LEXINGTON, Ky. — Thousands of young Kentuckians will be able to pursue a degree from the University of Kentucky thanks to a historic $5 million gift from the college's largest single donor.

The gift will fund a scholarship program to help those pursuing college in underserved areas of Kentucky, university officials announced Thursday. It'll also help students from medically underserved areas who want to attend UK's medical school.

Philanthropist Bill Gatton recently donated the funds, and they'll target three critical areas for Kentucky’s workforce and health care needs: 

• Current UK students from each of Kentucky’s 120 counties will be eligible for awards with an average scholarship of $5,000-6,000 based on financial need and academic progress toward graduation. The first set of awards will occur this spring. 
• First-year UK students from Muhlenberg and McLean counties and undergraduate students who attended the Gatton Academy — an early college entrance program for gifted students — will be eligible for scholarship awards.
• Forty scholarships of up to $25,000 will be awarded for Kentucky students at UK’s College of Medicine. Preference will be given to students from medically underserved areas. 

The scholarship program will also prioritize and support first-generation students across those three areas.

The UK Board of Trustees will vote on whether to accept the gift at its Feb. 17-18 meeting. 

The college of business and economics at UK bears Gatton's name, as does the university’s student center. The total impact of his gifts at UK now total more than $70 million.  

“Mr. Gatton deeply understands that our mission is to advance Kentucky in everything that we do — the education we provide, the research we conduct and the care and service we render,” President Eli Capilouto said in a press release. “He believes in that mission. And he believes that it is Kentucky’s children — this generation of young people and those who will follow — who will secure a future for a state that is healthier, wealthier and wiser.” 

Mike Richey, who recently retired as UK’s vice president for Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement, has continued to work closely with Gatton and praised him for his committment to UK. 

“Bill Gatton appreciates what education meant for him and for his family. He has a particularly deep understanding of the importance that the University of Kentucky’s university has for the future of the Commonwealth,” Richey said. “He has spent a lifetime giving back and paying it forward, knowing that the seeds he plants today will yield a much brighter tomorrow for our state.” 

UK’s Vice President for Student Success Kirsten Turner will oversee the undergraduate scholarships awarded because of Gatton’s gift, officials said.