By Jennifer T. Allen

Last year, Jayden Sheridan worked 70+ hours a week to make ends meet while taking a 19-credit hour course load. A first-generation student from Findlay, Ohio, majoring in political science and minoring in gender and women’s studies and criminology while also working on a peace studies certificate, Sheridan has no lack of motivation.

“Looking back, I don’t know how I was doing that,” she said. “I don’t know how I was keeping my grades up and also working that much. Honestly, last year was a blur.” 

Being the first in your family to attend college means navigating the world of higher education without much guidance from home. Sheridan knew that to get the research experiences she wanted while in college, she was going to have to look for funding opportunities. 

“First-generation students don’t know where to go for scholarships

By Danielle Donham and Lindsey Piercy

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 2, 2022) — In times of crisis and uncertainty, we look to those with knowledge and experience to lead us through understanding. From economics and trade to warfare and culture — our faculty members at the University of Kentucky are generous in sharing their expertise to help the campus community and beyond comprehend events that are unfolding in real-time.

UKNow spoke with Robert Farley (senior lecturer, Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce), 

By Addison Cave

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Two graduates from the University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences have been admitted to top political science Ph.D. programs and will be continuing their education in the fall. Both students had mentorship throughout their time at UK that put them in the position to be admitted with full funding to some of the most competitive programs in the country.

Sloan Lansdale

Sloan Lansdale of Mount Sterling, Kentucky, received a dual degree in International Studies and Political Science. In addition, she received a certificate in Peace Studies. She began her venture as solely an International Studies major but quickly realized that she also was drawn to political science and studying events that impacted the world as a whole.

With so much interest in these areas, multiple professors mistook her as a

By Richard LeComte 

An overwhelming number of conflicts seem to be breaking out all over the world. They range from the Syrian civil war and the rekindled war between Armenia and Azerbaijan to protests over police actions in the United States. Enter Jesse C. Johnson, director of the Peace Studies Program in the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts & Sciences. The idea of bringing resolution – and peace -- to hostile environments spurs a host of topics for classes and research.  

“The purpose of the Peace Studies Program is to introduce students to what research has to say about how to reduce conflict in the world and to leverage the research to sort out what the most

By Olivia Bloss

In spring 2020, I had the opportunity to present my peace studies capstone research at a national conference in Washington, D.C. My research was inspired by experiences in the Peace Studies Program and a semester-long internship on Capitol Hill. This activity started my freshman year when I enrolled in Introduction to Peace Studies. Upon enrolling in the class, I didn’t have the slightest idea of what peace studies actually was. I quickly discovered that peace studies is unique in that it offers a holistic, interdisciplinary perspective on personal biases, civil conflicts, political unrest and state instability, which is extremely valuable for promoting peace and stability.

This class immediately drew me to studying peace, because as a global citizen, I believe it is important to appreciate societal differences without those differences resulting in

By Julie Wrinn

By choosing to attend the University of Kentucky, 600 miles away from her childhood home in Manchester, Iowa, Sydney Litterer was testing herself. She had an interest in working abroad, and she figured that if she could handle going to college so far from home, she might be comfortable living overseas.

“It was a bit of a test run,” she said. “I started looking out of state almost exclusively, and the international focus was a really big factor for me.”

Thanks to the UK College of Engineering’s outstanding opportunities for study abroad — unusual in that field due to the constraints of the engineering curriculum — Litterer chose UK. She was thrilled two have two different study abroad experiences: in Karlsruhe, Germany, where she first took Calculus 3 with a group of other UK students; and later at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology as an

By Madison Dyment

Senior University of Kentucky students Bushra Bani-Salman, Candela Arias Perez and Olivia Bloss were selected to present their independent research at the Pi Sigma Alpha National Student Research Conference in Washington, D.C.

The students are Political Science majors receiving Peace Studies certificates in the College of Arts & Sciences. 

"Getting the opportunity to both conduct independent research and present it in a national conference, and getting to watch my peers do the same, is one of the biggest highlights of my undergraduate career," Arias Perez said. "It was a wonderful learning experience."

Pi Sigma Alpha serves as the national honors society for political science undergraduates. Over President’s Day weekend in February 2020, the society held its centennial conference. At the conference:  

By Lori Minter

A record number of students made the University of Kentucky Dean's List for the fall 2016 semester. The 7,408 students were recognized for their outstanding academic performance.  That's an increase of more than 200 over the previous record reached in fall 2015 when the number of students on the UK Dean's List surpassed 7,000 for the first time.  Last semester's Dean's List includes over 700 more students than the spring 2016 semester's list.

To make a Dean’s List in one of the UK colleges, a student must earn a grade point average of 3.6 or higher and must have earned 12 credits or more in that semester, excluding credits earned in pass-fail classes.  Some UK colleges require a 3.5 GPA to make the Dean’s List.

The full Dean's List can be accessed by visiting www.uky.edu/PR

By Gail Hairston

by Gail Hairston

(Nov. 5, 2014) — “Democracy at Risk Around the World” will be examined at the next University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences’ Year of the Middle East: Crossroads of the World event Nov. 7.

The Quantitative Initiative in Political and Social Research (QIPSR) contributes to The Year of the Middle East calendar with this fifth annual conference, featuring:

By Sarah Schuetze

When Virginia Conn was growing up in LaGrange, Ky., the opening of the town’s first Chinese restaurant warranted a school field trip for lunch. At that time, LaGrange was still growing, and it didn’t offer Conn much exposure to different cultures or people. Through reading, however, Conn’s passion for language and culture began to grow.

This fall, Conn took a new step in pursuing this passion as a graduate student in the Comparative Literature Department at Rutgers University. She hopes her degree will allow her to live and work in different countries, “never settling for too long in any one place,” and it’s that process of adapting that interests Conn.

As an English

by Gail Hairston 

(Sept. 30, 2014) — More than an “s” has been added since the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Science was created in 1908 with only seven faculty members. In fact there was a College of Arts and Science even before the institution was named the University of Kentucky; the institution was called the State University, Lexington, Kentucky (previously Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky and State College) until 1916.

In those 106 years, several of today’s largest colleges were birthed from the original College of Arts and Science’s former programs, including today’s College of Education, College of Communication and Information, College of Social Work and College of Fine Arts.

The college grew quickly under the inspiration and commitment of President James Patterson, whose statue now graces the plaza next to

by Jenny Wells, Derrick Meads 

(April 21, 2014) — Legendary anti-apartheid activist Denis Goldberg will speak at 4 p.m. today in the William T. Young Library Auditorium. A reception will follow at 5 p.m.

In 1964, Goldberg, Nelson Mandela and six others were tried and convicted for trying to overthrow the apartheid regime in South Africa.  He spent the next 22 years in prison, and was released in 1985 on the condition that he be exiled from his native South Africa to Israel.

After his release, Goldberg instead traveled the world organizing international opposition to apartheid, becoming a spokesperson for the African National Congress, then the leading anti-apartheid organization and current ruling party of South

by Katy Bennett, Student Activities Board

LEXINGTON, Ky (Feb. 17, 2014) — Genocide Awareness Week at the University of Kentucky will begin with Derreck Kayongo, a refugee of the Ugandan civil war. Kayongo will share his experiences as a refugee and how he turned his struggles into an opportunity. He will point out how small contributions can save thousand of lives. Kayongo will speak at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 17, in the Student Center's Center Theater. This event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Student Activities Board's Multicultural Affairs Committee.

After many years of witnessing devastation in his homeland, Kayongo is now a philanthropist and the founder of the Global Soap Project. Used hotel soaps are

by Gail Hairston

(Jan. 17, 2014) — Students, faculty and staff affiliated with the University of Kentucky’s Martin Luther King Center wanted to highlight Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy this January.  Their brainstorming brought them around full circle to an old favorite — the campus vigil.

“The vigil stands as a way to remember Dr. King’s message and convey how important it is to keep his message alive,” said interim center director Kahlil Baker. “Dr. King strived to eradicate social injustice, violence and racism, and we want to celebrate that.”

For this year’s commemoration, on Jan. 19, the Sunday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the students, faculty and staff affiliated with the King Center have organized a vigil and march that will take participants on a

by Jenny Wells

(Jan. 16, 2014) — Next week, University of Kentucky students will have an opportunity to learn how to gain global skills and make a difference in the lives of others.

An information session about joining the Peace Corps will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, in Room 408 of the Stuckert Career Center.

Represenatives from the Peace Corps will discuss the personal and professional rewards of international outreach and service work, along with career advantages and higher education benefits that come with Peace Corps service.

Walk-ins are welcome, but attendees may also pre-register at www.peacecorps.gov/volunteer/learn/meet/events/7598/

About Peace Corps

More than 8,000 volunteers of all

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 14, 2013) — The University of Kentucky Confucius Institute will present a lecture on Japanese agrarian immigration in China presented by scholar and anthropologist Mariko Asano-Tamanoi as part of its Distinguished Scholar Lecture Series. The free public lecture by Asano-Tamanoi titled "Transnational 'Manchuria,' Trans-nationalized Japan, and the Future of Postwar Japan" will begin 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19, in the Alumni Gallery of William T. Young Library.

Asano-Tamanoi, a professor at University of California, Los Angeles, began research on Japanese agrarian immigration to Northeast China in the mid-1980s, and published "Memory Maps: The State and Manchuria in Postwar

video courtesy of UK Public Relations & Marketing

article by Jenny Wells

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 7, 2013) — In addition to research presentations, the 2014 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) will offer numerous volunteer opportunities for the entire campus community when the University of Kentucky hosts the conference April 3-5, 2014. From helping direct traffic, to managing technology, to just helping students find where they need to go, there will be a variety of positions available to students, faculty and staff.

Students will have even more flexibility to get involved, as the University Senate has given permission for faculty to redirect their classes April 3 and 4 so students can attend conference events and presentations. 

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