The Honorable Albert B. Chandler III (Ben Chandler) received his B.A. in history in 1983 and his J.D. in 1986. He was elected Kentucky Attorney General in 1995 and served as the United States Representative for Kentucky's 6th congressional district from 2004 to 2013. A long-time supporter of arts and humanities at the state and national level, he is now executive director the Kentucky Humanities Council.

Dr. Paul G. Sears, in the Department of Chemistry, earned his B.S. in Industrial Chemistry in 1950, as well as his Ph.D. in 1953 both from UK. He served as a professor of Chemistry for 28 years, where he influenced the lives of more than 7,200 undergraduates before retiring in 1990. He also served on the UK Board of Trustees for 12 years, including terms as assistant secretary and as secretary, as well as on President Otis Singletary's council as faculty assistant to the president.

Dr. Marcus T. McEllistrem, in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, taught at UK from 1957-1994, before becoming an Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor Emeritus from 2008-present. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. both in nuclear physics from University of Wisconsin, Madison. He has been an invited guest scientist at many prestigious institutions and laboratories, such as Brookhaven National Laboratory, Notre Dame University and Bruyères le Châtel, CEA, France.