Letter from the President
I recently had the opportunity to have lunch with an inspiring double-alum who is serving Eastern Kentucky in a significant way as a physician. At that lunch, he told me that when he came to then-Pikeville College as an undergraduate student, he had an unclear vision of the future. “I just wanted a challenge,” he said.
Growing up in Central Appalachia fosters a certain kind of grit, and by the time he reached the end of his undergraduate career, his grades were outstanding. He needed another challenge, and someone suggested medical school. He applied to the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine (KYCOM), not fully knowing what to expect. When he received the letter telling him he had been accepted, there was another surprise. He had to send in a $1,000 deposit to hold his seat. “I didn’t know where I could get that kind of money,” he explained. “All I had was the $3.27 I held in my pockets!”
Like most of us who call these mountains home, he had developed a network of friends and family. People from his church raised some money and other individuals took an interest in the future of a young man with potential. Before long, the money was raised and off to KYCOM he went, still not knowing what to expect.
We understand “not knowing what to expect.” All of us have just made it through, or nearly through, a global pandemic. These are the days of uncertainty, and yet, the university remains steadfast in its commitment to preparing students, just like the double-alum physician, for a life of meaning.
Students across campus are benefiting from a growing focus on academic research at all levels of the institution. The inaugural campus-wide UPIKE Research Symposium was held in April to provide faculty, staff and students the experience of sharing academic scholarship in a professional setting. Additionally, a bright undergraduate student has been selected to participate in an upcoming research initiative, the Ledford Scholars Program. Faculty members are publishing research on critical topics, and a notable graduate from the Coleman College of Business is developing a product to benefit individuals with diabetes. Campus is buzzing with scholarly activity, alumni are serving communities in critical ways during the pandemic and students are joining initiatives to protect the health of our community. These efforts, complemented by countless others, will impact lives in profound ways for generations to come.
As he walked into the anatomy lab at KYCOM for the first time as a student, my recent lunch guest told me, “I almost dropped out. Then I remembered what I learned on campus – that if you keep working hard and if you don’t give up, good things happen.” “Now,” he said, “I owe everything to UPIKE and KYCOM! There is nothing good in my life that has happened, that I cannot trace directly to this place on the Hill.”
The pages that follow are bursting with stories of students, faculty, staff and alumni who highlight the best of UPIKE, especially while facing the unknown. When I am driving through the mountains and transiting a long tunnel, I love that moment that occurs just as you burst through the opening. Sometimes the vista is unexpected, sometimes startling, but it is always a joy to be out of the darkness and back into the light. As a nation, we are starting to see the light at the end of a very long tunnel. Thanks in large part to our alumni and friends, exciting new vistas await on the other side! Striving to serve, Burton J. Webb President
SPRING/SUMMER 2021 | UPIKE MAGAZINE
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