Go behind-the-scenes of UK graduation ceremonies preparation, plus more higher ed news
Around Kentucky, the first Saturday in May is known for horse racing. But at the University of Kentucky, there’s another event taking place: graduation ceremonies.
Planning for the ceremonies starts at the beginning of each semester with committee meetings, said Abby Franklin, associate director of university events. While the main parts of the ceremonies stay the same from semester to semester, the events team works to finish up final details as graduation day approaches.
The team plans for thousands of additional people on campus during the two days of graduation ceremonies, looking at everything from parking to shuttles to signage on campus.
“We want them to feel welcome,” Franklin said. “The family may or may not have been on campus much during the tenure of their student’s career, so this is kind of like a welcome back and a pretty big deal for all of the families that are visiting. We want to make sure that campus is welcome and easy to navigate, and they know what to expect.”
Ceremonies will be held on May 5 and 6 at Rupp Arena in the Central Bank Center. Those are long days for her team, Franklin said, showing up before 7 a.m. Friday and working until 9 p.m., then coming back the next day for the final ceremony. They work on everything from how chairs are arranged at the ceremony, to making sure graduates have what they need before walking across the stage.
At this point in the semester, Franklin is now focused on setting the order of the ceremonies and communicating with graduates and speakers about how to prepare. That also includes answering questions from families and students about the day of ceremonies, like (unsurprisingly) where to park or even dinner recommendations, she said.
The best part is seeing how excited graduates are before they walk across the stage, ending one chapter at UK but beginning another, she said. Franklin will be to the side of the stage, guiding graduates before their names are announced and they start to walk.
“My favorite part is standing there listening to the students, being so excited or nervous to walk,” Franklin said. “It’s just that anticipation of ‘Oh my gosh, this is finally happening,’ or talking with their friends, asking ‘How does my hair look?’ We’re just reminding them to enjoy the moment, and be in the moment before you cross the stage.”
Have something that should be considered for next month’s higher education round-up? Contact reporter Monica Kast at mkast@herald-leader.com.
UK College of Medicine has largest-ever class
Later this month, UK will also be celebrating its largest-ever graduating class of medical students, with 190 graduates from the College of Medicine.
The graduates come from all four sites of the UK College of Medicine: Lexington, Morehead, Bowling Green and Northern Kentucky. This comes as Kentucky is facing a shortage of health care workers, including doctors.
“The physician shortage in Kentucky is severe,” said Charles “Chipper” Griffith III, M.D., acting dean for the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. “There are counties without a single physician, and even in parts of Lexington and Louisville, there are areas that are under-served.”
UK said it has put an emphasis on enrolling in-state students in the College of Medicine, with 70-75% of medical students coming to the university from Kentucky. More UK students are also matching with a residency based in Kentucky, the university said.
“The biggest factor for a physician practicing in Kentucky is both going to medical school and doing a residency in Kentucky,” Griffith said. “Nearly 9 of 10 physicians who do both will remain in-state to practice when residency is finished.”
UK receives largest single donation for College of Engineering
Stanley and Karen Pigman donated $34.5 million to the UK College of Engineering, which the board of trustees accepted on Friday. It is the largest single gift given to UK.
To honor their support of engineering, the college will now be named the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering.
“Because of their continued commitment, students now and for generations to come will fuel their passions, reach their potentials and discover what is possible because of the investments made in them by these remarkable people,” UK President Eli Capilouto said.
They also mentor and financially support students through the L. Stanley Pigman Scholarship Program, and sponsor two endowed faculty positions in power engineering. More than 120 undergraduate engineering students currently receive Pigman scholarships, which provides money to selected first-generation students graduating from high schools in 32 Eastern Kentucky counties.
“Karen and I know that producing more engineers and computer scientists will change not just this generation but generations of many families to come, and we are specifically invested in helping students with unmet need, first-generation students and students from Appalachia become engineers and computer scientists,” Stanley Pigman said.
Research: Opioid alternatives for teen pain management
Faculty from the UK College of Dentistry and College of Pharmacy are working together to look at opioid prescriptions for teenagers and young adults after major dental surgery to find potential alternatives.
Researchers are implementing an intervention strategy with dentists and dental providers to reduce the amount of opioid prescriptions written after surgery.
“Many of us personally know someone who has been affected by a substance use disorder and have seen how devastating these can be not only to the individual, but also family members and the community,” Marcia Rojas-Ramirez, assistant professor of dentistry. “So, acknowledging and observing that, knowing the role of dentistry in this opioid epidemic has been a factor leading to the development of this proposal.”
The goal of the study is to reduce the number of opioid prescriptions written for young people, instead looking at effective alternatives.
“We are working with many of the largest oral surgery practices in Kentucky to try to implement strategies that can help them revise the way they’re prescribing pain medication,” said Doug Oyler, assistant professor of pharmacy practice and science. “So, we are trying to understand how dentists make these decisions and help them realize that medications like Tylenol and ibuprofen seem to work just as well as opioids.”
This story was originally published May 1, 2023 at 7:00 AM.