Out of the Big Blue

Very soon new incoming UK students will receive a copy of the first book they should read as they embark on their college education.

Perhaps you remember reading the same book, sometimes referred to as the “freshman bible.”

The “K Book” is one of UK’s oldest traditions, tracing its history back to 1901, when it was a small, pocket-sized booklet published for students by students. It contained freshman rules, school traditions, athletic schedules, and school songs. At that time it was called the “Freshman Handbook.”

Cover of the 1951-1952 K Book

Published annually until 1917, the book was discontinued because of World War I. Publication of the book began again in 1921 and continued until 1966.

In 2007, the freshman handbook, or “K Book,” was resurrected and is now an important part of welcoming new students to the university to make the transition to college life a little easier.

The “K Book,” written by students for students, is a guide to life at UK and is the “go-to” resource for incoming students. Its pages are filled with everything you’d ever want to know about UK — from UK history to academic life to getting involved on campus, the “K Book” covers it all!

New Wildcats can expect to find their “K Book” in the mail in just a few weeks! Here’s a sneak preview of this year’s book:

2011 K Book cover

2011 K Book- Table of Contents

2011 K Book History spread

Today’s guest post comes from CareerCat, the official blog of UK Alumni Career Services.

Written by Caroline Francis

We recently spoke with Mr. James Stuckert about his career and asked him to share a bit about his professional journey. Mr. Stuckert is extremely active on campus volunteering on many committees and attending annual campus events.

Mr. Stuckert received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering (1960) and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (1961) from UK. His first job after college was with Cummins Engine Company in Columbus, Indiana. After a few years, Mr. Stuckert realized that his true passion was the stock market and finances. Subsequent to interviewing several firms, Mr. Stuckert joined W.L. Lyons & Company. After just six years, he became a partner of the then merged J.J.B. Hilliard, W.L. Lyons & Company. He was responsible for equity trading at Hilliard Lyons prior to assuming the roles of Chairman and CEO in 1995. He has served on the Board of Directors of Hilliard Lyons, Inc. since its incorporation in 1972 until his retirement as Chairman of the Board in 2003.

As for advice, Mr. Stuckert shares repeatedly “Don’t get discouraged. Keep going. Do what you love!” He also encourages everyone to watch Steve Jobs’ inspirational Stanford graduation speech. When hiring, Mr. Stuckert says that he always tries to find candidates who are self-starters and those who have “moxy” – the ability to look at a situation and figure it out. As a manager, he has mentored many young professionals and uses six tenets as a guide. These tenets transcend many industries.

1) Clients are first and foremost

2) Maintain uncompromising Integrity

3) Keep it Simple

4) Hire and invest in the best

5) Do the right thing right

6) Utilize a teamwork approach

Mr. Stuckert is a Past President of the National Alumni Association and still remains on the Board of Directors. In 1980, he received the Distinguished Service Award for Exceptional Service to the University of Kentucky Alumni Association.

Mr. Stuckert serves as Chairman of the Board of the University of Kentucky Development Council. He was the Chair of the Capital Campaign recently concluded, which raised over $1 Billion for the University of Kentucky. Mr. Stuckert also chaired the Corporate and Foundation Committee for the new William T. Young Library Campaign in the early 1990s. Mr. Stuckert is a UK Fellow.

Mr. Stuckert was inducted to the Alumni Hall of Fame at the University of Kentucky Carol Martin Gatton College of Business and Economics in February 1997. He was also elected to the University Of Kentucky Hall Of Distinguished Alumni in May 2000, and was inducted into the School of Engineering Hall of Fame in April 2002.

As of July 1, 2009, Mr. Stuckert was appointed to the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees for a term of 6 years. His wife, the former Diane Vittitow of Owensboro, along with their three children, Steve, Susie and Scott, are all graduates of the University of Kentucky.

There’s one place on campus where stopping to smell the roses is not a cliché at all:  the rose garden at the UK Arboretum.

The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky, features a rose garden named one of ten National test gardens for the All America Rose Selection.

These trial gardens are where a variety of new hybrids are grown and evaluated for not only bloom production but disease resistance, form and novelty.

Professors in plant and soil science have been trying to get the Arboretum into one of the All America Rose Selection programs for about 10 years.

You can learn more about the Arboretum online or, better yet, stop to smell the roses in person the next time you visit campus during the summer months!

Christine Mattingly

Incoming UK freshman Christine Mattingly has a multitude of reasons to look forward to attending UK this fall. For one thing, she will be carrying on a family legacy.

“It feels like I’m continuing a family tradition by attending the University of Kentucky,” she says.  Her father, Joseph H. Mattingly III, received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from UK in 1983 and a law degree from the UK College of Law in 1986, and her mother, Carol Spalding Mattingly, received a bachelor’s degree in accounting with a minor in economics from UK in 1985.

Christine Mattingly, center, with her parents, Carol and Joe Mattingly, both UK grads.

Christine Mattingly received an Otis A. Singletary Scholarship and was the Distinguished Young Woman of Kentucky for 2011.  She spent two weeks in Mobile, Alabama for the national program where she was awarded one of the five fitness awards in the program out of 50 participants.

At UK, Mattingly will study computer engineering and has been accepted into the Students in Engineering and Management (SEAM) program this fall. “I toured the computer engineering program at UK last winter and I was amazed with the various projects I could contribute to as a freshman,” she says. She also plans to join a sorority and get involved with student life on UK’s campus as much as possible.

Mattingly says, “If I was told a year ago that I would be attending UK this fall, I would have never believed it!  I wanted to explore college life in my own way and didn’t think I could so close to home.  However, after touring UK’s campus and its College of Engineering, I realized that the other universities just didn’t have as much to offer!”

“My parents are glad they now have another reason to make extra stops to their favorite college campus,” she says.

We are glad to have her and hope to count her among UK alumni in the future!

Christine Mattingly, second from right, poses with (l to r) her brother and sister, and friend Brooklyn Russell before a UK football game.

Do you have a legacy story? Email it to christina.noll@uky.edu

To say that Ashley Hawkins ’08 EN won a poster contest is a bit of an understatement.

Especially when you find out the subject of her poster: “Biodegradable Hydrogel Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering.”

Hawkins, a UK grad and current UK chemical engineering graduate student, was one of 10 winners of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) poster competition. As a top-10 winner, she received a $3,000 travel award.

The work contestants present in the NSF-IGERT poster competition transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries and addresses complex research problems of significant scientific and societal importance. Selected as one of 24 finalists in the 2011 competition, Hawkins traveled to NSF in Washington, D.C. to present her poster along with 134 other Ph.D. students. It was there that her poster was named a top ten winner.

“I was very excited to be chosen as a representative from the University of Kentucky to present a poster in the competition. It was overall a great experience and I really enjoyed participating,” she said in an interview.

Hawkins is a third year grad student from Milton, Kentucky. She graduated from Trimble County High School in 2004 and received a B.S. in chemical engineering from UK in 2008. This is her second national contest win.

To listen to Hawkins explain her winning poster visit http://www.igert.org/posters2011/posters/20

To see a pdf version of the winning poster, click Hawkins’ Poster

As the 18th president of Alcorn State University in Mississippi, UK alumnus M. Christopher Brown ’94 ED is the youngest president to lead the oldest historically black land-grant in the nation.

Photo courtesy of Alcorn State University

Brown, who earned his master’s degree in educational policy studies and evaluation from the UK College of Education, earned a national reputation for his research and scholarly writing on education policy, governance/administration, and institutional contexts. He received both the Association for the Study of Higher Education (2001) and American Educational Research Association (2002) early career research awards, as well as the 2007 Philip C. Chinn Book Award from the National Association for Multicultural Education, and the 2008 Association of Teacher Educators Distinguished Educator Award.

Before arriving at Alcorn State, Brown served as executive vice president and provost at Fisk University in Nashville and prior to that he was dean of the College of Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He also has held positions with the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, the American Educational Research Association and the United Negro College Fund.

Special thanks to Brad Duncan, UK College of Education

Hey Wildcats! Are you planning to travel this summer? Already been on a great vacation? Send us a photo showing your Big Blue Pride — wearing UK Gear, holding a UK banner, etc. — wherever you are in the world. Let’s see how many places we can represent the Big Blue Nation around the globe! Post your photo to our Facebook page or email photos to christina.noll@uky.edu

Kelli Elam, UK Alumni Association staff member and UK alumna, represented the Big Blue Nation in Cancun, Mexico last week.

Do you remember the first time you set foot on campus at UK?

Right now, we’re seeing new Wildcat faces all over campus during Summer Advising 2011! Incoming students are learning all about where to go and what to do once classes start back in the fall. One thing is sure: we can’t wait to welcome them as students and to eventually call them fellow UK Alumni!

Members of the UK Alumni Association staff help new Wildcats join STAT (Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow) during Summer Advising 2011.

Brothers Kody and Austin Rosenhagen from Ft. Thomas, Kentucky show off their official UK Alumni Association gear after signing up for a joint membership. Kody is a Junior at UK , majoring in History and Austin will be a Freshman at UK , majoring in mechanical engineering.

Members of the audience learning more about athletic tickets, STAT and TEAM WILDCAT raise their hands enthusiastically after being asked, "Who's going to be a Wildcat for life?"

Incoming UK student Nicole Hennard, a broadcast journalism major, and friend Brad Kohel, were two lucky winners of STAT/TEAM WILDCAT t-shirts given away during Summer Advising 2011.

Do you have photos of your first visit to UK? Share them with us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ukalumni