Upcoming Town Hall to Discuss Esports
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 17, 2020) — The University of Kentucky will host an Esports Town Hall to discuss UK’s vision on how esports can be a platform for student success, belonging and career development. Provost David Blackwell and Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Eric Monday will speak on this topic for faculty and staff along with a brief overview of the Winslow construction.
As part of strategic efforts to leverage technology to maximize student success and build community, UK recently announced its interest and focus on esports as part of the Smart Campus Initiative. The collaboration is being jointly led by two UK offices: Student and Academic Life (SAL) and Information Technology Services.
“We see esports as an opportunity to promote a sense of belonging and community for our students,” said Katherine McCormick, senior provost faculty fellow within SAL. “We recognize that students come to UK with long and varied histories in gaming; they are a generation who use games to build friendships and stay connected. Students tell us they game with people from their hometown, Canada, Asia, Australia and all across the U.S.”
Two Town Halls will take place, both on Tuesday, Feb. 25. One talk will take place from 10-11 a.m. in Room 330AB of the Gatton Student Center, and the other will be held from 3-4 p.m. in Room 115 of the College of Nursing Building.
“We plan to be a leader not only in exploring the vast potential opportunities associated with esports and technology more broadly, but also the challenges posed to society,” said Provost Blackwell. “Indeed, a primary benefit of a partnership between a global leader and national research university is you can explore in depth issues such as gender and racial equity as well as the need for more research around concerns that there are connections between gaming and societal violence.”
UK's Smart Campus Initiative is exploring multiple ways to further leverage the use and benefits of innovative technologies throughout the university's teaching, research, service and health missions.
To keep up with all major announcements related to esports, visit www.uky.edu/esports/.
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