Britt Brockman (left) with University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto (right)
While serving as the student body president on the UK Board of Trustees, Britt Brockman (B.S. ’82) remembers President Otis Singletary telling him that he could get as much as he wanted out of the University of Kentucky. Whatever seeds he sowed, he would reap someday. This sense of determination remained with Brockman for many years and sustained him through pharmacy school, medical school and a highly successful career as an ophthalmologist.
“I vowed to return someday and give back to the university in appreciation for what it had given me, which was a first-class education,” says Brockman.
Fourteen years ago, Brockman did just that. In 2008, the Hodgenville, Kentucky, native was appointed to the UK Board of Trustees by Governor Steve Beshear as his first nomination. Three years later, he became the chair and served in the role for eight years. During his tenure as chair, Brockman led the search committee that hired UK’s current president, Eli Capilouto, in 2011.
“I am very proud of what we’ve done on the board,” says Brockman, who recently gifted $1 million to UK through the UK Donor Advised Fund. His gift will benefit UK students from LaRue County, Kentucky, and provide a significant scholarship to future UK student body presidents in perpetuity.
After many years of service to the university, Brockman is honored to be able to give back in a charitable manner. “There are many creative and tax-wise ways to extend your philanthropic impact. I’ve been pleased working through UK Philanthropy and the UK Donor Advised Fund,” said Brockman.
“LaRue County has a wealth of qualified brains and young people who should be given every opportunity to attend our university,” Brockman explains. “It is my hope that this will afford the financial means for LaRue countians to attend UK, who otherwise may not have been able to do so. If this can allow folks from my home County to succeed in life, then I think I have succeeded in my mission.”
While ensuring educational opportunities for students from LaRue County is the motivation for part of Brockman’s gift, the inspiration to support future student body presidents at UK is born out of his experience engaging with student representatives while on the Board of Trustees.
During his undergraduate years at UK, Brockman successfully ran for Student Senate twice, was elected student body vice president and, in his senior year, was elected student body president. It was an experience that connected him to the university in ways he couldn’t have imagined when he arrived on campus in 1977. Brockman is constantly impressed by the high caliber of the student representatives and believes they are equipped to become national and global leaders in the future.
“I hope this shows them that they can give back someday as I have and I hope it makes them think about the potential they have to help the university in the future,” reflects Brockman. “It is not so much a financial consideration in the immediate sense of their needs but a motivation for them to remember how they got to where they are in the future and, as a result, help others.”
UK is grateful to Britt Brockman for his tremendous generosity. If you are interested in learning more about how donor advised funds may be used to benefit the university and its students, contact Gift and Estate Planning at 859-257-7886 or giftandestate@uky.edu.