University of Kentucky
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The University of Kentucky (also as UK or simply Kentucky) is a public, co-educational university located in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865, UK is the largest university in the state with over 32,000 students.
UK has 88 certified bachelor degree programs for undergraduates, 93 master's degree programs, and 60 programs in PhD and other doctoral degrees.
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History
John Bowman founded the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, a publicly chartered department of Kentucky University, as a land-grant university in 1865. The first degree from A&M was awarded in 1869. In 1878, A&M separated from Kentucky University, which is now Transylvania University. For the new school, the city of Lexington donated a 52 acre (210,000 m²) park and fair ground, which became the core of UK's present campus. The modern campus covers 670 acres (2.7 km²).
The college was initially for men only, but women were admitted beginning in 1880. The first female degree recipient was Belle Gunn in 1888. The school's name was changed to "State University, Lexington, Kentucky" in 1908, then to "University of Kentucky" in 1916. The University of Kentucky became racially integrated in 1949 when Lyman T. Johnson, a black man, won a lawsuit to be admitted to the graduate program. Undergraduate classes desegregated in 1954.
In an interesting show of school pride, Lexington and the surrounding Bluegrass area code was changed several years ago to 859, which spells out "UKY" on the phone.
The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department is the home and sponsor of one of the earliest college amateur radio stations in the United States, call sign W4JP, with continuous operation dating from before World War I, before amateur radio licenses were granted by the US Government.
The College of Engineering operates a satellite campus in Paducah, located on the campus of West Kentucky Community and Technical College.
Journals, Publications and Media
Campus publications and media
Student media
- The Kentucky Kernel, a student-run, financially independent newspaper
- WRFL, a student-funded, independent radio station - 88.1 FM
Athletics
The University of Kentucky is a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky's sports teams (nicknamed the Wildcats) include football, men's & women's basketball, women's volleyball, baseball, softball, men's & women's cross country, men's & women's swimming/diving, women's gymnastics, men's & women's soccer, men's & women's track & field (indoor & outdoor), men's & women's golf, men's & women's tennis, and rifle. The men's soccer team competes in the Mid-American Conference because the SEC does not sponsor that sport for men.
The University of Kentucky cheerleaders have won the UCA Division I-A Cheerleading Championship 14 times, more than any other school.
Basketball
The University of Kentucky men's basketball team is one of the elite NCAA basketball programs, having earned a total of seven NCAA titles and, at the time of this article, more wins than any other school in the history of the sport. Its seven titles were won by four different coaches - Adolph Rupp - 1948, 1949, 1951 and 1958; Joe B. Hall - 1978; Rick Pitino - 1996; and Tubby Smith - 1998. Four coaches with national titles is a record for men's Division I basketball; North Carolina (3) is the only other school with more than two. UK's Rupp Arena has attained legendary status as one of the top 5 most difficult venues in the country for opponents to play.
Football
The football team is typically much less successful than the basketball team, rarely achieving a winning season. As a member of the football-heavy SEC, they compete against many of the top college football progams in the nation. They play at Commonwealth Stadium. Interestingly, Paul 'Bear' Bryant was head football coach for eight seasons. The university was not large enough to overcome ego differences between the winningest college basketball coach, Adolph Rupp, and the winningest college football coach, Bear Bryant, who was twelve years younger than Rupp.
Notable people
Points of Interest
External links
- Official UK site (http://www.uky.edu/)
- Official UK athletics site (http://www.ukathletics.com/)
- The Kentucky Kernel online (http://www.kykernel.com)
- WRFL - 88.1 FM (http://wrfl.uky.edu/)