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UK To Pay Consultant For Help In Prioritizing Goals

By Associated Press

Lexington, KY – A consulting firm has been tapped to help the University of Kentucky retool its long-term goals at a cost of $285,000, a newspaper reported Monday.

Chicago-based Huron Consulting Group is expected to release its findings in October to the UK Board of Trustees and new president Eli Capilouto, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.

"The reality today is that while many of our dreams and aspirations for UK and Kentucky tomorrow have not changed, the underlying economic, social and technological conditions have," said Capilouto, who took office July 1.

The study is expected to provide information on how UK can operate more efficiently, review the school's Top 20 business plan and figure out where UK stands relative to other public universities.

The Top 20 business plan was created in 2005 to propel UK toward Top 20 public research university status and was a cornerstone of UK's planning under the administration of then-president Lee T. Todd Jr.

New faculty trustee Irina Voro questioned the expenditure.

Hiring one consultant might not seem like a big deal, but those types of administrative expenditures add up, she said, and "pretty soon we are talking real money that we can't seem to find for things truly related to education."

UK spokesman Jay Blanton said Huron would conduct extensive analysis that puts UK's status into a national perspective.

The company is being asked "to quickly analyze the strategic initiatives we have in place, measure our progress with those plans, and provide feedback and input about how we can build on the strong foundation we've established the last several years," he said.

During public forums before Capilouto was named president in May, Capilouto said he wanted UK to have big goals. But speaking specifically about the goal of becoming a Top 20 university, he said that UK "may not get there in our lifetimes."

Trustees chairman Britt Brockman of Louisville called the study's $285,000 price tag "a reasonable amount of money for the amount of information."

Trustee Billy Joe Miles of Owensboro said the study was vital to the university, which will be a key player in helping Kentucky's economy recover from the continuing recession.

He said UK needs to spend the right amount of money to get a clear vision of its role in that process.

"If we're going to plan, I don't think we need to save," Miles said. "We need the best."

Payment for the UK contract will come from university funds, Blanton said. Huron will provide a four-person team to gather data and complete the study, according to the contract.