Happy Holidays from the University of Kentucky!

Watch a special holiday greeting from President and Mrs. Lee T. Todd, Jr.
To view a transcript of the video above, please click on the transcript link just below the photo gallery.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 17, 2010) − As 2010 winds to a close, the University of Kentucky has much to celebrate. We capped another special year at Kentucky’s flagship institution, as our students, faculty, staff, and alumni helped us spread our ideas and innovations throughout Kentucky, the nation, and the world.

And this past year provided many highlights for the UK family to celebrate.

•                The University welcomed our most academically prepared and diverse first-year class in history. This year’s 4,300 member freshman class boasted a record 25.2 ACT composite average, up from 24.7 last year. The average high school GPA was an all-time high at 3.60, while record 1,886 freshmen had an ACT score over 26. To learn more, click here.

•                Records were set in our research laboratories as well. The University’s total research expenditures reported to the National Science Foundation were $367.6 million, up from $337 million the previous year. To learn more, click here.

•                UK HealthCare opened doors on the most state-of-the-art emergency department in the country this past summer. The new ED is the first completed phase of our new $570 million UK Chandler Hospital – a project that is being financed solely by UK HealthCare revenues. To learn more, click here. 

•                Many across campus took center stage during this fall’s 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. UK’s College of Agriculture served as the official equine sponsor, UK HealthCare as the chief medical provider, and Everett McCorvey, UK Trustee and Director of UK Opera Theatre, planned the opening and closing ceremonies for the Games.  To learn more about UK's involvement in WEG, click here.

•                For the second consecutive year, UK ranked first in creating start-up companies per $10 million of research expenditures among its benchmark institutions. UK’s entrepreneurial faculty and researchers are literally changing the face of Kentucky’s high-tech economy.

•                UK’s Rondel Sorrillo had a record-setting year as well. Rondel, a member of UK’s track-and-field team, captured UK’s first NCAA Championship in the 200-meter dash in 2010. He is an eight-time All American. To learn more about Rondel, click here.

We thank all of you for helping to make this past year such a special one at the University of Kentucky. And as the sun sets on our time in this position, please know that we appreciate everything you have done for our family over the past decade.

We wish you and yours a very happy and safe holiday season, and we hope your new year is filled with peace, prosperity, and purpose. Please take a moment to watch a special video greeting from Patsy and me.

President Lee T. Todd, Jr. and First Lady Patsy Todd