by Whitney Hale

This Sunday, the University of Kentucky community will tune in to the Miss America Pageant to see if one of its own will be crowned. Vocal performance and political science senior Jenna Day is currently competing in preliminary competitions for the coveted title in Atlantic City, N.J. The pageant finals will air live 9 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15, on ABC.

In addition to watching Day compete for the crown, Big Blue Nation can vote for Day to be selected as America's Choice in the pageant. Individuals can vote for only one contestant's video via the Miss America website at 

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

video courtesy of UK Public Relations and Marketing

article by Jenny Wells

Planning and hosting a national conference is no easy task, but for the UK community, collaboration makes it all possible. The University of Kentucky will host the 2014 National Conference on Undergraduate Research, or NCUR, next semester, which will bring nearly 4,000 additional students from across the country to the UK campus. And as students, faculty and staff can attest -- it is something worth bragging about.

NCUR will take place April 3-5, 2014, all throughout UK's campus. The conference will give undergraduates a unique opportunity to present their research and creative endeavors, while meeting other like-minded students from all across the country. They not only promote their individual

by Derrick Meads and Sarah Geegan

Five UK graduate students recently attended the 2013 International Graduate Student Conference at Shanghai University. The UK American Studies Center at Shanghai University selected the students to represent the University of Kentucky.

The conference aimed to promote an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural dialogue about Asia’s past and present. The UK graduate students presented papers that explored specific interrelationships between Asia and the United States.  

The five students who attended were:

·         Hui Chu, a doctoral candidate in social and developmental psychology

·         Melinda Lio, a master’s student in ethnomusicology

by Sarah Geegan

As the University of Kentucky prepares its students to compete in a globalized world, it's crucial to provide students with what associate provost for international programs Susan Carvalho calls "China literacy."

As the world's leading exporter, with the world's second-largest economy, there is no question that China is a dominant player in the 21st century marketplace.

"We’re thinking about how to make sure we’re graduating students who are world-ready, and there is no question that 'China literacy,' if we could use that term, is needed by people who are going into the global workforce," Carvalho said. "And it’s hard to think of any sectors that aren’t impacted in some way by what China does."

Just as China's influence spans across various industries, the elements of global literacy span across multiple disciplines. Part of

by Whitney Hale

On June 29, University of Kentucky senior Jenna Day, Miss Berea Area, was crowned Miss Kentucky 2013. She will represent Kentucky in the Miss America Pageant to be held Sunday, Sept. 15, in Atlantic City, N.J. The national pageant will be broadcast live on ABC.

A native of Louisville, Ky., Day is the daughter of Daniel and Lesley Day. At UK, Day is double majoring in vocal performance and political science with hopes of eventually pursuing a career in public service.

Day's personal platform issue is "Improving the Lives of Special Needs Children." For her talent

By Jacob Most

University of Kentucky Wildcats from all eight of UK’s spring sports teams combined to earn a total of 71 spots on the Southeastern Conference Spring Sports Academic Honor Roll, Commissioner Mike Slive announced this week.

UK’s honorees included 16 women’s track and field team members, 14 from baseball, nine from softball, seven women’s tennis players, eight men’s track and field team members, six each from men’s golf and men’s tennis and five women’s golfers.

A total of 1,247 student-athletes from around the league earned spots on the honor roll, which is based on grades from the 2012 summer, 2012 fall and 2013 spring terms.  In order to make the SEC Academic Honor Roll, a student-athlete must have a 3.0 grade-point average for the preceding academic year or his/her entire collegiate career, be at least a sophomore in academic

By Sarah Geegan

"When we think about a skyscraper, cathedral, or monument, we seldom ask: what was there before? Who benefited from its construction? Who lost? What could have been?" UK History professor and Pulitzer Prize nominated author Tracy A. Campbell said.

His latest book, "The Gateway Arch: A Biography," explores the political and economic history of St. Louis and the origins of the city's most recognized structure, the Gateway Arch. The latest work in Yale University Press' "Icons of America Series," the book delves into the complex and troubling history of the monument.

"When we explore the historical evidence, we see that the

By Ellyce Loveless

Few students have the kind of passion for world news that recently-graduated International Studies major MeNore Lake has. Two years ago she sought to fulfill a need at the University of Kentucky through this passion. She wanted to create an online news publication that would publish monthly articles written by students about international politics, economies, science, sports, and culture, and thus The World Report was born.

Lake comes from a family that values the knowledge of international affairs, where discussing the culture of other countries is customary dinner conversation, and traveling out of the country is always an exciting yet familiar adventure. When she came to UK, she noticed a void in student interest concerning international issues.

 “

By Whitney Hale

The University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections will highlight the projects of its first full cohort of Learning Lab interns with an undergraduate panel presentation, exhibition and reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, in the Margaret I. King Building. The events and exhibition are free and open to the public.

Currently in its inaugural year, the Special Collections Learning Lab (SCLL) is a center of primary research, experiential learning, and training. Targeting undergraduate students in the humanities, social sciences and arts, the SCLL promotes undergraduate research, scholarship and

By President Eli Capilouto

Last year, I had the opportunity to travel to China with a delegation from the University of Kentucky to advance several partnerships growing between UK's colleges and departments and universities and industries in a country growing in economic importance.

One such partnership is between UK's Center for Applied Energy Research and the world's largest power company. During a meeting with industry representatives, we shared our exciting work in the development of clean coal technology and discussed partnerships, the exchange of students, and faculty collaboration as part of the US-China Clean Energy Research Center.

As we met, they described several multi-billion dollar research and development investments in their country’s energy sector. In comparison, the proposed

By Kendra Sanders

The University of Kentucky hosted the fifty-second annual meeting for the Kentucky Political Science Association this year. The conference showcases professional, graduate, and undergraduate research from the many universities within Kentucky. KPSA President, Stephen Voss, says this event was a great opportunity for UK to increase “involvement with the broader network of political scientists” in the state.

This year’s conference included widespread participation by University of Kentucky professors and graduate students. Also among those who presented from UK were two undergraduates, Gwendolyn Schaefer and Chase Harpole.

This year’s event took place March 1-2, and attendance was notably higher than previous conferences, some of which include Campbellsville University who hosted in 2012 and Western Kentucky University who hosted in

By Whitney Hale

Writer and alumnus John W. Egerton will receive the 2013 University of Kentucky Libraries Award for Intellectual Achievement. The award will be presented at the UK Libraries Annual Dinner scheduled for April 19, at Griffin Gate Marriott, located at 1800 Newtown Pike. As part of the dinner, Egerton will talk about the place of libraries and the future of paper in the cyber age.

The UK Libraries Award for Intellectual Achievement recognizes high intellectual achievement while encouraging education and promoting creativity throughout the Commonwealth. Candidates must have been born in

By Whitney Hale, Breanna Shelton

The University of Kentucky Gaines Center for the Humanities has chosen 12 outstanding undergraduates as new scholars for the university's Gaines Fellowship Program for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 academic years. Gaines Fellowships are given in recognition of outstanding academic performance, demonstrated ability to conduct independent research, an interest in public issues and a desire to enhance understanding of the human condition through the humanities.

Gaines Fellowships are awarded for the tenure of a student's junior and senior years, or for the last two years of a five-year program; students in all disciplines and with any intended profession are given equal consideration.

UK's

By Whitney Hale

The upcoming University of Kentucky Libraries Annual Dinner will feature and recognize this year's Award for Intellectual Achievement recipient, journalist  and author John W. Egerton. The dinner, which is open to the public, will be presented 7 p.m. Friday, April 19, at the Griffin Gate Marriott, located at 1800 Newtown Pike.

John W. Egerton is one of the nation’s most successful independent journalists and nonfiction authors. He lives in Nashville, Tenn., and writes broadly about social and cultural issues in his native South. More than 300 of his articles and columns have

Video by UK Public Relations and Marketing.

By Jenny Wells, Sarah Geegan

Mark Summers, professor of history in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, shares his thoughts on remembering the accomplishments of U.S. presidents.

To view a transcript of the video, click here.

This entry is the first in a series of guest bloggers I am welcoming to this space over the next year. It will be an opportunity for faculty, staff and students to share with us their Wildcat experience. In this first installment, Sarah Geegan, an integrated strategic communications graduate, current graduate student and information specialist in UK Public Relations and Marketing, recently returned from our nation’s capital where she joined fellow students and alumni for the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony. Please enjoy.  -President Eli Capiluto

By Sarah Geegan

 

Last month I was fortunate enough to witness in person a monumental moment in United States history, the 57th presidential inauguration ceremony. Nestled under about five layers of clothing and equipped with the essentials (hand-warmers,

By Carl Nathe

The immediate crisis may have been alleviated somewhat by the 'fiscal cliff' legislation passed by Congress on Jan. 1, however, the issue of revenue vs. spending by the federal government continues to be a major topic of debate across the country.

Against this backdrop, the University of Kentucky's Martin School of Public Policy and Administration is bringing a major national figure to campus to discuss the financial challenges facing America and the rest of the world.  David M. Walker, who served as comptroller general of the United States and head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) from 1998 to 2008, will address students, faculty, and the general public at 7:00 tonight. Wednesday, Jan. 23, in the Recital Hall of the

By Sarah Geegan

The year 2013 is underway. The Jan. 1 fiscal cliff deadline came and went, President Barack Obama was inaugurated yesterday and the 113th Congress has had its first session. With these historical, political moments now passed, what does the year 2013 have in store for the nation? UK expert Stephen Voss weighs in on his predictions for the coming year.

Voss is an expert on public opinion and voting behavior, as it relates to the economy. His work has appeared in various professional journals, including the American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, Public Opinion Quarterly,