Charles T. Wethington Jr. (born January 2, 1936, in

Casey County, Kentucky Casey County is a county located in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,941. Its county seat is Liberty. The county was formed in 1806 from the western part of Lincoln County and named for Colonel ...

) was the tenth

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

from 1990 to 2001.

Early life

Wethington graduated from St. Bernard High School in Clementsville, Kentucky, attended Brescia College from 1952 to 1954 and transferred to

Eastern Kentucky University Eastern Kentucky University (Eastern or EKU) is a public university in Richmond, Kentucky. It also maintains branch campuses in Corbin, Hazard, and Manchester and offers over 40 online undergraduate and graduate options. History Founding ...

where he was graduated in 1956 with a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and

History History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

. He received a

in 1962 from the University of Kentucky in

Education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

as well as his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in 1966. He then served on the faculty of UK and was an administrator at several levels in

University of Kentucky's Community College System Education in Kentucky includes elementary school (kindergarten through fifth grade in most areas), middle school (or junior high, sixth grade through eighth grade in most locations), high school (ninth through twelfth grade in most locations), a ...

, the forerunner to the current

Kentucky Community and Technical College System The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) is the system of public community and technical colleges in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is headquartered in Versailles, Kentucky, and has 16 colleges with over 70 campuses. Programs ...

, culminating in his appointment as Chancellor for the Community College System.

President of UK

Wethington was appointed Interim President of the University of Kentucky in 1989 and appointed as President in 1990. He set out to raise the academic standards for admission and instruction at the university and was successful at this, evidenced by admissions test scores and national rankings for programs at the school. He oversaw the building and opening of the central library facility, the

William T. Young Library The William T. Young Library (colloquially 'Willy T.') is located on the campus of the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. It is named for William T. Young, a prominent local businessman, horse breeder, philanthropist ...

in 1998, as well as 40 other building projects at the university. On June 30, 2001, Wethington stepped down as president and served for two years in a fundraising role for UK. He is now retired in Lexington.

Legacy

The University of Kentucky opened the

Charles T. Wethington Jr. Building The Charles T. Wethington Jr. Building is a 210,300 sq. ft. six-story brick and concrete structure for the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky, located at the corner of Rose Street and South Limestone."Allied Health Center." 1999. Unive ...

in 2003, named in his honor. He was named to the University of Kentucky's Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 1995.

References

External links

Biography at University of Kentucky
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wethington, Charles T. Jr. 1936 births Living people People from Casey County, Kentucky Presidents of the University of Kentucky