Campus News

‘UK at the Half’: Welcome back, Wildcats

students making the shape of Kentucky on the football field
The UK Class of 2028 gathers on Kroger Field during Big Blue U on Aug. 23. Mark Cornelison | UK Photo

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 3, 2024) — At the University of Kentucky, the work to teach, discover, heal and serve takes place 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. But as students return to campus for the start of the 2024-25 academic year, there is a certain level of excitement in the air as new Wildcats begin working on fulfilling their dreams of earning college degrees.

For this “UK at the Half,” UK President Eli Capilouto talks about why he is so proud of the work UK students, faculty and staff are doing across campus to advance Kentucky.

“UK at the Half” airs during halftime of each UK football and basketball game broadcast on the radio and is hosted by UK Public Relations and Strategic Communications and UK Marketing and Brand Strategy. To hear the “UK at the Half” interview, click the play button above.

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.