UK International Center announces 2026 Global Impact Award winners
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 5, 2026) — The International Center at the University of Kentucky, housed within the Office for Student Success, has announced the 2026 UK Global Impact Award winners.
Recipients include faculty, staff, alumni and community members who have significantly contributed to the university’s global engagement through education, research and service. The 2026 recipients will be recognized at an event Oct. 28.
“These awardees are making a positive difference at UK and beyond through their globally focused work,” said Tim Barnes, acting associate vice president for global engagement. “It’s an honor to recognize them and their outstanding work.”
The Global Impact Awards were established in 2020 to recognize, highlight and celebrate the wide range of global engagement activities undertaken by UK faculty, staff and alumni. Nominees for the various award categories are reviewed by the International Advisory Committee and receive additional review from campus stakeholders, such as the Staff Senate and past awardees.
This year, six winners are being recognized with Global Impact Awards in six categories.
Community Partner Global Impact Award
The World Trade Center-Kentucky (WTC-KY) received the 2026 Community Partner Global Impact Award.
Established in 1989, the nonprofit organization is the leading provider of trade advisory services, export and import services, and trade missions across Kentucky.
WTC-KY also organizes international trade education programs — covering topics ranging from international sales contracts to market-entry strategies. Its programs provide students, businesses and organizations with the practical knowledge needed to succeed in today’s competitive global marketplace.
WTC-KY supports international business education at UK through its International Trade Certification program and scholarships for students from the Gatton College of Business and Economics and the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce. The organization also connects UK students and faculty with Kentucky business leaders through guest speakers, applied learning opportunities and internships. Through its Global Executive Forums, WTC-KY brings business and government leaders to campus.
UK Alumni Global Impact Award
The 2026 Alumni Global Impact Award recognizes the outstanding career and achievements of Michael W. Bowling, a 1990 graduate of the UK Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering. Bowling, a first-generation college student, earned a degree in electrical engineering from UK before completing a Master of Business Administration at Vanderbilt University. After graduating from UK, Bowling began his career with BellSouth, where he focused on global management and Latin American markets. His career took him to Mexico, Venezuela and Peru, where he served as chief marketing and strategy officer in Lima and later managed BellSouth’s Mexican operations.
After AT&T’s acquisition of BellSouth in 2006, Bowling served as chief marketing officer for AT&T Business and later as head of global strategy. In 2015, he was involved in AT&T’s acquisition of DirecTV and then returned to Latin America to lead DirecTV’s LATAM North business from Bogotá, Colombia. He later assumed responsibility for DirecTV’s operations across Latin America before retiring from AT&T in 2022.
With more than 20 years of senior-level experience working in a global business environment and a career focused on Latin America, Bowling became more involved at UK as an executive in residence with the Gatton College of Business and Economics after retiring. In this role, he developed UK’s first faculty-led education abroad initiative in Latin America and led its first cohort to Costa Rica in 2023. Bowling also was involved in the development of the registered student organization Global Leaders, which provides students with opportunities to build leadership and professional skills.
UK Global Impact Award for Distinguished Faculty Achievements in International Research and Scholarship
Alan Fryar, Ph.D., is the recipient of the 2026 Global Impact Award for Distinguished Faculty Achievements in International Research and Scholarship. Fryar is a professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences. He earned a doctorate in geology from the University of Alberta and joined UK in 1995.
Fryar conducts research in hydrogeology, examining how groundwater moves through the Earth and how communities can sustainably manage water resources, particularly in developing countries in North Africa and Asia. At UK, he teaches hydrogeology, hydrology and environmental geology while directing research on groundwater systems and sustainability.
His international work includes extensive participation in the U.S. Fulbright Program. He has served twice as a Fulbright Scholar and twice as a Fulbright Specialist, hosted four Fulbright Scholars and co-advised a doctoral student at UK who received a Fulbright research award. From 2015 to 2021, he served as an associate editor and editorial board member for Groundwater for Sustainable Development, a scholarly journal focused on groundwater sustainability.
He was the recipient of the James B. Thompson Distinguished International Lectureship of the Geological Society of America in 2024-25. This led him to travel to 17 international institutions in India, Turkey and Kyrgyzstan to present his research. He received the International Service Award of the U.S. National Chapter of the International Association of Hydrogeologists in 2016 and is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America. He also works with the Kentucky Research Consortium for Energy and Environment at UK, conducting research to address hydrogeologic data gaps at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant.
UK Global Impact Award for Distinguished Faculty Achievements in Education Abroad
The 2026 Global Impact Award for Distinguished Faculty Achievements in Education Abroad recognizes the outstanding efforts of Associate Professor Mark O’Bryan. O’Bryan started a faculty-directed education abroad program in 2014 and has since proposed and organized eight programs. He has taken nearly 150 students abroad, focusing on architectural education in Italy. O’Bryan’s passion for education abroad began nearly four decades ago when he and his wife traveled and lived in Italy through a Traveling Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome in 1985 and a S.O.M. Foundation Traveling Fellowship in 1987.
He originally developed his faculty-directed summer program to reestablish the UK College of Design’s presence in Venice after the discontinuation of the college’s longstanding semester-length studio program there. He later developed the program into a studio based in Florence, incorporating the study of architecture, art and Italian culture alongside design coursework.
His programs have introduced students to architecture and design across Italy, including Rome, Florence, Venice, Verona and Orvieto, as well as architectural traditions in France, Spain and Prague. In addition to directing his own education abroad programs, O’Bryan has advised faculty developing other faculty-directed programs and supported broader international engagement within the School of Architecture and College of Design.
UK Global Impact Award for Distinguished Faculty Achievements in Internationalizing the Curriculum
Francis Musoni, Ph.D., is recognized with the 2026 Global Impact Award for Distinguished Faculty Achievements in Internationalizing the Curriculum. Musoni is an associate professor in the Department of History in the College of Arts and Sciences. He earned a doctorate in African history from Emory University.
Before serving as director of the International Studies Program from 2023 until June 2026, Musoni served as associate chair of the Department of History. He has participated in strategic planning within the College of Arts and Sciences and served on the Executive Committee of International Studies. He also was a member of the Working Group on Strategic Planning for Internationalization in 2021, helping develop the university’s strategic plan for global engagement. In 2019, he received the College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Service and Engagement Award.
Musoni’s scholarship focuses on African history, migration and mobility. He is the author of “Border Jumping and Migration Control in Southern Africa” and co-author of “Voices of African Immigrants in Kentucky: Stories of Migration, Identity and Transnationality,” which documents the experiences of African immigrants in Kentucky. He also has published numerous scholarly articles and presented his research at professional conferences and to the government of Zimbabwe.
His academic interests in migration and international affairs are reflected in his community and student engagement. In 2023, he founded the STEP-UP program, a service-learning initiative that pairs UK undergraduate mentors with local high school English learners. Through the program, undergraduate mentors provide literacy tutoring, academic support, college preparation and financial literacy guidance while developing cross-cultural and professional skills. The program has connected UK students with graduate education and employment opportunities, and several former mentees have enrolled at UK.
Musoni works with faculty and programs across the university to develop initiatives that have benefited nearly 1,500 students in Fayette County Public Schools.
In addition to his teaching and program development, Musoni has contributed to university and community initiatives through his service at UK. He has served as faculty adviser to the African Students Association and advised the Lexington mayor’s office on international affairs and migration.
UK Global Impact Award for Distinguished Staff Achievements in Campus Internationalization
Josh Taylor, a lecturer in the Dean’s Office for the Gatton College of Business and Economics, has been named the winner of the 2026 Global Impact Award for Distinguished Staff Achievements in Campus Internationalization. Taylor started his career in 2019 at UK as an assistant director for the Graham Office of Career Management at the Gatton College of Business and Economics, where he developed and implemented a strategic vision for the office’s marketing, services, growth and outcomes-impact goals. He then assumed the role of senior director for the office in 2022. Taylor began serving as a lecturer in the dean’s office in September 2026. He holds a master’s degree in adult and higher education counseling and a master’s degree in strategic communication from Morehead State University. He also earned a certificate in French translation and Québécois studies from Université Laval.
His previous roles in higher education and student services include working as co-director and student success interventionist at the Barnes World Academy through the Vermont Agency of Education’s Sarah Holbrook Community Center. He recruited, trained and supervised a seven-member staff at a district-sponsored English language academy for adolescent and adult immigrants and refugees. He also developed individualized student success plans based on qualitative and quantitative data. He later was the career adviser and internship coordinator at Morehead State University. In addition to advising students, he taught career development courses and developed employer engagement programs.
His work at UK includes leadership and participation in developing UK’s first education abroad experiences that integrate coursework with an embedded micro-internship. “Business Goes Global: Paris” combines academic coursework with direct exposure to global business practice. Taylor also oversees the UK Global Accelerator program, which partners with companies such as Airbnb, Netflix, Spotify and Intel. Through the program, students work on real-world projects, develop technical skills and work alongside globally diverse teams.
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 healthcare. 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 $1.02 billion research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.