by Jenny Wells, Derrick Meads

(Dec. 12, 2013) — The University of Kentucky has more students participating in Education Abroad (EA) programs than any other higher education institution in Kentucky, according to recently released data by the Institute of International Education. The 2013 Open Doors Report revealed that UK sent 845 students abroad in the 2011-12 academic year.

The report also showed that UK enrolls more international students (nearly 1,900 in 2011-12) than any other institution in the state, a lead the university has maintained for many years.

“A UK education creates a hunger in its students to learn more," said Susan Carvalho, associate provost for international programs. "By pursuing educational opportunities abroad they refine their skills of discovery and equip

by Grace Liddle & Whitney Hale

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 20, 2013) – Given the growing Korean population and surging interest in Korean culture in Lexington, several University of Kentucky campus groups have come together to organize a festival where students and community members can experience Korean music and culture through a combination of vibrant performances and hands-on educational activities.

Join UK for this special Korean Music and Culture Festival beginning 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24, in the Student Center Grand Ballroom (3rd floor). Performances will begin at 4:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

Performances will feature some of Lexington’s up-and-coming Korean musicians, such as Tae Eun Moon (voice) and Yuri Kim (piano), who

by Keith Hautala

(Nov. 20, 2013) — Sarah Lyon, University of Kentucky associate professor of anthropology, has been selected as the editor-designate of Human Organization, the flagship journal of the Society for Applied Anthropology. Lyon was congratulated by her colleagues at a reception on Monday. 

Lyon will assume the appointment at the start of 2015 for a term of three years. Previous incumbents have included several renowned scholars including Conrad Arensberg, Elliot D. Chapple and William Foote Whyte. Human Organization was based at UK on one previous occasion (1967-1970) when it was edited by anthropology Professor Marion Pearsall.

>>View the photo album

Lyon joined the faculty at UK in 2005, after

Video courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 14, 2013) — The University of Kentucky is celebrating its commitment to international education with various events Nov.18-22, joining institutions across the country to celebrate the benefits of international education and worldwide exchange.

International Education Week (IEW) is a joint initiative between the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment. 

International education is growing steadily on campus. The number of international undergraduates has increased by 6 percent over last fall's enrollment.  English as a second language (ESL) undergraduate students have

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 14, 2013) — The University of Kentucky Confucius Institute will present a lecture on Japanese agrarian immigration in China presented by scholar and anthropologist Mariko Asano-Tamanoi as part of its Distinguished Scholar Lecture Series. The free public lecture by Asano-Tamanoi titled "Transnational 'Manchuria,' Trans-nationalized Japan, and the Future of Postwar Japan" will begin 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19, in the Alumni Gallery of William T. Young Library.

Asano-Tamanoi, a professor at University of California, Los Angeles, began research on Japanese agrarian immigration to Northeast China in the mid-1980s, and published "Memory Maps: The State and Manchuria in Postwar

video courtesy of UK Public Relations & Marketing

article by Jenny Wells

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 7, 2013) — In addition to research presentations, the 2014 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) will offer numerous volunteer opportunities for the entire campus community when the University of Kentucky hosts the conference April 3-5, 2014. From helping direct traffic, to managing technology, to just helping students find where they need to go, there will be a variety of positions available to students, faculty and staff.

Students will have even more flexibility to get involved, as the University Senate has given permission for faculty to redirect their classes April 3 and 4 so students can attend conference events and presentations. 

"

by Whitney Hale

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 5, 2013) — The University of Kentucky Confucius Institute (UKCI) celebrates three years of collaborations with educational institutions in China at a free public concert on Nov. 7.

The "3rd Anniversary Celebration Concert: Featuring the Shanghai University School of Music" will spotlight string music, the pipa, martial arts and other musical talents from Shanghai. The concert will begin 7 p.m. Thursday, at the Singletary Center for the Arts Concert Hall.

"UKCI is pleased to have the students and faculty from the College of Music of Shanghai University to join us in

by Kathy Johnson & Sarah Geegan

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 30, 2013) ― The University of Kentucky is one of the top producers of U.S. Fulbright Scholars in the country.  In a recently released ranking in the Chronicle of Higher Education, UK is ranked sixth among research institutions for its number of professors earning the prestigious Fulbright grants for the 2013-2014 academic year.

Sponsored by the United States Department of State and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program, which provides funding for

Have you ever wondered what Dia de los Muertos is all about? As part of the Viva Mexico events and activities, all are invited to participate in several opportunities to experience Mexican culture and celebrations.

Learn more about the cultural significance of this day by making plans to attend a slide show that explains the Day of the Dead on Wednesday, October 23, at 5:00 p.m. in the Student Center Theater.

Build a Day of the Dead altar with local artists Jacobo and Janice Aragon on Thursday, October 24 from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. Anyone interested is invited to meet in Room 122 of the Whitehall Classroom Building to learn more and help create an altar.

On Friday, November 1, The Living Arts and Science Center will be hosting a Day of the Dead Festival. Join the Lexington and UK community at 362 Martin Luther King Boulevard from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. for this celebration

By Bryant Welbourne

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Sept. 25, 2013) ― Forty-nine faculty and administrators from Southeastern Conference universities, including four from the University of Kentucky, have been selected as 2013-14 SEC Academic Leadership Development Program fellows, the SEC announced Tuesday.

The SEC Academic Leadership Development Program (ALDP) is a professional development program that seeks to identify, prepare and advance academic leaders for roles within SEC institutions and beyond.

The UK representatives who were chosen are:

by Sarah Geegan & Grace Liddle

 The College of Arts and Sciences is offering 13 courses that begin in the middle of the fall 2013 semester. For students who may have recently dropped a class or hope to pick up some extra credit hours, these courses provide flexibility after the regular registration period.

Course topics range from the science of what we eat, archaeology and history of ancient Mexico, an introductory course on the city of Lexington, and a study on the culture and economics of local and global food systems.

The "Global Food & Local Agriculture" course explores questions associated with why people eat what they do and what that implies about society. To answer these questions, the class

by Whitney Hale & Jennifer Sciantarelli

The people, lands and livelihood of Inner Mongolia and Kentucky come together in celebration next week in "Living Landscapes," a weeklong festival of international arts and culture.

Presented by the University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts and the UK Confucius Institute in partnership with the Art College of Inner Mongolia University (IMU) and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region International Culture Association, "Living Landscapes," running Sept. 22

by Whitney Hale & Grace Liddle

A popular old time music duo and an exceptional Horse Country Musical Mashup are next up in the “Appalachia in the Bluegrass” concert series. On Friday, Sept. 20, banjo player Jimmy McCown and his wife Ada, a guitarist, return to UK for a performance. The following Friday, Sept. 27, the music of Appalachia and Inner Mongolia will be showcased in a concert featuring the Red State Ramblers and the Horse Head Fiddle Ensemble of Inner Mongolia. Both free public concerts will take place at the 

by Sarah Geegan & Breanna Shelton

The College of Arts and Sciences is kicking off its fourth year in its Passport to the World Initiative: "¡Viva México!" will be a year-long celebration of art, culture and history of Mexico and what makes it unique. Join in the kickoff from noon-2 p.m.today, Tuesday, Sept. 17, on the Student Center patio for free food, free T-shirts, music and games. 

History Professor Francie Chassen-Lopez, and anthropology Professor 

by Sarah Geegan 

UK Confucius Institute Director Huajing Maske describes the UK Faculty China Short-Term Teaching Program as "groundbreaking" for several reasons.

First of all, the numbers are groundbreaking. The program, which provides teaching stints by embedding American professors in the departments of partner universities in China, involved faculty members from several non-China institutions. In the program's inaugural year, UK's 29 faculty at Shanghai University represented nearly half of the overall faculty cohort.

"It was quite impressive to see how strong the UK numbers were among the faculty participating in the short-term teaching program," Maske said. "UK was by far

by Sarah Geegan

Two University of Kentucky graduates will join the Peace Corps this year to pursue service opportunities across the world. Gwendolyn Schaefer and Olivia Brown will leave the U.S. for 27 months to volunteer in developing countries as part of the program.

Schaefer, who had the idea to apply for the Corps after meeting a returned Peace Corps volunteer, recognized her strong desire to serve others after participating in two education abroad programs and traveling throughout the Middle East during her undergraduate career. 

“I knew that I wanted to take a break after graduation that would allow me to spend some time giving back to others and honing in on my interests for a

by Jenny Wells

Last week, the University of Kentucky Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence honored its newest class of Chellgren Fellows.  Benefactor Paul Chellgren and his wife Deborah, along with Chellgren Endowed Chair Philipp Kraemer, UK Provost Christine Riordan, and UK President Eli Capilouto, recognized and congratulated the students on being named Fellows.

The Chellgren Fellows Program is for students with exceptional academic potential and aspirations, who are eager to participate in a special learning community designed to cultivate extraordinary achievement. Outstanding faculty members from across campus serve as individual mentors for the Fellows.

The

video courtesy of UK Public Relations and Marketing

article by Jenny Wells

Planning and hosting a national conference is no easy task, but for the UK community, collaboration makes it all possible. The University of Kentucky will host the 2014 National Conference on Undergraduate Research, or NCUR, next semester, which will bring nearly 4,000 additional students from across the country to the UK campus. And as students, faculty and staff can attest -- it is something worth bragging about.

NCUR will take place April 3-5, 2014, all throughout UK's campus. The conference will give undergraduates a unique opportunity to present their research and creative endeavors, while meeting other like-minded students from all across the country. They not only promote their individual

by Sarah Geegan

University of Kentucky students come from all over the map — from as nearby as Fayette county, to as far away as Vietnam. Though their hometowns vary, they all share one thing in common; they're part of a Big Blue community that comes together during one of the most exciting times on UK's campus: K Week.

For international students at UK, K Week starts a week earlier, with K Week International Orientation, a series of events designed especially to support students coming to UK from abroad. More than 400 international undergraduate, graduate and CESL (Center for English as a Second Language) students will arrive during K Week International Orientation; UK currently hosts approximately 1,900

by Derrick Meads and Sarah Geegan

Five UK graduate students recently attended the 2013 International Graduate Student Conference at Shanghai University. The UK American Studies Center at Shanghai University selected the students to represent the University of Kentucky.

The conference aimed to promote an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural dialogue about Asia’s past and present. The UK graduate students presented papers that explored specific interrelationships between Asia and the United States.  

The five students who attended were:

·         Hui Chu, a doctoral candidate in social and developmental psychology

·         Melinda Lio, a master’s student in ethnomusicology