Kentucky

Controversial new rules for decision-making win final OK from University of Kentucky trustees • Kentucky Lantern

Published

5 months ago

June 14, 2024

Controversial new rules for decision-making win final OK from University of Kentucky trustees • Kentucky Lantern

LEXINGTON — University of Kentucky trustees gave final approval Friday to a new internal governance structure that faculty say strips them of power over academic decisions.

The Board of Trustees reviewed the new shared governance proposal, backed by President Eli Capilouto, during its Friday meeting, voting 19-1 in favor of the changes.

The lone nay vote was from faculty trustee Hollie Swanson, who urged her fellow board members to consider voting against the measure until “more convincing data” is given.

But another faculty trustee, Hubie Ballard, said a “clear majority of the faculty” support the changes. He also agreed with Capilouto’s argument that the new shared governance model will help move the university forward and align it with Kentucky’s needs.

“It’s unfortunate that a few have taken this disagreement and turned it into discord,” Ballard said. “That is not what this campus is. They are supportive of this president and our mission to serve Kentucky,” said Ballard, an associate professor of pediatrics.

Swanson, a professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences and Pharmacology, said she could not vote in favor of the changes without seeing more evidence to support them. She said they are based on a single report that may become public in response to an open records request after Friday’s meeting. She also added that the report was not available to board members.

The University of Kentucky Board of Trustees considers changes to UK’s shared governance model, which includes decision-making powers between faculty, students and staff. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley)

UK hired Deloitte Consulting to do a benchmarking study. According to a UK Association of Emeriti Faculty response to the proposed changes, the report found that UK “should align its shared governance structure to be in greater alignment with institutional benchmarks and recognize the board’s ultimate control of university policymaking,” but it was not shared with the University Senate, nor were it’s officers consulted when developing the report.

Swanson said she expected to be outnumbered in voting against the shared governance changes.

“Voting no is by no means a vote against the president,” she said. “It is a vote for more clarity, and more information.”

‘Time to accelerate’

On Friday, Capilouto told the board the changes are necessary for the university’s future. Capilouto has previously said the changes will streamline decision making. The shared governance update is one of the first steps of “Project Accelerate,” a plan to align the university to better fit Kentucky’s education and workforce needs and to grow UK.

UK President Eli Capilouto (Photo by Mark Cornelison | UK Photo)

“They are our priorities because they are Kentucky’s problem,” Capilouto said. “Kentucky’s challenges are our responsibilities.”

Under the new model, UK’s University Senate is now abolished and a faculty senate will take its place. The University Senate included 94 faculty members as well as representatives from the Student Government Association (SGA), Staff Senate and the president and other administrators.

The university administration says the changes will strengthen the definition of “academic freedom,” faculty’s primacy over developing academic curriculum at the college level and the role of students and staff in decisions.

The board previously voted 19-1 in favor of the shared governance changes during its April meeting. Capilouto revised the proposal since then as a response to feedback from students, faculty and staff.

Members of the University Senate have warned that the changes would pave the way for faculty to lose decision-making power over academic decisions, such as admission standards for students. However, both the Staff Senate and Student Government Association have passed resolutions supporting Capilouto’s plan.

During its final meeting of the 2023-24 school year, the University Senate approved a resolution of no confidence against Capilouto over the shared governance changes in a vote of 58-24 with 11 abstaining. The senate also also received support from outside groups, such as the American Association of University Professors (AAUP).

Capilouto on Friday said examples of other recent steps to grow UK have been signing a transfer agreement with the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) and acquiring St. Claire Healthcare, a hospital in Morehead.

The board’s final approval of changes to UK’s shared governance model comes at a time when many stakeholders are away from campus, as the spring semester ended in May and most students and many faculty return to campus in late August.

“Project Accelerate” aims to direct the university to focus its resources and commitments on “accelerating efforts to advance Kentucky — its economy, the health and welfare of its citizens and its quality of life through a plan that ensures: more educated Kentuckians, more readiness, more partnerships, more employee recruitment and retention, more responsiveness.” Those later five points are the focus of workgroups that are studying each area in depth. Some presented reports in committee meetings ahead of Friday.

Statue of a wildcat named “Bowman” is on the University of Kentucky campus. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley)

After the board gave its initial approval to the shared governance changes in April, Capilouto said in an update the changes “create a foundation for the continued work ahead, to review and revise the daily management rules — our Administrative Regulations — that operationalize our principles.”

Only one petitioner addressed the board on Friday — former University Senate Chair Katherine McCormick — and expressed support for Capilouto’s changes. Another petitioner, University of Southern Mississippi Faculty Senate President Joshua Bernstein, was granted permission to speak but declined. He previously wrote a letter to the board and Capilouto opposing the changes.

In his remarks to the board, Capilouto also addressed the criticism that the shared governance changes have been made too quickly. He said now is “not a time for glacier speed” but “time to accelerate” as the board has directed these changes for years.

However, Capilouto did concede to another point of criticism he has heard — that he is “obsessed.”

“I am obsessed. I’m obsessed with Kentucky and our future,” he said. “I believe that for Kentucky to grow, this community must grow.”

According to a copy of the new shared governance regulations, the University Senate has been abolished. Elections for the faculty senate will be held no later than Oct. 31, and senators will take office no later than Nov. 30. Executive committee elections will be held no later than Dec. 31.

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Kentucky

BY THE NUMBERS: Texas 31, UK 14

Published

2 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Kentucky played Texas competitively during stretches of Saturday’s game in Austin but an ugly stretch in the second quarter gave the Horns a lead they would never relinquish.

Here are some of the key numbers that tell the story of what happened in the game.

209 … More yards for Texas than Kentucky. That’s not surprising but speaks to the challenge. The Horns had 441 yards of offense with a lot of balance (250 on the ground, 191 through the air) while the Cats mustered only 211 yards of offense, almost all of which was passing.

160 … The total passing yards for Cutter Boley. The freshman was 10/18 for 160 yards and an interception. Boley entered the game because Brock Vandagriff was struggling and he did a lot to impress. He saw the field well, made some confident reads and delivered catchable balls down the field.

158 … Rushing yards for Texas’ Quintrevion Wisner. The Longhorns rushed for 250 yards on the game.

25:30 … Time of possession for Kentucky in the game. Any upset bid would have been aided by Kentucky controlling the ball more than Texas. That did not happen.

20 … Carries for Kentucky running backs Jamarion Wilcox (50 yards) and Demie Sumo-Karngbaye (30 yards). Wilcox had a long of 18 while DSK’s long was just six yards. The backs had decent success considering the opponent but Boley was charged with -57 rushing yards.

17 … Second quarter points for the Longhorns. That’s when the game appeared to be decided. First, the Horns went 65 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown. Then after a Vandagriff pick they scored again quickly before adding a field goal as the half ran out.

11 … Fumbles in the game. It was almost comical how often the ball was bouncing at times. Kentucky fumbled five times but didn’t lose one of them, while Texas fumbled six times and lost two.

10 … Tackles for sophomore Texas linebacker Anthony Hill, who we said coming into the game was playing at an All-American level. He had two sacks and three tackles for loss as the most active, productive Texas defender in the game. He was a problem Kentucky couldn’t account for.

6 … Sacks by the Texas defense. That led to UK only being credited with 21 rushing yards on the game, but more important was the impact on UK’s offensive results. The protection issues have been persistent all season.

2/12 ... Kentucky on third down. That’s not going to get it done in a game like this. That’s a big reason why Texas ran 23 more plays than Kentucky, and had the ball for 10 minutes longer. The big problem was that Kentucky averaged 11.1 yards to go on third down today.

0 … The turnover margin in the game. That gave Kentucky a chance to play somewhat competitively. Both teams had seven points off turnovers with UK’s being Jamon Dumas-Johnson’s return.

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Kentucky

Quinn Ewers Returns vs. Kentucky Wildcats After Exiting Medical Tent

Published

10 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Quinn Ewers Returns vs. Kentucky Wildcats After Exiting Medical Tent

AUSTIN — Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers went into the medical tent in the second quarter of Saturday’s home finale against the Kentucky Wildcats after the conclusion of a touchdown drive. Ewers appeared to have his ankle rolled up on earlier in the possession but never went off to the sidelines despite having a small limp.

Fortunately for the Longhorns, he was right back on the field for Texas’ next drive after an acrobatic interception from Jelani McDonald. A few plays later, he connected with Gunnar Helm for his second touchdown catch of the day on a 17-yard score.

Ewers has, of course, been no stranger to injuries during his time at Texas. He’s in his third year with Texas but has missed a total of seven games as a Longhorn due to injury, with at least two absences in each season. This included two missed games this season due to an oblique injury he suffered against UTSA.

Naturally, the conversation of him earning the “injury-prone” label is a real one to have, but head coach Steve Sarkisian sees things differently.

“I don’t necessarily think so,” Sarkisian said. “Sometimes injuries happen because they happen, you know? … I mean, when a guy gets pile-drived on his shoulder, there’s a pretty good chance — it doesn’t matter who you are — your shoulder is probably going to be sore to some capacity. Or when you get pile-drived and your clavicle gets, gets popped. I mean, I don’t know many guys that would have withstood that hit from Dallas Turner a couple years ago. That was an odd hit. And I’ve seen that injury, that same injury Quinn had that year, Jalen Hurts had as well. Oddly enough, he has the oblique strain there a few weeks ago, and I’m watching the game the other night. Derek Carr is out of the game, oblique strain.”

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Kentucky

Mark Pope says this Kentucky team loves making plays for each other

Published

19 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Mark Pope says this Kentucky team loves making plays for each other

This Kentucky basketball team is now 5-0 after a blowout win against Jackson State. A big part of the Wildcats’ success this season has undoubtedly been their unslefishness and the ability to make that extra pass. Their assist numbers prove it. Through five games, Kentucky has an assist rate of 61.6% of all of their made baskets through those games combined.

After the game, Mark Pope talked about how well this team shares the ball, and he describes it as a type of built-in DNA that each player on this Kentucky roster has. It has showed so far this season.

“I thought our guys did an unbelievable job making plays for each other. You know, 29
assists is a good number for us and I would take that any night, especially in a game
like this where it is so easy to think, awe man, in this game I’m just going to get one for myself. We just have a DNA, these guys have built a DNA on this team where they are actually excited to make plays for each other and I’m telling you that bodes well and it’s rare and it is important for the way we play and how this game is made up and our guys are going to continue to believe more and more that the more they give the more they get back, it’s the way this game works when it’s right and certainly they got to feel that tonight. I was really proud of them. …One of the special stories for us tonight is that we had 11 players score, 11 of our 12 guys scored. The only player that didn’t score led us in assists. That’s exactly how a Kentucky basketball team is supposed to function. We had one guy that didn’t score and he led us in assists with seven. And every other guy on the court scored and shared the ball, I think we had four guys with ﬁve or more assists in the game.”
– Pope on Kentucky’s unselfishness.

Kentucky has been sharing the ball all season, and that is a huge identity for this team. On Friday night, their assist numbers were impressive. The Wildcats had 29 assists on their 41 made shots, which is an outstanding percentage of baskets being off of assists. It’s also worth noting that Kerr Kriisa didn’t score, but he dished out 7 assists in just 12 minutes of action.

The way this Kentucky team passes the ball adds to the excitement when watching them. A fun brand of basketball, especially when the ball moves around as much as they make it happen.

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