The University of Kentucky has received its single largest gift, a $23 million donation that will be used to create an Honors College.
Officials at the Lexington campus said Thursday the gift is from longtime donor Thomas W. Lewis and his wife, Jan.
UK officials say participation in the school's honors program has nearly doubled, from 750 to 1,400 students, in the past five years.
Creating the new Honors College is subject to faculty review and endorsement through the University Senate.
Campus officials say some of the nation's top honors programs have been reviewed in preparation for the new college.
Thomas Lewis, a Lexington native, graduated from UK with an engineering degree in 1971. He launched a home building enterprise in Arizona in 1991.