By Richard LeComte

Teaching his first classes at UK in fall 2019, Eladio Bobadilla fresh from his doctoral studies at Duke—saw a lot of eager students waiting for him to share his perspectives on Latinx history. For many students in the class, Bobadilla was teaching something essential: their own histories. 

“It was pretty amazing because a couple of the classes were largely Latino students who were really excited to have someone who looked like them teach them about their histories,” Bobadilla said. “So that was a lot of fun for me. And it was exciting for them to find someone who cares about their history.”

As part of a cluster hire program to bring new Latinx faculty to campus, the College of Arts and Sciences brought aboard two assistant professors: Bobadilla

By Richard LeComte

Teaching his first classes at UK in fall 2019, Eladio Bobadilla fresh from his doctoral studies at Duke—saw a lot of eager students waiting for him to share his perspectives on Latinx history. For many students in the class, Bobadilla was teaching something essential: their own histories. 

“It was pretty amazing because a couple of the classes were largely Latino students who were really excited to have someone who looked like them teach them about their histories,” Bobadilla said. “So that was a lot of fun for me. And it was exciting for them to find someone who cares about their history.”

As part of a cluster hire program to bring new Latinx faculty to campus, the College of Arts and Sciences brought aboard two assistant professors: Bobadilla, in the Department of History; and Arcelia Gutiérrez, in the Department of

By Jenny Wells-Hosley 

In just a few weeks, the University of Kentucky will welcome students, scholars and activists to campus for the 43rd annual Appalachian Studies Association (ASA) conference March 12-15. Themed "Appalachian Understories," the conference will emphasize the often obscured voices of the region, including black Appalachians.

Jillean McCommons, a doctoral student in the UK College of Arts and Sciences' Department of History, studies black Appalachian history and is serving as an organizer for the upcoming conference. One of the conference's four plenaries, "Black

Student: Jillean McCommons

UKNow has interviewed the department's Ph.D. student Jillean McCommons for her work on black Appalachian experiences. For the article, click here.

By Richard LeComte

A new Africana Saturday School begins this weekend at the historic downtown Lyric Theatre & Cultural Arts Center at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 22.

The Saturday School will be a series of double lectures given once a month through May. The theme for spring 2020 is “New Visions for Black Men: From Maleness to Manhood.” Events start at 9 a.m. and are free to the public.

Frank X Walker, organizer of the event and poet and University of Kentucky English professor in the College of Arts & Sciences, will kick off the series with a talk and reading titled “Honor Thy Mother & Father: Making the Case for a New Vision.” UK faculty participating in the series include Derrick White and Gerald Smith, both UK history professors as well as members of the

By Ryan Girves

At Saturday’s University of Kentucky basketball game, winners of the Ken Freedman Outstanding Advisor Awards, Beth Hanneman and Erik Myrup, were honored on the court, acknowledging their role in fulfilling the teaching and learning mission of the university.

Each year, the Ken Freedman Outstanding Advisor Award is presented by the UK Advising Network to one full-time professional adviser and one faculty adviser for outstanding service. Ken Freedman, the award's namesake, was one of the founders of the UK Advising Network in 1986 and served as a professional adviser at UK until his death in 2001.  

Both Hanneman, from the Stuckert Career Center, and Myrup, College

By Lindsey Piercy

“A New World Begins: The History of the French Revolution,” recently released by Basic Books, is the culmination of a lifetime of research and writing by Jeremy D. Popkin — the William T. Bryan Chair of the Department of History in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky. 

“It has been more than 30 years since the last English-language general history of the revolution was published,” he said. “I wanted to share the fruits of all the exciting new research with ordinary readers and show them the events of 1789

This year, the College of Arts & Sciences celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Over the last 20 years, we have recognized 79 alumni and faculty whose

contributions to the College, University, Commonwealth and beyond are far-reaching. Over the next few weeks, I will be highlighting each of this year’s inductees. Today, I am honored to recognize Gerald Smith.

Gerald was born in Lexington, Ky., and graduated from Henry Clay High School. He attended the University of Kentucky as an undergraduate and graduate student, and received his B.A. (1981), M.A. (1983), and Ph.D. (1988) degrees in history. During his time as a student at UK, he served as Polemarch (President) of the undergraduate chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and as secretary of the Black Student Union. He was also a disc jockey for the

By Ryan Girves

First-generation A&S student Presley Ramey (third from left) was inducted into Alpha Alpha Alpha honor society. Student Transitions and Family Programs staff Jimmie Jones Jr. (left), Martina Martin and Jesse Farley were involved in coordinating the event.

In an inaugural ceremony, the University of Kentucky inducted 51 members into the Alpha Alpha Alpha (Tri-Alpha) Honor Society, recognizing the accomplishments of high-achieving first-generation students, alumni, staff and faculty.

Inductees were initiated into the honor society through a brief ceremony held Nov. 8 in the Gatton Student Center Ballroom.

Martina Martin, associate director of Student Transitions and Family Programs at the university, said the university established the

By Lindsey Piercy

Amy Murrell Taylor, an accomplished professor, historian and author at the University Kentucky, can add winner of one of the most coveted awards for the study of global slavery to her remarkable list of accomplishments and accolades.

Taylor — who was recently appointed the T. Marshall Hahn, Jr. Professor in the UK College of Arts and Sciences — has been awarded the prestigious Frederick Douglass Book Prize for “Embattled Freedom: Journeys through the Civil War’s Slave Refugee Camps” (UNC Press, 2018). The award is presented annually by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and the Gilder Lehrman Center for Study of Slavery, Resistance and Abolition 

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

The University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences will induct six new members into its Hall of Fame this week. 

This year marks the Hall of Fame’s 20th anniversary and the induction ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, in the Gatton Student Center's Worsham Cinema.

This year's honorees include:

Alumni Inductees:

Anne C. Deaton, English, bachelor's degree (1967)

Deaton grew up in Brooklyn, New York, but her father’s employment with IBM brought her to Lexington at age 13. After attending Lexington Catholic High School, Deaton entered the College of Arts and Sciences and devoured her courses, especially those in her major (English) and minor (history). She enthusiastically joined extracurricular

By Ryan Girves

The University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, in partnership with the Office for Institutional Diversity, welcomes noted African American scholar, UK alumnus and former president of Prairie View A&M University, George Wright. In recognition of the 70th anniversary of integration at the university, Wright is a visiting professor at UK for the 2019-2020 academic year.

A Lexington native, Wright received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UK in history and his doctoral degree in history from Duke University. In 2004, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from UK and was later inducted into the Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 2005. 

Wright has touched the lives of thousands and has had a tremendous impact in the

By Lindsey Piercy

From left to right: Regina Hamilton, Derrick White, Bertin Louis, Nikki Brown, Frances Henderson, Kamahra Ewing

In an effort to build institutional excellence, an inclusive curriculum and faculty diversity, the University of Kentucky is welcoming six new educators to the College of Arts and Sciences.

Cluster hiring — hiring multiple scholars into one or more departments based on shared research interest — is a way to advance the university's commitment to diversity and inclusion, while also fostering a learning environment dedicated to collaboration and engagement.

"Not only does hiring multiple faculty members signal our commitment to African American and Africana Studies within the college, but it also creates a sense of possibility

By Lindsey Piercy

Today we reflect on a grim chapter in our nation's history — the beginning of a 400-year story filled with tragedy, inequality, resilience and survival.

On Aug. 20, 1619, a ship carrying 20 enslaved Africans arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, changing the course of American history. These men and women were among more than 12 million other captives to be sold to colonists in what would become the United States.

The transatlantic slave trade — which reduced Africans to commodities — would endure for centuries and ultimately shape our country and the state of Kentucky.

To this day, one of the darkest periods of our nation's past continues to cast a shadow. 

How does the legacy of slavery still resonate with Kentuckians, and how do we — as a state — heal from history? We asked 

By Lindsey Piercy

Although students are excited to start their journey in higher education, there is often a feeling of apprehension. One of the most anxiety-producing tasks? Registering for classes.

Choosing from a variety of professors, scheduling your courses and getting enough credit hours can be extremely stressful. That's why the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky has spent the last three years rethinking and restructuring the process.

Dean Mark Kornbluh takes great pride in offering innovative core classes — courses that were originally designed with freshmen in mind. “We want to make sure our incoming students start their college career on the right foot, with all

By Lori Adams

The University of Kentucky has released its Dean's List for the spring 2019 semester. A total of 6,562 students were recognized for their outstanding academic performance. 

To make a Dean’s List in one of the UK colleges, a student must earn a grade-point average of 3.6 or higher and must have earned 12 credits or more in that semester, excluding credits earned in pass-fail classes. Some UK colleges require a 3.5 GPA to make the Dean’s List.

The full Dean's List can be accessed by visiting: www.uky.edu/PR/News/DeansList/.

The University of Kentucky is increasingly the first choice for students, faculty and staff to pursue their passions and their professional goals. In the last two years, Forbes has named UK among the best employers for diversity and

By Whitney Hale, Ellie Wnek and Hannah Edelen

Senior Dealla Samadi discovered a missing piece of the book "La Reine Albemarle," which was published posthumously without the segment. Her discovery has led to an article published in a French philosophy journal.

Seven interns in the University of Kentucky Libraries' Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) Learning Lab will represent UK at the second World Conference of Undergraduate Research (World CUR).

These students will travel to Oldenburg, Germany, May 23-25, to present their research, discuss global issues and create an international research partnership. Funding for their travel is provided through the 

By Ryan Girves

Award winners are from left, front row: Jennifer Osterhage, Rachel Carr, Anna Voskresensky, Benjamin Braun, Suzanne Smith. Back row: Abraham Prades-Mengibar, Luc Dunoyer, Shane Clark and Sarah Wilson. Not pictured: Amy Taylor. Mark Cornelison | UK Photo.

The University of Kentucky recognized exceptional faculty and teaching assistants with the Outstanding Teaching Awards during the 2019 UK Faculty Awards Ceremony held Thursday, April 18.

The Outstanding Teaching Awards annually recognize faculty and graduate teaching assistants who go above and beyond what is expected and demonstrate outstanding performance in the classroom or laboratory. Selected via nomination, candidates were reviewed by a selection committee empaneled by the Office for Faculty Advancement and the 

By Nate Harling

Students in Jeff Rice’s WRD 300: Introduction to Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Studies class presented on the week’s reading, “Made to Stick.” Rice is chair of the Department of Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Everyone hears it at some point. Whether it is across the table from a relative at Thanksgiving dinner, on a quiet car ride home with a parent or while out for coffee with an old friend from high school. When a student majoring in the arts and sciences informs someone else of their field of study, they will be met with the same question, often accompanied by a slight lift of the eyebrows: “So what are you going to do with that?” This kind of skepticism is indicative of the widespread social perception that students of the liberal arts are less prepared for careers than their peers

By Whitney Hale

Virginia Clay McClure's senior photo from the university's yearbook. Photo courtesy of UK Special Collections Research Center.

The University of Kentucky community is celebrating Women’s History Month. Throughout March, UKNow will feature the women — past and present — on whose shoulders we stand and whose hard work has made our achievements possible. With a combination of fierce resolve and deep compassion, UK women have left indelible marks on our university. Join us as we highlight these #WomenOfUK.

The first woman who received a Ph.D. from UK said that her department chairman did not "want a woman to get a doctor's degree." Despite those words, Virginia Clay McClure, a native of Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, received her doctoral degree in American history in 1934.