President Capilouto: This is a season of celebration, reflection and renewal

A UK graduate celebrates following the December 2024 Commencement ceremony on Dec. 20. Photo by Joe Bandy, UK Alumni Association.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 24, 2024) — University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto sent a holiday message to campus — congratulating graduates and their families — and thanking the entire Wildcat Family for their roles in advancing the Commonwealth. 

Below is the message sent to the campus community last week:

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Campus Community,

Commencement is one of my favorite days of the year. More than 1,200 students gathered at Rupp Arena — with parents and loved ones watching eagerly from the stands — to cross the stage and receive their hard-earned degrees.

In honoring their achievements, we also celebrate the promise of what lies ahead for them — the impact they will make in their communities and beyond.

To our graduates, your University of Kentucky is proud of all you have accomplished and excited for all that you will become. Know that you will always have a home at UK.

Congratulations, Class of 2024. 

And to our entire Wildcat community, thank you for all you make possible. As we close out another remarkable semester, I wish you a wonderful holiday season filled with precious moments of connection and celebration, joy and rejuvenation.

I am deeply grateful for this community and look forward to all we will continue to accomplish in 2025 as the University of, for and with Kentucky.

Sincerely,

Eli Capilouto
President

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.