One Day for the University of Kentucky and the Power of Giving

Now in its fourth year, the annual One Day for UK event is a celebration of the University of Kentucky through a 24-hour day of giving.

On Thursday, April 21st alumni, faculty, staff, friends, alumni, fans, and other partners supported their favorite college, program, or cause at the University of Kentucky.

For this year's One Day for UK, the University of Kentucky College of Public Health (CPH) asked their community to support the new Student Support Fund, designed to help current students who are experiencing a financial crisis or monetary emergency while enrolled in the college.

At the conclusion of the One Day for UK event, CPH received approximately 100 donations totaling $18,441 going directly to the Student Support Fund. CPH also increased their donor participation rate by 150% from the previous year.

“Our students are now managing healthcare systems, serving in public health departments -- they are boots on the ground fighting the drug epidemic, studying the aging process, as well as tracking and helping put in place practices to fight the current and future pandemics," says Donna Arnett, Dean of the UK College of Public Health. “They are our key to building healthier communities and I'm so proud that our generous community came together to help our students on One Day for UK."

Financial hardships sometimes prevent students from persisting and becoming successful stewards. The Student Support Fund will now allow the College to have the appropriate resources to distribute to students who are in financial need and give them the opportunity to become “health champions" who persist, collaborate, and create a healthier world for everyone.

“I’ve been with the College of Public Health since 2004, first as a student pursuing an MPH and now as a faculty member,” says Erin Abner, Associate Professor in Epidemiology at the UK College of Public Health. “As a student, I saw my classmates struggle with housing precarity, food insecurity, and health crises, usually while balancing obligations to family, work, and school. As a faculty member, I know my students have much more to contend with than the curriculum. It is important to me that students can turn to CPH for financial support in an emergency.”

Student success is woven into the culture of the University of Kentucky and the UK College of Public Health where students feel connected, challenged, supported, and appreciated.

First-generation student in the UK Master of Health Administration (MHA) program, Cameron Asher, says, “I have had to fight hard to overcome adversity in my life. As we build brighter futures through our education, this fund will help more students like me make an impact and become vessels for public health."

University of Kentucky College of Public Health recognizes that public health involves everyone and everyone, which included faculty, staff, alumni, students, and more, came together on One Day for UK to support student success.