Student News

Students invited to enjoy food and fun at Welcome Back Festival

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 19, 2022) — University of Kentucky students are invited to celebrate the first day of the Fall 2022 semester Monday, Aug. 22, with the Welcome Back Festival, sponsored by the UK Alumni Association, the UK Parent and Family Association and the University of Kentucky Federal Credit Union.

The festival begins at 9 a.m. and lasts until noon at the William T. Young Library walkway (off Rose Street), and then shifts to Wildcat Alumni Plaza (on Avenue of Champions across from Memorial Coliseum) from 1-4 p.m.

Students can grab free donuts from North Lime Coffee & Donuts during the morning portion of the festival and take TapSnap photos with the William T. Young Library as the perfect backdrop.

In the afternoon, students will enjoy free ice cream from Taylor Belle’s as they take “first day of school” photos at Wildcat Alumni Plaza with Bowman, the Wildcat statue. Giveaways and door prizes will be distributed here as well.

Student Alumni Association (SAA) members in attendance will receive a gift. SAA members are those students who provide an annual gift of $25 or more to any UK fund. Students can learn more about being a member of SAA by checking out the website: http://ukalumni.net/saa.

Rain location for the Welcome Back Festival is Gatton Student Center second floor.

The UK Alumni Association is committed to fostering lifelong engagement among alumni, friends, the association and the university. For more information about the UK Alumni Association, visit www.ukalumni.net or call 800-269-2586.

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.