Campus News

'Behind the Blue': Eric Monday Discusses UK’s 2021-22 Budget

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 22, 2021) — Members of the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees passed a $5.1 billion UK budget for 2021-2022 last week. The budget details how the university funds the salaries of some 20,000 employees, sets tuition for 30,000 students and describes the operations of a hospital system that now comprises roughly half of UK’s budget.

But at its core, according to UK’s Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Eric Monday, a budget is about values and priorities. Monday believes a budget provides a roadmap to better understand what the institution really values.

In this episode of "Behind the Blue," Monday discusses those values and priorities in detail as he breaks down a record budget for the University of Kentucky.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

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.