News Story

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 26, 2025) — The presidents of Transylvania University and the University of Kentucky on Wednesday announced an alliance between the two historic institutions to work together on programs and initiatives that will advance the health and well-being of their students and the state.

Transylvania is the first educational partner in the Advancing Kentucky Together Network — an initiative UK announced in October at the direction of its Board of Trustees to work with partners to be the institution that does more than any other in the country to advance the health of the state it serves.

“We exist to serve Kentucky. That has been our mission for 160 years. Now, we are meeting that mission more and more with partners, who share our values and our commitment to progress in advancing the health, education and economy of Kentucky,” said UK President Eli Capilouto. “Today, we are formally joining with Transylvania University, an outstanding institution with nearly 250 years of history, in the shared goal and common commitment to meet the workforce needs of our state and, together, to make our home community of Lexington an even stronger and more vibrant community in which to live.”

"As Kentucky's first university, Transylvania is proud to be the inaugural academic partner in the Advancing Kentucky Together Network,” said Transylvania President Brien Lewis. “This collaboration with the University of Kentucky builds on our long history together and positions us to play a critical role in driving Kentucky forward. Transylvania's partnership with UK in this new network signifies a powerful step for Kentucky's educational future. Together, we'll develop the next generation of leaders, ensuring our students are ready to excel in vital fields."

A memorandum of understanding signed by the two presidents Wednesday morning broadly outlines some of the initiatives the two institutions will jointly pursue. Already, teams of officials at both universities are working on projects including:

• Enabling Transylvania students to seamlessly move from their undergraduate studies into a master’s degree program in the UK College of Public Health.
• Exploring potential outreach efforts in the Fayette County Public Schools.
• Collaborating on education abroad and internship opportunities.
• Sharing information through the institutions’ human resources areas around technology for employee onboarding and training and hiring needs.

The two universities already have a long history of partnership in business, engineering and health care education. An Early Assurance Program helps Transylvania students receive an early acceptance into the UK College of Medicine. Transylvania also partners with UK on a pharmacy (Pharm.D.) program.

But Lewis and Capilouto said this new agreement reinforces the idea that more can and should be done by the two institutions, working together, to advance the overall health of the state. 

Although the state is experiencing significant economic growth and job opportunities, critical shortages exist in a number of areas, including health care. 

UK HealthCare alone projects needing an additional 5,000 health professionals over the next decade to meet growing health needs. Many counties and communities throughout the state lack access to primary care physicians and other health services.

“We believe we are better together,” Capilouto said. “And our communities and the state we serve will be healthier, wealthier and wiser because of our collaboration and partnership.”

"Ultimately, this is about empowering our students and strengthening our community,”  Lewis added. “By combining Transylvania's liberal arts foundation with UK's research and professional programs, we're creating unparalleled opportunities for our students, and enriching the entire Commonwealth with a highly skilled and innovative workforce.”

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.