Behind the Blue

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 30, 2020) – This summer, the United States has seen nationwide demonstrations and protests in light of, among other things, the killing of George Floyd during an arrest in Minneapolis on may 25th. Local protests quickly spread across the country, and the New York Times cited polls that estimated, as of July 3rd, between 15 and 26 million people had participated at some point in the demonstrations, making them the largest in U.S. history.

On this week’s episode of Behind the Blue, UK Assistant Professor of History Dr. Eladio Bobadilla discusses these movements, and helps provide some context to what we’re seeing. “Historically, only sustained, prolonged, well-organized movements have accomplished meaningful political and social change,” explains Dr. Bobadilla, discussing the arc of social movements. “Successful movements take time, they take pressure, they take criticism, they take organization, and they take sacrifice. I think if I were to sum up the history of social movements, when a movement succeeds those are the elements that it requires.”

"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.

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

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 23, 2020) – The University of Kentucky has announced detailed plans for testing up to 30,000 students for COVID-19 as part of its plan to restart in-class instruction on August 17.

The testing details are the first in a series of announcements UK will be making over the next few weeks regarding steps being taken to protect the health, safety and well-being of the campus community as it prepares for the Fall 2020 semester.

On this episode of Behind the Blue, Tyler Gayheart, Director of Strategic Communications and Enterprise Salesforce Operations, Nick Kehrwald, UK’s Dean of Students, and UK Police Chief Joe Monroe join us to discuss this announcement and the testing plans that will attempt to create a baseline of screening, contact tracing, and other health measures for the UK community.

"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.

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

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 9, 2020) – In spending nearly 30 years at the University of Kentucky, Dr. Sonja Feist-Price has worn many hats. From a faculty member in the College of Education to a member of the Provost’s leadership team advocating for students and faculty.

Most recently, Feist-Price has served as UK’s Vice President for Institutional Diversity. Now, she’s preparing to put away (but keep close by) her Wildcat blue to don a different blue, as she leaves the University to become Provost at the University of Michigan-Flint.

On this episode of Behind the Blue, Feist-Price discusses the lessons she’s learned in her time here at UK, her passion for education and mentoring students, and the calling she feels to make a positive difference in Flint.

"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.

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

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 25, 2020) – More than 1,000 people in Kentucky are on the waiting list for a lifesaving organ. More than 22 people die each day awaiting a transplant, and someone is added to the national waiting list every ten minutes.

Second chances start at the University of Kentucky HealthCare Transplant Center. Since 1964, more than 2,600 kidney transplants have taken place, thanks to a dedicated team of physicians, surgeons, nurse practitioners and nurse coordinators, pharmacists, nutritionists, social workers, and support staff. They specialize in caring for transplant patients and guiding them through the transplant process, from the initial consultation through surgery and beyond.

“Patients in Kentucky often don’t have the means to go out of state, so having a center here ensures that our patients get the care they need and the care they deserve,” said Dr. Meera Gupta, surgical director of the kidney and pancreas transplant program. “Here in Lexington, we serve a large geographic area, and we have outreach clinics in Louisville, northern Kentucky and Bowling Green so we can support our patients at all points of their transplant journey by letting them stay closer to home for routine care.”

Staff at the UK Transplant Center are with patients every step of the way, from initial screenings, to lifelong follow up care. Upon first visits with patients, nurse coordinator Ashleigh Mefford encourages them to think of her as a new member of their family, one who they can call at any time for questions.

“They truly become members of our transplant family, because we follow them forever,” said Dr. Gupta.

The majority of kidneys come from deceased donors, and once transplanted, can last 10-15 years. A kidney from a living donor can last twice as long and reduce a patient’s time on the transplant waiting list from years to weeks.

“Regardless of the source of the donated kidney, recipients get a much needed second chance at living a happy and healthy life,” said Dr. Gupta.

On this edition of Behind the Blue, transplant practice manager Bethany Banks joins Mefford and Dr. Gupta to discuss the UK Transplant Center, what patients can expect when they come to the clinic, 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.

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

More than 90% of U.S. adult support organ donation, but only 60% are registered donors. Each year, the number of people on the waiting list grows larger than both the number of donors and transplants. To learn more about becoming a registered organ donor, visit www.organdonor.gov to learn more how you can give the gift of life.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 19, 2020) – Tracy Campbell is the E. Vernon Smith and Eloise C. Smith Professor of American History at UK. He has written well-received accounts of voter fraud in the country, a biography of the Gateway Arch and a compelling biography of Ed Prichard, a legendary name in Kentucky politics whose life was a story of tragedy and redemption.

Recently, Campbell’s latest book was published – The Year of Peril: America in 1942. It is a month-by-month chronicle of 1942, a tumultuous and often unsettling year in which America fully engaged in World War II. The deeply researched and richly detailed book underscores the fragility of democracy, the challenge of mobilizing a country for a historic war effort, the divisions of politics and policy that continue today and the promise and possibility of what happens when a country unites behind an unprecedented effort.

On this edition of Behind the Blue, Campbell talks about his book, his exhaustive research to make it happen, and what it tells us about today and the future of our country.

"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.

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

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 11, 2020) – This week, the University of Kentucky will unveil plans for a fall 2020 restart. The plan is based on concept plans developed by three teams of faculty, staff and students, and refined with input from the full university community.

On the previous episode of Behind the Blue, we spoke with three students who shared their experiences from a spring semester in which the UK campus was forced to close and move classes to an online format due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the goal is to return this fall to in-person classes on the UK campus, planning and consideration will be made in case an outbreak of the novel coronavirus once again forces UK to close for the semester.

On this week’s episode of ‘Behind the Blue’, we talk with three UK faculty members to get their perspective of the unexpected shift to an all-online format, tips for making the online experience more productive, and advice they might give to other faculty or students if we’re once again faced with a “virtual semester”.

Dr. Lou Hirsch is a lecturer in the Department of Plant Pathology and the director of Undergraduate Studies of Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology and Agricultural Individualized Curriculum in the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.

Dr. Renee Kaufmann is an assistant professor in the College of Communication and Information, specifically in the School of Information Science.

Dr. Darshak Patel is a Senior Lecturer of Economics and the Director of Undergraduate Studies at The University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics.

Mentioned in this episode is the University of Kentucky’s Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT), which provides extensive support to faculty in adapting their classes to an online learning environment. For more about CELT and their work at UK, click here.

"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. You can watch a video version of this podcast here.

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

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 5, 2020) – Like so many other colleges and universities around the country and world, the University of Kentucky was forced to close their campus and move classes to an online format in order to finish the spring-2020 semester, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Students living both on-campus and off were resigned to finish their classes away from their classmates. Residence halls closed and students moved home, bringing an unexpected end to their on-campus experience for the 2019-20 academic year.

Now, as we move into a summer of all-online classes, the University is currently working on plans to re-start and welcome students back in the fall, but just how that will work is still under development.

Kelsey Hutchison is a junior Arts Administration and Dance double-major from Cynthiana, Ky., Ben Branscum is a spring 2020 Media Arts and Studies graduate from Stearns, Ky., and Keyera Jackson is a spring 2020 Journalism graduate from Atlanta, Ga.

On this week’s episode of ‘Behind the Blue’, these three students share some of their experiences from this spring, along with their insight on how they made the best of a less-than-desirable situation.

"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. You can watch a video version of this podcast here.

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

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 29, 2020) – We are in the eleventh week of the social distancing measures put in place to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic at the University of Kentucky.

During that time, we’ve produced a great deal of video, audio and written content to communicate with our students, faculty, staff, and community, and we’ve taken major steps in putting together a plan for our fall restart.

Here to talk about what the past few months have been like - and what the future could look like - is the twelfth president of the University of Kentucky, Dr. Eli Capilouto.

"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. You can watch a video version of this podcast here.

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

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 14, 2020) – The distinctive residential educational experience provided by the University of Kentucky has attracted thousands of students from across Kentucky, the country and the globe. That experience is critical for the future. This differentiated education will be more necessary than ever to help UK and students meet the ongoing and daunting new challenges our world must now confront.

To that end, UK is making plans to open in August for the fall semester. To reach that goal, the university has undertaken a restart process and guiding principles to ‘Reinvent Normal’ for the campus community. Between April 26 and April 28, multiple teams were formed and asked to draft parallel concept papers for four different restart options. Teams were then asked to present their concept papers May 11-12. Currently, the university is consolidating the ideas, and will circulate them soon for campus-wide input.

On this week’s episode of Behind the Blue, UK’s Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration, Dr. Eric N. Monday, returns to the podcast to discuss that process and the potential timeline for selection and adoption of a plan.

"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. You can watch a video version of this podcast here.

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

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 7, 2020) – Over the past several weeks, we’ve spoken with several people who have provided leadership and guidance to our University community during the coronavirus pandemic. From medical personnel like Dr. Rebecca Dutch, to University administrative members like Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Eric Monday, each have provided valuable insight on how the University of Kentucky have faced up to the challenges presented by our fight against COVID-19.

Incoming Student Government Association President Courtney Wheeler started her term of office on April 29th, 2020. A junior double major in Business Management with Business and Organizational Communication from Louisville, KY, Wheeler served SGA during the 2019-20 academic year as the SGA Chief of Staff.

On this week’s episode of Behind the Blue, Wheeler talks about her personal adjustments to an all online schedule due to COVID-19, the efforts Student Government made to move online and maintain their level of advocacy for students, how she has been working with the University to walk through a variety of scenarios to anticipate what the fall semester may look like at UK, 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. You can watch a video version of this podcast here.

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