Established by Presbyterian ministers in 1889, the University of Pikeville is located in the coalfields of Eastern Kentucky and stands as a beacon of opportunity in the heart of Central Appalachia and rural America. From humble beginnings, a four-room school situated on three acres, the founders set out to create an institution of higher learning for the youth of the mountains, a 126-year-old promise that defines the leading university of Central Appalachia. Steeped in the liberal arts tradition, the university, or UPIKE, encompasses five colleges, offering bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. The university is a growing collective of 2,500 students from 42 states and 24 countries and more than 13,000 alumni. Each is a reflection of the founders’ expectations, a community of learners investing a real and considerable part of their lives in the things that last – education, leadership and service to fellow man. In 2014, the university announced the Kentucky College of Optometry, the next step in transforming the culture and health care of the region through access and education. A continuation of the university’s strategic focus on health sciences, together, the osteopathic medical school and the college of optometry will serve as an integrated health care model for rural medicine. The University of Pikeville has proudly established the Kentucky College of Optometry and is constructing a new state-of-the-art academic facility to house the new college. It is the goal of the University of Pikeville to make this new college the best and most prestigious college of optometry in America.
