UK Hires New Financial Aid Director
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 31, 2019) — The University of Kentucky is pleased to announce that Kathy Bialk is the new executive director of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships.
Bialk served as the assistant provost and the director of Student Financial Aid at the University of Iowa the last two years before coming to UK. In her position she led a staff of 30 financial aid professionals serving more than 30,000 students and delivering $505 million in financial aid for students.
"Kathy is a national financial aid expert and brings a wealth of expertise and leadership to the University of Kentucky," said Christine Harper, UK's associate provost for enrollment management. "Her skills and knowledge will help us continue to move our Wildcat Student Financial Aid experience forward."
Prior to her time at Iowa, Bialk was director of student financial assistance at Marshall University for 10 years.
She currently serves as the chair-elect for the Commission of the Certified Financial Aid Administrator Program.
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.