Editor,

Residents of Grayson County may not realize the ways the University of Kentucky continually touches their lives, by providing education to 19 young Grayson Countians in the 2008-09 academic year, assisting business people, advising homemakers and agricultural enterprises and offering guidance on healthcare.

UK’s 2008-09 academic year began with eight Grayson County freshmen, three juniors and six seniors attending classes, along with two others pursuing graduate degrees or professional degrees in nursing, medicine, pharmacy, and law.

Meanwhile, Grayson Countians already entrust vital parts of their lives to professionals who learned their skills at UK.

The county has 10 lawyers, four nurses, five physicians, 17 pharmacists, and three dentists who earned their degrees at UK.

And UK’s impact promises to continue far into the future, as UK launches more research programs and economic development initiatives designed to improve prosperity and the quality of life of for every Kentuckian.

For instance, Grayson County boasts 461 alumni of UK, but the university’s impact stretches beyond those who have studied in its classrooms by assisting regional and local economic development efforts.

Meanwhile, more than 350,000 patients relied on the UK Chandler Medical Center-which includes the UK Chandler Hospital, the Kentucky Clinics and the Kentucky Children’s Hospital-for their healthcare in the fiscal year that ended June 30, including 162 patient visits by Grayson County residents.

In Grayson County, local residents consulted with UK Cooperative Extension Agents Kindra Ewing, Jack Ewing, and Joan Martin on a broad range of issues, providing information on medical issues, healthy recipes, household budgeting, and weather precautions important to both farmers and homeowners.

Across Kentucky, families using this service-the nation’s third largest extension service-reduced their healthcare costs by $24 million.

Business people in Grayson County obtained information four times about better methods of improving competitiveness.

The advice offered by consultants of UK’s Kentucky Small Business Development Centers resulted in an average annual increase of sales by its clients of nearly $546,329.

Statewide, KSBDC’s services helped generate more than $92.6 million in sales and helped create 806 jobs and save 295 others.

Grayson County’s men and women who work in one area manufacturing plant benefited from increased job opportunites created by improved efficiency and productivity resulting from the consulting services of UK’s Industrial Extension Service.

This program, and UK’s Center for Manufacturing, advises nearly 320 companies a year on ways to heighten profitable operations, and most of these companies are in Kentucky.

UK’s future economic impact also will extend into Grayson County, as coming generations seek their degrees both on the campus in Lexington and on the Internet via Kentucky’s Commonwealth Virtual University. Better earnings, a more educated work force and a higher tax base-the evidence of real prosperity-can be expected.

Sincerely,

Dan Adkins

University of Kentucky

Public Relations and

Marketing

Lexington, KY