'Behind the Blue': Discussing the impact of 'Kentucky Can' with Jake Lemon
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LEXINGTON, KY. (Nov. 6, 2023) — The University of Kentucky, along with donors and community partners, recently celebrated the achievement of the $2.1 billion goal for Kentucky Can: The 21st Century Campaign.
UK’s new vice president for philanthropy and alumni engagement, Jake Lemon, recently talked with "Behind the Blue" about what the largest fundraising campaign in the Commonwealth’s history means to our campus, state and world.
Lemon, who has been in this new role since May, also talks about what’s next for philanthropy at UK.
Learn more about the campaign and its impact here.
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For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue. Transcripts for this or other episodes of "Behind the Blue" can be downloaded from the show’s blog page.
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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.