by Derrick Meads

(Jan. 15, 2014) — Although it is Viva México in the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts and Sciences’ Passport to the World initiative, very few students choose to study there.

To open opportunities for international study in Mexico, a delegation of faculty from UK, Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC) and Jefferson Community and Technical College (JCTC) visited Oaxaca, Mexico to review Sol Education Abroad (an affiliate education abroad partner of UK). Led by UK Education Abroad, the faculty members also assessed health and safety concerns and engaged with faculty at Oaxaca’s academic

by Jenny Wells

(Dec. 16, 2013) — The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research has honored 18 students with the Oswald Research and Creativity Program awards.  Representatives from the Office of Undergraduate Research, along with director  Diane Snow, presented the winners with certificates at a reception on campus Dec. 5.

Established in 1964 by then-UK President John Oswald, the Oswald Research and Creativity Program encourages research and creative activities by undergraduate students at UK. The objectives of the program are to stimulate creative work by undergraduate students and to recognize individuals who demonstrate outstanding achievement.

Categories include Biological

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 21, 2013) — As the nation stops to remember President John F. Kennedy on the 50th anniversary of his death Friday, Dean of University of Kentucky Libraries Terry Birdwhistell recalls his interview with former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis on her husband's relationship with popular Kentucky Senator John Sherman Cooper.

The oral history interview, taken by Birdwhistell on May 13, 1981, at Onassis' home on Fifth Avenue across from Central Park in New York City, was a bit of a dream come true for the oral historian.

"My colleagues thought I was crazy to even write to Ms. Onassis and ask for an interview about her

by Andrea Richard, Whitney Hale

(Nov. 18, 2013) — The University of Kentucky Special Collections Library will show the second film in its movie series “Reel to Real” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19, in Worsham Theater. The film series explores celebrated movies through a historically accurate perspective based on primary source materials found in Special Collections. The screening is free and open to the public.

"In Country," featuring Bruce Willis, is about a Vietnam War veteran living in rural Kentucky, and his

by Grace Liddle, Witney Hale

(Nov. 15, 2013) — With the recent success of "42," chronicling Jackie Robinson's entry into professional baseball, University Press of Kentucky in conjunction with the Kentucky Book Fair and the Kentucky Historical Society present a session on Kentucky's impact on the desegregation of the sport. "Desegregating Baseball: The Kentucky Connection" will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, in The Old Capitol Building, 300 West Broadway St., in Frankfort, Ky.

"Desegregating

Davis Bottom: Living Memories // Isaac Hathaway Family and Education – Clip 1 from UK College of Arts & Sciences on Vimeo.

by Keith Hautala

(Nov. 15, 2013) — A one-hour documentary exploring the history of one of Lexington's most diverse neighborhoods will have its official Lexington premiere screening at the Lexington Public Library.

"Davis Bottom: Rare History, Valuable Lives" will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, in The Farish Theater at the Lexington Public Library, 140 East Main Street. The screening is free and open to the public.



The documentary reveals the fascinating history of a working-

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 14, 2013) — The University of Kentucky Confucius Institute will present a lecture on Japanese agrarian immigration in China presented by scholar and anthropologist Mariko Asano-Tamanoi as part of its Distinguished Scholar Lecture Series. The free public lecture by Asano-Tamanoi titled "Transnational 'Manchuria,' Trans-nationalized Japan, and the Future of Postwar Japan" will begin 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19, in the Alumni Gallery of William T. Young Library.

Asano-Tamanoi, a professor at University of California, Los Angeles, began research on Japanese agrarian immigration to Northeast China in the mid-1980s, and published "Memory Maps: The State and Manchuria in Postwar

video courtesy of UK Public Relations & Marketing

article by Jenny Wells

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 7, 2013) — In addition to research presentations, the 2014 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) will offer numerous volunteer opportunities for the entire campus community when the University of Kentucky hosts the conference April 3-5, 2014. From helping direct traffic, to managing technology, to just helping students find where they need to go, there will be a variety of positions available to students, faculty and staff.

Students will have even more flexibility to get involved, as the University Senate has given permission for faculty to redirect their classes April 3 and 4 so students can attend conference events and presentations. 

"

by Gail Hairston

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 7, 2013) — Members of the public and especially young people are encouraged to attend "Aiming for New Heights," a celebration of the Lexington Congress on Racial Equality (CORE), the group of black and white individuals largely responsible for Kentucky’s civil rights movement.

The unique event takes place from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, in the University of Kentucky Student Center Annex. 

The day includes presentations, panel discussions and exhibits about the civil rights era in Kentucky, most commonly identified as dominating the 1960s, although some scholars date African Americans’ struggle for equality from the post-Civil War Reconstruction era of the late 19th century. For many, the highlight will be an exhibit of wax figures depicting Kentucky’s CORE leaders. The afternoon will be

by Grace Liddle & Whitney Hale

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 6, 2013) – University of Kentucky Libraries is adding another stamp to its passport in support of the UK College of Arts and Sciences Passport to the World program with exhibitions and programs in celebration of ¡Viva Mexico!

The exhibits and events at UK Libraries include:

by Whitney Hale

(Nov. 6, 2013) — The University of Kentucky Special Collections will celebrate the career of Appalachia scholar and historian Ron D. Eller. The donation ceremony of the Ron Eller Papers will include a talk by historian Chad Montrie on Nov. 8.

The public is invited to a formal donation of Eller's papers at 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, at the Wendell H. Ford Public Policy Research Center, located in 104 Margaret I. King Building. The program will include Montrie's talk, "

by Nathan Owen

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 6, 2013) — The University of Kentucky’s Appalachian Center, in collaboration with the Appalachian Media Institute, will provide a glimpse into Appalachia through a showcase of young filmmakers’ documentaries.

The event takes place at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 11, in Room 106 of the Whitehall Classroom Building. Representatives from AMI’s Summer Documentary Institute will screen three self-produced documentaries, each around 10 minutes long.

by Whitney Hale & Mack McCormic

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 30, 2013) — University Press of Kentucky (UPK) author and University of Kentucky part-time history instructor James C. Nicholson has been named the recipient of a 2012 Kentucky History Award given by the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) for his book "The Kentucky Derby: How the Run for the Roses Became America’s Premier Sporting Event." This is the second award the book has garnered.

The Kentucky History

(Oct. 11, 2013) — While pursuing undergraduate degrees in political science,history and philosophy at the University of Kentucky, Ryan Pitts was recently accepted into the Dual Degree Program at Duke University in hopes of earning a J.D./LL.M in international and comparative law.  Pitts also received a substantial scholarship in order to pursue this program. He plans on attending in May 2014.

A particularly involved student with a 4.0 GPA, Pitts was one of the select 200 of over 5,000 applicants to be admitted into this “Top 14” law program. 

"This has been a surreal time, a dream come true," said Pitts. "I cannot thank my family, friends, or the

by Keith Hautala

A one-hour documentary exploring the history of one of Lexington's most diverse neighborhoods will have a special advance screening at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, at the University of Kentucky's William T. Young Library auditorium.

"Davis Bottom: Rare History, Valuable Lives" reveals the fascinating history of a working-class neighborhood established in Lexington after the Civil War. Davis Bottom is one of about a dozen ethnic enclaves settled primarily by African-American families who migrated to Lexington from the 1860s to the 1890s in search of jobs, security and opportunity. 

The documentary is part of the Kentucky Archaeology and Heritage Series, produced by Voyageur Media Group, Inc. for the Kentucky Archaeological Survey and the Kentucky Heritage Council. The series is distributed by Kentucky Educational Television (KET) to

by Sarah Geegan & Grace Liddle

 The College of Arts and Sciences is offering 13 courses that begin in the middle of the fall 2013 semester. For students who may have recently dropped a class or hope to pick up some extra credit hours, these courses provide flexibility after the regular registration period.

Course topics range from the science of what we eat, archaeology and history of ancient Mexico, an introductory course on the city of Lexington, and a study on the culture and economics of local and global food systems.

The "Global Food & Local Agriculture" course explores questions associated with why people eat what they do and what that implies about society. To answer these questions, the class

by Sarah Geegan

The College of Arts and Sciences will induct new members into its Hall of Fame Oct. 11, 2013, to join the ranks of the current 32 alumni and 8 emeritus faculty A&S Hall of Fame members.

The ceremony, taking place at 3:30 p.m. in the Singletary Center for the Arts, will follow an academic theme; the inductees will wear formal academic regalia and receive medallions with the UK A&S seal. All members of the campus community are welcome to attend.

>>View the photos from the event

"This is an exciting opportunity and an honor for us to celebrate the success of our

by Sarah Geegan 

UK Confucius Institute Director Huajing Maske describes the UK Faculty China Short-Term Teaching Program as "groundbreaking" for several reasons.

First of all, the numbers are groundbreaking. The program, which provides teaching stints by embedding American professors in the departments of partner universities in China, involved faculty members from several non-China institutions. In the program's inaugural year, UK's 29 faculty at Shanghai University represented nearly half of the overall faculty cohort.

"It was quite impressive to see how strong the UK numbers were among the faculty participating in the short-term teaching program," Maske said. "UK was by far

by Jenny Wells

Last week, the University of Kentucky Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence honored its newest class of Chellgren Fellows.  Benefactor Paul Chellgren and his wife Deborah, along with Chellgren Endowed Chair Philipp Kraemer, UK Provost Christine Riordan, and UK President Eli Capilouto, recognized and congratulated the students on being named Fellows.

The Chellgren Fellows Program is for students with exceptional academic potential and aspirations, who are eager to participate in a special learning community designed to cultivate extraordinary achievement. Outstanding faculty members from across campus serve as individual mentors for the Fellows.

The