University of Kentucky

The mission of the Office for Institutional Diversity is to "enhance the diversity and inclusivity of our university community through the recruitment and retention of an increasingly diverse population of faculty, administrators, staff and students...."

The College of Communication and Information 2021 Diversity Plan states that it would "[w]ork to increase the diversity and retention of students."

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Implementation Plan incorporated an initiative where "all sections of UK 101/201 implemented updated content for Unconscious Bias (UB) in accordance with the charge outlined by President Capilouto in mid-June 2020. This content introduced the following terms/concepts: Unconscious/conscious bias; Microaggressions; Accountability; Land acknowledgements; Ally, accomplice, co-conspirator."

The Office of Institutional Diversity hosts the "Unconscious Bias Initiative" which is a "3-part learning and dialog series...for UK employees through MyUK."

The College of Communication and Information 2021 Diversity Plan states that it would "[p]romote and incentivize anti-racist, inclusive pedagogy and cultural competency activities/training" through the creation of a "DEI certificate for participants who attend multiple trainings."

On August 19, 2021, the University of Kentucky expanded the requirement for race and ethnicity classes. “Starting in the Fall 2021 semester, the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts & Sciences will implement a one-course Race and Ethnicity requirement for all majors, starting with incoming freshmen.”

The College of Communication and Information 2021 Diversity Plan states that it would "[p]romote and incentivize the revision of existing courses not explicitly about DEI-related subjects to increase the incorporation of material related to diversity and cultural competency across all courses." The plan also states that it would "[e]ncourage departments/schools to perform regular diversity audits of their course curriculum."

Administration will be revising its free-speech policies.

The College of Communication and Information 2021 Diversity Plan states that it would "[e]nsure that all search committees and hiring managers have completed required training, especially unconscious bias training."

$10 million in funding allocated for a research alliance on racial justice. Seed money given for the establishment of the Commonwealth Institute of for Black Studies. Partnership with the NAACP on educational access research.

In the Fall of 2023, the Office for Institutional Diversity awarded over $35,000 in grant funding for new diversity proposals as part of its "Inclusive Excellence Program Grants." The program is funded by student fees and "should also educate others on issues of social justice and diversity, increase belonging and engagement of marginalized groups and increase opportunities for collaborative learning around issues of inclusive excellence."

A professor at the teaching college authored a textbook for future teachers with lessons focusing on how "bias, prejudice, stereotypes and microaggressions affect the relationships between teachers, students and families."

According to the Young America's Foundation, University of Kentucky separated Resident Assistants into two training groups, “one for RAs who identify as Black, Indigenous, Person of Color and one for RAs who identify as White." The university later condemned the training and said it should not have happened.

According to the Young America's Foundation, the University of Kentucky paid thousands to the Center for Healing Racial Trauma (an assistant professor’s private company) to host an “anti-racist” workshop for school administrators in January 2021. The center's training tells administrators to “replace white supremacy with the more accurate white inferiority complex.”

The university's library has compiled a collection of anti-racism resources and Black Lives Matter resources.

The University of Kentucky announces the 2021 Inaugural Class of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Certificate Program.

The College of Arts and Sciences Philosophy Department links to an article written by one of its professors, Arnold Farr, titled "Critical Race Theory: What It Is and What It Is Not." The article was published on the Academic Influence website where Farr states the he would "'attempt to rescue CRT from several misunderstandings or false interpretations by its critics'."

The College of Arts and Sciences posted a video titled "Passport to the World: Critical Race Theory."

On February 23, 2022, the College of Arts and Sciences hosted an online event titled "The State of Education: A Conversation about Public Schooling, Critical Race Theory, and Political Polarization" which is described in part as follows: "We will discuss what exactly critical race theory is, seek to understand why legislation affecting school curriculum is being introduced in Kentucky, and explore what its impact might be."

The College of Arts and Sciences hosts the "Center for Critical Race and Digital Studies."

In April of 2021, professors jointly wrote a post on the university's blog discussing "A Public Health Approach to Anti-Racism." The professors described a symposium in September of 2020 on "Racial and Ethnic Health Inequities in the United States."

Recommendation made by the “faculty group seeking to remedy racial inequities across the university” to remove the name Adolph Rupp from the University of Kentucky basketball arena.