Pride in Blue

Hannah Miner Myers

Lauren Tecau, UK Philanthropy A uthor Jen Selinksy said of spring, “The promise of spring’s arrival is enough to get anyone through the bitter winter!”

And the good news is, we are almost through the bitter winter and see light at the end of the tunnel. Vaccinations have begun across the country, giving hope that life can soon return to normal and we can all gather together once again. It’s been wonderful seeing alumni virtually, but nothing compares to the fellowship we share when we’re together.

In the meantime, the UK Alumni Association has continued to find new ways to reach our alumni.

Alumni Career Services recently launched Career Conversations, a series of interviews conducted via Zoom by Caroline Francis and Amanda Schagane with alumni as they discuss their career paths and the lessons they learned along the way.

We also heard from alumni and faculty in our virtual “We’ll Be There for You” series, a special series of programs focused on health and wellness, financial wellbeing and developing good habits to ring in the new year.

Our next venture is the UK alumni podcast “From the Blue.” It’s alumni talking to alumni about “life after UK” and how their college experience made them who they are today. You will hear stories from interesting alumni around the world and feel proud to be part of the Wildcat family.

And, while the coronavirus has brought unprecedented challenges, our campus has continued to grow. The Cornerstone, a new space for learning, innovation, collaboration, entrepreneurship and economic development has opened on the corner of South Limestone and Winslow Street. The Cornerstone supports the university’s nationally recognized Smart Campus digital strategy that focuses on increasing persistence and graduation rates, while preparing students for lives of meaning and purpose.

The pandemic has halted our in-person gatherings, but we have still been honoring our wonderful alumni, faculty and students in different ways.

In January, we announced our Great Teacher Award winners. This is the 60th anniversary of the award, the oldest, continuously-given award for teachers at the University of Kentucky. We usually notify each winner by surprising them while teaching in their classroom. This time, we surprised them virtually, but it was still a thrill to see the reaction of these wonderful instructors as they have their hard work rewarded. Unfortunately, we were not able to have our annual dinner or have the winners recognized on the floor of Rupp Arena, but we hope that time-honored tradition will carry on next year.

Last month, we held the 30th annual Lyman T. Johnson Torch Bearer and Torch of Excellence Awards. The UK Alumni Association Lyman T. Johnson African American Alumni Group, in partnership with the University for Kentucky Office for Institutional Diversity, hosted the 30th annual awards virtually and the public was able to watch live on our Facebook page. The program honored and celebrated African-American students and alumni from each college who epitomize the ideals of Lyman T. Johnson, the first African-American student to attend the University of Kentucky.

The third One Day for UK is scheduled for April 21. For 24 hours, alumni and friends are encouraged to give to their favorite UK college, unit or cause to benefit students, faculty, research, programs and initiatives across campus. We hope you will show your UK pride and support the UK Alumni Association on One Day for UK to make this day a success. I wish you and your loved ones good health and much warmth in 2021!

Go Cats!

Hannah Miner Myers ’94 ED UK Alumni Association President