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!                                   

Happy Holidays to the Big Blue Nation!

This one was just fun and captures everything that a UK fan has been going through the past 26 years with our football woes against the University of Tennessee- until this year.  UK defeated Tennessee by a score of 10-7 and the streak ended.  

The University music programs held a Holiday Collage and the GrassKats (bluegrass music, of course) performed this song and we had to share.  It is sure to be a Wildcat classic.  To truly appreciate it, you have to be in the holiday mood, and be a part of the Big Blue Nation.  But if you stumble upon it, it's clever and original!   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxfbDFSge8w&feature=youtu.be&noredirect=1

Hope you and your family have a great holiday season and a great start to 2012!  We'll be back in the new year with all kinds of great things!

GO CATS!

Bluegrass Girl Sees the "Show Me" State

Kansas City is known for many things.  It carries a legacy for having the first National FFA Convention.  It has more barbecue restaurants per capita than any other city in the nation.  And did you know if you have a card to says Hallmark on the back, it was made in this nifty town?

On the first week of November that is not all this town had to offer.  The 2011 Agriculture Future of America (AFA) Leader’s Conference was in Kansas City, Missouri from November 3-6th.  AFA is a 3 day conference in Kansas City, Missouri where college students all over the United States are selected to attend. There were three different conference tracks based on your year in school, and professional achievement. Each track offers you the chance to be engaged with other students with similar interests, hear motivational speakers, career development training, and network with over a 100 different business’s in the food, fiber, and agriculture industry.

The theme for AFA this year was “My Piece. My Place. Our Future.”  The theme really describes the tone for the conference.  The conference was such a great way to get fired up and even more so about your future in an awesome industry.  AFA was kicked off with a very inspiring Captain Plumb, a Vietnam fighter pilot.  His plane was shot down, he parachuted into enemy hands, was captured, tortured and held prisoner for six years.  Such an amazing story!  He encouraged participants not let the surrounding walls suppress us and to thank the people in our life that pack our parachutes in his memorable keynote ,“Winning through Adversity.”

Here are a few highlights of the track three session that I was in:

“You’ve graduated now what?”  A panel of employers explains how to manage life after graduation, and what employers are looking for in you as a possible future employee.

“Money Talks” Adam Carroll, a motivational speaker that educated participants on how to manage money he spoke on everything dealing with investments, debt, money markets, and stocks.

“Family Dynamics in Agriculture and in Business”  Led by a professor and counselor from Nebraska State University, this track explained how to handle managing different dynamics if you plan on going back to the farm, or starting up a farm.

The conference was also complete without a fun night of dancing, bowling, mini-golf go-carting, and ice skating.

Jolene Brown

On the final day, Jolene Brown, a farm wife, professional public speaker and comedian ended this conference with a bang. She left us with OPPORTUNITYISNOWHERE- it’s all in how you see it.

Opportunities are a wonderful thing.  As I finish my fourth and final year at the University of Kentucky I am truly thankful for the opportunities, experiences, and growth that I have been able to partake in, as I network, examine, and research ideas and paths for my future I am thankful for all of the knowledge, and skills that have been given to my at the University of Kentucky.

 I walked away from the conference with profound information and tools to help me succeed in the future, new friends, so many business cards, and pages of notes to apply and examine to my everyday life.  Thanks to the giving support of Monsanto I had the privilege to attend Agriculture Future Leader’s Conference.  I highly encourage other college students to apply and attend this extraordinary conference!  Check it out on www.agfuture.org or for more information, follow them on facebook or twitter.

Keitha,  UK Class of 2012