Nearly 7,000 Recognized at UK's 143rd Commencement

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 8, 2010) − Nearly 7,000 candidates for undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees were honored today at the University of Kentucky's 143rd Commencement in Rupp Arena. The ceremony recognized spring 2010 graduates as well as students who received their degrees in August and December 2009.

David C. Novak, chairman, CEO and president of Yum! Brands Inc., served as Commencement speaker. Yum!, the Louisville-based firm that owns KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Long John Silver's among other brands, is one of the largest restaurant companies in the world, having more than 37,000 restaurants in over 110 countries and territories worldwide.  As the leader of Yum! Brands, Novak shapes the company's overall strategic direction, including efforts to build leading brands in China, drive aggressive international expansion and improve U.S. brand positions.

This year's student speaker was Kara A. Sutton of Elizabethtown, a 4.0-GPA student, with a double major in political science and economics, who has served as a legislative intern to U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell. She was also active in UK's Student Government Association and in the organization of DanceBlue, UK's largest student-run philanthropy that raises money for Kentucky Children's Hospital's pediatric oncology program.

For the first time in UK history, the university broadcast its main Commencement ceremony live over the Internet. The webcast will be archived on www.uky.edu/uknow and available for viewing by Tuesday, May 11.

“Commencement is such a special time to celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of our students,” said UK President Lee T. Todd Jr. “We are excited that technology will allow family and friends of our graduates to share in this celebration from locations across the Commonwealth, the nation, and the world.”

Graduates and members of the audience will also be able to submit photos to the official Commencement Posterous page by e-mailing photos to post@ukgrad.posterous.com.  To view all photos, visit: http://ukgrad.posterous.com. Access can also be reached through UK’s official Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/universityofky.

In addition to the Commencement ceremony, several recognition events were held by individual colleges to celebrate recipients of bachelor's, master's, doctoral and professional degrees.