students who may not do the best on achievement scores or have the highest grade point average.
There is room for those students who have promise as well.
One-third of the incoming class was ranked in the top l0 percent of their high school
class, which means the GPA is up. Twenty-five percent ofthis class has a GPA of 4.0 or higher.
The ACT average is up to 25.5 compared to 25.2 last year and up from 23.9 since 2006. Nearly
450 students in this class have an ACT score of more than 30. More than 30 percent of this class
has an ACT score of 28 or above, and to put this in context, only 8 percent of all high school
students in Kentucky who take the ACT exam scored 30 or above. That is a remarkable statistic.
Data like this show that UK is attracting the best and brightest, and everyone should take pride in
that.
The enrollment is steady for graduate and professional students. There have been some
shifts from some programs that were master levels and that is reflected in this data. Post doctoral
students are included in the data, but the numbers are not final until October. While the
admission standards have become more rigorous, the yield increases indicate that more and more
students recognize UK’s programs as being top notch.
President Capilouto concluded his report by talking about "preview night,” which gives
students an opportunity to meet UK representatives and leam about admission, financial aid,
scholarships, housing, majors, and degree programs. He congratulated and thanked the
enrollment management team led by Vice Provost Don Witt. He reported that there have already
been ten preview nights in Westem and Northem Kentucky with record turnouts at each event.
President Capilouto introduced five ofthe most outstanding first-year students: Bradley
Bemard from Geneva, Illinois, Alex McCulla from Hagerhill, Kentucky, Roshan Palli from
Lexington, KY, and Matthew Wilson from Simpsonville, Kentucky. These students exemplify
the academic quality and leadership attributes that he has had the pleasure of experiencing in his
first few months at the University. He noted that the students have perfect scores on their ACT
and SAT exams. President Capilouto thanked the students for their many accomplishments and
for their decision to join the University of Kentucky. The students received a round of applause.
President Capilouto said that there are outstanding faculty who teach, mentor, and
prepare students for the future. He said he was pleased to introduce Dr. Nathan DeWall, who is
an associate professor in the Department Psychology, and he recognized Dr. Richard Milich,
who is the chair ofthe Department. The Department was recently recognized as being number
one in a national study in clinical productivity of all departments across the nation.
President Capilouto gave some background information about Dr. DeWall. Dr. DeWall
has been at UK for four years. He is co-director of the Arts & Sciences Wired Residential
College. He was identified as a "Rising Star” by the Association for Psychological Science for
"making significant contributions to the field of psychological science” early in his career.
In 20l0, Dr. DeWall was awarded the Sage Young Scholars Award by the Foundation for
Personality and Social Psychology. This is awarded to early-career faculty who have
.8.