Learn more about UPIKE and why it is the right choice for you.
See if UPIKE is a good fit for you and take the next steps in becoming a student.
The vision for the College of Dental Medicine is to be known and respected for service, innovation, clinical excellence and interprofessional education.
We are practitioners of the healing arts defining the standard for excellence in optometric education and vision care.
Our D.O. medical school is nationally ranked and recognized for a reputation of excellence in rural medicine and family healthcare. UPIKE’s osteopathy program gives you a clear path to success in the medical field.
Explore our online undergraduate and graduate programs and learn more about earning your degree at UPIKE.
By: Stacey Walters | January 16, 2026
The University of Pikeville (UPIKE) has been awarded a $60,000 grant through the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) to support a three-year, institution-wide initiative exploring the university’s history, mission and identity.
The grant, administered by the Council of Independent Colleges, will fund a project titled Virtues for Vocation, which examines how UPIKE’s long-standing commitment to Christian principles and whole-person education has been expressed throughout its history and how those commitments can guide the university’s future.
Running from February 2026 through January 2029, the project will engage faculty, staff, students, alumni, trustees and community partners in a collaborative inquiry. While student research will play a key role, the initiative is intentionally multi-voiced, incorporating archival research, interviews, focus groups and campus-wide conversations.
“This project invites us to tell UPIKE’s story with greater clarity and purpose,” said Amanda Jo Slone, Ph.D., professor of English at UPIKE. “By examining how virtue and vocation have shaped our past, we can more intentionally articulate what whole-person education means for our students today and for the communities they will serve.”
The Virtues for Vocation project will produce two significant outcomes. The first is a comprehensive report that synthesizes the project’s findings and offers recommendations for more explicitly articulating whole-person development and virtue education within the university’s mission. The second is a publicly accessible Open Educational Resource (OER) that documents UPIKE’s story through historical narratives, faculty reflections, student research and community voices.
Funding for the grant is provided through NetVUE with support from Lilly Endowment Inc. UPIKE will also participate in NetVUE conferences and national conversations related to vocation, mission and institutional identity throughout the grant period.