‘Putting students first’: UK presents inaugural KYnsHIP Conference, advancing education through innovation
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 27, 2025) — The University of Kentucky and the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE) is hosting the inaugural Kentucky Network for Supporting High Impact Practices (KYnsHIP) Conference, April 4 at Gatton Student Center. This conference is designed to foster innovative best practices in teaching and learning among the educational community.
Thanks to the support and generosity of The Bill Gatton Foundation, this event is free for all participants. All students, faculty, staff and educators in Kentucky are invited.
Along with engaging workshops, the conference offers networking and collaboration opportunities — connecting educators and students from across Kentucky.
“We are building the next generation of classrooms and teaching laboratories — reinforcing our commitment to hands-on learning and instructional innovation and increasing our focus on career and professional development mentorship,” said Carmen Agouridis, senior associate dean at Martin-Gatton CAFE. “Our college is dedicated to the principle of putting students first.”
The event will feature keynote speaker Sarah Bunnell, a leader in education innovation and director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning at Elon University, who will speak on student success and faculty development.
“We are honored to welcome Dr. Bunnell as the event’s keynote speaker,” said Lou Hirsch, Bill Gatton Foundation faculty scholar, assistant professor at Martin-Gatton CAFE and 2023 UK outstanding teaching award recipient. “Her distinguished career, dedication in advancing teaching practices and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration in higher education will bring great value to this event. We welcome educators and students in Kentucky to join us, sharing your ideas and learning from others.”
Presentation proposals are being accepted until March 14, inviting participants to share their best practices in education and learning. To prioritize creativity and innovation, presenters are encouraged to avoid screen-based presentations and focus on interactive, hands-on activities that engage learners through multiple senses. Special consideration will be given to proposals that partner with students in some creative way.
To foster more collaboration in higher education, the KYnsHIP conference aims to equip more educators with the best teaching practices and provide more students with the skills to be workforce-ready at graduation and beyond.
The event will be at the UK Gatton Student Center on campus, beginning at 8:30 a.m., concluding at 3 p.m. Registration includes a continental breakfast and lunch.
Visit https://kynship.ca.uky.edu to register as space remains available. The registration deadline is March 28.
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.