UK Unveils The Kentucky Road
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The vision of UK Athletics’ Student-Athlete Experience Division has come to life through The Kentucky Road, which describes the incomparable developmental experience provided for student-athletes during their time as Wildcats.
“We believe steadfastly in the transformative power of the college athletics experience,” Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said. “We also believe it is our responsibility to tailor that experience to meet the needs of young people in order to empower them to achieve their dreams. By taking The Kentucky Road for four years, our student-athletes will be given the tools and experiences they need to prepare for the 40 years to follow.”
The online home of The Kentucky Road is TheKentuckyRoad.com, a first-of-its-kind digital platform that inspires prospective student-athletes to visualize their future at UK. That future includes a set of opportunities that will challenge them to grow into leaders prepared for a lifetime of success, both during and after college. The Kentucky Road digital platform illustrates that through story-driven multimedia content and an interactive roadmap experience.
“The Kentucky Road is a journey that combines essential elements of individual leader development and carefully crafted experiences within a winning culture of growth and empowerment,” Executive Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Experience Jason Cummins said. “It is intentionally designed to create a shared consciousness for all students, coaches, and staff, and to describe how Kentucky will develop leaders of character, competence, and consequence for life.”
Barnhart has challenged UK Athletics to be innovative in the way it develops student-athletes. Accordingly, the athletics department is taking an intentional approach to development, focusing on the four core competencies of academics, athletics, character and career. By taking The Kentucky Road, student-athletes will grow into elite athletes and high-achieving students capable of becoming a new generation of leaders.
The Kentucky Road digital platform was built in partnership with brand experience design firm Accomplice, which spearheaded the ideation and creation of The Kentucky Road digital experience. Accomplice produced a dynamic and robust mobile-first responsive platform that immerses visitors in the world of UK Athletics and inspires visitors to take action to pursue their goals as student-athletes at UK.
