The higher education bill that garnered the most attention this session, House Bill 4, eliminates diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs from public colleges and universities.
UK Spokesman Jay Blanton says the university feels it's already largely in compliance due to changes the school made ahead of the session.
"We took a number of policy positions around institutional neutrality, eliminating an office of institutional diversity, making sure that we don't have mandatory hiring statements or similar practices on our campus," he says. "All those changes were made, and I think those largely align with what was in the legislation."
But there are other new bills the university will have to sort through. One of particular interest to faculty was House Bill 424, which some professors worry whittles away at academic tenure.
"It involves the formalizing or codifying of the review of tenured faculty on a regular basis. At the University of Kentucky, that already happens in colleges and units, What this legislation would require, it would be a little different," Blanton explains. "It would direct our Board of Trustees to approve an evaluation process. So our expectation is that the board will direct President Capilouto to work with faculty, consult with faculty on what an evaluation process around performance review would look like."
Blanton says UK is also examining a new bill laying out how collegiate athletics programs can start to share revenues with student athletes this fall.