Out of the Big Blue

It’s a fact that Malaysia is located just about as far away as you can possibly get from Wildcat country. But that doesn’t stop members of the Malaysian UK Alumni Club from sharing their pride in blue.

Club member Sue-Ann Chia gives us the details on their latest gathering:

“A new year and a new decade have come, but one thing hasn’t changed! Just like we do every year, the UK Alumni in Malaysia met again this January with the usual suspects – Professors Douglas Boyd and G.T. Lineberry. It was a good time of catching up with old buddies and meeting new friends.

Our meeting was held in Bangsar, a neighborhood well-known for its many eateries and the high population of expatriate families. We had a wonderful meal paired with excellent conversation.

There were alumni who graduated as far back as the early 90s, and some as recent as several years ago. Some of the attendees were regulars while there were others who joined us for the first time. One alumnus even drove 4 hours from another state just to attend the dinner!

The evening ended with a lucky draw for some memorabilia from UK as gifts. We each took home a small token to remind us of our time at UK. The next gathering is just 11 months away, and we eagerly look forward to it!”

Whether it’s a late night (okay, technically early morning) trip to Tolly Ho for breakfast, lining up to cheer during the Cat Walk as the players enter Commonwealth Stadium before a big football game, or sledding in the bowl at William T. Young Library after the first big snow, there are many traditions here at UK. Students carry on the traditions now, while alumni remember them fondly as a big part of their experience here on campus.

Throughout the coming year, Out of the Big Blue will be focusing on UK traditions in special posts looking back at the history, development and continuation of everything from the UK fight song to our mascot, the Wildcat.

We’d like your help! What are your favorite UK traditions? What traditions do you uphold now, as an alumni, to keep your UK spirit alive? Let us know!

It’s no secret that many students who come from out-of-town to attend UK end up staying because they fall in love with Lexington. Still, many others leave to seek greener pastures, only to find their way back years later. If you ever dream of moving back to the Bluegrass, to be closer to your alma mater, we’d like to give you just a few more reasons to call Lexington your permanent home. Besides boasting blue ribbon schools, and being listed as one of the top ten best places to live in America, Lexington is proud to hold these rankings:

#2 Most educated workforce (Business Facilities, 2009)

#6 Best mid-size place to start a small business (CNNMoney, 2009)

#5 Best cities for families (Parenting, 2010)

#2 Best cities for education (Parenting, 2010)

#6 Low-cost manufacturing center (Business Facilities, 2010)

#7 Best city to raise a family (Children’s Heatlh, 2008)

#13 Top hotspot for young, talented workers (NextCities, 2009)

#3 Best places to retire (CNNMoney, 2010)

#25 Greenest city (Popular Science, 2008)

#7 Best city in terms of business costs (KPMG Competitive Alternatives, 2010)

And there’s more. How about those rolling hills, scenic horse country, and beautiful bluegrass that surrounds this thriving city? For UK grads looking to come back, there are so many reasons to call Lexington home, again.

(Information provided by Commerce Lexington)

Students stopped by King Alumni House on Monday, Jan. 10 for International Students Orientation. The orientation gives new international students the opportunity to meet one another and learn about their upcoming semester at UK.

The International Student Ambassadors work with International Student & Scholar Services in welcoming new international students to campus, promoting events and programs and assisting staff in providing support to students, scholars and departments . Six of the seven undergraduate students selected as 2010-2011 International Student Ambassadors are pictured below (L to R: Derrick Baah, Qing Ma, Maria Alejandra Zavala, Xiang Xie, Haibin Zheng and Waqar Khan.)

Photos by Albert Kalim

The University of Kentucky Federal Credit Union (UKFCU) performed somewhat of a magic trick at the end of last year when they helped turn auto loans into the gift of life.

From left to right: Aimee’ Baston, Manager of Annual Giving; David Kennedy, UKFCU President/CEO; Greg Baker, UKFCU VP Sales & Marketing; Dr. Lou Bezold, Chief of Pediatric Cardiology; Dr. Michael Karpf, Executive Vice President for Health Affairs.

Actually, through a special promotion held in September, $75 of each new or refinanced auto loan at UKFCU went to Kentucky Children’s Hospital. With the help of their members and a matching gift from Children’s Miracle Network, the UKFCU donated over $23,000 to the Children’s Hospital. The result is truly magic for children all over the state whose lives will be touched through services at Kentucky Children’s Hospital.

“We appreciate UKFCU and all they do to support Kentucky Children’s Hospital.  Their partnership ensures we are able to provide the best care for our patients and their families,” said Aimee’ Baston, Manager of Annual Giving at Kentucky Children’s Hospital.

David Kennedy, UKFCU President/CEO also added, “As UK’s Credit Union, we are always looking for ways to give back and we are so pleased that our members took the challenge and played a part in making this contribution to support Kentucky Children’s Hospital.”

UKFCU has been a longtime valued partner of the UK Alumni Association. UKFCU has four branches in Lexington.  Its field of membership consists of UK alumni and the students, faculty and staff of University of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University and Kentucky Community and Technical College System.  They also serve  several companies in the Lexington community, and those that live, work, worship, or attend school in certain geographic areas of Lexington.  For more information, please visit www.ukfcu.org