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        Mr. Reed called for a motion of approval of PR 5. Ms. Sims moved approval.
Professor Kennedy seconded the motion, and it carried without dissent. (See PR 5 at the
end of the Minutes.)

        Provost Nietzel reported that this position is very important to him. He began
his comments by acknowledging the terrific work that Doug Kalika had done the past two
years as the Acting Dean of the Graduate School. The Graduate School thrived in those
two years, and Dr. Kalika was a wonderful Dean. He said he was very much appreciative
to Dr. Kalida for all the good work that he did.

        Provost Nietzel said that 1985 was a good year for the University of Kentucky.
It was that year that Dr. David Watt and Dr. Jeannine Blackwell both joined the faculty.
Dr. Blackwell is also very well known on campus. She has had a number of leadership
positions. She was educated at Duke University where she received her undergraduate
degree and her Master's degree and then her Ph.D. in German at Indiana. Dr. Blackwell
has a national reputation as a leader in the modem language association, and in a variety
of professional organizations devoted to scholarship in German studies. She is a former
chair of the Department of German and Germanic Languages. She was an Associate
Dean in Arts and Sciences and most recently, an Acting Director of Women's Studies as
well. She has been the Senior Associate Dean in the Graduate School. A national search
for the position was conducted. There were approximately 40 candidates for the position.
Three individuals were interviewed. Dr. Blackwell received very good broad support
across the campus. Provost Nietzel said that he is delighted to be able to have her assume
the leadership as Dean of the Graduate School and also delighted that her husband,
Michael, and daughter, Betina, are at the meeting to join in recognizing her appointment.
He asked Dr. Blackwell for comments.

        Dr. Blackwell said that she is excited to accept the challenge of leading the
Graduate School during the next couple of years as the University tries to fulfill the
dream and the challenge that is being laid out in the new strategic plan. Graduate
education will be a key to preparing future leadership for the Commonwealth. Training
scientists, entrepreneurs, teachers, social workers, medical personnel, artists and all sorts
of professionals who think creatively, are the people Kentucky needs -- both homegrown
and from the nation and the world. A thriving Graduate School helps make a gifted and
well-educated community and such a community attracts creative people. She looks
forward to making Graduate Studies at UK that kind of productive endeavor. She
pointed out that she could not do this without a strong tradition in graduate education at
the University. She thanked the former Deans of the Graduate School for helping
establish that. She noted that is quite a roster: Wimberly Royster, Dan Reedy and Mike
Nietzel. She also thanked the staff of the Graduate School who keeps the wheels turning.
That is what makes it possible for the University to grind out all of the degrees. She
acknowledged her daughter, Betina Jones, who is an honor student at Morton Middle
School but who does not want to go to Graduate School. She wants to go to Law School.