UK announces 2nd cohort of OneUK, the holistic business engagement program for strategic partnerships
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 18, 2024) — The University of Kentucky is proud to announce the addition of Bullard, Catalent and Fidelity to OneUK as its second cohort of strategic business partners. OneUK provides a long-term, coordinated and holistic engagement experience between the university and select business partners through a mutual commitment to broaden and deepen their engagement with UK.
“OneUK has been integral to building the type of business engagement culture we want at the University of Kentucky,” said Kim Kluemper, director of business engagement at UK. “The cross-campus coordination through the college liaisons and within the core OneUK team ensures we bring the full range of university resources to address the diverse interests of our partners in the most efficient and impactful way.”
The program aims to deepen relationships with strategic partners across all UK colleges, centers and institutes. This collaboration in talent, innovation and support is intended to be mutually beneficial for both the university and its partners, ultimately advancing the economic interests of the Commonwealth.
The second cohort consists of businesses with strong ties to Kentucky. Bullard is headquartered in Cynthiana, with an additional office in Lexington; Catalent’s flagship U.S. manufacturing location is in Winchester; and Fidelity operates in Covington with satellite offices across the state. Additionally, the cohort represents diverse industries, including personal protective equipment, pharmaceuticals and financial management. These companies reflect the varied economic landscape of Kentucky and highlight their contributions to the state's growth and development.
“Bullard is excited to be a part of the OneUK family," said Wells Bullard, president and CEO. "As a fifth-generation family-owned, customer-focused global business, Bullard values the incredible talent and ecosystem cultivated by the University of Kentucky. Bullard is proud to design, develop, and manufacture purpose-built, valued, life-saving solutions, right here in Central Kentucky. As we continue to grow our business by protecting more people, we look forward to sharing our innovative principles and learnings through OneUK to help advance Kentucky, overall, as an economic leader.”
“Catalent is excited about the opportunity to grow its partnership with the University of Kentucky through the OneUK program,” said Chris Rosenbaum, general manager of Catalent Winchester. “This partnership will not only allow us to provide opportunities for those pursuing careers in pharmaceutical manufacturing but will also allow us to collaborate on a variety of strategic and innovative projects. We look forward to a gratifying partnership that fosters growth and innovation in the Commonwealth.”
This second cohort joins the inaugural OneUK cohort, which includes Appalachian Regional Healthcare, Fischer Homes and Valvoline Global. Since the launch of OneUK, these partners have collaborated with the OneUK core team and college liaisons to engage with the university, sponsoring events such as DanceBlue, hosting Career Builder Days on campus and sponsoring UK faculty and student research.
For additional information on OneUK and its partners, visit the program’s website at https://businessengagement.uky.edu/oneuk.
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.