-3-
The admission application has already been changed to add some questions about diversity as well as other leadership activities the students could put on their applications. The application process needs some other indicators of success that need to be monitored in order to achieve fairness when accepting students into the programs.
The African-American retention rate at UK is the highest in the state. The administration takes great pride in nurturing those students as well as other students to get them through the process.
The university is making headway with retention; however, the Board's thoughts and assistance are always welcomed. More people need to get involved in the recruiting process, especially in recommending students.
The university has had a program in place for approximately ten years called "Come See for Yourself." Groups of African-American students are invited to campus to come and see what they think about today's University of Kentucky. The university received some positive comments in a recent newspaper article about some students who attended this program.
Three years ago a summer program was developed to invite applications from undergraduate African-American students to work in the laboratories and the offices with the university's "Bucks for Brains" faculty members. There have been over 100 students go through the program, working with over 90 of the top faculty members at the university. It is a very strong program. Each student is given $3,500, and the professor receives $1,000 for supplies, etc. Many of the students continue working with the professors beyond their summer experience.
President Todd said that this current issue provides the opportunity to look forward and try to greatly improve the university's efforts in the African-American student area, and he has every confidence that this will be done.
UK Receives $6 Million from NIH to Pursue Parkinson's Research The University of Kentucky Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Center of Excellence has been awarded nearly $6 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to continue work on the promising drug glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor and similar compounds. This NIH grant shows great confidence in the research program, and the administration is proud of this research.
The CBS news show 60 Minutes provided coverage of the Parkinson's Disease work that has been done at the UK. There has been quite a discussion because Amgen, Inc. suddenly withdrew the drug from testing amid allegations of safety and efficacy concerns, to the dismay of many involved in the trial of the drug.