Explore UK’s Many Opportunities to Get Involved
LEXINGTON. Ky. (Feb. 8, 2021) — Starting today, University of Kentucky Student Organizations and Activities will host in-person and virtual involvement fairs, allowing students to explore the many opportunities for involvement in UK’s community in addition to the classroom and residence life experience.
Because of the ongoing pandemic, for many students, the school year looks much different than in previous years. To ensure students have a rich and fulfilling college experience, UK has worked diligently to create spaces and opportunities for students to find belonging on campus, both in person and virtually.
The Meet the Orgs Video Fair will allow students to meet organizations on campus at their own pace. Participating organizations have recorded short 60-90 second videos to introduce themselves to students across campus.
Anytime from Monday Feb. 8 through Friday, Feb. 12, students can explore the videos from the participating organizations. From there, students can request to join the organizations or reach out for more information.
The in-person Involvement Fair will be an opportunity for students to ask questions and connect with 30 different organizations face to face. Organizations will have information about upcoming events, how to get involved and next steps for interested students.
Students can come and go anytime between noon and 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, to chat with participating organizations. Additionally, attendees have a chance to receive door prizes and giveaways. COVID-19 safety protocols will be in effect.
To further promote involvement on campus, all year long, Student Organizations and Activities offers involvement advising.
Involvement advising is a chance for students to connect with an involvement advising coordinator to discover their interests and, from there, learn where opportunities exist for involvement.
To learn more about involvement advising, and why it’s important for students to get involved, we asked UK senior Amy Keith, an involvement advising coordinator, a few questions.
UKNow: Why do you believe it is important for students to get involved on campus?
Keith: Getting involved at UK is important because it helps you gain experiences outside the classroom, make connections, and learn more about yourself in the process! I feel as though getting involved is what puts together the pieces you are given in class to make meaningful connections academically and personally that will help you succeed after college.
UKNow: The semester is just getting started, are organizations already accepting new members?
Keith: It is never too early to get involved! Many organizations do not have any specified "join by" date, meaning that they are always open to new members! Additionally, there are also events happening throughout the semester that don't require membership, and these are fun ways to get involved as well.
UKNow: What can a student expect when reaching out to an involvement advisor?
Keith: When you reach out to an involvement advisor, you can expect to meet with another undergraduate student with lots of experience with being involved on campus. We each feel passionately about getting involved and making sure you find some avenue of involvement that would match your interests and goals! You can either receive general information about involvement through an email, or you can meet individually with an involvement advisor over Zoom or phone. During these meetings, we get to know you better holistically and then provide suggestions for involvement based on the information you provide us. We will then go through the process of how to reach out to organizations, attend events, etc., and provide support throughout the process
UKNow: Can you walk me through the progression of helping a student get involved?
Keith: It really depends on what involvement looks like to each student! We like to say that involvement is essentially anything that is not staying in your residence hall room or going to class. This typically encompasses jobs, events, research, organizations, you name it! Because there are so many ways to get involved and different processes based on the organization, I would recommend meeting with an involvement advisor to review the process for your specific avenue of involvement. However, generally speaking, we typically advise students to use BBNvolved profiles of organizations and contact them using their posted email address or to use the "Contact" button in the top right corner.
If you’re interested in meeting with an involvement advisor, or learning more about your options for campus involvement, be sure to fill out the involvement advising request, found here. You can indicate your interest and preferences and an Involvement Advisor will contact you!
For more information on the Meet the Orgs Video Fair (virtual involvement fair), click here. For more information on the in-person Involvement Fair, click here.
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.