Behind the Blue

LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 17, 2022) – The University of Kentucky Alumni Association started the Great Teacher Award program in 1961 to honor excellent teaching at the university. There have been more than 300 teachers honored since that first year. Nominations may only be submitted by current students.

To receive the award, a candidate must: 

• Hold the rank of full-time lecturer or above and have been a member of the faculty for the past three years at UK.
• Have superior knowledge of the subject matter.
• Have original and innovative classroom presentations.
• Demonstrate concern for students, both inside and outside the classroom setting.
• Not have been a recipient of the award for the past 10 years.

A committee of the UK Alumni Association Board of Directors and a representative from the student organization Omicron Delta Kappa select the recipients based on objective rating and ranking of the eligible nominations submitted.

This episode of Behind the Blue spotlights one of the six 2023 Great Teacher Award winners. Kenton Sena is a lecturer in the Lewis Honors College. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in literature from Asbury University, and his master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky. His thesis research focused on forest restoration on reclaimed surface mines in Appalachia.

He received his Ph.D. in Integrated Plant and Soil Science (Forest Science emphasis), focusing on improving methods for detection and characterizing the distribution of a nonnative pathogen (Phytophthora cinnamomi) that causes disease in the American chestnut. He has published papers in journals such as Forests, Ecological Restoration, Science of the Total Environment, and Forest Ecology and Management. 

His teaching and research interests include forest restoration ecology, environmental science, and literature of the environment. His service program engages students in environmentally relevant projects in Lexington and across the Commonwealth. 

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email [email protected] or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue. Transcripts for this or other episodes of Behind the Blue can be downloaded from the show’s blog page.

To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.

 LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 10, 2023) – The University of Kentucky Alumni Association started the Great Teacher Award program in 1961 to honor excellent teaching at the university. There have been more than 300 teachers honored since that first year. Nominations may only be submitted by current students.

To receive the award, a candidate must:

• Hold the rank of full-time lecturer or above and have been a member of the faculty for the past three years at UK.
• Have superior knowledge of the subject matter.
• Have original and innovative classroom presentations.
• Demonstrate concern for students, both inside and outside the classroom setting.
• Not have been a recipient of the award for the past 10 years.

A committee of the UK Alumni Association Board of Directors and a representative from the student organization Omicron Delta Kappa select the recipients based on objective rating and ranking of the eligible nominations submitted.

This episode of Behind the Blue spotlights one of the six 2023 Great Teacher Award winners. Candice Hargons is an associate professor in the Counseling Psychology program where she studies sexual wellness and healing racial trauma – all with a love ethic. She is the interim department chair in the Department of Educational, School and Counseling Psychology in the UK College of Education.

Hargons is a core faculty member of the Center for Health Equity and Transformation and a faculty affiliate of African American and Africana Studies and the Commonwealth Institute for Black Studies. She serves on the American Psychological Association Board of Directors, is a Fellow in APA Division 17 (Society of Counseling Psychology) and an APA Minority Fellow alumna.

Hargons has degrees from Spelman College, Georgia State University, Howard University and she earned her Ph.D. at the University of Georgia. She is the PI (person in charge) of the Neighborhood Healers Project and she leads the Big Sex Study, a community-based research project investigating Black sexual wellness.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email [email protected] or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue. Transcripts for this or other episodes of Behind the Blue can be downloaded from the show’s blog page.

To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 3, 2023) – This week’s episode of “Behind the Blue” features a guest episode of the “Research Made Possible” podcast. To subscribe to the Research Made Possible podcast on SoundCloud or Apple Podcasts, search “University of Kentucky Research Media.”

 This podcast features the University of Kentucky’s recently announced eighth Research Priority Area (or RPA) in Materials Science. This RPA was chosen for its close alignment with the largest ever investment in research and development to strengthen American manufacturing, supply chains and national security—the Chips and Science Act of 2022. From medicine and manufacturing to automotive and aerospace applications, materials are vital to the future of Kentucky’s economy. UK is working with industrial partners across our region to solve today’s problems and train the workforce of the future.

Alicia Gregory, director of Research Communications, sat down with four UK leaders to learn more:

• Eric King, Assistant Vice President for Research for Federal Relations and Institutional Research Priorities
• Lisa Cassis, Vice President for Research
• Ian McClure, Associate Vice President for Research, Innovation and Economic Impact
• John Balk, Professor of Materials Engineering, Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering

 "Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

 For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email [email protected] or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue. Transcripts for this or other episodes of Behind the Blue can be downloaded from the show’s blog page.

 To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 27, 2023) – In November 2022, Rosalie Mainous became the sixth dean of the UK College of Nursing.

A Lexington native and University of Kentucky doctoral graduate, Mainous has held many leadership positions including director of academic nursing development at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN); former dean and professor at Wright State University-Miami Valley College of Nursing and Health in Dayton, Ohio; and former associate dean for graduate programs and research and former associate dean for academic affairs at the University of Louisville School of Nursing.

Mainous is a neonatal nurse practitioner and a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded researcher. She has worked diligently to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities in those most vulnerable among us — preterm infants. Her scholarship has scanned biobehavioral clinical research, work on incivility, readiness to practice in new BSN graduates, policy initiatives related to maternal access to care, curriculum design, support for new deans and academic rigor for practice doctorates.

On this episode of ‘Behind the Blue’, Mainous talks about the allure of returning to the bluegrass to become dean of the UK College of Nursing, the insight gained from clinical work that she applies to her academic endeavors, the vital importance of nursing to the entire healthcare structure, and more.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email [email protected] or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue. Transcripts for this or other episodes of Behind the Blue can be downloaded from the show’s blog page.

To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 20, 2023) – THIS IS AN ENCORE EPISODE.

As a young child, Dr. Emily Marcinkowski spent a lot of time in the hospital, but not as a patient. Her mother, a single parent, worked as an Operating Room Scrub Nurse, which led to Marcinkowski spending a fair amount of time in the OR and offices during her mother’s shifts.

It was that exposure to medicine and surgery that inspired her to become a surgeon herself. In a field of healthcare that is largely dominated by men, Marcinkowski says it never occurred to her to not be a surgeon simply because she is female.

Today, Dr. Marcinkowski is a surgical oncologist at UK’s Markey Cancer Center, specializing in breast cancer, soft-tissue sarcomas and skin cancers. She says she likes surgery because of the closer relationships that surgeons have with their patients, and how that is of specific benefit in regards to working with breast cancer patients, who are often concerned with how their diagnosis and treatment affects their sexuality and self-identification.

Marcinkowski also teaches classes as an associate professor in the UK College of Medicine, where she strives to pass on her enthusiasm for her work to a new generation, along with the importance of students having the mindset of investing in themselves.

On this episode of ‘Behind the Blue’, Marcinkowski talks about her drive to be a problem solver, how surgery presents her with tangible problems she can act upon, the importance of greater diversity and patient-based inclusivity in the medical field, and more.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email [email protected] or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue. Transcripts for this or other episodes of Behind the Blue can be downloaded from the show’s blog page.

To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 13, 2023) – THIS IS AN ENCORE EPISODE

According to the National Women’s Business Council annual report, 42% of all U.S. businesses are owned by women, and in 2019 those businesses employed over 9.4 million workers.

However, based on the annual Women in the Workplace study by LeanIn.org and McKinsey & Company, “women leaders are switching jobs at the highest rate we’ve ever seen…[which could] have serious implications for companies” that are already facing underrepresentation in those roles.

Dr. Jennifer Siebenthaler is the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs and Senior Lecturer in the Von Allmen School of Accountancy in the UK Gatton College of Business and Economics. Dr. Siebenthaler’s background as a CPA has led her to work as an auditor specializing in healthcare and other nonprofit entities, and to consulting various businesses before transitioning to education.

Dr. Susan Zhu is an Assistant Professor of Management in the UK Gatton College and a Research Fellow at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Dr. Zhu’s research interests include workplace decision-making, recruitment and staffing, and leadership. Her research focuses on understanding how employees at work make judgments and decisions, and how these judgments and decisions impact individual, team, and Human Resources (HR) functioning.

On this episode of ‘Behind the Blue’ UK Senior Elly Piatt, an Economics major from Villa Hills, Ky, sits down with these two members of the Gatton College of Business and Economics to discuss the challenges facing women in business today, the support systems in place to help women thrive, and advice they would give to students as they pursue their careers in this ever-changing field.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email [email protected] or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue. Transcripts for this or other episodes of Behind the Blue can be downloaded from the show’s blog page.

To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 6, 2023) – 1990 saw the first group recognized for the Chancellor’s Awards for Outstanding Teaching for Tenured and Nontenured Faculty and Teaching Assistants. The Awards were established by the Office of the Provost to reward and encourage excellence in teaching.

In accordance with the reorganization of the university in 2002, the awards were renamed the Provost Awards for Outstanding Teaching. Qualities of dedication, imagination, creativity, inspiration, and concern for students are among the traits considered for this award.

Awards are given in three categories: the Outstanding Teaching Award for tenured faculty, the Outstanding Teaching Award for Nontenured Faculty, and the Outstanding Teaching Award for Teaching Assistants.

This year’s winners for the Outstanding Teaching Award for Teaching Assistants are

• Angela Hanson – Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences
• Katie Kohls – English, College of Arts and Sciences
• Weiss Mehrabi – Political Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences

On this episode of ‘Behind the Blue’, the three award winners talk about the significance of winning the award, their teaching philosophies and how they hope to motivate and inspire students, and more.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email [email protected] or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue. Transcripts for this or other episodes of Behind the Blue can be downloaded from the show’s blog page.

To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 29, 2023) – 1990 saw the first group recognized for the Chancellor’s Awards for Outstanding Teaching for Tenured and Nontenured Faculty and Teaching Assistants. The Awards were established by the Office of the Provost to reward and encourage excellence in teaching.

In accordance with the reorganization of the university in 2002, the awards were renamed the Provost Awards for Outstanding Teaching. Qualities of dedication, imagination, creativity, inspiration, and concern for students are among the traits considered for this award.

Awards are given in three categories: the Outstanding Teaching Award for tenured faculty, the Outstanding Teaching Award for Nontenured Faculty, and the Outstanding Teaching Award for Teaching Assistants.

This year’s winners for the Outstanding Teaching Award for Nontenured Faculty are

• Dr. Ima Ebong – Neurology, College of Medicine
• Doug Klein – Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
• Cathy Catlett – Nursing, College of Nursing

On this episode of ‘Behind the Blue’, Ebong and Klein talk about the significance of winning the award, their teaching philosophies and how they hope to motivate and inspire students, and more.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email [email protected] or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue. Transcripts for this or other episodes of Behind the Blue can be downloaded from the show’s blog page.

To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 22, 2023) – 1990 saw the first group recognized for the Chancellor’s Awards for Outstanding Teaching for Tenured and Nontenured Faculty and Teaching Assistants. The Awards were established by the Office of the Provost to reward and encourage excellence in teaching.

In accordance with the reorganization of the university in 2002, the awards were renamed the Provost Awards for Outstanding Teaching. Qualities of dedication, imagination, creativity, inspiration, and concern for students are among the traits considered for this award.

Awards are given in three categories: the Outstanding Teaching Award for tenured faculty, the Outstanding Teaching Award for Nontenured Faculty, and the Outstanding Teaching Award for Teaching Assistants.

This year’s winners for the Outstanding Teaching Award for Tenured Faculty are

• Amanda Ellis – Biostatistics, College of Public Health
• Lynda Sharrett – Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
• Lou Hirsch – Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFÉ)
• Elizabeth Williams – Gender & Women’s Studies, College of Arts and Sciences

On this episode of ‘Behind the Blue’, they talk about the significance of winning the award, their teaching philosophies and how they hope to motivate and inspire students, and more.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email [email protected] or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue. Transcripts for this or other episodes of Behind the Blue can be downloaded from the show’s blog page.

To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 15, 2023) – THIS IS AN ENCORE EPISODE.

Dynamic and innovative, the University of Kentucky Department of Arts Administration leads national and international initiatives in teaching, research, professional and community service to educate and inspire responsible arts leaders, artists, and entrepreneurs.

Founded in 1987, the University of Kentucky's Department of Arts Administration offers one of the most comprehensive curriculums in the country. Already home to the oldest arts administration BA degree in the US, students are able to develop their discipline along with learning the business side of the arts. In addition, the department offers an online MFA program, and has recently added the country’s first ever PhD in arts administration.

Rachel Shane is the Department Chair and an Associate Professor of Arts Administration at the University of Kentucky. She oversees the department's three degree programs as well as the Graduate Certificate in Fundraising and Development and professional development offerings. She also teaches a variety of courses in the degree programs.

On this episode of Behind the Blue, Shane talks about the impact of the arts on the economy, how the department has grown and adapted to the changing demands of the arts industry, and the vast possibilities students have with a career in the arts.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email [email protected] or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue. Transcripts for this or other episodes of Behind the Blue can be downloaded from the show’s blog page.

To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.