UK Breaks Ground on ‘The 90,’ New Dining, Student Support Facility

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 8, 2014) — University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto says UK’s chief priority every day is putting student success first.

Underscoring that commitment to students, Capilouto — along with UK Board Chairman Keith Gannon and other officials — broke ground Monday on “The 90” — an 80,000-square-foot facility that will open in Fall 2015 and house new dining facilities as well as multiple student support and academic enhancement areas. The $32 million building is part of a 15-year, nearly $250 million partnership between UK and Aramark, a global leader in food services.

As part of the partnership, Aramark is funding nearly $70 million in new and renovated facilities for dining services across the UK campus.

“Today is another day to celebrate the power of partnership and our commitment to ensuring student success in everything that we do,” Capilouto said. “In an era of constrained resources, our Board and our campus community have found innovative ways to continue to invest in our people and in the facilities that support their work and that of our students. This facility — focused on support for students in a number of creative ways — is a testament to our commitment and the partnership we have with Aramark to making high-quality dining central to building community.”

Dubbed “The 90” — a popular moniker among students describing the 90-degree angle that forms where Hilltop Avenue and Woodland Avenue intersect and where the building will be constructed — the new facility will include:

• A 1,000 seat dining component with:
• Kentucky Proud products,
• sustainable design elements,
• and the nation’s second on-campus Panera Bread Co. 
• A home to Living and Learning support spaces including classrooms and faculty/staff offices
• A home to the Food Connection, the new institute funded with a $5 million investment from Aramark to promote the study of Kentucky food in partnership with the College of Food, Agriculture and Environment

“We are proud to be a partner with the University of Kentucky in creating a world-class dining service and in collaborating with the university to create a campus community that fosters student success,” said Keith Bethel, executive vice president of growth at Aramark Higher Education. “This facility symbolizes our partnership. More importantly, it will expand the support we provide to students and help create a climate that improves student learning and faculty-student interactions.”

MEDIA CONTACT: Sarah Geegan, (859) 257-5365; sarah.geegan@uky.edu