University of Kentucky history

James K. Patterson became the presiding officer of the Kentucky University's A&M College in 1869.

In 1876, the university began to offer master's degree programs.

Ensuing denominational and theological controversies, as well as financial difficulties, prompted the state legislature to formally separate the college from the Kentucky University in 1878.

A&M was initially a male-only institution, but began to admit women in 1880.

On February 15, 1882, Administration Building was the first building of three to be completed on the present campus.

An earlier color set, blue and light yellow, was adopted earlier at a Kentucky-Centre College football game on December 19, 1891.

In 1892, the official colors of the university, royal blue and white, were adopted.

Patterson Hall, the school's first women's dormitory, was constructed in 1904.

President Patterson would relinquish his office in 1910.

The extension service became a model of the federally mandated programs that were required beginning in 1914.

In 1917, Frank L. McVey was named UK's third president.

1925 The College of Commerce was created from the Department of Economics.

In 1939, Governor Happy Chandler appointed the first woman trustee on the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees, Georgia M. Blazer of Ashland.

In 1949 the Press was established as a separate academic agency under the university president, and the following year Bruce F. Denbo, then of Louisiana State University Press, was appointed as the first full-time professional director.

Carol Martin Gatton, Class of 1954, in recognition of his $14 million pledge.

Ground was broken for the Albert B. Chandler Hospital in 1955, when Kentucky Governor Happy Chandler recommended that the Kentucky General Assembly appropriate $5 million for the creation of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and a medical center at the university.

In 1956, with Governor A.B. Chandler's public support and after a personal appeal by President Dickey to the Kentucky General Assembly, an initial appropriation of $5 million was approved for UK's proposal.

In 1959, the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce opened and began training professionals at the master's and doctoral level for careers in international affairs.

The first medical students were admitted in the fall of 1960, just three years before Dickey would resign to take a job as director of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Authorized by the Kentucky General Assembly and signed by Governor Bert Combs on March 6, 1962, a mandate was placed upon the University of Kentucky to form a community college system.

John W. Oswald, who became president of UK in 1964, was also cognizant of the continued growth in enrollment.

Douglas J. Von Allmen, a 1965 graduate of the Gatton College 's Bachelor's Degree program in Accountancy, and his wife, Linda, give a $5 million gift to the School of Accountancy , matched by $5 million from the Commonwealth of Kentucky 's Research Challenge Trust Fund program.

1968 College renamed the College of Business & Economics.

The University Press of Kentucky (UPK) is the scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and was organized in 1969 as successor to the University of Kentucky Press.

In May 1970, students at the university began protesting the shootings at Kent State University.

1974 Professor William W. Ecton named acting dean of the college.

Denbo served as director of UPK until his retirement in 1978, building a small but distinguished list of scholarly books with emphasis on American history and literary criticism.

In 1979, the University of Kentucky hosted the first Kentucky Women Writers Conference, which is now the longest-running conference of its kind.

1982 The college establishes Business Exchange, a newsletter for the college's alumni and friends.

1985 Students hold the first phonathon, calling alumni to request financial support of the college's Carpenter Scholarship fund.

In July of 1987, David P. Roselle assumed the presidency of UK. His announced goal was to achieve national recognition for the university with respect to the quality of its graduates and its scholarship and research.

Amid concern regarding the state legislature's support for the university and in the aftermath of the athletics scandal, in December of 1989 Roselle accepted an offer to become President of the University of Delaware.

Charles T. Wethington Jr. was named UK's 10th president in 1990.

1991 The college receives the first of several large grants from the United States Information Agency to help develop market economies in Central and Eastern Europe.

The 1992 Kentucky Encyclopedia received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and was one of the first state-focused encyclopedias.

To commemorate that history, in 1994, UK and the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) created the UK Senior Challenge Historical Marker Project.

1996 The Kentucky Scholars program is established to attract more of the state's best students to the college's MBA program.

The "Center for Small Business Development" becomes the "Center for Entrepreneurship." 1997 The college adds joint-degree programs in medicine, pharmacy, and allied health to established joint-degree programs in law and engineering.

On April 3, 1998, work began on the William T. Young Library, which was the largest university project at the time of completion.

In June 2000, the School of Accountancy is renamed the Douglas J. Von Allmen School of Accountancy.

Todd's administration also saw the creation of UK's first vice presidency for institutional diversity and the reopening of the Main (Administration) Building, which was severely damaged by fire in May 2001.

2003 Doctor Devanathan Sudharshan becomes the sixth dean of the Gatton College of Business and Economics.

The Main Building was officially reopened in October 2004.

As part of that effort, Todd unveiled plans in 2006 for the Commonwealth's Medical Campus of the Future, a multi-phased project aimed at providing Kentuckians with cutting-edge, 21st century health care.

In March 2007, $1.022 billion was raised, months before the fundraising effort was set to end.

2011 Doctor Merl Hackbart becomes the Interim dean of the Gatton College of Business and Economics.

2012 Doctor David W. Blackwell becomes the seventh dean of the Gatton College of Business and Economics.

2016 Grand opening for Gatton College’s $65 million renovation and expansion, funded entirely through private gifts from alumni and friends.

2017 The college begins offering the Master of Science in Finance degree.

2018 Doctor David W. Blackwell becomes the Provost of the University of Kentucky; Doctor Steven Skinner becomes Interim Dean.

2019 The college celebrated its 95th Anniversary.

In 2020, Ashley Runyon, who worked at the Press full-time for 8 years and later served as trade director at Indiana University Press, rejoined the University Press of Kentucky as director.