Campus News

WUKY Partners With StoryCorps to Launch StoryCorps Connect

WUKY StoryCorps digital flyer
WUKY encourages residents of Central Kentucky to utilize this technology to connect with loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic and, in the process, contribute to the creation of a unique first-person historical record of this unprecedented crisis.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 15, 2020) — WUKY is partnering with StoryCorps, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to recording, preserving and sharing the stories of people of all backgrounds and beliefs, to launch StoryCorps Connect

The platform is free and allows people to conduct and record StoryCorps interviews with loved ones across generations remotely. WUKY encourages residents of Central Kentucky to utilize this technology to connect with loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic and, in the process, contribute to the creation of a unique first-person historical record of this unprecedented crisis. 

“WUKY is excited to be partnering once again with StoryCorps during these unprecedented times,” WUKY General Manager Tom Godell said. “WUKY is dedicated to ensuring that the voices of Central Kentucky are heard, as well as values the exceptional ongoing work of StoryCorps.”  

StoryCorps Connect uses advanced online videoconferencing technology built using the Vonage Video API and wraparound instructional tools to give participants a free, high-quality platform to record StoryCorps conversations remotely. 

“Social distancing is the exact opposite of the StoryCorps ethos, which strives to bring people together and acknowledge and celebrate our common humanity,” Dave Isay, founder and president of StoryCorps, said. “At this time of physical separation, the StoryCorps interview methodology is a more essential tool than ever before for bringing us together.”

The organization began developing StoryCorps Connect in March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, motivated by the belief that at this time of physical separation, StoryCorps can provide a critical public service to increase connection to others and reduce the impact of isolation, particularly on vulnerable populations in this country.

StoryCorps is made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private corporation funded by the American people.

“Our nation’s young people care about the plight of seniors in isolation, sometimes without family with which to connect,” said Pat Harrison, CPB president and CEO. “CPB is proud to support StoryCorps Connect — America’s virtual storytelling peace corps, to ensure that at this tragic time in America’s history, we are able to meaningfully connect with one another.”

The conversations are preserved for future generations at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress and become instantly accessible and shareable through the StoryCorps Archive. WUKY plans to broadcast edited versions of select submissions from its local communities.

Founded in 2003, StoryCorps has brought more than 600,000 Americans together — two at a time — to record intimate, face-to-face conversations about their lives, create human connection, pass wisdom from one generation to the next, and leave a legacy for the future. It is the largest single collection of voices ever gathered.

WUKY is a community-supported service of the University of Kentucky, which provides high-quality news, cultural and entertainment content through the use of existing and emerging media to create a more informed and engaged community.

For more information, please visit the website.

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.