University of Kentucky receives $22 million donation for new health education building
The University of Kentucky has received a $22 million donation for the new Health Education Building, which will be named in the donor’s honor.
The commitment from Dr. Michael Rankin will go towards constructing the building that will house programs from across UK’s health colleges and support student scholarships. The donation will also rename the building as the “Michael D. Rankin M.D. Health Education Building.”
Rankin is a Danville native who graduated from UK in 1971 with a degree in electrical engineering, and from the College of Medicine with a medical degree in 1980. He practiced primary care and family medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, before retiring and returning to Kentucky.
“Dr. Rankin has left an indelible mark of healing and hope, not just on this university, but on the state of Kentucky,” said UK President Eli Capilouto. “His influence will be felt by generations of students and the patients they later serve.”
Rankin has been a member of the UK Medical Alumni Association, including a past president, as well as serving on College of Medicine scholarship and admissions committees. His total donations to UK now stand at more than $23.5 million.
The new building will be over 500,000 square feet, located between campus and the UK hospitals, and home to programs in four health colleges: medicine, public health, health sciences and nursing.
When completed, it will be the largest academic building at UK.
The new building will allow UK to admit more students into the College of Medicine and College of Nursing, meaning more doctors and nurses will be graduating from UK and entering health care, said Dr. Chipper Griffith, dean of the College of Medicine, earlier this year.
With a predicted class size of 200 students per year, and more than 1,000 total medical students, UK would become one of the largest medical schools in the country, Griffith said.
The project is currently in the design phase, which is scheduled to be complete during the first quarter of 2024. Construction will then begin next year, and is scheduled to be completed in 2026.
The building will be located at the corner of Hugulet Drive and University Drive, between campus and UK hospitals. To make room for the new building, Kelley Hall will be demolished, which the board also approved on Tuesday. Kelley Hall is home to facilities management for the medical center, which will be relocated.