Student and Alumni Success to Highlight State of the University Address
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LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 23, 2011) – The unadulterated joy of winning an Olympic gold medal is an experience that UK alumnus Tom Hammond has seen firsthand many times. As an Emmy-award winning broadcaster for NBC, Hammond has had the pleasure of traveling the world, but it is when he comes home to the Bluegrass, like he does each year for the university's annual State of the University Address, that he feels most at home.
"One of the best parts of my job is when people from UK or just citizens of Kentucky who are total strangers stop and tell me they are proud of me," said Hammond. "Those moments make all the long hours and all the preparation worth it."
One of the most special moments for this Kentuckian took place during the 2009-2010 men's basketball season.
"I guess I am UK and Kentucky through and through," said Hammond. "President Lee Todd took me to center court during the UK vs. Florida game and as I was introduced, there was a prolonged, and to me, thunderous, standing ovation. The extent of it took me completely by surprise. It was one of the most gratifying moments of my life."
As a child growing up in Lexington, Hammond spent a lot of time on UK's campus. His grandfather, Thomas Poe Cooper, served as dean of the College of Agriculture from 1917-1951 and as interim president of the university for a brief time, so many of his earliest memories are playing in the fields near the college.
After graduating from Lafayette High School, Hammond continued his education at UK – an education that prepared him for life after college.
"At UK, I learned to express myself with both the written and spoken word. I learned 'how to learn' so that when I'm presented with a new and foreign task, I know how to become competent, and finally I learned the ability to recognize my strengths and to identify opportunities that inevitably will present themselves and then to take advantage of them," Hammond said.
Success stories like Hammond's will be the highlight of this year's State of the University Address. Another highlight of the day's event is that this is the first for UK President Dr. Eli Capilouto, the university's 12th president who began on July 1.
President Capilouto will join UK Student Government President Micah Fielden as they both deliver their addresses beginning at 12:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26, at Patterson Office Tower plaza. Keeping with tradition, a free lunch for the campus community will begin at noon and a student involvement fair will be part of the day on the sidewalks around the plaza.
“I’m excited to share our campus tradition of the State of the University Address with Dr. Capilouto,” Fielden said. “The address is a great time for our entire campus to come together, learning about what makes UK so special and focusing on the year ahead.”
Anyone unable to attend the event is encouraged to watch the State of the University Address via live-streaming on UKNow, UK’s official news website, at www.uky.edu/uknow or the university's cable channel 16.
Also, in case of rain, the alternate location for lunch will be the covered area outside the White Hall Classroom Building, and the State of University Address will be held in the Lexmark Room and can be viewed on UKNow and channel 16.
Interact with the University of Kentucky during the State of the University Address using Twitter. Follow the hashtag #StateofUK for live tweets from the University’s official Twitter account, @universityofky, and from Student Government's account, @UKSGA. More information is also available on the Campus Calendar here.
If you are unable to view the live stream of today's address, you may watch the address in its entirety on the university's YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/universityofky, beginning Wednesday, Sept. 28.