Behind the Blue

LEXINGTON, Ky. (September 21, 2022) – UK Invests is a first-of-its-kind initiative announced recently by the University of Kentucky.

It is a wellness effort, anchored by financial education. The premise: provide access to every student on the UK campus with a low-risk investment account. UK will match investments that students make, in small increments, for participating in healthy behaviors – such as going to the gym, conducting a wellness visit or participating in a student organization.

The idea is that micro-investments can have a macro impact. Further, according to UK Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Dr. Eric Monday, UK Invests underscores the idea that there is tremendous long-term potential and value in a University of Kentucky degree – so much that the institution should start investing in that promise now, long before students graduate.

Monday, along with a team of UK administrators and staff, have been working on UK Invests for several months and will be rolling it out to the entire campus community over the next several months, starting this September with UK’s nearly 600 student athletes.

In this episode of ‘Behind the Blue’ Monday discusses the initiative – its goals and how it fits into a holistic approach to student 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. (September 15, 2022) – As the Vice Dean of Research for the UK College of Medicine, Dr. Rebecca Dutch oversees research for the College, from basic areas to clinical applications. Dutch also serves as a member of UK’s START team, an interdisciplinary group of UK HealthCare physicians and clinical and research leaders at UK, that continues to develop strategies to ensure safe and healthy operations on campus.

Now, at the beginning of the university’s fall 2022 semester, Dr. Dutch returns to the ‘Behind the Blue’ podcast to discuss where our community stands in regards to coronavirus, the upcoming flu season, monkeypox outbreaks, 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. (September 8, 2022) – Part of the mission of the University of Kentucky’s College of Communication and Information is to teach students how to communicate effectively, obtain and evaluate information, and to create, produce and disseminate effective communication messages. Implementing that mission into their careers, many of the college’s graduates are doing important work in their area of study that often takes them across the globe.

Ashley Westerman is one such graduate. A 2010 journalism major from western Kentucky, she has lived out her dream of working in public radio. Currently, she is a producer for National Public Radio (NPR) based in Kiev, Ukraine, where she and her team cover the current war there, and the stories of the Ukrainian people living day-to-day in uncertainty.

On this episode of ‘Behind the Blue’, Westerman talks about growing up in Kentucky and the importance of attending the University of Kentucky, how her career path took her from Washington, DC to southeast Asia and eventually Ukraine, and how her mentors and teachers at UK prepared her for the unpredictable path her career as a journalist has led her on.

"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. (September 2, 2022) – Comprised of more than four hundred professional staff and faculty across more than two dozen units, the University of Kentucky Office for Student Success is committed to engaging students from the time of early college outreach to graduation and beyond.

With programs ranging from the Center for Academic Resources and Enrichment Service (CARES), the Center for Support and Intervention, Campus Recreation, the Disability Resource Center, the Stuckert Career Center, Violence Intervention and Prevention, the Office of LGBTQ* Resources, University Admissions and beyond, the Office for Student Success facilitates a broad range of programs and resources designed to assist with student development and well-being in some of the most critical areas of the university experience.

Dr. Kirsten Turner is UK’s Vice President for Student Success and chief student affairs officer. A leader with a long tenure at the University of Kentucky, she transitioned to her current position after serving in multiple associate provost roles and as an architect of the institution’s strategies to improve retention and graduation rates.

On this episode of ‘Behind the Blue’, Turner talks about the overall goals for the Office for Student Success, the challenges in scaling services to match ever-growing enrollment numbers, new services like Integrated Success Coaches that assist students in all areas of wellness 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.

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

LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 25, 2022) – Welcoming its largest freshman class in history, the University of Kentucky begins its fall 2022 semester. As the Commonwealth’s flagship and land-grant research university continues to see exponential growth, Dr. Eli Capilouto begins his 12th year overseeing the mission of teaching, research, service and health care.

On this episode of Behind the Blue, Capilouto sits down for a conversation about the upcoming fall semester, what he admires most about UK students, his hopes for this record-setting incoming class, and what it means to see faculty, staff, students and alumni seeking out ways to assist the state in times of crisis.

"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 28, 2022) – Historically, studies have shown that Black individuals are less likely to seek and accept mental health care due to concerns regarding stigma as well as mistrust of professionals caused by documented racial inequities in treatment.

In Lexington, the Black population represents approximately 15% of residents, but in 2020, Black people represented only 7% of the population receiving community mental health services in Kentucky’s Bluegrass region.

The Neighborhood Healers Project, a new pilot project led by University of Kentucky researchers, aims to reduce this equity gap by addressing the stigma and helping Black Lexingtonians access the mental health services they need.

Candice Hargons, Ph.D., the study’s principal investigator (PI) says the five-year project, funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), will create a support system of “first-responders” within Lexington’s Black community who are trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health crises and connect people to needed resources.

Hargons, a licensed psychologist and associate professor in the UK College of Education’s Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, appears on this episode of ‘Behind the Blue’ to discuss how this project will impact the Lexington community and beyond.

"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 7, 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 307 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 2022 Great Teacher Award winners. Since working at the Center for Applied Energy Research in the mid-1980s, John "Jack" Groppo, of the UK College of Engineering, has focused on mineral processing work which began with fine coal that had not been recovered because the technology didn’t exist. Today, processing fine coal is common practice. Groppo is a professor and director of undergraduate studies in mining engineering. He is the co-creator of the sustainable campus electronics recycling program at UK. He is the developer of the Center for Applied Energy Research “Energy 101” education outreach for local underserved elementary schools providing energy education with hands-on demonstrations.

He is the faculty advisor for the UK Society of Mining Engineers Student Chapter. Groppo earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mining and mineral engineering from Virginia Tech and his doctorate in mining engineering from the University of Kentucky. His research interests include mineral processing, surface chemistry, power generation, and industrial and coal utilization by-product recycling.

"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 30, 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 307 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 2022 Great Teacher Award winners. Cortney Lollar, a James and Mary Lassiter Professor of Law from the UK Rosenberg College of Law, teaches and researches in the areas of criminal law, criminal procedure, remedies, race, gender, sexuality and social science.

Prior to joining the UK faculty in 2013, Lollar was a clinical faculty fellow at Washington University in St. Louis. She previously represented adult and juvenile defendants at the trial and appellate level at the Federal Defender Program in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. Lollar received her bachelor’s degree from Brown University and her doctorate from New York University School of Law, where she was editor-in-chief of the Review of Law and Social Change. Her work has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court as well as other federal and state courts.

"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 23, 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 307 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 2022 Great Teacher Award winners. Beth Rous, from the UK College of Education, has spent her career working to advance knowledge on how people design and lead complex human service systems. She believes that all children have a right to high quality educational experiences and has generated more than $98 million in grants and contracts to help realize this vision.

A professor in the Department of Educational Leadership Studies, Rous teaches courses in research methods. She earned her bachelor’s degree in learning disabilities, moderate disabilities and elementary education from Morehead State University; her master’s in special education: interdisciplinary early childhood education; and her doctorate in instruction and administration from the University of Kentucky. Rous serves as a research and policy associate at the Human Development Institute, serving as the founding director for the Kentucky Partnership for Early Childhood Services from 1996-2017. She is a technical advisor/consultant for the U.S. Department of Education and Health and Human Services.

"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 21, 2022) – The Office of LGBTQ* Resources is the University of Kentucky's central hub for accessing information, groups and services related to diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. Located in the Dinkle Mas Suite in the Gatton Student Center, the resource center is a campus-wide office that works to make sure that our community is a welcoming, safe and supportive place for all students, faculty, staff and alumni.

On May 9th, 2022, J’Lissabeth Faughn (she, her, hers) assumed the role of director of UK’s Office of LGBTQ* Resources, a part of the Office for Student Success. An experienced leader with a passion for social justice and student development, Faughn brings a rich history of advocacy and community building from similar roles in California, Iowa and Missouri. She holds a graduate degree in higher education and social justice from Iowa State University and an undergraduate degree from Murray State University.

On this episode of ‘Behind the Blue’, Faughn talks about how her journey of providing support to students led her to the University of Kentucky, her plans to continue the Resource Center’s legacy of creating a safe, open environment for all, 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.