Campus News

'Behind the Blue': Clayton Abernathy supports potential Wildcats with a love for the university

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 14, 2022) — For University of Kentucky Associate Director of Recruitment Clayton Abernathy, the year-round job of academic recruitment goes hand-in-hand with a lifelong love of UK.

Originally from Crescent Springs, Kentucky, Abernathy graduated in 2016 from UK with a degree in broadcast journalism and political science. He notes that his time on campus also involved serving as president of Theta Chi fraternity, morale coordinator of DanceBlue and news director of student-run WRFL 88.1-FM, and that his involvement in campus organizations helped him grow as a student, person and leader.

As a recruiter, he covers Kentucky resident recruitment in Bullitt, Oldham and Spencer counties, along with Michigan and Wisconsin. On this episode of "Behind the Blue," Abernathy talks about what recruiters do and how they help potential students and their families, advice for students navigating the challenge of choosing a college or university, important deadlines coming up for potential Wildcats, 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 BehindTheBlue@uky.edu 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.

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

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.