Professional News

Hollie Swanson wins 2nd term as faculty trustee

Trustee Swanson
This is Trustee Swanson’s second term on the board. Her new three-year term will begin July 1, 2023. Photo provided.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 5, 2023) — Hollie Swanson, a professor and researcher in the Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences in the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, has been re-elected to serve as a faculty trustee on the UK Board of Trustees. In accordance with the University Senate Rules, Swanson was the top vote-getter among two candidates in the faculty trustee election, which ended on April 3.

“I am very pleased to be re-elected and receive affirmation from my colleagues,” Swanson said. “I look forward to continuing my work on the board in service to the university.”

This is Trustee Swanson’s second term on the board. She is the former chair of both the University Senate Council and the College of Medicine Faculty Council. Her new three-year term will begin July 1, 2023.

Swanson serves as the director of the Biomedical Science Graduate Program and the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience in Environmental Health Sciences (SURES) Program. Her research focuses on drug metabolism and the health impacts of environmental contaminants, which has been funded by the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences since 1996.

In addition to her teaching, research and leadership responsibilities in the College of Medicine, she has served in leadership roles on numerous university committees focused on advancing the careers of women faculty and enhancing diversity. 

The second candidate for faculty trustee in the final round was Karen Petrone in the College of Arts and Sciences. Over 44% of eligible faculty voters cast ballots in the final round of voting for the election.

Two faculty members serve on the UK Board of Trustees. Swanson will serve alongside Aaron Cramer from the College of Engineering, whose term runs through June 30, 2025.

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.