UK's Equine Initiative renamed UK Ag Equine Programs

stakeholders to better reflect the breadth of equine offerings at UK and the college's long-term commitment to serving the state's signature equine industry.

The Equine Initiative was launched in 2005 when the College of Agriculture set out to radically change how it served Kentucky's signature equine industry and provide a suite of services appropriate for a land-grant university. In a nod acknowledging the success of those efforts and a continued commitment to the state's equine industry, the college has adopted a new name to better position its equine programs for continued success.

"In short, we have indeed transformed the ‘initiative' into established, world-class, service-oriented programs across the board," said Nancy Cox, UK College of Agriculture associate dean for research, Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station director and administrative leader for the UK Ag Equine Programs.

That was a sentiment echoed...
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Equine Reproduction Facilities open at UK's Maine Chance Equine Campus
LEXINGTON, Ky., (Feb 9, 2012)
UK Equine facilityA grand opening celebration for University of Kentucky's Equine Reproduction Facilities was held Feb. 2 at UK's Maine Chance Equine Campus. The celebration recognized the generosity of supporters who funded the remodeling.

The...
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UK climate change workshop to stimulate ideas, collaborations
LEXINGTON, Ky., (Feb 9, 2012)
tractor in droughtFor those interested in remaining competitive in an agricultural future that could be defined by a changing climate, the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture's Climate Change Working Group is offering the Climate Change and Small Grains Production...
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School will help producers ready their IPM plans for 2012
PRINCETON, Ky., (Feb 9, 2012)
What has been a considerably mild winter thus far has many producers wondering if and how the warmer temperatures will affect diseases and insect pests in their fields in the upcoming growing season. The University of Kentucky’s Integrated Pest Management School can help producers get a jumpstart on their 2012 management strategies.

The school is March 7 at the UK Research and Education Center in Princeton.

Registration begins at 8 a.m. CST, and presentations by UK College of Agriculture...
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UK College of Agriculture engineer recognized for safety work

The beef industry is always changing, sometimes very rapidly with regard to weather, market prices, fuel and other input costs. Add in external forces such as national and world politics, economics, animal rights and consumer perceptions, and beef producers have many situations to manage and overcome to be profitable.

NEWS BY:http://www.ca.uky.edu/news

Top universities warned over places for 'disadvantaged' students

Top universities in England were warned yesterday they face having to slash their fees if they fail to recruit more students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The warning came from Professor Les Ebdon, the Government’s choice to take over as head of the Office for Fair access – the university admissions watchdog.

Professor Ebdon, vice-chancellor of Bedfordshire University and chairman of the million+ university think-tank, told MPs he was willing to use “the nuclear option” to force universities in the Russell Group – which represents leading research universities such as Oxford and Cambridge – if they fail to meet targets for recruitment.

He was being grilled by members of the Commons select committee on business, innovation and skills  – who have the power to veto his appointment.

At present, all universities seeking to charge more than £6,000 a year in fees have to sign an agreement with OFFA committing them to making efforts to recruit more students from disadvantaged areas.

If they fail to meet agreed targets, they can be fined up to $500,000 or have their fees reduced to £6,000 a year.

Professor Ebdon told the MPs that the performance of Russell Group universities has been “patchy” – “The commitment (to widening participation) has been mixed”.

“There are some colleagues in the Russell Group universities who are just as passionate about widening participation as I am,” he said.

“I would be aiming to strengthen that opposition so that is the case throughout the whole university system.”

He added: “If they don’t do that, then there will be a point at which we will not be afraid to use sanctions.

“At present there are £500,000 fines – which are hardly sanctions at all but the other is to refuse to sign an access agreement.

“That’s a significant sanction – the nuclear sanction – and one has to use the nuclear sanction with subtlety.

“If you have a nuclear sanction, thought, you have to be prepared to use it and clearly I would be prepared if people didn’t meet their targets.”

Professor Ebdon said he would like to have had a wider range of sanctions at his disposal - “a tactical strike option would be welcome as well”

Figures showed the ratio between disadvantaged students had gone from one to six to one to seven in leading universities, he said, and it was important to reverse that trend.

He was questioned at length by MPs on his outspoken opposition to the new fees regime while the legislation on the new fees was being steered through the Commons by the Coalition Government.  He is a supporter of a graduate tax.

He said he would make it clear it was not part of his role as head of OFFA to comment on that issue.

Brian Binley, Conservative MP for Northampton South, told him frankly he could not see any evidence of business acumen in his c.v.

NEWS BY:http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/top-universities-warned-over-places-for-disadvantaged-students-6348941.html

Final 3 Compete On ‘X Factor’; Simon Cowell Thinks He Knows Who Should Win

LOS ANGELES, CALIF. -- “The X Factor” and its $5 million recording contract is in America’s hands to decide.

Josh Krajcik, Chris Rene and the lone lady left standing, Melanie Amaro, took the stage for one last set of competition performances, and based on the judges’ comments, one contender may be in the lead. But who is it? Read on to find out…

Here’s how Round 1 went:

Josh, a burrito maker from Ohio, hit the stage with “Uninvited,” joined by Alanis Morissette. A little thrown off by the superstar power on stage, Josh was strong in his singing, but had a moment or two of insecurity standing next to the Grammy winner – and Simon Cowell noticed.

“Alanis — amazing, looks cute, by the way. Josh — I thought you were a little bit intimidated in the beginning,” Simon told the singer following his performance. “Then, as the song got into gear, I heard the old Josh back… It was an 8 out of 10.”

Chris dueted with Avril Lavigne on her song, “Complicated,” which featured one of the Santa Cruz performer’s own rap verses, something Josh’s mentor, Nicole Scherzinger, complimented.

“It was a little shaky in the takeoff… but your energy and the light around you is so flippin’ contagious,” she said. “You shined up there.”

Looking like the cat who got the cream, Simon introduced his contestant, Melanie, who sang “I Believe I Can Fly” alongside R. Kelly. Performing the tune in R. Kelly’s key signature made it less of a show piece for the powerhouse vocalist, according to Chris’ mentor, L.A. Reid.

“I felt you got a little bit over shadowed,” L.A. said.

Simon, however, praised his contender.

“You didn’t look like someone in a talent competition… It was a fantastic version of the song,” the Brit chimed in.

AH Nation Poll: Now that they’ve performed in the final, who should win “The X Factor”?

With no clear frontrunner in Round 1, Round 2 was anyone’s game as the contenders performed without superstar help and in Josh’s case, without any help at all. Just a lone man on stage, the Ohioan took out his guitar and gave a soulful rendition of “At Last.”

“This is what we call the $5 million song,” Simon said. “This is the song that’s gonna determine your fate… and what I liked about it was it was all about you, what we liked about it in the first place. This is gonna be a very, very close call tonight, I can feel that.”

Chris tugged at heart strings when he performed the song he did at his audition – his own composition – “Young Homie.”

Giving his all on stage alongside dancers and spruced up musical accompaniment, the young man was in his element and he was moved to tears by the end.

“You are magic!” Paula Abdul screamed. “You are the consummate singer/songwriter, performer… You make everyone fall in love with you.”

Melanie, then took to the stage for her final number – Beyonce’s “Listen,” complete with a choir and vocal runs that showed her true musical prowess.

“That is the Melanie I love,” L.A. said. “That wasn’t a $5 million performance, that was a $50 million performance.”

Simon, however, went one step further, telling Melanie she was the reason he imported his foreign reality competition stateside, and, perhaps, putting her in the lead.

“I brought this show to America because some of the greatest singers in this world are from this country, and you just proved that,” he said. “You, based on that performance tonight, you should be the winner of ‘The X Factor,’ because you’re gonna represent this country all over the world.”

“The X Factor” crowns a winner on Thursday night at 8 PM ET/PT on FOX.


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