VIDEO: UK Board Underscores Commitment to State With Meeting in Bowling Green

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (Sept. 9, 2016) – For the second year in a row, the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees is taking to the road for its regularly scheduled meeting, further underscoring the statewide commitment of the Commonwealth’s flagship, land-grant institution.

“We are the university for Kentucky,” said UK Board Chair Britt Brockman. “Meeting in Bowling Green exemplifies two things – that statewide reach and commitment and the power of partnership as we are working with outstanding institutions such as Western Kentucky University to further health care and grow the number of physicians who are serving our state.”

UK’s board is holding a series of meetings yesterday and Friday on the campus of WKU. UK currently has 288 students from Warren County and more than 1,500 alums from UK live in the county.

Some of those outstanding students are featured in this video:

Video produced by UK Public Relations and Marketing. 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.

Over the two-day meeting, trustees highlighted two recent partnerships, involving WKU and Med Center Health:

• Responding to the shortage of physicians in the Commonwealth, the University of Kentucky College of Medicine is planning to develop a satellite program in Bowling Green for four-year medical education and to expand the Rural Physician Leadership Program (RPLP) in Morehead to a three-year (year-round) medical education program. The UK College of Medicine initiative ̶ in partnership with Morehead State University, Western Kentucky University, St. Claire Regional Medical Center, King's Daughters Medical Center and The Medical Center at Bowling Green  ̶ will begin as early as 2018. Currently, the UK College of Medicine is at its capacity at the Lexington campus and although there is a deep applicant pool for medical students, the college can’t expand enrollment without the help of regional partners.

• In addition, UK trustees heard details of a recently announced partnership with regional health leader Med Center Health to provide orthopaedic medicine to Bowling Green and the region. The partnership in orthopaedic care formally began in January 2015 with the opening of Medical Center Orthopaedics located on the Med Center Health campus. Medical Center Orthopaedics combines the excellent staff and facilities of Med Center Health with fellowship-trained UK orthopaedic surgeons. Currently there are three UK faculty members providing orthopaedic care at Med Center Health.

UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue

MEDIA CONTACT: Jay Blanton, 859-699-0041 or jay.blanton@uky.edu