Campus News

UK Alumni Association reinstates Founders Day Award

The restoration of the Founders Day Award is dedicated to D. Michael Richey, UK vice president for philanthropy and alumni engagement, in recognition of his 50-year career and achievements. Mark Cornelison | UK Photo.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 22, 2022) — To commemorate the founding of the University of Kentucky on Feb. 22, 1865, the UK Alumni Association is pleased to announce the Founders Day Award will be a part of annual Founders Day celebrations beginning in 2023. 

The restoration of the Founders Day Award is dedicated to D. Michael Richey, UK vice president for philanthropy and alumni engagement, in recognition of his 50-year career and achievements. The Founders Day Award had not been given since 1958. Reinstituting the award will reinforce the university’s land-grant mission established in 1865. The award will recognize individuals who personify goodwill and demonstrate, through their work, service, mission and spirit, a dedication to the Commonwealth of Kentucky and its residents. 

Recipients will receive an award medallion, and a one-time monetary donation will be made in their name to an existing university philanthropic fund of their choice. Richey was named as the inaugural recipient of the Founders Day Award in 2022. Thereafter, a committee appointed by the executive director of the UK Alumni Association will review nominations to determine the Founders Day Award recipients and monetary donation amount.

To nominate an individual for the 2023 Founders Day Award, please complete the nomination form here. Nominations are due by Dec. 30, 2022.

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.