Latest updates, news for Kentucky higher education

Happy August! It’s officially back-to-school season, with thousands of college students soon returning to Lexington for the start of the fall semester.

For some, that means it’s time to buy the final dorm decorations and school supplies. For others, it’s preparing for the annual increase in traffic around the University of Kentucky.

If you’re preparing to send a student to UK, here’s a list of dates to know for the upcoming semester.

Have something that should be considered for next month’s higher education round-up? Contact reporter Monica Kast at mkast@herald-leader.com.

UK College of Medicine dean named

UK has named longtime employee Dr. Charles “Chipper” Griffith III as the next dean of the College of Medicine.

Griffith has been the acting dean of the college since July 2021, and was appointed as permanent dean this summer. He did his residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at UK in 1988, and has worked at UK since then.

Robert DiPaola, the former dean of the college, became acting provost in 2021. At that time, Griffith became acting dean of the college. DiPaola was made provost earlier this year.

“Dr. Griffith understands Kentucky needs the UK College of Medicine,” DiPaola said in a news release. “And he undoubtedly will serve the college and the Commonwealth every day with this in mind, as he has for the past 35 years.”

Griffith graduated from the School of Medicine at Vanderbilt University. He also has a master’s degree in public heath, and has worked as a physician at UK, and an assistant professor and professor in the College of Medicine. As acting dean, the number of medical students increased by nearly 50%, according to UK.

Student newspaper no longer printing weekly

The Kentucky Kernel, UK’s student-run newspaper founded in 1908, is moving from a weekly print edition to primarily online publication, with only special sections published in print.

Hannah Stanley, the editor-in-chief for the fall semester who is currently a news intern for the Herald-Leader, said the move to digital publication will “better serve our readers by having a quicker and more accurate platform.”

“There started to become a declining trend in our weekly print pick up and we noticed certain stories or editions were more intriguing than others to our readers,” Stanley said. “With that being said, the decision to do solely special sections seemed like a perfect solution to still highlight the bigger campus and Lexington events with still serving readers online daily.”

The Kernel received several student media awards last year, including six national awards from the College Media Association Pinnacle Awards, and was a national finalist for the Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker Awards, the top college newspaper award.

KRNL Lifestyle + Fashion, the lifestyle magazine, will continue printing once a semester with an online presence.

Monica Kast covers higher education for the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com. Previously, she covered higher education in Tennessee for the Knoxville News Sentinel. She is originally from Louisville, Kentucky, and is a graduate of Western Kentucky University.
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