Provost DiPaola: 'Faculty Focus' highlights research, teaching, service of UK faculty

The following message from University of Kentucky Provost Robert S. DiPaola was shared with UK faculty in the first issue of the "Faculty Focus" newsletter to UK faculty.

Dear Colleagues,  

There is a lot to be proud of at the University of Kentucky. Our students engage with us and challenge our assumptions; our health care professionals generously serve our fellow Kentuckians; our alumni break barriers with their UK degrees; and our faculty discover, educate and serve.  

And we are incredibly proud of our esteemed, world-class faculty. That is why we are committed to highlighting your work, showcasing your talents and celebrating your achievements through this new effort, called “Faculty Focus.”  

Taking on this initiative is possible because there is so much to celebrate. Thank you for all that you do.  

Ronald J. Daniels, president of Johns Hopkins University, in his book “What Universities Owe Democracy,” describes a university as “a place where fellow citizens from all walks of life can transcend their circumstances through the acquisition of knowledge and the cultivation of mastery, and where scientific investigation generates technologies and therapies that materially improve human flourishing.”  

This purpose is lofty; this calling is noble; and every day we rededicate ourselves to this mission to teach, discover, serve and care for the people of Kentucky and beyond. Thank you for answering that call.  

It is an exciting time to be at UK. Our research efforts have accelerated to remarkable levels with total awards exceeding $400 million each of the last four years. Graduation and retention rates have reached historic highs. UK HealthCare serves every area of our state and is expanding. UK Athletics routinely places among the top institutions in the country for overall excellence. We have transformed our campus, investing more than $3 billion in infrastructure in a little more than 10 years.  

And today, and every day, we are firmly fixed and unrelentingly focused on serving and improving this state — on achieving our mission to advance Kentucky.  

We are sending this email to you weekly, to emphasize stories of your research, your accomplishments, your publications, your grants, your mentorships and your investments in the classroom. We want to know these stories, and we want your colleagues to know them as well.  

For example, in this first issue, we highlight Jennifer Siebenthaler, Ph.D., and Susan Zhu, Ph.D., for researching the challenges many women face in the workplace, reminding us there is more work to do. We learn from Erin Haynes, DrPH, as she explains the potential impacts of the recent disaster in East Palestine, Ohio. And we celebrate Priscilla McCutcheon, Ph.D., who was named 2023 Fellow in the American Association of Geographers.  

As always, on behalf of President Capilouto, the leadership of the university and my colleagues in the Office of the Provost, we appreciate you.  

Robert S. DiPaola, MD  

Provost