University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky (UK) is a public research university located in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1865 as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, a department of Kentucky University (now Transylvania University). It became an independent institution in 1878 and adopted its current name in 1916.
The UK has 16 colleges, a graduate school, and a medical center that offers more than 200 academic programs to over 30,000 students. UK is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. UK is also one of only eight universities in the US that have the full range of liberal arts, engineering, professional, agricultural, and medical disciplines on one campus.
Some of the notable achievements and features of the UK include:
- It has produced two Nobel laureates: William Lipscomb (Chemistry, 1976) and Thomas Cech (Chemistry, 1989).
- It has seven libraries on campus, the largest of which is the William T. Young Library, which houses more than 1.2 million volumes and serves as a federal depository.
- It has a $4 billion investment in infrastructure, including a $256 million multidisciplinary research building and a $1 billion healthcare facility.
- It has a vibrant athletic program, especially in men's basketball, which has won eight NCAA championships and is the most successful program in college basketball history.
- It has a strong commitment to community engagement and outreach, with initiatives such as the UK Center for Appalachian Research in Environmental Sciences, the UK Center for Poverty Research, and the UK Center for Clinical and Translational Science.
