Spring is in full bloom for the Cats

The students at UK always anticipate the Spring Semester. It is filled with midterm exams, spring break and of course the “Madness of March!” As we all know, we achieved the infamous “number 8” as the Men’s NCAA National Champions. But with all of these exciting events, the College of Ag students are definitely not passing up a chance to keep busy by planning many exciting events for the spring.  So nonetheless, these Ag Cats are staying crazy.

Last week, our Ag Student Council hosted Ag Bash and it was an awesome event! Ag Bash is fun, exciting and a great way to wind down the semester before finals. Live music was performed by Hannah Ellis and there were games, free food and t-shirts. Hannah Ellis is a current student at UK; she graduated from Taylor County High School and is a fantastic singer who has toured and performed at all types of venues.  We had around 250 of our students come out and enjoy the weather and games. During the Ag Bash, we collected donations for the Ronald McDonald House. Items included shampoo, conditioner, soap, mouthwash, dental floss and other personal items.

This week, we are planning a large event on the main UK campus called Agriculture Awareness Day.  The event will be held this Wednesday, April 18 from 9 AM to 2 PM.  Ag Awareness Day will be located in the area around Memorial Hall and one of our College buildings, Erikson Hall.  Booths and displays will be set up and our main goal in the day is to educate the University community about the ag industry and the true impact it has on their day, share the positive message and encourage self- education of agriculture to everyone at UK and beyond. Numerous clubs will have booths set up around the area with different activities and information about agriculture and even the history on UK. What better way to become involved on campus then to come visit the Ag Awareness Day! There will be food, interesting facts, t-shirts and much more.

The spring semester always flies by way too fast. With Spring Break, exams and, of course, cheering on the Cats, this semester will be over before we know it.  If you ever have any questions about an event or the College of Agriculture, please check us out online at www.ca.uky.edu, or even like us on Facebook. I hope to see you at Ag Awareness Day this week!

Amanda is a junior at the University of Kentucky, majoring in Agricultural Economics.  She is from Georgetown, Kentucky.  Amanda is a member of UK Agribusiness Club, UK Ag Student Council, is a COA Agricultural Ambassador, Past Kentucky FFA State Officer, and is an intern for the Kentucky Beef Council. 

My UK Traditions

There are many exciting times throughout the year for students at the University of Kentucky.  None have been more exciting than the last few weeks when both our men's and women's teams made a run in the NCAA, with our men’s basketball team winning the national title.  However, as UK students recover from the  triumphant basketball season, another UK tradition is already here…Keeneland!

 

When I first came to UK, I had no clue what Keeneland was.  I quickly found out through interactions with upperclassmen that Keeneland was a 75 year-old thoroughbred racetrack located a few miles from campus.  Upon my first visit to the track, I fell in love.  There were students everywhere.  Everyone was dressed in their Sunday best, which was a nice change from the shorts, sweatpants, and t-shirts I was accustomed to wearing/seeing in my classes.  It was a beautiful day in the bluegrass and made for a nice break from campus life.

Keeneland stands are ready for opening day on April 6th.

As I’ve become more acquainted with Keeneland festivities, I’ve made a lot of memories with a lot of great friends.  A few highlights from my Keeneland experiences include:  attending College Scholarship Day (students get in free and can register for 10 $1000 scholarships that are given away!), seeing many of my favorite UK athletes, and winning $50 on a $2 bet!

As the first day of races begins tomorrow, you can bet that tons of students will be in attendance to enjoy the scenery and pageantry that come with a day at Keeneland.  Keeneland is open for live racing during October in April each year.   More information can be found at www.keeneland.com.  Hope to see you at the races!

 Cody is a junior at the University of Kentucky, majoring in Community & Leadership Development and Agricultural Economics.  He is from Greenville, Kentucky.  This summer, Cody will be an intern with the Cooperative Extension Service in Muhlenberg County.  He is President of the Agriculture Student Council and is a COA Agricultural Ambassador.  

Winter Event tells the tale of UKAg

     Happy New Year to you all!  A new year means a little redesign of our blog appearance.

     Classes start tomorrow and it will be good to once again have students around to fill the hallways with the hustle and bustle of student life.  It's exciting to see the students well rested from their holiday break and ready for another great semester.  Just because it's the beginning of the semester doesn't mean that it's slow around here.  Students are already talking about classes they are taking, conferences and trips they are going to, DanceBlue (UK's 24-hour student ran dance marathon), and maybe even a possible NCAA Championship from both our men and women's basketball teams!

     We've been busy in the College of Agriculture as well.  Our annual Winter Event was over the weekend.  Our Ag & HES Alumni Association did a great job of providing an event for our alumni and friends to gather and celebrate the many good programs and accomplishments of the College and other fellow alumni.  President Capilouto stopped by to bring greetings and also took time to meet with some of our admitted students for Fall 2012 who were at the event.

     Speaking of these prospective/ admitted students, we were proud to host 41 students and their families over the course of the weekend here at UKAg.  We invited admitted students back in December and these families came to campus for what we hope was a good and informative time.  I know we had a great time with them.  These students were from Kentucky, Illinois, Georgia, Ohio and Tennessee and all of them brought a passion for their intended major and for learning more about UK.

      The students met with faculty members representing our undergraduate programs, learned about scholarships (the deadline is January 15th for College of Agriculture freshman scholarships), financial aid, housing, our College's Turner Leadership Academy, the process behind advising conferences and about our Agriculture Residential College.  Our student ambassadors took them on a tour and then they came back to a portion of the program we call, "The First Lecture Series."  A few of our always excellent faculty members presented snippets of their research and work to the students to give them a preview about topics and experiences they might encounter while being a student at UK.  Dr. Mark Williams discussed sustainability and our sustainable agriculture program.  Dr. David Williams talked about green energy and the impact that a few projects UK is working on could be in the long run for bioenergy.  Finally, Dr. Lori Garkovich talked about building community and what that means across the spectrum. 

     Our campus guests got to eat a great dinner with our Ag & HES Alumni Association board and some of our administrators.  This is always a great networking opportunity for the students and the alumni.  I hope everyone enjoyed the Kentucky bourbon bread pudding as much as I did.

The Parent Session at Winter Event

     Aside from the Winter Event meal and the Wildcat win in the basketball game, my favorite part of the program is what happens on the morning of day two of our admitted student program.  We have Parent/Student sessions and we separate the two groups from one another.  The first hour I spent with the parents while our student ambassadors were with the students- and then the ambassadors and I switch.  Why do I like this part so much?  It's great to hear the questions that the two groups ask without one another.  The don't have to worry about embarrassing their child with questions about safety or classes, and the students don't have to worry about wanting to learn more about social life and how to balance newfound freedom. 

     This has always been one of my favorite events to host in the College.  I like how these students come together to learn more about UK and leave with a greater sense of what it means to be a Wildcat from all levels: a student, a faculty or staff member and an alumni of the Big Blue Nation.  I've seen roommates, boyfriends/girlfriends, and great UK connections form from this program.  If you think about it, it's pretty telling of what your experience here at UK in the College of Agriculture will be.  A great education in a great environment with great people. 
     And that's a great way to start the new year. I can't imAGine a better way.

Jason Headrick, '02
Director of Student Relations

Special Thanks to Kelli Long for her blog header design!