Gov. Andy Beshear warns University of Kentucky leadership roles can end 'in a very difficult way' amid rift

Jesse Fraga, Lexington Herald-Leader on Apr 30, 2026

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Addressing ongoing conflict between himself and the University of Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear warned Thursday that he has seen university presidents’ tenures end “in a very difficult way.”

During a Team Kentucky address on the state of the Commonwealth Thursday, Beshear referenced the fall of the University of Louisville’s 2016 leadership and compared it to what could happen at UK after criticizing the university for recent leadership decisions.

Former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin used an executive order to dissolve and reorganize UofL’s Board of Trustees, which preceded then university President James Ramsey’s resignation in 2016. The governor does not have sole jurisdiction to remove a university’s president, but they can influence its leader by reshaping the board of trustees.

“As attorney general, I watched the fall of James Ramsey. I saw what happens when too much power is consolidated in just one individual running the university that sometimes they start thinking that they are the university and that their decisions shouldn’t be questioned or criticized,” Beshear said. “And then what happens is what would have been a stellar legacy ends in a very difficult way.”

Beshear also doubled down on issues he initially spoke out against on social media — UK’s contentious hiring of its incoming law school dean and the job offer for retiring athletic director Mitch Barnhart that came with an almost $1 million salary. Beshear said he was “losing confidence” in the institution’s management on April 21.

Those posts sparked a back and forth in the days that followed, with UK defending federal judge Gregory Van Tatenhove to be dean, and Barnhart deciding he would no longer take his new proposed job following his retirement. Kentucky Republicans also came to Van Tatenhove’s defense.

“I’ve known Eli Capilouto the entire time he’s been at UK, and I want him to be successful, but I believe in strong oversight,” Beshear said from the state capitol Thursday.

Beshear especially took issue with UK’s change in policy to allow certain roles, including Van Tatenhove’s and Barnhart’s, to be approved by the president alone. UK says that change took effect in 2024.

“I’m going to take a real close look at the board of trustees to make sure we’re getting real strong oversight, and they should absolutely walk back what’s claimed to be the 2024 action that moved these decisions to the president,” Beshear said.

Beshear said faculty haven’t felt properly represented since the university senate dissolved in 2024, and was replaced by a faculty senate, which does not have policy-making authority, but instead, merely offers recommendations to Provost Robert DiPaola.

“You should be able to work with the faculty that’s there,” Beshear said. “These are the folks that are providing that education, and that’s your job. You’re an institution of higher education.”

He also expressed concern for employees in limbo regarding how their roles may be impacted by the transformation of university departments into not-for-profit limited liability companies.

“Many of them are union employees, and there’s a real concern that they will lose a lot of their rights as public employees or as union employees,” Beshear said. “I think especially a higher education institution ought to be looking out for the people that work for them.”

Jay Blanton, a UK spokesperson, responded to Beshear’s remarks and said the university is open to his criticism.

“As always, we appreciate the governor’s feedback and we take it seriously,” Blanton told the Herald-Leader. “We are committed to oversight and openness. And we will always listen for how we can improve and deepen that commitment.”

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Reporter Hannah Pinski contributed to this story.

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