Student Success at the Core of University Flats

Monday, Feb. 13, 2017

Since 2011, the University of Kentucky has undergone a transformation unlike any other in higher education. Through a public/private partnership with EdR, a national leader in student housing, we have created the community spaces, high-tech classrooms, and programming areas that are ensuring our position as a national model for a thriving, public residential research university. 

For the last several years, we have started the school calendar with the opening of new living and learning facilities. This coming fall will be no exception, as we look forward to the next phase of our housing transformation.

University Flats, a project which the Board of Trustees approved in 2015, is now nearing completion. This $74 million, 771-bed complex will provide housing for upper class undergraduates, graduate, professional and post-doctoral students — the first new construction focused on these students.

The University Flats complex is located in the heart of the University of Kentucky campus, steps away from University Hospital, William T. Young Library, dining options, and graduate and professional programs including Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Law, and many others.

Life and work as a graduate student at University of Kentucky is challenging and demanding. This complex is designed to accommodate our students’ busy lifestyles, providing convenience and support to facilitate their success. This facility, like all of our work, was designed with student success as its core.

For example, the structure of University Flats is fully-furnished, connected directly to UK’s high-speed, reliable, and secure computer network, and is equipped with high-speed wired ports as well as WIFI throughout the community. Utilities are included in an all-in-one payment. These all-inclusive offerings help simplify living and maximize convenience for our students.

In addition, University Flats offers indoor and outdoor social spaces, such as a four-season outdoor lounge and fireplace, as well as a sand volleyball court, where students can interact and build community.

These spaces and the way they are designed will allow students to focus their attention on the four pillars that we know facilitate overall success: academic success, financial stability, wellness and belonging.

Undergraduate upper-class students can get additional information on University Flats here.  Applications for the graduate apartments are currently available at http://uflats.uky.edu/. 

I look forward to continuing this transformation, in partnership, and seeing the many ways it fuels students’ success.

Eric N. Monday

@UKYMonday

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