By Sarah Geegan, Lea Mann

Hanban, the Confucius Institute headquarters in Beijing, has designated the University of Kentucky Confucius Institute as the official Chinese proficiency test center for the state of Kentucky.

The HSK (Chinese Proficiency Test) and the YCT (Youth Chinese Test), are proficiency exams that rank Chinese language learners on different levels of mastery.

The HSK assesses non-native Chinese speakers’ proficiency in using the language in daily, academic and professional environments. The test contains both written and oral sections, ranking speakers into six different levels in writing and three different levels in speaking.  

Chinese universities will use the HSK test results for enrollment; by taking this exam, U.S. college students become

By Sarah Geegan, Lea Mann

University of Kentucky math professor Carl Lee recently received the Kentucky Mathematical Association of America award at the annual KYMAA meeting at Bellarmine University. The award is given annually to one mathematician from across the state.

The Mathematical Association of America, (MAA), is a national professional mathematics society, which focuses on collegiate teaching. The Kentucky section draws from all colleges and universities across the state and recognizes one member each year for distinguished college or university instruction.

Lee said he was surprised but honored to receive the award.

"This was very unexpected," Lee said of his award. "I was attending the annual meeting of the

By Jenny Wells

Karen Tice, associate professor in the University of Kentucky College of Education Department of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation, recently authored her new book, "Queens of Academe: Beauty Pageantry, Student Bodies, and Campus Life," published by Oxford University Press.

Tice, who also holds a joint appointment in the UK College of Arts and Sciences Department of Gender and Women's Studies, will lecture on the topic from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 18, in the President's Room at the Singletary Center for the Arts. A reception will follow. Tice also will be at Morris Book Shop on East High Street for a book signing from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 26.

From the Oxford University Press site:

"In 'Queens of Academe,' Karen W. Tice

By Sarah Geegan

The University of Kentucky will host the 65th annual Kentucky Foreign Language Conference (KFLC), an internationally esteemed colloquium for scholars of language, literature and culture, beginning Thursday, April 19, across the UK campus.

The event will unite scholars from across the world, as the largest U.S. conference dedicated to all aspects of the study of language and its peoples, from technology to teaching, from film to literature, from linguistics to cultural studies. With keynote speakers, discussion panels, research presentations and exhibits, the conference will address issues pertaining to language through multiple platforms.

Doug Slaymaker, executive director of the KFLC and associate professor of 

The 2011 Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame ceremony was a family affair, as the husband and wife duo of Dr. Joseph Jones and Dr. Margaret Jones were both inducted. The videos below include pieces about the inductees lives and also their speeches on the night of the induction. Congrats to both for their wonderful careers and endless contributions to UK!

DATE:Friday, April 20, 2012 - 3:30pm to 9:00pm
LOCATION: Varies

The Appalachian Center and University Press of Kentucky are hosting three events to celebrate Appalachia on Friday, April 20th:

3:30 p.m. @ Memorial Hall - Helen Lewis and Judi Jennings will give an Appalachian Forum based on their new book, Helen Matthews Lewis: Living Social Justice in Appalachia

5:30-6:30p.m. @ The UK Appalachian Center

By Whitney Hale

Two University of Kentucky students have been recognized by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program for 2012. Sophomore Josiah Hanna, of Lexington, and junior David Spencer, of Paducah, Ky., received honorable mention recognition from the scholarship program.

This year’s Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,123 mathematics, science, and engineering students who were nominated by colleges and universities nationwide.

Josiah Hanna, son of David and Sarah Hanna, is a Paul Laurence Dunbar High School alumnus. He is pursuing majors in computer science and mathematics and a minor in 

Since the 2012 Winter Intercession, A&S has been offering a series of courses called "IT IQ," which engages students and introduces them to a variety of technologies at their disposal. The courses are generally six weeks long, are worth one credit hour, and provide students with a technological framework for academics. In this short podcast, three key players in IT IQ (Derek Eggers, Carly Germann, and Christian Ecker) talked about what students get in a typical course, what sorts of technologies are taught and how they're applied in an academic setting.

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

By Robin Roenker

UK alumna Stephanie Spires—who earned a B.A. in Secondary Education Social Studies in 2003—recently found herself in the interesting position of being awarded a second UK major years after graduation day, without having to step foot in a single additional undergraduate class.

While she had never officially declared political science as a major, Spires’ lifelong love of the social and political aspects of government and international relations kept her signing up for class after class within the Department of Political Science during her undergraduate tenure.

While unaware of it at the time, Spires actually earned enough Political Science credits while at UK to have rightly earned an Arts & Sciences major alongside her UK Education degree.

While belated, the degree award is

By Sarah Geegan

Jakobi Williams, professor in the UK Department of History and in the African American and Africana Studies Program, will present the next lecture in the "Rebuilding the Block," S.T. Roach Community Conversation series, at 11 a.m., on Saturday, April 14, at the Lyric Theatre.

The "Rebuilding the Block" series is a seven-month sequence of public lectures, led by UK experts and focused around the theme of African-American males. Held at the Lyric Theatre in east Lexington, the conversations are broken into sub-themes, each presenting relevant issues in a particular expert's field

Date: Sunday, April 15, 2012 - 3:30pm
Location: Memorial Hall

Staged reading in Memorial Hall with talk-back for Q&A with playwright (Silas House), director (Adanma Barton), cast, crew and the band Sugar Tree at the Memorial Hall Amphitheater (rain room Gatton BE 148 for talk back session).

By Sarah Geegan

The University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences will present the Distinguished Professor Lecture, featuring History Professor Ron Eller at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 12 in the William T. Young Library auditorium.

Eller's lecture, "Seeking the Good Life in America: Lessons From the Appalachian Past," will discuss what the future holds for Appalachia, using the history of the region as a foundation.

Eller, a professor in the Department of History, is originally from West Virginia. Having  spent more than 40 years teaching and writing about the Appalachian region, he also served as the director for the UK Appalachian Center for 16 years. Eller has also served as chairman of the Governor’s Kentucky

By Guy Spriggs

UK Geography professor Daehyun Kim was recently named the recipient of the J Warren Nystrom Award, a prize presented every year by the Association of American Geographers (AAG).

The award, funded by geographer and former AAG Executive Director John Warren Nystrom, is given for the best dissertation paper presented by a recent doctoral graduate in geography.

Judging for the award began back in August of 2011. Kim was named a finalist for the Nystrom Award, and presented his paper at the annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers in February 2012.

“To be honest, I was not very confident,” Kim explained. “During the presentation I saw a lot of good research, so I was not sure about

By Whitney Hale

Chemist and educator John Anthony will receive the 2012 University of Kentucky Libraries Medallion for Intellectual Achievement. The award will be presented to the medallion recipient at the University of Kentucky Libraries Annual Dinner scheduled for April 13, at the Hilary J. Boone Center on the UK campus. This year's dinner will also feature a talk by guest speaker and UK alumnus Alan C. Lowe, director of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum.

The UK Libraries Medallion for Intellectual Achievement recognizes high intellectual achievement while encouraging education and promoting creativity throughout the Commonwealth. Candidates must have been born in Kentucky or studied, worked or lived in Kentucky for at least three years and have

By Torie Johnson, Kathy Johnson

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) today announced the winners of its first ever Southeastern Conference Faculty Achievement Awards. The awards honor professors from SEC universities with outstanding records in teaching and scholarship who serve as role models for other faculty and students. The University of Kentucky's recognized professor is Steven W. Yates, professor of chemistry, physics, and astronomy in the UK College of Arts and Sciences.

In presenting the awards, the SEC becomes the only Division I conference within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) currently recognizing university faculty for their achievements, unrelated to athletics or student-athletes.

By Sarah Geegan

The UK Appalachian Center and Appalachian Studies Program will host the author, director, full cast and technical crew of Silas House's new play, "This is My Heart For You," fresh from its world premiere at Berea College. The cast will do a staged reading, accompanied by projected images of the world premiere event, at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, April 15, in Memorial Hall.

House, a Kentucky author whose novels have attained major prizes and spanned across national best-seller lists, sold out the first three performances of his play on the night of the world premiere.

"This is My Heart for You

By Guy Spriggs

Joe Sutliff Sanders is a professor at Kansas State University specializing in children’s literature. But according to Sanders, he found his way into children’s literature – and eventually into a job at one of the field’s leading programs – by accident.

As he was finishing his dissertation at the University of Kentucky in 2005 and preparing to enter the job market, Sanders took note of a series of interesting job offers.

“I kept coming across all these children’s literature positions,” he explained. “I kept saying, ‘It’s too bad that I don’t do children’s literature.’”

Then, Sanders says, he realized that his whole project was directly related to his future field.

Sanders started applying for those positions and found himself in the middle of

Download brochure (PDF)

On Veterans Day, 2013, we were pleased to rededicate Buell Armory in memory of Colonel Lawrence A. Floro, Jr.  This rededication marked the official end of phase two of the Buell Armory and Barker Hall renovation project we started in 2011.  The project began with a vision to bring the Armory on par with the rest of the buildings on campus and provide a learning and training environment conducive for proper Cadet development.  Senior leaders in the university and an extensive community of generous alumni and supporters of the program believed in our vision.  Together, they teamed to contribute more than $500,000 for the renovation.  With that money we were able to recreate a professional space that welcomes Cadets, athletes, faculty, and prospective students into an

By Katy Bennet, Student Activities Board

Kentucky-bred writers Hope Johnson and Bianca Spriggs will share their stories of the transition from student to writer and establishing their names and work within the community at the James Baker Hall Writers Series at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 10, in Student Center's Center Theater. This event is free and is sponsored by the Student Activities Board.

The evening will begin with an open mic opportunity for creative writers, students, faculty and community members to share their work followed by a reading and talk by each author.

Johnson finds influence for her work by growing up in Lexington. Johnson received a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Kentucky and is currently a post-baccalaureate student. Johnson’s work has been published in many

By Ann Kingsolver, Sarah Geegan

Author bell hooks will give the final lecture in the "Place Matters" series, sponsored by the University of Kentucky Appalachian Center and Appalachian Studies Program. The lecture, "Reclaiming Place: Making Home," will take place from 3:30-5 p.m. Tuesday, April 10, in the Worsham Theater, with a reception following at the Appalachian Center (624 Maxwelton Court).

Writing as bell hooks, Kentucky-born Gloria Jean Watkins received her doctorate in literature from the University of California Santa Cruz and has taught at a number of universities across the country. She has published more than 30 books; her forthcoming book of poetry, "Appalachian Elegy: Poetry and Place," will be released by the University Press