In February 1865, just before the end of the Civil War, farmer and lawyer John Bryan Bowman challenged the Kentucky state legislature to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the Morrill Land-Grant Act of 1862 to build a public university in Lexington, Kentucky, becoming the Agriculture and Mechanical College.
    From its beginnings with only 190 students and 10 professors, A&M College was committed to the state of Kentucky. In 1916, the institution’s evolved to become the University of Kentucky with the passage of the Hatch Act of 1887 and the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, which added UK’s experiment station and cooperative extension network and thusly; this educational empire would go on to serve the better interests of the entire Commonwealth.
    Today, UK’s campus covers more than 918 acres; is home to more than 30,000 students, 14,500 employees including 2,300 full-time faculty; more than 90 nationally ranked academic programs; and boasts an annual budget of more than $3 billion. In addition, UK is one of only eight universities in the United States of America that has well-established programs in agriculture, engineering, medicine and pharmacy on a single campus.
    A host of events have been ongoing shortly before the official Founder’s Day on February 22, 2015. The final event is set for Friday, February 27, 2015 from 7:00-11:00 pm, as members of the UK family and supporters of the university, come together to party on the floor of Rupp Arena.
    More information on UK’s 150th anniversary and Founders Week, can be viewed at: www.uky.edu/uk150. Also, to view a video, see: http://uknow.uky.edu/content/happy-150th-university-kentucky