Out of the Big Blue

The first Distinguished Alumni Award from the UK Martin School of Public Policy and Administration has been conferred upon Bob Wiseman, UK vice president for facilities management. Wiseman earned a master’s degree in public administration from the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration in 1984.

Wiseman received the award at the school’s annual Alumni and Friends Reception, which was held at the Hillary J. Boone Center. 

He was appointed to his current post in 2004, after serving as associate vice president for facilities for a little over a year. Previously, Wiseman served as Lexington commissioner of public works, overseeing five operating divisions and numerous construction projects involving buildings, parking garages, roads, utilities and historic structure renovations. Additionally, he was executive assistant to Lexington mayors Scotty Baesler and Pam Miller, overseeing major capital programs and serving as liaison to UK and the Kentucky General Assembly.

Wiseman has served as a member of the Campus Master Plan Committee, College Town Steering Committee and Martin School Board of Visitors. He was also involved in the initial creation of the UK Coldstream Research Campus on Newtown Pike in Lexington. He has also taught graduate-level courses in public administration at the Martin School.

“The Martin School prepares students to become leaders in government and nonprofit organizations,” says William Hoyt, director of the Martin School. “Bob Wiseman is a great example of the kind of leaders our school can train. Having started out here as an undergraduate more than 30 years ago, his career has brought him full circle back to UK, where he oversees the entire university’s physical plant and capital projects management.”

Congratulations, Mr. Wiseman!

*compiled from material written by Keith Hautala, UKPR

Bob Wiseman

By Linda Perry

I’ve never been accused of being a numbers person, but even I think this is “wicked awesome.” UK and its partners have pulled together a way to show how much energy that buildings on campus are consuming daily. The neat thing is that this information is available to the public via a website, as well as touch-screen kiosks around campus and a mobile version for tablets and smart phones.

The website is called Empowered and is accessible to everyone with a computer. It’s a real-time energy dashboard where you can select different buildings on campus and compare their energy usage. For example, I checked on Haggin Hall. Its electrical usage at 8:25 a.m. is 1.38 watts/square feet, while the Ralph G. Anderson Building is using 3.24 watts/square feet. One’s a residence hall (in early morning students are either sleeping or leaving the building) and the other is for classrooms/offices (in the early morning students arrive for classes and employees for work).

The website also includes educational material and videos to help raise our “energy IQ” and make us more aware of conservation.

UK started looking into its energy usage about two years ago. Although Empowered was created primarily by the UK Office of Sustainability, Ameresco, and Yonder Interactive Neighborhoods, the whole effort included many entities like the Office of University Capital Projects and the UK Energy Club, a student group. Learn more about other offices and people involved in the project and how this will help UK. Then visit Empowered — but I warn you — it can be somewhat addictive!

In a recent issue of Business Lexington, the Central Kentucky community was introduced to three new local chamber of commerce directors. It was hard not to notice some distinct similarities between all three of these new community leaders. All were women; all were mothers; and all were graduates of the University of Kentucky!

Congratulations to our alumnae Lindsey Gronewold Stanley ’00 AS, Amy Brand Cloud ’93 CIS and Cindy Banks ’98 PH, on your recent appointments.

To read the article featured in Business Lexington, click here.

UK graduates are leaders in communities all across the Commonwealth, nation and world. Email us at ukalumni@uky.edu to share your story.

Photos courtesy of Business Lexington

By Molly Clark

Vinyl flooring, ceramic tile and sustainable jute are products one might consider when designing a house; not a dress. However, UK alumna and American Society of Interior Designers member Deborah Drury ’86 DES and a handful of UK College of Design students were more than up for the challenge during the 2011 Product Runway fashion show. The event was held by the Louisville/Lexington chapter of the International Interior Design Association.

Benefitting the Dress for Success charity, the competition challenged interior design firms, interior design students and flooring manufacturers to work together to create an outfit from nothing but flooring and finishing materials. Drury and her mentees took home the highest honor of the evening, beating out 17 other teams for “Sleek Sophistication,” a dazzling design made of flooring and finishing products from Johnsonite.

Designing this unusual piece of haute couture was a true collaboration between Drury, owner of Deborah Drury Interior Design in Lexington, and UK College of Design students.

“I am the American Society of Interior Designers professional liaison to the UK School of Interior Design,” says Drury. “I help schedule on and off campus educational meetings for them. I also have had UK interns at my company for years. It is important to give students real world experience.  My motto is ‘…mentor the youth in your chosen profession, they are our future.’”

While a student herself at UK in the 1980s, Drury cites Joe Rey-Barreau, associate professor of interior design, as a continual inspiration.

“All of my professors were quite memorable but Joe Rey-Barreau stands out,” she said. “He is still a fabulous speaker by making his lectures educational and entertaining for his students. You can listen to his lectures and continuing education courses for hours. That’s a true gift.”

A true work of art. This dress was compiled of nothing but flooring materials.

No wonder when you look at a globe you see mostly blue. UK alumni display Wildcat Pride all around the world. The University of Kentucky Malaysian Alumni Group (UKMAG) recently got together for the group’s yearly gathering in Malaysia. Douglas Boyd, professor of communications and information studies, and G.T. Lineberry, professor of engineering, made the trip around the world to join UKMAG for the festivities. From what we hear, a good time was had by all. From Kentucky to Malaysia and beyond, it’s a blue world.

By Molly Clark

There were hundreds of families gathered together on Friday, Dec. 16, 2011, for the University of Kentucky’s December commencement ceremony in Memorial Coliseum. However, for the Hobbs family of Pikeville, this particular ceremony marked the end of an era.

Rachel Hobbs ’11 ED, daughter of Jim and Karen Hobbs, was the fourth of four Hobbs daughters to walk across the stage and become an official UK alumna.

“I feel like my parents deserve an award,” said Rachel Hobbs. “At one point, there were three of us attending UK at the same time and my parents have paid tuition to UK for the last 11 years!”

Not to mention, all four Hobbs girls, Rebecca Hobbs ’05 ED, Sarah Hobbs Howard ’05 HS, Annie Hobbs Sword ’09 ED and Rachel Hobbs, were all members of Alpha Delta Pi sorority.

We are happy to call all four Hobbs girls alumni. With such similar university and sorority choices, it’s likely these sisters have been accused of being “copy cats” a time or two; and honestly, who would blame them?

Is attending UK a family tradition for you and yours? If so, please share your legacy story. Contact us at ukalumni@uky.edu. 

On Monday, Jan. 16, the nation will pause to honor Martin Luther King Jr., one of the most influential and iconic civil rights activists in history. The University of Kentucky and Lexington have put together a day-long tribute full of activities for those who wish to participate in honoring King.

If you are in the area, consider participating in one or all of the activities designed to celebrate King. Below are more details. If you would like more information on the day’s events, visit the official website here.

9-10 a.m. – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom March. Line up begins in the corridor of downtown Lexington Center, Heritage Hall.

10 a.m. – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom March. Departure begins from downtown Lexington Center Heritage Hall on West Main Street.

11 a.m. – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Celebration Commemorative Program – Lexington Center, Heritage Halls East and Center. Marc Lamont Hill will be the featured guest. Described as one of the leading hip-hop generation intellectuals in the country, Hill is an associate professor of education at Columbia University Teachers College and an affiliated faculty member of the Institute for Research in African American Studies at Columbia University, an accomplished author, a compelling speaker and a regular commentator with national media, including National Public Radio, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Essence magazine, CNN, and other television networks.

2 p.m. – Screening of “Freedom Riders” at the Kentucky Theater. This event is free to the public.

By Molly Clark

Happy New Year Wildcats! We are only five days into 2012 and many of us are still holding to those New Year’s resolutions to which we so hopefully committed on Jan. 1. The beginning of a new year always seems to bring a refreshing sense of renewal and optimism.

This phenomenon is no exception for the University of Kentucky. The new year brings a new academic semester for students, lots more opportunities to cheer on our beloved Cats (what a great segue into the new year with that win over Louisville) and countless other reasons why 2012 is a great year to be a Wildcat! 

If you were one of those people whose New Year’s resolution was not to have a New Year’s resolution, try reconsidering and commit to a resolution that doesn’t involve going on impossible diets or workout regimens.

Why not commit to being more involved with the UK Alumni Association in 2012? Becoming a member of the UK Alumni Association is a great option which is sure to make your year a lot more interesting. Member benefits include eligibility to participate in the exclusive Traveling Wildcats program, access to alumni career services, a free subscription to Kentucky Alumni magazine and many more valuable opportunities. Show your Wildcat Pride by joining today at www.ukalumni.net/join. 

We’d like to hear some of your New Year’s resolutions. What are you doing in 2012 to make it a happy, prosperous year?

“It just proved to be everything I thought it would be,” Cathy Black says from the newsroom of CBS in New York City where she now lives. “UK has something for everybody, and I think that’s what really drew me to the school.”

Black, a CBS national senior producer and booking agent, negotiates with recording artists like Beyoncé to appear on the CBS Early Show. As far as she has come in her career, this 1985 UK graduate gives credit for its beginnings to professors in the UK College of Communications and Information Studies who helped her line up internships at TV stations in Lexington and Washington. You can read more about Black and how she says the college and a scholarship helped her succeed in this article by UK Public Relations.