By Jennifer T. Allen

When Carrie Gilmour graduated high school in 1991, she thought her path was clear: attend Lexington Community College and transfer to the University of Kentucky to earn her degree. But in the spring of 1996, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, and Gilmour had to withdraw from UK during her junior year to get a job and help at home.  

“My mom had to have back surgery as well and she was really down and out, so I had to leave UK,” Gilmour said. “I’m happy to say my mom is a breast cancer survivor, but after going home, I continued to work, got married, and raised a family. I just never made it back to school.” 

She eventually did make it back to school and enrolled for the spring 2023 semester through Project Graduate, a statewide initiative to assist adult learners who have accumulated

By Lindsey Piercy

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 2, 2020) — How do you define success?

As 2020 comes to a close and we prepare to turn the page on the calendar, it’s inevitable to think about what you have accomplished.

Did you live up to your expectations? Or did you fall short?

Some of those answers may depend on how you define success. Benjamin Scales has been chasing his definition for nearly 30 years.

“Although I have attained ‘success,’ some small part of me always felt like a failure,” he said.

It was fall of 1984, and Scales was a freshman at the University of Kentucky extension campus in his hometown of Paducah. At the time, he was a model student — eager to learn and give back. “I was active in volunteer work.

The College of Arts and Sciences is committed to learning and working environments that are diverse, inclusive, and equitable for students, staff, and faculty.

We stand in solidarity with those working to confront systemic racial injustice in our communities and in the United States. We recognize the disproportionate burden of racism and other forms of violence on many within our A&S community during this time. We affirm our support of faculty, students, staff, and alumni in standing against all forms of racism, discrimination, and bias.

During this time of pandemic and continued racism and violence that especially impact marginalized communities of color, we recognize the disproportionate impact on Black and African-American people. In the context of the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and here in Kentucky, Breonna Taylor and David McAtee, we affirm that

By Guy Ramsey, Amy Jones-Timoney, and Brad Nally

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 8, 2020) — Twenty-five years ago, Nazr Mohammed left Chicago to enroll at the University of Kentucky. Mohammed chased his dreams as a basketball player and a student. First came a pair of national championships and All-Southeastern Conference honors during three years as a Wildcat.

Next, Mohammed left UK to become a first-round pick to begin an 18-year professional career that included an NBA championship run with San Antonio. And after his retirement in 2016, Mohammed moved into a front-office career with the Oklahoma City Thunder that has him on track to one day become an NBA general

By Lindsey Piercy

Mark Cornelison | UK Photo.

The University of Kentucky has been awarded a $25,000 Project Graduate Grant from the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE). The strategic funds will be used to boost degree completion of former students with 80 or more credit hours.

In total, $300,000 will be spread among six Kentucky campuses, to help students succeed in college.

UK will build off a successful pilot with the College of Arts and Sciences. The goal is to identify former students who qualify for the new Bachelor of Liberal Studies program and expand the model to other colleges.

“We are delighted to fund these high-impact proposals,” Aaron Thompson, president of CPE, said. “In

By Lindsey Piercy

Overwhelming excitement with a tinge of apprehension will fill Rupp Arena as emotions will be riding high May 5 — one of the University of Kentucky's Commencement Days. One by one, thousands of graduates will walk across the stage with an outstretched hand to receive their coveted diploma.

Megan McCormick will be among the sea of blue caps and gowns. In many ways, she's just like her fellow graduates. But McCormick's journey is incomparable and inspiring. She is also part of a much smaller, but growing, college population — students with Down syndrome. 

"I'm proud of me. This was my idea of going back to college, and I'm officially graduating this year. It's a special moment, and I'm excited," she exclaimed. 

Having a genetic disorder hasn't made life simple for McCormick. Doctors said Down

By Lindsey PIercy

It was fall of 1994. In many ways, Sharon Mofield-Boswell was your typical college freshman. She was eager — eager to embark on a new chapter as a student at the University of Kentucky. But college came with its own set of challenges. On top of that, Mofield-Boswell ​had a unique set of responsibilities — as a single mom.

"I left school with only one semester to go, and I just focused on raising my daughter."

Years went by — 25 years, to be exact. She got married. Her household continued to grow, and life continued to get more hectic. "After a little while, it became mostly about my children, and I'm happy with that decision."

Mofield-Boswell doesn't regret her decision to put family first. She has a comfortable life, filled with love. A dedicated mother — she has always pushed

This post contains a listing of organizations currently accepting job and internnship applications, as well as any available volunnteer opportunities. The post is divided into local and international postings. Remember, regardless of your regional or thematic concentration, work experience in your feild of interest is always important. For example, if you're interested in working in international development and working with children, starting off with an organization like the Nest can give you wonderful topical expertise in how to work with children. If you are interested in working in global health, working with an orgainzation like AVOL shows you are dedicated to health care provision both locally and internationally. This list will be updated periodically.

Local Opportunities

Comparative Politics 

By Lori Minter

The University of Kentucky has released its Dean's List for the spring 2017 semester.  A total of 6,412 students were recognized for their outstanding academic performance. 

To make a Dean’s List in one of the UK colleges, a student must earn a grade point average of 3.6 or higher and must have earned 12 credits or more in that semester, excluding credits earned in pass-fail classes.  Some UK colleges require a 3.5 GPA to make the Dean’s List.

The full Dean's List can be accessed by visiting: www.uky.edu/PR/News/DeansList/.

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

By Lori Minter

A record number of students made the University of Kentucky Dean's List for the fall 2016 semester. The 7,408 students were recognized for their outstanding academic performance.  That's an increase of more than 200 over the previous record reached in fall 2015 when the number of students on the UK Dean's List surpassed 7,000 for the first time.  Last semester's Dean's List includes over 700 more students than the spring 2016 semester's list.

To make a Dean’s List in one of the UK colleges, a student must earn a grade point average of 3.6 or higher and must have earned 12 credits or more in that semester, excluding credits earned in pass-fail classes.  Some UK colleges require a 3.5 GPA to make the Dean’s List.

The full Dean's List can be accessed by visiting