a UK (University of Kentucky) peer tutor.  

Q: What are the papers? Why did you write them and what has writing them and submitting them done for you?

By Kody Kiser and Jay Blanton 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 1, 2023) — Frank X Walker is the director of the University of Kentucky's Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program in creative writing. The state of Kentucky has a long and storied tradition of writers — across genres of fiction, poetry and essays — who are deeply connected to the state — its geography and landscape, its history and challenges. The program’s current faculty roster includes nationally recognized authors across a number of genres.

Walker is extending the legacy of UK and Kentucky’s reputation as central to the writing community, working as a poet, writer and artist. He has recently published a book geared toward a younger audience and is now at work on a new collection of poems that examines a

By Ryan Girves 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 30, 2023) — The University of Kentucky Gaines Center for Humanities has selected 12  undergraduates as scholars for the university's Gaines Fellowship Program for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 academic years.

The Gaines Fellowship is presented in recognition of outstanding academic performance, demonstrated ability to conduct independent research, an interest in public issues and a desire to enhance understanding of the human condition through the humanities. Founded in 1984 by a gift from John and Joan Gaines, the Gaines Center for the Humanities is designed to enrich the study of the humanities at UK and functions as a

By Lindsay Travis 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 29, 2023) — One University of Kentucky researcher is studying what some scholars call a “Twilight Zone of History,” a moment between what’s passed down through family memory and what’s accessible through historical texts.

Pearl James is an associate dean in the Lewis Honors College and an associate professor of English in the College of Arts and Sciences. Her research focus is on war studies, war literature and war film with an emphasis on World War I.

“WWI is a well-documented, well-studied, huge cultural event,' she said. "One might ask, ‘What else can be said about it?’ It turns out, if you bring an interdisciplinary perspective to bear, asking

By C.E. Huffman 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 21, 2023) — Appalachia has a rich history and culture. According to the Appalachian Regional Commission, the region spans north from New York, down the expansive mountain range as far south and west to Mississippi with Kentucky in the middle. Many times, lost in the overall conversation of Appalachia are Black Americans contributions to the region.

Frank X Walker, University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences English professor, wanted to make

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 15, 2022) — University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto has selected two student representatives to speak at the UK December Commencement Ceremonies this Friday, Dec. 16, at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center.

The two student speakers are Alyssa Hargis and Princess Valencia.

Princess Valencia, from Georgetown, Kentucky, is graduating with a degree in English from the UK College of Arts and Sciences, and a minor in economics. She transferred to UK last year from Western Kentucky University and received the William C. Parker Diversity Scholarship.

"I have been a UK fan my entire life, and it was such an honor to finish my degree at my dream school," she said. "There are not enough words to describe how much I love the University of Kentucky. I feel confident and prepared for the future because of the people

By Jesi Jones-Bowman 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 12, 2023) — The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research recently announced the 21 undergraduate winners of the 58th annual Oswald Research and Creativity awards. Chad Risko, faculty director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, and Research Ambassadors were on hand to congratulate the winners and distribute the awards.

Established in 1964 by then-President John Oswald, the Oswald Research and Creativity Competition encourages undergraduate research and creative activities across all fields of study.

Categories are:

By Jenny Wells-Hosley 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 15, 2022) — University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto has selected two student representatives to speak at the UK December Commencement Ceremonies this Friday, Dec. 16, at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center.

The two student speakers are Alyssa Hargis and Princess Valencia.

Alyssa Hargis

Hargis, from Milford, Ohio, is a first-generation college student, graduating with dual bachelor's degrees in public health and environmental and sustainability studies. She is also a member of the Lewis Honors College

By Jenny Wells-Hosley 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 13, 2022) — The University of Kentucky Board of Trustees has approved honorary degrees for two citizens who have distinguished themselves in their careers and community service. The recipients are Virginia Marsh Bell and Nikky Finney.

Bell and Finny will receive their honorary doctorates at the UK December 2022 Commencement Ceremonies this Friday, Dec. 16. They will be presented with their degrees at the following ceremony times:

Both ceremonies will take place at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center in Lexington.

Virginia Marsh Bell to receive Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Born in Harrison County, Kentucky in 1922,

LEXINGTON, Ky, -- A new book by Peter Kalliney, William J. and Nina B. Tuggle chair in English in the University of Kentucky's College of Arts & Sciences, looks at ways in which rival superpowers used cultural diplomacy and the political police to influence writers.

The book, "The Aesthetic Cold War: Decolonization and Global Literature," examines how the United States and the Soviet Union, in an effort to entice writers, funded international conferences, arts centers, book and magazine publishing (including the Paris Review), literary prizes and radio programming. Their international spy networks, however, subjected these same writers to surveillance and intimidation by tracking their movements, tapping their phones, reading their mail and censoring or banning their work.

Readers can find out more about the book through a podcast found

By Micha'la Hood

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 30, 2022) — Along with her University of Kentucky Art Museum exhibition, “Thicker than Water,” artist Marlene McCarty will join author and UK English professor Erik Reece and museum director Stuart Horodner to talk about image-making and evolution.

The panel presented by UK Art Museum will be from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, at the Singletary Center for the Arts Recital Hall. This event is free and open to the public.

A native of Lexington, McCarty is a

By Jesi Jones-Bowman

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 25, 2021) — Eight University of Kentucky students have been selected for the Sustainability Summer Research Fellowship program, a high-impact learning experience that contributes to the students’ academic growth as well as sustainability-focused research initiatives at UK and within the community at large.

The Sustainability Research Fellowship is a collaborative program coordinated by the Office of Undergraduate Research and sponsored by the UK Student Sustainability Council and UK Sustainability. The fellowship’s goal is to support and promote sustainability-related undergraduate research endeavors. The program, which launched in 2014, has supported 48 undergraduate sustainability summer projects.

“Sustainability Research Fellowships have

By Danielle Donham

Looking to learn more about the history of Juneteenth and civil rights in Kentucky? The University Press of Kentucky’s Civil Rights catalog has you covered.

With titles spanning the topics of African American studies, race and sports, and the struggle for Black equality, there are plenty to choose from.

Several of the titles in the catalog are authored and edited by University of Kentucky faculty members and community members, including Gerald L. Smith, Derrick E. White, Crystal Wilkinson — all faculty in the UK College of Arts and Sciences — and former

by Jenny Wells-Hosley

This week, the University of Kentucky and surrounding communities will celebrate Juneteenth — the federal holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans — with a variety of community events.

While the Emancipation Proclamation was issued Jan. 1, 1863, declaring more than three million slaves living in the Confederate states free, it was not until Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, two years later, on June 19, 1865, that the last enslaved U.S. populations were informed of the proclamation. Since then, the date has served as a symbol for freedom and celebration for Black communities. This year marks the second time Juneteenth will be observed as a federal holiday in the U.S., as well as the second year the University of Kentucky will be closed in observance (Monday, June 20).  

Below is a list of

Congrats to the 2022 winners!

By Ryan Girves

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 13, 2022) — The University of Kentucky Gaines Center for the Humanities has selected undergraduate students as new scholars for the Gaines Fellowship Program. 

Fellowships are awarded in recognition of outstanding academic performance, a demonstrated ability to conduct independent research, an interest in public issues and a desire to enhance understanding of the human condition through the humanities.

Founded in 1984 by a gift from John and Joan Gaines, the Gaines Center for the Humanities functions as a laboratory for imaginative and innovative education on UK’s campus. 

UK’s 12 new Gaines Fellows are:

By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Each year, the University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences honors four faculty members with Outstanding Teaching Awards, one each in the divisions of the Humanities, Behavioral & Social Sciences and Natural & Mathematical Sciences and one for lecturers.   

These awards recognize excellence and contribution in all aspects of undergraduate and graduate teaching. All tenured, tenure-track and lecturer faculty with full-time or primary appointments in the College are eligible for these awards, except for those who have won this award during the previous five years. Each A&S Outstanding Teaching Award carries a one-time stipend of $1,500. 

In addition, the College recognizes faculty for excellence in teaching large courses, innovation, mentoring and other categories.  

By Jennifer Haynes

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 22, 2022) — Eleven university faculty and teaching assistants were recognized by the University of Kentucky with the 2022 Outstanding Teaching Awards on Thursday, April 21, in the J. David Rosenberg College of Law Grand Courtroom. 

This annual award program recognizes faculty and graduate teaching assistants who demonstrate special dedication and outstanding performance in the classroom or laboratory. Recipients were selected via nomination and reviewed by a selection committee based in the UK Provost’s Office for Faculty Advancement and the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching.

Each winner received an award certificate, a

By Ryan Girves

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 13, 2022) — The University of Kentucky Gaines Center for the Humanities has selected undergraduate students as new scholars for the Gaines Fellowship Program. 

Fellowships are awarded in recognition of outstanding academic performance, a demonstrated ability to conduct independent research, an interest in public issues and a desire to enhance understanding of the human condition through the humanities.

Founded in 1984 by a gift from John and Joan Gaines, the Gaines Center for the Humanities functions as a laboratory for imaginative and innovative education on UK’s campus. 

UK’s 12 new Gaines Fellows are: