Campus News

'Behind the Blue': Katrice Albert discusses UK’s DEI Implementation Plan

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 13, 2023) — In the summer of 2020, the university launched the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (or DEI) Implementation Plan. With 17 distinct initiatives aligned with the university’s strategic guiding principles, the DEI implementation plan engages hundreds of UK community members in this work.

Over the years, faculty, staff, students and community champions have dedicated their time to advancing diversity and equity through research, service and care. The DEI implementation plan is designed to empower those change agents, embolden existing DEI efforts and introduce new initiatives to accelerate inclusive excellence at UK and beyond.

On this episode of "Behind the Blue," Katrice Albert, Ph.D., UK’s vice president for institutional diversity, talks about the plan, its impact on the UK community, what to look forward to in phase 2 and more.

"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.