Interview with A. D. Albright, December 20, 1988

Partial Transcript: And, uh, we were going to say something about, uh, students, uh--

Segment Synopsis: Albright discusses how administration at the university is sometimes problematic. Albright talks about a certain dean and how he was difficult to get along with. The dean valued research and outreach instead of teaching. The school of agriculture was big but isolated itself. The university prides itself in the College of Agriculture.

Keywords: Administration; Agriculture; Deans; Farm bureau; Medical centers; Research

Subjects: Agriculture; College administrators; University of Kentucky. College of Agriculture

Partial Transcript: Well, you know, that's still a very timely topic.

Segment Synopsis: Albright discusses how the medical college and center chose to separate itself from the other colleges at the university.

Keywords: Biological sciences; Competition; Faculty members; Medical centers; Science; Separation

Subjects: College facilities.; School management and organization.; University of Kentucky. College of Agriculture; University of Kentucky. College of Medicine

Partial Transcript: Seems like 25 years later now they're more comfortable with their role...

Segment Synopsis: Albright discusses different scientific discoveries at the university. He talks about how the medical center at the university is expanding their program. He talks about how changes come through influence of society instead of reason, and how money drives the research done at the university. 

Keywords: Anatomy; Biology; Boundaries; Chemistry; Discipline; Genes; Genetic inheritance; Genetics; Health; Membrane sciences; Money; Research; Science

Subjects: Research; University and colleges--Research.; University of Kentucky. College of Medicine

Partial Transcript: You know I hadn’t, I hadn’t prepared--this, this isn't on my prepared list of questions...

Segment Synopsis: Albright discusses how university students could attend classes at Auburn University and several others through a shared academic program and how this was a key reason why the university never developed its own veterinary program. The legislature then pushed this onto Murray State University, though this ultimately failed.

Keywords: Auburn University; Funding; Higher education; Murray State University; Veterinary schools

Subjects: Education--Finance--Kentucky; Universities and colleges--Finance; University of Kentucky. Department of Veterinary Science

Partial Transcript: Well anyway, they had got to the point where, uh, Mr. McCuiston arranged for the chairman of the state government committee...

Segment Synopsis: Albright talks about the state legislature voting on whether or not there should be a veterinary school in Kentucky. A member who had to vote for whether to provide Murray State University with a veterinary school explains why he did not vote for it, causing it to fail by one vote.

Keywords: Legislature; Murray State University; Veterinary schools

Subjects: Education--Political aspects; Educational law and legislation--Kentucky; Rural schools--Kentucky; University of Kentucky; University of Kentucky. Department of Veterinary Science

Partial Transcript: Well, what does that say about, uh--that wasn’t that long ago...

Segment Synopsis: Albright explains why Murray State University wouldn’t get a veterinary school. He talks about how placing it at Western Kentucky University would place a strain on agriculture. Albright discusses regionalism and the University of Kentucky’s role as a spokesperson for higher education.

Keywords: Agriculture; Higher education; Murray State University; Regionalism; Spokesperson; Veterinary schools; Western Kentucky University

Subjects: Universities and colleges.; University of Kentucky. College of Agriculture; University of Kentucky. Department of Veterinary Science

Partial Transcript: I guess I found it interesting looking at the university's history...

Segment Synopsis: The University of Kentucky was known to be in the heart of the horse industry, yet they still didn’t want a veterinary school. The department of agricultural science already did some of the things you would expect a veterinary school to do. The equestrian people had access to veterinary services without a veterinary school. The veterinarian was in Bourbon County. 

Keywords: Agriculture; Bourbon County (Ky.); Equestrian; Horse industry; Horses; Veterinary schools

Subjects: University and colleges--Research.; University of Kentucky. College of Agriculture; University of Kentucky. Department of Veterinary Science

Partial Transcript: You look at the MD picture here in, uh, in, uh...

Segment Synopsis: Albright discusses the rapid rise in tuition costs at the medical school and whether the government should subsidize medical school tuition given their high salaries after graduation. He also discusses the low number of doctors in the area despite having a medical school.

Keywords: Doctors; Federal loans; Financial aid; Higher education; Medical centers; Physicians; Public policy; Tuition

Subjects: College of Agriculture; Universities and colleges--Finance; University of Kentucky. College of Medicine

Partial Transcript: Does that say something about the--what you were, uh, alluding to about the services that they already can get...

Segment Synopsis: The equestrians are now interested in Lexington. They are interested in the horse industry and the research that can be done without a veterinary school. Murray State University runs a veterinary school but Kentucky can run diagnostic research. 

Keywords: Equine; Horse industry; Laboratory; Lexington (Ky.); Science; UK

Subjects: University and colleges--Research.; University of Kentucky. Department of Veterinary Science

Partial Transcript: For example, with the, uh, uh, an important part of, uh, medicine, is of course, uh, pharmaceuticals...

Segment Synopsis: Albright says that the different colleges all kind of overlap one another. If they were to come together the advances they could make would be much more than being separate. This can’t happen because of how separated the colleges are. They now compete with one another instead. Albright tried to buy land for research but it was all taken up by the time he wanted it because of competition.

Keywords: Agriculture; Arts and sciences; Competition; Medicine; Pharmaceuticals; Separation

Subjects: University and colleges--Research.; University of Kentucky. College of Agriculture

Partial Transcript: Well, the, the arrangement we had was that, uh--well the, the Kroger laboratories for instance...

Segment Synopsis: Albright says that society may frown upon technology but technology has helped research make many advances. Computers were a scary subject that not many fields wanted to move into. Many people were skeptics but laboratories valued technology.

Keywords: Assistance; Laboratory work; Modernization; Skepticism; Technology

Subjects: University and colleges--Research.; University of Kentucky. College of Medicine; University of Kentucky. Department of Computer Science

Partial Transcript: And, uh, it's true of, uh, people of institutions of higher learning, whether students or faculty...

Segment Synopsis: Albright discusses how some universities have their medical schools located far away from their main campus. Albright feels as if a medical school would be better in Louisville. This reiterates the idea that the medical school is very separate from other schools.

Keywords: Competition; Convenience; Louisville (Ky.); Medical schools; Separation

Subjects: Louisville (Ky.); University of Kentucky. College of Medicine

Partial Transcript: Well, I want to talk to you about, uh--I want you--I want to ask you about student life during this period...

Segment Synopsis: Albright says that higher education in other states has a different viewpoint on the value of higher education and intelligence. Albright talks about a couple who had a stereotypical view of Lexington.

Keywords: Colorado; Eastern Kentucky; Higher education; Kentucky; Stereotypes

Subjects: Discrimination in higher education; Education, Higher--Kentucky--Lexington; Rural schools--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: But there was--(coughs)--speaking of students, there was a fairly widespread feeling, on part of, uh, of young people coming from the mountains...

Segment Synopsis: Albright discusses the social stigma that was felt by people from more rural areas, and how this was a stereotype related to their mannerisms and speech patterns.

Keywords: Eastern Kentucky; Mannerisms; Rural Kentucky; Stereotypes; Student life

Subjects: Discrimination in higher education; Education, Higher--Kentucky--Lexington; Rural schools--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Well, when you look at the, uh, the changing nature of the student body...

Segment Synopsis: Albright says that there was a change in emphasis of the student body between the 1960s and the 1980s. The student body was becoming a lot more active in social issues both on and off the university. This has always been a common theme, but in the '80s it was more prevalent.

Keywords: Influence; Social issues; Society; Student body; Student representation; Student voices; Violence

Subjects: College environment; College students--Attitudes.; College students--Conduct of life.; College students--Political activity.; College students--Social conditions; Student protesters

Partial Transcript: What did you see causing it? Was it the civil rights movement?

Segment Synopsis: Albright says that the civil rights movement and social change caused a change in the student body. Students wanted more participation in the issues but also wanted the universities to do so as well. Albright doesn’t think the student body was that violent. 

Keywords: Civil rights; Social changes; Society; Student body; University participation

Subjects: College environment; College students--Attitudes.; College students--Political activity.; College students--Social conditions; Student protesters

Partial Transcript: In, in looking at the, you know, students, again from an administrative point of view...

Segment Synopsis: Albright discusses how students were justified to protest for their rights. It wasn’t rebellion. When Albright was in college, you didn’t have much freedom. Albright himself upset administration by insisting on certain rights during his college time.

Keywords: Higher education; Rights; Student body; Student unrest; Student voices

Subjects: College administrators; College environment; College students--Political activity.; Student protesters

Partial Transcript: And I think we mentioned once before, we rear--well, there is a distinction I think between rearing and raising.

Segment Synopsis: Albright says that what parents value when their kids go to college is different than what the university values. Some parents believe that the university needs to look after their children. Parents also believe universities will protect them when their child goes off to their school. The parents are supposed to play a role in their child going to college but they assume the university will watch over them. He talks about the relationship between the university and parents.

Keywords: Parental roles; Parents; Relationship; Standards; University

Subjects: College student orientation.; College student parents; University of Kentucky