UK President Lee Todd has become a “card-carrying member of the blogosphere.”

“I never thought I’d write the following words,” Todd — or his writing team — wrote in his first post on Jan. 20. “I’ve become a blogger.”

He’s been criticized for not being accessible to the student body. Especially in a time of budget hardships and closely watched pay increases, Todd has seemed detached from his students, making decisions that make his critics wonder if he has the university’s best interests at heart.

It was once rumored that you could knock on the door of Maxwell Place — the house where Todd and his wife Patsy moved into in 2001 — and Patsy would have fresh cookies waiting for you. Now, some may wonder if he still lives at the on-campus residence at all.

But the addition of Todd’s blog — appropriately titled President’s Perspective — to the UK Web site homepage, has strategically designed a new way for the president to reach his students. What makes you closer to your students than joining ranks with them and blogging about the world’s pressing issues?

It very possibly might be one of the greatest public relations stunts that has come out of the president’s office in a while. Maybe it’s in response to this idea that he is detached from the students, maybe it’s a different way to get to know the man behind the university, a way to make Todd seem a little more hip. Whatever the reason, it’s a progressive idea.

“When I speak to people across Kentucky and beyond, people often ask me how they can find more about some of the incredible things that are happening on campus,” Todd said in an e-mail to the Kernel. “This blog provides us a modern, 21st-century way to share our story.”

According to Todd’s first blog post, he plans to post news, information and “fun tidbits about what is happening at the University of Kentucky.” He promises to blog at least every Tuesday.

“I will introduce you to some of our world-class students, share some of the groundbreaking research happening in our labs, shine the spotlight on some of our student-athletes and coaches, and show how UK is making an impact in communities across the state and beyond,” Todd wrote in the post.

Only a week old, Todd’s blog includes posts about the UK cheerleading team winning a 17th national title, UK becoming the official FEI Alltech World Equestrian Games sponsor and a piece about the Commonwealth Collaborative — an outreach program in Hopkins County, Ky.

Whatever its motivation, the President’s Perspective is a welcomed way to show students they are not forgotten.