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19 Years

of cultivating extraordinary academic achievement through our Chellgren Fellows

600+ Students

have participated in the Chellgren Student Fellowship since its start in 2007

400+ Faculty

have lent their expertise to students by acting as mentors, fellows and endowed professors

Our Mission

The mission of the Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence is to advance the University of Kentucky's commitment to three broad areas: Student Excellence, Teaching Excellence, and Program Excellence.

The ultimate goal is for the University to be nationally recognized as a beacon of undergraduate excellence. The Chellgren Center contributes to that goal by raising aspirations of UK students; assisting students in realizing their highest academic potential; inspiring progressive reform and innovation in teaching, learning, and curriculum development; and fostering creative and productive collaborations across the many programs and departments engaged in the undergraduate mission.

Teaching Excellence

Support the creation and dissemination of the best educational practices and teaching innovations.

Faculty Resources

Student Excellence

Enhance the University's ability to recruit and retain exceptional students from within the Commonwealth of Kentucky, across the nation, and throughout the world.

Student Resources

Program Excellence

Foster collaborations among the University's most successful and prestigious undergraduate programs.

Student Fellows Program

Vision & Goals

A truly exceptional research university expresses excellence in each of its missions: teaching, research, and service. The University of Kentucky is therefore committed to creating a world-class undergraduate experience as part of its aspiration to be among the very best research universities.

The Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence was created to help realize that aspiration. The vision of the Center is to create and implement strategies for assuring that the institutional assets of UK, as a land-grant, flagship, world-class research university, are aligned to support undergraduate excellence. 

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What's New

Explore the Chellgren Student Fellows Program: Information session for first-year students

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 27, 2026) — The Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence at the University of Kentucky will give students an opportunity to learn about a unique educational program next week.

Advancing undergraduate research through the Chellgren Endowed Professorship: Rebekah Radtke

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 23, 2026) — For Rebekah Radtke, design has always been about connection — between people and place, local histories and global conversations, and disciplines that too often operate in isolation.

Chellgren Center now accepting applications for next cohort of Chellgren Endowed Professors

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 16, 2026) — The University of Kentucky Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence is now accepting applications for the next cohort of Chellgren Endowed Professors. These prestigious appointments, supported by the Chellgren Endowment, will fund two new professorships beginning in the Fall 2026 semester. Read more on UKNow...