Beginning the week of April 6, UK officials will be calling all graduate and undergraduate UK students in order to provide support during the coronavirus pandemic. 

The calls, which were previously announced in an email from UK President Eli Capilouto, were planned as an effort to communicate with students and support them even when UK’s campus is closed.

“The University of Kentucky has a deep care and commitment for our students through student-centered approaches, like individualized phone calls,” said Kirsten Turner, associate provost for academic and student affairs. 

Staff members from UK Student and Academic Life will conduct the calls, along with volunteers from UK Philanthropy and Alumni, Campus Housing, Facilities Management, Information Technology Services, the International Center and the Office of Institutional Diversity. 

Turner explained that personally calling over 30,000 people is “no small feat,” but UK Information Technology Services has developed methods to streamline and facilitate the process. The calls will be made using Microsoft Teams and voice over internet protocol technology, which will allow staff members and volunteers to make phone calls from computers. This will allow every individual caller to be grouped under their campus office’s phone number and caller ID.

“Although we might not be together on campus, we’re here to serve and support [students’] goals and ambitions…during this unprecedented time in their lives,” said Turner.