UK Happenings

Save the Date for Bowman's 10th Birthday Party

Bowman turns 10 on April 22.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 8, 2022) — It’s time to celebrate Bowman’s 10th birthday and you’re invited to join the fun!

From 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, April 22, the University of Kentucky Alumni Association will honor Bowman, the bronze Wildcat statue located in Wildcat Alumni Plaza on Avenue of Champions across from Memorial Coliseum. The event is free and open to the public.

To commemorate the occasion, alumni and friends are encouraged to post their pictures with Bowman on social media using the hashtag #BowmanTurns10.

The UK Alumni Association had Bowman installed 10 years ago when a group of student leaders had the idea to place a Wildcat sculpture on campus. And it was students who voted on naming the sculpture Bowman after John Bowman, the man who assured the creation of what is now the University of Kentucky in 1865.

In the tradition of a 10-year-old’s birthday, there will be music, free party hats, ice cream, giveaways and more.

Come get your picture taken with the birthday boy (he’s very photogenic!) and celebrate because it’s a party, it’s a party, it’s a party! The TapSnap photobooth will be there to take digital and print photographs.

For more information about Bowman and the Wildcat Alumni Plaza, visit www.wildcatalumniplaza.com. For more details about the event, contact Katie Schaffer at 859-257-7172 or Kathryn.Schaffer@uky.edu.

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.