Campus News

President Capilouto Praises Health Care Heroes Present and Past

Video produced by UK Public Relations and Strategic Communications and Marketing and Brand Strategy. To view captions for this video, push play and click on the CC icon in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. If using a mobile device, click on the "thought bubble" in the same area. Special thanks to UK Special Collections Research Center and UK Athletics for footage used in this video.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 14, 2020) University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto sent the above video message to the UK community yesterday. In it, he thanks the frontline clinicians and staffers at UK HealthCare who are providing healing during this crisis and draws parallels between UK’s calls to action now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 1918 when UK’s Buell Armory was a makeshift infirmary during the Spanish flu epidemic. 

Watch as Capilouto reminds us that in history and today, UK’s power lies in its people and their ability to work together and with the community to make good things possible.

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.