UK to hold board meetings on UofL campus, symbolizing critical partnership between state’s 2 research institutions
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 15, 2026) — Symbolizing the powerful partnership between the state’s two research institutions, the University of Kentucky will hold its first meeting of the Board of Trustees for the 2026-27 academic year on the University of Louisville campus, Sept. 17-18.
“We all focus on the competition that takes place between our two institutions on athletic courts and fields,” said UK President Eli Capilouto. “But we cooperate rather than compete far more often in other spaces and places — from education and research to healthcare and workforce development. These meetings underscore the cooperation and partnership between UK and UofL, which are vital to the economic future and development of Louisville and our Commonwealth.”
“We welcome our friends from Lexington to our Louisville campus,” said UofL President Gerry Bradley. “Our athletics rivalry may be legendary, but when it comes to working for the betterment of the Commonwealth, we are longtime friends. These two great institutions share a mandate to educate our students, conduct groundbreaking research, treat and improve the lives of our patients and connect with and strengthen our communities. Often, that means our students, faculty and staff are working together, and we strongly support those partnerships.”
UK has periodically held board meetings in other communities over the last several years, including Hazard, Northern Kentucky, Bowling Green and Hopkinsville.
Next month, the UK Board will hold its annual retreat in Ashland, the home of UK King’s Daughters Medical Center. Later this academic year, the Board will convene in Morehead, where UK St. Claire Regional Medical Center is located.
A list of times and committee meetings as well as locations for the UK Board of Trustees is available online. The UofL board will also meet on the Louisville Belknap campus on Sept. 17. The UK and UofL boards will hold a joint reception and dinner the evening of Sept. 17.
During the UK board meetings, members will focus on UK’s preliminary enrollment numbers for 2026-2027 and take part in a panel discussion on workforce and economic development needs, featuring Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, One Louisville Chief Executive Trevor Pawl, leading Kentucky businessman and entrepreneur Joe Craft and President Bradley and President Capilouto.
“Louisville is a key economic engine and driver for Kentucky,” Capilouto said. “Some 30,000 UK alums call Louisville Metro home and about one-quarter of our new students each year come to us from Louisville. Working with our partners at UofL, we are focused on growing to meet the workforce needs of our state, by preparing students, not just for that first job, but for careers and lives of meaning and purpose. There is so much more we can do together than apart, and these meetings we hope provide a tangible symbol of our partnership and the progress we can make for the state we want to advance in all that we do.”
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 healthcare. 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 $1.02 billion research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.