Big question surfaces at University of Kentucky Board of Trustees' annual retreat

This from the Herald-Leader:

The University of Kentucky Board of Trustees' annual retreat is supposed to be about discussing big, weighty issues, but this year the board picked a real doozie: Is there an inherent conflict between UK's status as a land grant university when it is also the flagship school for the commonwealth?

This big question has consequences for many more issues with which the board is grappling. For example, one way to improve many of UK's statistics, such as its six-year graduation rate of 58 percent, would be to raise standards for incoming students. But would that then limit access for some Kentucky students?

"I wonder if a lack of focus is causing us to lose ground on both fronts," said trustee Keith Gannon, who raised the initial question.

In other states, the two institutions are different. For example, Michigan's flagship is the University of Michigan, one of the best public schools in the country, while the land grant school is Michigan State, with the big engineering and agriculture schools.

"I think this is the kind of question a president depends on a board to weigh in on," said UK President Eli Capilouto, now at three months on the job. "I'm grateful it's a question that's happening here."

The conversation that emerged yesterday at Donamire Farm was the result of a university review committee report that identified major needs at UK, including faculty and staff pay and facility upgrades. One issue that clearly stood out for trustees was the need to improve undergraduate education.

Almost 20 percent of all UK students drop out after one year; another third drop out before their third year. The reasons are complex, but preparation is clearly a factor. Students who come in with better credentials are more likely to finish school. One way to make UK more competitive is to recruit more students from out of state. Currently, in-state students make up 75 percent of the student body...

Stars Shine on Christian Researcher

This from Inside Higher Ed:

The University of Kentucky has settled a religious discrimination lawsuit with C. Martin Gaskell, a former University of Nebraska astronomer whom Kentucky declined to hire as director of its Lexington-based observatory.

After being snubbed for the directorship in 2007, Gaskell alleged that Kentucky officials had passed on him because of his Christian views -- a claim his lawyers say is supported by e-mails sent by members of the search committee, as well as sworn testimony given by the panel's members and other Kentucky faculty. The university will pay the spurned astronomer $125,000 -- roughly the equivalent of the extra money Gaskell would have made if he had held the directorship for two years, according to Francis Marion, a senior trial lawyer for the National Center for Law & Justice, which worked the astronomer's case pro bono. A district court judge had denied motions for summary judgment from both parties.

The bulk of Gaskell’s published work addresses the technical aspects of black holes. But he also made a hobby of criticizing the prima facie dismissal of Biblical assertions as irrelevant to scientific theory, while advocating for a view of natural history that rejects neither the Judeo-Christian creation story nor evolution. In a document published on his personal website -- which later became fodder for discussion among his would-be employers at Kentucky -- Gaskell criticized both creationists and evolutionary scientists for perpetuating bad science.

“It is true that there are significant scientific problems in evolutionary theory … and that these problems are bigger than is usually made out in introductory geology/biology courses,” wrote Gaskell in an essay titled “Modern Astronomy, The Bible, and Creation.”

UK Greek Sing 2010

Back in the day.... fraternity crooners would strum ukuleles beneath sorority house windows singing for dates; hoping for the encouragement of "silk."

Before long the men began to compare their best songs and soon after singing competitions began to emerge. But that changed somewhere around the 80s.

Today's Greek Sing is a whole 'nuther thing.

Women, in particular, perform intricate choreographies built around a theme and featuring contemporary songs. The men seem to be coming from a different place. Being cool and humorous (and often in drag) seems to be the most important thing.

For example, two years ago the Sigma Chi's performed a routine most likely designed for women, and a certain kind of women at that. The only thing missing was a pole. The "dance" sufficiently offended the judges that the gentlemen of Sigma Chi were disqualified for 2008 and not allowed to perform in 2009. Their returning performance this year was met with anticipation. The Sigma Chi's opened with a clever bit involving the words to the song they were performing being written on both sides of their shirts. The men would jump and rotate to display the appropriate words as the song played.

Then they stripped down to their gym shorts and recreated the bump and grind that got them disqualified in 2008.

Below are a couple of more representative shots. The defending soroity champs from 2009, the "Thetas of Oz" opened their show in black and white.

Then, after four bar blackout, voila. The wicked Witch of the East is under the house and everything is in color - just the way Judy Garland would have wanted it.

This from UK:

Participating in Greek life in college is not just about parties, recruitment week or meeting on Monday nights. Community service and philanthropy are major aspects of taking part in a sorority or fraternity, and they can be the most rewarding. The sisters of Chi Omega know what it is like to work hard and feel rewarded for their community service efforts. They host the annual Greek Sing event, along with Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Kentucky.

This year’s event was held Saturday at Memorial Coliseum. The night featured creative and original acts featuring the talent of UK sororities and fraternities. Thousands of students, alumni, parents and members of the Lexington community nearly filled Memorial Coliseum. Last year the sisters of Delta Gamma took home the winning trophy plus $500 for their sorority's philanthropy.

All proceeds from the event are donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help grant the wishes of children suffering from life-threatening medical conditions.

Former "Cassidy Kid," Kaelyn Query, the Chi Omega Greek Sing chair, said the event raised a record $100,000 last year. "One of the greatest rewards is seeing the children's wishes granted and knowing that it was possible because of this event," Query said.

Previous wishes that Chi Omega helped grant include a trip to Disney World, providing a new computer for a young boy and helping another child to spend the day with the UK basketball team.

Anyone interested in donating money please contact Kaelyn Query at Kaelyn.Query@uky.edu.

If you would like to learn more, visit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Kentucky, here.

Meanwhile, It's Sex Week at the big school...

While Colonel conservatives ponder political speech restrictions, their more northern neighbors at UK are preparing for a different kind of public display. Sex toys, men in high heels and a "date night" mixer are added to the usual lectures, debates and health information exchange; all of which lead to an after party at a local GLBT bar.

This from Ryan Alessi at H-L:

Sex Week:

UK campus abuzz about birds and bees

Cryptic, neon green signs popped up around the University of Kentucky in recent weeks declaring: "Sex Week @ UK ... It's coming. R U?" — which has prompted both a buzz and some confusion around campus.

The inaugural Sex Week at UK kicks off Monday with a series of events, ranging from "Sex Toys 101" — a frank seminar about bedroom accessories — to lectures and panel discussions about religions' approaches to sex or ways to teach sex education.

All of the discussions and related activities, such as belly dancing classes and sensual poetry readings, are aimed at improving students' "sexual literacy," organizers say.

"Sexuality is something broader than just sex," said Jason Hans, UK assistant professor of Family Studies and faculty advisor of Sex Week. "We love the tease of talking about sex, but we don't like to talk about it openly and honestly and seriously."

The week long event will conclude Oct. 11, when men march a mile downtown in women's high heels to protest sexual violence.

Alessi needed to find someone who might oppose such a public display of pubic probity to give his story balance. He turned to the usual suspects at the Family Foundation of Kentucky and found Martin Cothran in. Cothran questioned whether a public university campus is the proper venue for any of the Sex Week events then complained that,

the seminars seemed to "trivialize" sex, particularly with a session devoted solely to sex toys."

Trivialize? I suppose that depends on the hardware. But Cothran says,

Maybe the organizers of Sex Week at UK ought to reconsider their slogan: Here's our suggestion: 'Silliness: the Ultimate Contraceptive,'" he said. "UK obviously has sex on the brain, which is a very uncomfortable place to have it."

I always thought sex was about 90% mental. But I wouldn't presume to cross swords with Cothran on the issue. He has been studying up on sex recently - even learning obscure words that only my dog knows - and Alessi surely must know something to have called Cothran for his expert opinion.

As for silliness, it seems to me that giggling during the act may presents it's challenges but I would be surprised to learn it presented an insoluble dilemma for any real family man. Apparently the Family Foundation is not interested in increasing potential membership for the group just now.

Sex-themed weeks have become a trend on college campuses since students at Yale University hosted a series of lectures, discussions and events dealing with sexuality in 2004. Later this month, Indiana University will hold its second Sex Week.

Hans said college students leave high school with many misconceptions about sex, citing his soon-to-be-published "survey of 500 young adults, of which only 20 percent considered oral sex to be sex even though sexually transmitted diseases can be spread during oral sex."

I gotta blame Bill Clinton for that bit of miseducation.

Water Balloon Fight !

Our youngest insisted that we help the UK Christian Student Fellowship try to set a new Guinness Book record for the world's largest water balloon fight. The event took place last night - at Midnight - a full two hours past my bedtime. For that reason, her mother and I said, "No promises."

But thanks to a big family game of Phase 10, we were up. So Rita, and I strapped on the flip flops, grabbed Grandmommy Blaylock, who can party with the best of them, and wandered over to the Johnson Center to join teeming hordes of undergrads.

I can't remember an event that took me back to my days as an undergrad at UK so effectively.

These from the Kentucky Kernel:

When the signal was given, combatants raced toward the ammo.

Separated by a 20 yard neutral zone, the teams advanced.

Then, whammo.

Delightful.

Todd Touts his Numbers

UK President Lee Todd is bragging, and why not. After years of criticism over the university's perceived lukewarm commitment to African American students and faculty, Todd established a mission to make a better showing and has been tracking his numbers. He also took some shots over the school's lack of commitment to advancing women. He may not be able to claim that the university has arrived, but the data show a positive trend.

Todd has also been tasked to double the number of college graduates at the research university and that necessitates retaining students in the system until they complete their programs.

This from Lee Todd in Kentucky Alumni Magazine: (Warning: Big .pdf file)

2008 – ‘09: Statistics Tell A Powerful Story

• Record high number of freshman applicants: 11,120
• Record high number of Governor’s Scholars/School for the Arts Students: 389
•Record high retention rate: 81 percent
•Record high number of African-American first-year students: 347
•Record high number of African-American undergraduate students: 1,234
•Record high doctoral student enrollment: 2,391
•Record high first-professional (dentistry, law, medicine, and pharmacy) enrollment: 1,558
•Record high number of full-time faculty: 2,096
•Record high number of African-American faculty: 84, including a record 11 new African-American faculty
•Record high number and percent of women in executive/ administrative/ managerial positions: 234, or 48.4 percent
•Record high research expenditures of $337 million

I often use this space to feature one of our top students, share a story about a faculty or staff member who is leading us in our Top 20 mission, or tout a new outreach initiative.

Even though I am a UK College of Engineering alum, I seldom use this opportunity to simply hype numbers and statistics.

As I often say, it is the efforts of our students, alumni, faculty, and staff that are transforming communities across Kentucky, and I love to tell those success stories.

However, sometimes the raw information is so powerful that it is the story. Such was the case at your alma mater in 2008-09, when UK experienced a “record” year.

As impressive as these statistics are on their own, the depth and breadth of excellence that we are experiencing across the university community is what is so striking to me.

From measures in undergraduate, graduate, and professional education to diversity measures and research totals, UK is taking bold strides forward in a period of budget cuts and financial turmoil...

Flash Rave

Ya gotta love campus life. All that study, fun and fear. Young hormones needing someplace to go. Students are pressed so hard during the term that a "dead week" is now needed to allow them to prepare for finals. And how do students "prepare?"

In olden days there were panty raids, swallowing goldfish, and seeing how many frat boys fit into a phone booth - or a VW beetle.

Today's techno kids flash rave.

Just text message everybody on your contact list....where and when. Then see what happens.

There's going to be a flash rave at W.T. tonight 8:55 pm.

Flash Rave: One part mob. One part pep rally. Body surfing and cheers in a place unaccustomed to both. Get in and get out quickly.

This from H-L:

Hundreds of students pack UK library in flashmob

Hundreds of University of Kentucky students gathered at the university's William T. Young Library on Wednesday evening to frolic in an apparent dead-week prank...

...“It was probably the most fun thing I’ve ever done on campus. It was unbelievable,” said Will Stafford, a 20-year-old UK sophomore. “We were really just dancing like crazy for 15 minutes and then the cops came in."

It’s unclear just when authorities were called to the scene, but certainly they arrived in force at the library after someone pulled a fire alarm inside the library. The building was evacuated.

Job cuts possible next year as UK braces for worst

This from the Herald-Leader:

The University of Kentucky faces a potential budget deficit next year of more than $10 million, raising the prospect of job cuts and the possibility that some planned academic projects could be stalled indefinitely.

Draft estimates of cost increases and expected state funding cuts point to painful moves on the horizon, Angie Martin, UK's vice president of planning, budgeting and policy analysis, told the Herald-Leader on Friday.

UK, like the other publicly funded Kentucky universities, had to absorb a 2 percent budget cut last month, which UK officials say they expect state officials to extend into the next fiscal year, which begins in July.

Todd endorses big jump in cigarette tax

This from H-L:

University of Kentucky President Lee T. Todd Jr. on Wednesday offered the strongest pitch from higher education officials for a significant increase in the cigarette tax.

While university presidents, including Todd, have refrained in the past from publicly endorsing tax increases of any sort, Todd said a sharp increase is necessary not only for budget purposes but especially for health benefits.

"I have been willing to come out and support the cigarette tax. I've always wanted to do it for health reasons, now it's tied directly to education," Todd said at the Lexington-Fayette government center during Gov. Steve Beshear's latest public event about his plan to plug a $456.1 million state budget shortfall....

Two arrested in connection with Obama effigy

This from the Herald-Leader:

University of Kentucky police announced the arrest of a UK student and his friend Thursday in connection with the hanging of an effigy of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama from a tree on campus Wednesday.

Interim UK police chief Joe Monroe said police received a series of tips throughout the day Wednesday that eventually led them to the two men. The men told police that the act was a stunt in response to news reports that an effigy of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin was hung at a West Hollywood, Calif., home.

Joe Fischer, 22, a UK senior and a former football team walk-on, and a friend, Hunter Bush, 21, of Lexington were charged Thursday with burglary in the second degree, a felony; and theft by unlawful taking and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors. The disorderly conduct charge was made for the hanging of the effigy...

UK students, leaders decry effigy of Obama

This from H-L:

Hundreds of students and several Democratic officials expressed outrage and embarrassment Wednesday after an effigy of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama was found hanging from a tree early Wednesday on the University of Kentucky campus.

The racist act was emphatically rejected by hundreds of students and community leaders attending a quickly-called campus forum to discuss racial issues Wednesday evening.

"Our time at this university is too short to sit idly by and allow these things to continue," said Tyler Montell, president of UK's student government association. "This is not a concern of any single race. Today, every student is a victim. Every member of our student body must now become part of a greater change."

Meanwhile, UK police and the Secret Service are asking for the public's help in finding who hung the effigy — which wore an Obama mask and had a noose around its neck — in a tree near the Rose Street parking garage...

Go Cats

OK, I confess. After the third quarter, I wanted to leave too.

But my hard-headed, ever-faithful wife, Rita, refused to miss "the big comeback." She hadn't seen as many UK games as me, and therefore didn't know that these thing never work out for us. Because she's really in charge, we stayed to the sweet end.

Thanks Rita. Have I told you lately that you are always right? : )

Fighting the Big Blue Dragon

This from the Chronicle of Higher Ed:

The Tenure Lawsuit of a Lifetime

Joseph M. Hayse's three-decade quest for tenure is littered with bodies. It has outlived the careers of most of the people involved — and several of the people themselves.

In 1979, Mr. Hayse filed a lawsuit against the University of Kentucky that has turned into a legal Ping-Pong match anecdotally described as the longest-running court battle in the Bluegrass State, and perhaps the lengthiest tenure dispute in the country.

On paper, at least, Mr. Hayse, 71, has won favorable court rulings from the state's circuit, appeals, and supreme courts. But he has not won tenure, and his suit lingers on. So does his anger at the university.

"I just hate to let them off the hook," says Mr. Hayse, who retired in 1999 after nearly 21 years in a state-government job.

His wife is angry, too. "It ruined his career," she says. "It's not that we can't survive, but I always thought ... he couldn't fulfill his whole potential."

"I think they're going to keep going at it and going at it until he dies," she continues.

"I know the university is a big body. It's like fighting a monster; a big dragon."...

HT 2 Jake.

It's a cell, cell world: UK ditches dorm land lines

This from H-L:

For University of Kentucky students, the land line is dead.

Cell phone-toting students have so little use for old-fashioned phone lines that UK has disconnected its dorm rooms, saving the school $840,000.

Although any of UK's 5,600 dorm residents can request a phone line, only seven had done so a day after the academic year began last Wednesday.

"I spend a lot of time on my cell phone," said Kimberly Lawless, 18, a freshman who graduated from Lexington's Paul Dunbar High School and lives in a UK dorm. "At my house I normally don't use the land line phone. I use my cell phone. I guess you have your cell phone everywhere."

Her attitude is the norm, according to a UK survey that shows 98.2 percent of students in dorms own and prefer to use cell phones over land lines.

"I grew up on the cell phone," said Tyler Fleck, 22, a senior from Louisville who majors in political science. "This generation, we've moved to the cell phone. Even my parents have cell phones."

Apparently, the cost of using a cell phone is no deterrent in a time of high college costs.

Lawless said her monthly cell phone bill is $50. "My parents pay the bill," she added...

Lee Todd on UK

This from UK President Lee Todd:

The University of Kentucky's budget for 2008-2009 will be very tough.

We face reduced state appropriations and increased costs, and we must handle those realities without massive tuition increases.The three percent recurring budget cut imposed by the Governor this year, combined with an additional three percent cut in our state appropriations for 2008-2009, means we will have $20 million less in state support next year.

In addition, our enrollment this year was lower than expected (primarily due to a decline in transfer students), resulting in fewer tuition dollars and less capacity to absorb cuts in state appropriations. We also anticipate a substantial increase in utility costs next year.

Finally, the economic outlook for the next couple of years in Kentucky and the rest of the U.S. is not promising.

Assuming this challenging financial environment does not change, we have begun making decisions about next year's budget.

* Our first responsibility is to keep costs for our students as low as possible, while maintaining the quality of their educational experience. I will recommend to the Board of Trustees at their April 22 meeting that tuition and mandatory fees increase nine percent for in-state students and 6.6 percent for out-of-state students for 2008-2009. This places an even greater burden on our students, but it is the smallest increase we can afford without severely compromising quality, and it still leaves us well short of the funds we need. Covering the entire reduction in state appropriations would require an 18 percent tuition and mandatory fee increase. That is simply too high. And it still would not cover increases in fixed costs, such as utilities.

A tuition forum will be held April 18.

* We will increase student financial aid to partially off-set the impact of the tuition increase.

* We have explored every avenue to increase salaries for faculty and staff, but the funds are simply not there. So UK's proposed budget will not include salary increases for faculty and staff (this does not include hospital system employees).

* To partially make up for the fact that salaries are not going up, the University will absorb all of the increase in employee health insurance premiums (UK HMO plans) next year.

These decisions still leave the University well short of the funds needed to maintain spending at the original 2007-2008 level. I therefore have directed the Provost and Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration to begin working with the deans and other senior administrators to implement a $14 million reduction in the University's budget. We intend to give maximum flexibility to the colleges and operational units to absorb their share of these reductions.

We all want a healthier budget, with lower tuition and an increase in salaries. But this tough budget does not change our responsibilities to the people of Kentucky. We owe it to them to give it our very best, regardless of the budget conditions we face.

They still need their flagship university to be affordable. They still need their statewide research university to be dedicated to fighting disease, creating businesses and jobs, and improving lives. They still need their land-grant university to reach out to every community and every family in our state. And they still need their University of Kentucky to aim to be among the Top 20 in the United States.

It will take our individual and collective best to work with this imperfect budget and continue to make progress on top priorities. I am confident in the goodwill and resilience of the University of Kentucky community.

SOURCE: Campus-wide email

University of Kentucky Watching Troubled Students

This from the Associated Press:

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — On the agenda: A student who got into a shouting match with a faculty member. Another who harassed a female classmate. Someone found sleeping in a car. And a student who posted a threat against a professor on Facebook.

In a practice adopted at one college after another since the massacre at Virginia Tech, a University of Kentucky committee of deans, administrators, campus police and mental health officials has begun meeting regularly to discuss a watch list of troubled students and decide whether they need professional help or should be sent packing.

These "threat assessment groups" are aimed at heading off the kind of bloodshed seen at Virginia Tech a year ago and at Northern Illinois University last month.

"You've got to be way ahead of the game, so to speak, expect what may be coming. If you're able to identify behaviors early on and get these people assistance, it avoids disruptions in the classrooms and potential violence," said Maj. Joe Monroe, interim police chief at Kentucky.

The Kentucky panel, called Students of Concern, held its first meeting last week and will convene at least twice a month to talk about students whose strange or disturbing behavior has come to their attention.

Such committees represent a change in thinking among U.S. college officials, who for a long time were reluctant to share information about students' mental health for fear of violating privacy laws.

"If a student is a danger to himself or others, all the privacy concerns go out the window," said Patricia Terrell, vice president of student affairs, who created the panel.

Terrell shared details of the four discussed cases with The Associated Press on the condition that all names and other identifying information be left out.

Among other things, the panel can order a student into counseling or bar him or her from entering a particular building or talking to a certain person. It can also order a judicial hearing that can lead to suspension or expulsion if the student's offense was a violation of the law or school policy.

Although the four cases discussed last week were the ones administrators deemed as needing the most urgent attention, a database listing 26 other student cases has been created, providing fodder for future meetings.

Students are encouraged during their freshman orientation to report suspicious behavior to the dean of students, and university employees all the way down to janitors and cafeteria workers are instructed to tell their supervisors if they see anything.

Virtually every corner of campus is represented in the group's closed-door meetings, including dorm life, academics, counseling, mental health and police.

"If you look back at the Virginia Tech situation, the aftermath, there were several people who knew that student had problems, but because of privacy and different issues, they didn't talk to others about it," said Lee Todd, UK president.

High schools have been doing this sort of thing for years because of shootings, but only since Virginia Tech, when a disturbed student gunman killed 32 people and committed suicide, have colleges begun to follow suit, said Mike Dorn, executive director of Safe Havens International, a leading campus safety firm.

"They didn't think it was a real threat to them," Dorn said.

Virginia Tech has added a threat assessment team since the massacre there. Boston University, the University of Utah, the University of Illinois-Chicago and numerous others also have such groups, said Gwendolyn Dungy, executive director of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.

Bryan Cloyd, a Virginia Tech accounting professor whose daughter Austin was killed in the rampage, welcomed the stepped-up efforts to monitor troubled students but stressed he doesn't want to turn every college campus into a "police state."

"We can't afford to overreact," Cloyd said, but "we also can't afford to underreact."

Seung-Hui Cho, the Virginia Tech gunman, was ruled a danger to himself in a court hearing in 2005 that resulted from a roommate's call to police after Cho mentioned suicide in an e-mail. He was held overnight at a mental health center off campus and was ordered into outpatient treatment, but he received no follow-up services, despite his sullen, withdrawn behavior and his twisted, violence-filled writings.

Mary Bolin-Reece, director of counseling and testing at Kentucky, attends the threat assessment group's meetings but cannot share what she knows or, in most cases, even whether a student has been undergoing counseling. But participants can share information on other possible red flags.

"We always look at, 'Is there a change in the baseline?'" Bolin-Reece said. "The student had previously gotten very good grades, and then there was a drop-off. Something has happened. Is there some shift in their ability to function? If a student is coming to the attention of various parties around the university, we begin to be able to connect the dots."

The University of Kentucky has not had a murder on campus since 1984. Still, the threat-assessment effort has the strong backing of Carol Graham of Fort Carson, Colo., whose son Kevin was a Kentucky student when he committed suicide before leaving for an ROTC summer camp in 2003.

"UK is such a huge university," Graham said. "It's important to know there's a safety net — that people are looking out for each other. With Kevin, his professors thought he was perfect. He'd be an A student. But the people around him were noticing differences."

As for the four cases taken up by the committee: The student who got into an argument with a faculty member — and had also seen a major dip in grades and exhibited poor hygiene — was ordered to meet with the dean of students.

The one accused of harassment was referred to a judicial hearing, during which he was expelled from university housing. The student who made the Facebook threat was given a warning. In the case of the student sleeping in a car, a committee member was dispatched to check on the person. No further details were released.

UK Programs Make U.S. News Rankings

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 28, 2008) − Several University of Kentucky graduate programs are listed among the best in the nation according to newly released rankings in the U.S. News and World Report's 2009 Edition of America's Best Graduate Schools.

The UK College of Pharmacy ranked highest on the list as the fifth best pharmacy graduate school in the nation.

"This survey ranking is just one indicator of the success of our students and faculty as national and world leaders in pharmacy," said Dean Kenneth Roberts. "UK College of Pharmacy students and faculty consistently are recognized and honored as among the best in the United States. These accomplishments can be attributed to the dedication and high standards of our students, educators, researchers and clinical care providers. I hope all Kentuckians share our pride in the continuing success and high achievement of our students, 90 percent whom are young men and women from the Commonwealth."

Other UK rankings on the U.S. News and World Report list, scheduled for publication in the April 7–14 issue, include:

The College of Nursing is tied for 26th place for the second year in a row."The faculty in the College of Nursing are very pleased with our US News and World Report Ranking of 26," said Dean Jane Kirschling. "The College has a long history of preparing master’s prepared nurses for the Commonwealth. Our graduates care of Kentuckians in their communities, in ambulatory care settings, and in in-patient settings. This work is done in collaboration with other health care providers, many who have also been educated at UK. Having the opportunity to learn alongside other health professionals is key to the success of our graduates. I am pleased we are recognized for our excellence."

The Martin School of Public Policy and Administration rose two spots from last year to a ranking of 32nd overall and tied for 21st among public institutions. The Martin School's public finance and budgeting program rose from sixth to fourth place."We are delighted to see the continued national recognition of the Martin School Master's of Public Administration and Master's of Public Policy programs. The new rankings reflect the excellence of our faculty, the quality of our students, and the rigor of our programs," said Edward Jennings, director of the Martin School of Administration and Public Policy. "Providing further evidence of our excellence and surely part of the reason for our national reputation is the fact that Martin School students have won national and regional awards for their research every year since 1993, a total of 24 awards in 16 years. We look forward to building on these accomplishments as the university moves to secure its position as a Top 20 public institution."

Clinical Psychology is tied for 33rd place overall and 27th among public institutions.“Our Clinical Psychology program continues to rank amongst the country’s top programs and maintains an exceptional level of excellence,” said Steven L. Hoch, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “The Department of Psychology is actively working to find psychological solutions to defeat problems in Kentucky, such as alcohol, tobacco, school bullying and ADHD, and this ranking shows their impact is being felt.”

The UK College of Law is tied for 59th place overall, rising one spot from last year, and 31st among public institutions.“I congratulate the faculty and leadership of these highly ranked programs," said Provost Kumble Subbaswamy. "Our Top 20 plan calls for improving the national ranking of more of our graduate programs, and with support from the Kentucky General Assembly, we are confident we can deliver.”

SOURCE: UK press release

Dancing for a Cure to Childhood Cancer

Rita and I went to a great event last weekend: Dance Blue at UK.

It was held in UK's Memorial Coliseum, the "Rupp Arena" of my undergraduate days. It was great to walk up the ramp again, past the names of fallen soldiers, and pictures of past champions.

After getting my floor pass from Evie Wilkinson (Harvie & Nellie's daughter and former Cassidy student) I walked into the hall where I once watched LSU's Pete Maravich score 64 and lose to UK by 15 or so.

But this time the floor was pulsing with movement. It was 6 in the evening and 500 students had been dancing for 23 hours straight, all for the benefit of UK's effort to combat childhood cancer. It was great to see so many young adults willing to spend a whole day for the benefit of children they didn't know. In the process they raised almost a half million dollars.

Everybody's favorite part of the program seemed to be the line dance that occurred at the end of each hour.

This photo (from a prior year, I suspect) hardly does it justice. Imagine 500 in synchronous movement, arms waving, bodies bending, hopping, swaying and swooping through intricate routines - largely in unison - to high energy hip hop, country, pop, rock, and movie music. I was amazed.

When we first arrived, the theme for the hour was "1980's high school prom" complete with prom dresses, and a surprising number of students who knew the words to the old school rock that was "spinning" from Mark Denomme's MacBook; even the less popular stuff like Annie Lenox's "Walking on Broken Glass." As a thank you, several cancer survivors performed for the marathoners too.

Good Clean fun all night long.

We had contributed before, but attended this year because of the participation of "our youngest," Catherine, a sophomore. I'd like to take the liberty of saying how proud we are of her participation.

I'd also like to take this liberty....

You never know where those Facebook photos might show up. : )

This from the UK press release:

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 23, 2008) − After 24 hours of non-stop dancing, they were exhausted and footsore, but it didn’t show when the 490 University of Kentucky students and dozens of young cancer patients and their families were told all they had sacrificed was worth it – to the tune of nearly $425,000 for pediatric oncology care at the university.

With tears and cheers, the DanceBlue participants celebrated a total that quite nearly doubled last year's.

After his team beat Arkansas Saturday afternoon, Men's Basketball Coach Billy Gillispie dropped by Memorial Coliseum and was so moved by the students dedication that he wrote a check for $10,000.

Earlier in the day, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear declared it DanceBlue Day in the commonwealth. The year of fundraising culminated with a 24-hour, no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon and the students' inspiring results – $424,855.89 – for the Golden Matrix Fund and the Pediatric Oncology Clinic at UK HealthCare’s Kentucky Children’s Hospital.

The third annual DanceBlue, the UK Center for Community Outreach’s largest student-run philanthropy, involved hundreds of students on the dance floor, on the stage, and behind the scenes raising money on behalf of the Golden Matrix Fund. The fund provides families who have a child with cancer with emotional support and financial aid, and supports pediatric cancer research at UK.

The money students raised also funds improvements to the facilities and services for pediatric cancer patients at UK. In its first year, the students raised more than $123,000. They nearly doubled that last year with a total of $241,515. In addition to fundraising, student organizations are involved with the Adopt-A-Family program, which pairs students with the families of pediatric cancer patients. Students provide emotional support for the families and organize fun activities for the patients and siblings.

UK Student Government President in hot water after slur

It started when UK student government president Nick Phleps forwarded an untrue email intended to denegrate Barak Obama, which smeared Muslims in process.
SG president's anti-Muslim e-mail draws fire

Pat Terrell, vice president for student affairs at UK, said ...that the e-mail was deeply disappointing."It perpetuated offensive stereotypes regarding race, religion and ethnicity that have no place in civil discourse or on a university campus where values of tolerance and mutual respect should be cherished," Terrell said in the statement. "While not a violation of student code, and therefore not a disciplinary matter, this incident is one that we take seriously."

Then Phelps...apologized...sorta...in the fourth paragraph of a rambling column...

Before I talk about the mess in Frankfort, I want to touch on something real quick. A student leader told me that some students were upset by an e-mail that I sent to my executive staff. I told the leader to tell those students to come talk to me, but none have so far. If you are one, please message me. I would love to talk to you about the matter, and I apologize if anyone felt offended; but after we talk, I am sure you will understand. Thanks.

The Kentucky Kernel responded with, "EDITORIAL: Phelps can't duck public scrutiny over hateful e-mail"

...his actions reflect a startling lack of professionalism, to say the least. As an elected official, Phelps must know that his actions, including those outside his formal duties as SG president, are subject to public scrutiny.Sending an inflammatory e-mail without any kind of disclaimer or explanation is grossly irresponsible...

Then he sorta apologized again before the Student Government:

Phelps apologizes for anti-Muslim e-mail

Student Government President Nick Phelps opened [Wednesday]'s SG meeting with a public apology, saying he never intended to offend students with an e-mail he forwarded that described Barack Obama as a Muslim and derided the religion.

"I was wrong in sending out and forwarding the e-mail," Phelps said... "And I was wrong to not realize the implications of my actions."

About 30 non-SG students attended the meeting. Many students who spoke called for action by the Senate to either impeach or censure Phelps. German senior Rob Colston said he met with Phelps earlier in the day and felt Phelps was not genuine in his apology. Colston asked the Senate to take some sort of action."Removal might be a little extreme, but a censure is my recommendation," Colston said. "(Senators) are bound in duty to uphold accountability so this road is not taken again."

In the apology, Phelps said he would be working to improve diversity at UK.

Lauren Biggs, a classics and history senior, said Phelps didn't seem to understand the issue of diversity on campus."It really bothers me that in this apology he spoke of two sides to the issue," Biggs said. "In campus diversity there is only one side. I feel (senators) as a body should consider removing him from office."

SG Attorney General Beau Baustien said the concerns about diversity on campus were being turned into a personal attack on Phelps' character."Punishments are handled in context, and we'd like to punish Nick for an institution of racism that is, by no fault of his own, here (on campus)," Baustien said. "I feel like everything tonight has been an attack on his character." ...

But in matters of personal character, criticisms are always personal. It's unavoidable. Finally, responding to calls for his resignation, Phelps delivered this thunderbolt of self-delusion:

"I appreciate the honest feedback," Phelps said. "I will sleep wonderful tonight knowing something I've done sparked this reaction and a positive force from this campus."

Right. Heckova job, Nicky.

PageOne weighs in here.

Tough Choices with Damaging Consequences: Lee Todd on the Impact of Budget Cuts at UK

Tuesday night I attended Governor Beshear's Budget Address, where he introduced his recommendation for 2008-2010. He has proposed that the University of Kentucky's state appropriation be cut by an additional 12% in 2008-2009 and remain flat in 2009-2010, which equates to $50 million less in our appropriation each year of the biennium. The Governor warned us a few weeks ago that the tough budget environment would force him to recommend a substantial cut for UK and all of postsecondary education. His recommendation is now in the hands of the General Assembly.

It is very important that you understand three things.

First, if the Governor's recommendation is enacted by the General Assembly (and that's a big "if"), it would have a devastating impact on our University. Let's be clear about this - the cuts the Governor proposes would require tough choices with damaging consequences. Because over 75% of our state appropriations are used for salary and benefits, we would have to consider everything - including layoffs, salary and benefit freezes, and program closures - to handle a cut of this magnitude. Our students would face substantial tuition increases, fewer scholarships, and greater personal debt. We have not made any specific plans because we want to see how the General Assembly responds. But we will take some precautionary measures to prepare ourselves in case the budget does not improve substantially. We will be communicating with affected areas about these measures.

Second, you need to understand that the fight for UK's budget is not over - it is just beginning. This is a 60-day process. This is only Day 16. As soon as the Governor finished his speech Tuesday, I started making the case to our friends in the legislature and to the people of our state that any cut in support for higher education - and certainly one of this size - is bad public policy. Our state faces budget challenges today because too many of our citizens are poor and too many of them are sick and too many of them have limited futures. And the only way to change that is to maintain our commitment to building strong universities and especially a strong flagship. It is that simple.

This University can be the catalyst for change because we attack Kentucky's problems - we educate students, improve the health of Kentuckians, and build businesses and create jobs. We know we can make a difference. And we know the General Assembly believes in our work. They acted with boldness and vision two years ago when they funded the Top 20 Business Plan as the mechanism for improving the condition of our Commonwealth. Kentucky's hope for a better future summons them again.

We will work with our supporters in the General Assembly to find ways to build a budget that maintains our momentum. We have a plan for progress and that plan is working. I am confident in our message and in the General Assembly's willingness to help us as much as they can.

Third, the next two months will be full of debates in Frankfort and stories in the papers. It is easy to get distracted by all of that. My job is to worry about the budget and work with the General Assembly to improve the proposed budget. This University needs each of you to stay focused on your responsibilities - the hard work of helping our students succeed in our
classrooms and laboratories; doing research that stretches our knowledge and improves lives; and reaching out to families, businesses, and communities across our state. Our argument for state support is made stronger every day because you are working every day to make a difference in the lives of our students and Kentucky's people.

Thank you for that effort.

Lee Todd

SOURCE: Campus-wide email