By Allie Huddleston

This January, local charity Women and Philanthropy awarded a grant of nearly $19,000 to the UK Honors Program to support education abroad for honors students.

The Honors Program was one of many campus organizations that applied for a charitable grant from the philanthropy, which was started by Patsy Todd, the wife of UK President Lee Todd.

“[Women and Philanthropy has] gotten together a group of women and some alumni…and those women get together money for a fund,” said Dr. Frank Ettensohn, director of the UK Honors Program.

He applied for the grant last May, and the Honors Program was chosen as a grant recipient from the fund after a two-round selection process.

The Honors Program plans to use the grant of exactly $18,942 to finance student education abroad.

The Honors Program already has education abroad programs in countries in Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as Latin and South America.

This year, the Honors Program is offering new programs in Ecuador and India.

“I’ve always felt that every honors student…should have a foreign travel experience of some sort,” Ettensohn said. “They need to get out of their backyard and learn.”

He believes that education abroad is important for students, and the grant will provide funding for more honors students to travel abroad.

“I would like every one of our students to have this opportunity,” Ettensohn said. “I know it is not possible to send every student abroad, but hopefully this grant will help.”

Honors students who want to travel abroad with the additional support the grant will provide can start the process by meeting with an education abroad advisor.

Students can make an appointment by calling the Education Abroad office at (859) 257-4067 ext. 252, or by emailing the office at [email protected].

“I think it’s really important for [students] to see how others think and work,” Ettensohn said. “There are other ideas and other cultures. I would like every student to experience that.” ­­­