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By UK Athletics June 24, 2021

**LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 24, 2021) — **The following are statements from University of Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart, Kentucky men's basketball head coach John Calipari, Kentucky football head coach Mark Stoops and Kentucky women's basketball head coach Kyra Elzy regarding today's executive order by Gov. Andy Beshear on name, image, likeness.

Mitch Barnhart will also be available to the media via virtual press conference on Friday at 2 p.m. 

Mitch Barnhart, UK athletics director "Today's executive order from the Governor provides us the flexibility we need at this time to further develop policies around Name, Image and Likeness (NIL). We are appreciative of that support as it is a bridge until such time as state and/or federal laws are enacted. The landscape of college sports is now in the midst of dramatic and historic change — perhaps the biggest set of shifts and changes since scholarships were first awarded decades ago. What won't change is our core and most important principle — the well-being and development of our student athletes, while they are at UK and, as importantly, in preparing them for success in life, on whatever path they choose. We are extremely well-positioned to help our student-athletes navigate this new and complex terrain. Much of what we need to do to support students in terms of NIL — through The Kentucky Road initiative — has been in place for some time. We have a strong foundation, which we will now work to build on."

You can read more about The Kentucky Road initiative here: https://ukathletics.com/news/2019/10/15/general-uk-unveils-the-kentucky-road https://ukathletics.com/news/2021/6/16/general-uk-athletics-affirms-commitment-to-student-athletes-through-the-kentucky-road.aspx

John Calipari, UK men's basketball head coach "We are entering into an exciting age in college athletics. At the University of Kentucky, we have always put student-athletes first and today's executive order by Gov. Andy Beshear — who I want to thank for making this a priority — will empower universities across the state to support their young men and women better than ever. Whether we are talking about name, image and likeness, lifetime scholarships, financial literacy, health and wellness, or player welfare, student-athletes have been at the center of every decision at Kentucky. With today's announcement, we continue to take positive steps forward in supporting our student-athletes to an even greater degree statewide. They deserve our time, effort and resources in making sure they have the opportunities to benefit from the hard work they put into their athletic and educational careers. As we wait on federal legislation, our program will continue to support, elevate and educate our kids."

Mark Stoops, UK football head coach "Supporting our student-athletes is at the center of Kentucky Athletics and today's announcement is another step in that direction. Name, image and likeness issues are at the forefront of college athletics and we appreciate Gov. Beshear helping us address current needs while long-term solutions are being developed on the national level. Our established principles of educational excellence, athletic success and personal development have us well-positioned as the NIL process begins."

Kyra Elzy, UK women's basketball head coach "I appreciate Gov. Beshear stepping up and making student-athletes in the state of Kentucky a priority. The University of Kentucky has been a leader in name, image and likeness. I know our administration will work with the Governor's office to ensure that student-athletes in Kentucky will continue to take the necessary steps to stay atop of NIL issues."

By Jay Blanton June 16, 2021

**LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 16, 2021) — **University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto says UK’s mission is to advance Kentucky — its health and education, its economy and quality of life.

UK’s proposed $5.1 billion budget for fiscal year 2021-2022, which the Board of Trustees considers Thursday, honors that mission, Capilouto said, by investing heavily in the people who do the work that makes advancing Kentucky possible — the university’s faculty, staff and students.

“We have a special community, whose mission for more than 156 years has been to serve our state. It’s why we were created, and it’s the mission we seek to honor every day,” Capilouto said. “That vital work is only possible when we make college more affordable for students and families. It’s only possible when we invest in the people who do the teaching and research and provide the lifesaving care, which does so much to make our state stronger and healthier.”

To that end, Capilouto said that the proposed budget further invests in students and families by continuing historic steps to hold down the cost of a college education and in UK’s faculty and staff, with substantial measures to increase compensation and benefits.

Investing in Students and Families

The proposed budget would if approved by the Board:

• Increase by only 1% tuition and mandatory fees for undergraduate and graduate students. For undergraduate students from Kentucky, that would result in tuition and fees equaling $6,305 in Fall 2021, up from $6,242 last year. It’s the second year in a row that tuition increases have been held to 1% — perhaps unprecedented in UK’s history. This also means that the four-year average for annual increases sits at 1.7%, notably lower than four-year U.S. inflation rate of nearly 2%.
• **Invest $148 million in scholarships and financial aid that students don’t have to repay, more than double what was invested 10 years ago. **In fact, nearly 90% of UK’s in-state undergraduates receive scholarships or aid. On average, their out-of-pocket costs for tuition and fees last fall was $1,759. About half of UK’s in-state students graduate without debt and, of those who do, the average debt was less than $35,000.
• Target scholarships and aid to students who need it most, those with unmet financial need. In Fall 2020, about 25% of undergraduates from Kentucky came from families where the median income was $23,346. Those students had no out-of-pocket costs for tuition and fees. They also were provided, through aid, more than $700 to cover other expenses. In fact, through the UK LEADS program, unmet financial need among UK students declined to a level last experienced four years ago.

Investing in UK’s People

The budget, if approved, would also:

• Increase the minimum hourly rate to $15 by January — the fourth time in six years that rate has been increased.
• Provide a $1,000 one-time payment to all full-time, regular, non-UK HealthCare employees (faculty and staff) in July and 2% merit pay increases in January — the ninth time in 11 years employees have received pay raises. As the UK HealthCare enterprise operates on a separate salary review cycle, decisions will be made this fall about UK HealthCare employee merit increases.
• Return the 2-to-1 retirement match for UK employees that was temporarily reduced last year as the university managed a more than $72 million budget shortfall as part of managing financial challenges during the pandemic.
• Create a new paid leave for staff of two weeks to care for new children and one week for parental care. Faculty leave is managed through a different process.
• For staff in non-health care areas, this budget will extend the deadline to use accrued vacation time set to expire June 30, 2021, until March 31, 2022. For UK HealthCare employees, nonexempt staff may be paid for their vacation time set to expire on Sept. 30, 2021, per the existing UK HealthCare policy. Exempt staff may extend any vacation time set to expire on Sept. 30, 2021, until June 29, 2022. You can read more about vacation policies here: www.uky.edu/hr/news/roll-over-your-expiring-vacation. Faculty vacation is managed through a different process.                                                               

Breaking Down the UK Budget

Eric N. Monday, UK’s executive vice president for finance and administration, said the proposed budget of nearly $5.1 billion is the largest in the university’s history and is about $700 million more than last year. UK’s overall budget has grown by nearly 90% in the last 10 years, nearly double what it was in 2012.

Here’s how the component parts of the budget break down:

• The increase in this year’s proposed budget is largely driven by the continued growth of UK HealthCare, which now represents nearly half of UK’s budget.
• More than 61% of the budget — the hospital and clinical services, largely — must be used for designated purposes such as patient care.
• Another 14% of the university’s budget is designated for specific purposes as well — restricted funds like research grants and contracts and auxiliary services which receive no money from the university’s general fund and generally fund themselves (like UK Athletics).
• Finally, fund balances are non-recurring funds invested by the institution, which essentially represent the institution’s rainy-day fund for emergency uses and building projects. That’s nearly 8% of the budget.
• What’s left is a little more than $840 million — the so-called undesignated fund or 17% of the budget — that is comprised of tuition dollars and support from the state. Those resources fund the daily operating expenses of the university: teaching and instruction; the salaries of employees on much of the campus; scholarships and financial aid; and utilities, among other things.

“When you think about your budget, it’s the best evidence of what you value,” Monday said. “It’s the best evidence of what you want to achieve, because it’s where one of the most precious resources — our funds, our students’ money, our state’s money — are invested. And the question is, what do you want to achieve? For this institution, as President Capilouto has said, we invest in our students and our people because that’s how we do the most to advance our state.”

The University of Kentucky is increasingly the first choice for students, faculty and staff to pursue their passions and their professional goals. In the last two years, Forbes has named UK among the best employers for diversity, and INSIGHT into Diversity recognized us as a Diversity Champion four years running. UK is ranked among the top 30 campuses in the nation for LGBTQ* inclusion and safety. UK has been judged a “Great College to Work for" three years in a row, and UK is among only 22 universities in the country on Forbes' list of "America's Best Employers."  We are ranked among the top 10 percent of public institutions for research expenditures — a tangible symbol of our breadth and depth as a university focused on discovery that changes lives and communities. And our patients know and appreciate the fact that UK HealthCare has been named the state’s top hospital for five straight years. Accolades and honors are great. But they are more important for what they represent: the idea that creating a community of belonging and commitment to excellence is how we honor our mission to be not simply the University of Kentucky, but the University for Kentucky.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 1, 2021) — University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto sent an email to UK students, staff and faculty yesterday with an update on state legislative budget action regarding state funding for UK. Please see the email message below.

Dear Campus Community,

The 2021 session of the General Assembly officially came to an end late last night and with that legislators completed their work on a state budget for the coming fiscal year, which begins July 1.

For the University of Kentucky, the news is good, and we are deeply appreciative of the work of policymakers in continuing their commitment to higher education. Here are the details:

• UK will receive $266.2 million next year — July 2021 through June 30, 2022 — from the state in support of the essential work we do. That amount includes $80.6 million for mandated programs such as extension services, the University Press and the Kentucky Cancer Registry and $1.3 million for debt service on $14 million of State Bonds to improve the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging/Neurosciences Facilities.
• In addition to that base appropriation, policymakers have appropriated about a 2 percent increase — $17.3 million — toward a performance funding pool in which all state universities and KCTCS compete for funding. The performance funding program for the universities measures progress in critical areas such as the advancement of students toward degrees, credit hours earned, and bachelor’s degrees awarded to low-income and underrepresented minority students and bachelor’s degrees awarded in specific areas including Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Health (STEM+H).
• UK also will receive additional investments in cancer and spinal cord and head injury research funding that will be split with the University of Louisville.

The investment in the state’s performance funding model is particularly noteworthy. UK has done exceptionally well under this model in recent years, and we anticipate that will continue this coming year. That performance is thanks solely to you: the work of our faculty, staff and students across the campus.

You’ve helped our students succeed and graduate at historically high levels. You’ve ensured that we are more diverse as a campus than at any time in our history. And you’ve worked to prepare our students for the jobs and work so critical to Kentucky’s present and future economy. That’s what the performance funding model rewards. And that is the exceptional performance, the result of hard and tireless work, that you sustain year in and year out.

Now, with the state budget for next year in place, we will begin the work of finalizing the university’s budget for next year, which our Board of Trustees will consider at its June meeting. We still have much to do, but we are optimistic about the continued progress we can make. We can accelerate as an institution as we emerge from the incredible challenges of the past year.

We can do this because of you. I want to, again, thank our policymakers for their continued commitment to this institution. And I want to thank you for all you do to make this community so vital to the state we are called to serve.

Thank you.

Eli Capilouto