Welcome to the UPIKE family!

At some institutions, presidents throw those words around without a lot of substance behind them, but here at UPIKE the faculty, staff, and students told me about the UPIKE family before we even arrived on campus. There is an atmosphere of caring and closeness that permeates the hill, transcends the classroom and reaches into the heart of who we are as a people.

As a family we believe in, and embrace certain things.

First - We are a Christian community, but that does not mean we are all people of the same faith. We believe that, at its best, the Christian community is expressed by valuing people, offering hospitality to all, and providing an environment where faith can grow. We welcome all people of all faiths and ask that we respect and honor one another as people made in the image of God. Our family has its roots in Christianity and we extend our arms to everyone.

Second - We strive to be a healthy family, but that does not mean we are perfect. We recognize that the people who make up the UPIKE family come from many different backgrounds and some of us are passionate in our opinions. We might disagree sometimes, but at the end of the day, we are a family that loves and values one another and we will work to be healthy. There is great strength in diversity and we do our best to embrace it.

Third - Communication is one of the most important keys to being a healthy family. In every setting we strive for healthy communication that encourages, lifts up, and holds everyone accountable to our life together as a family. We realize that open communication is not always natural and that it will take work and trust to maintain. Communication is at the heart of what we seek to do academically and we believe in putting knowledge into practice. We think healthy communication is worth the effort.

Finally - We are a family of learners. This last characteristic of the UPIKE family encompasses each of the preceding three. We humbly recognize that we do not have all of the answers when it comes to faith, so we welcome others and seek to learn from their experiences. We acknowledge our imperfections while simultaneously seeking to heal them and grow from our experiences. We are always learning how to speak, write, and communicate in ways that bring life and growth. We are always learning.

As we aim toward our faith, live in community, and communicate with one another we learn what it might be like to experience the life well-lived. Along the way we will intentionally learn important skills like writing, speaking, optometry, nursing, social work and medicine. We are a great university that is built to do those things too, but our aim is to build lives of character by forming people who pursue truth, seek justice and understand what it is to live well in the twenty-first century. If we can do that and educate students in their chosen field, we will have done well as the UPIKE family.

Striving to serve,

Burton J. Webb, Ph.D.
President
University of Pikeville