Alumni Commons: The Heart of Campus By Sally Scherer
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Photos by Arden Barnes, UK Photo
crowd of alumni and friends gathered on a beautiful fall afternoon in September to dedicate Alumni Commons. A pedestrian corridor, Alumni Commons runs through the heart of campus connecting Columbia Avenue to Huguelet Drive along Rose Street with downtown Lexington at one end and Chandler Hospital on the other. What was once a busy and well-traveled street that ran through campus, is now a landscaped pathway for pedestrians with seats, swings, tables and chairs, fountains, lighting and even electrical outlets to charge phones and computers. For Jill Smith, associate vice president for alumni engagement and executive director of the University of Kentucky
30 K EN TU CKY A LUM NI MAGAZ I NE Winter 2023
Alumni Association, the new project is evidence that the members of the UK Alumni Association, which began on campus 134 years ago, continue to work to leave things better on UK’s campus than they found them. “As we celebrate today’s project, I say thank you to the donors, volunteer leaders, past presidents, past alumni trustees, past executive directors and staff who invested wisely when they had the opportunity so that one day, projects like this could be possible. Your generosity and forward thinking have aided in enhancing the UK Alumni Association’s purpose, providing a space for activity and engagement that will be on campus for generations to come.”
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1. Jill Smith, associate vice president for alumni engagement and executive director of the UK Alumni Association, shared remarks at the Alumni Commons Dedication Ceremony. 2. George L. Atkins Jr. ‘63 BE, past president of the UK Alumni Association, posed for a family photo at the dedication. 3. Amanda Mills Cutright ‘06 CI enjoyed the swings at Alumni Commons with her daughter Iris and her mom Emily Mills. 4. Wildcat listened to the speakers during the dedication ceremony.
