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Staff Spotlight - Bethany Fugate

Sep 16, 2026
  1. Where did you grow up and what is your background? I grew up all over Kentucky but would consider Owensboro and Columbia as my home bases. My dad is a retired United Methodist minister, and my mom is a retired college instructor and advisor.  Service to others and education have always been important values to my family. 

    I graduated from Kentucky Wesleyan College in 2006 with a BS in Psychology and then earned a M.Ed. in Counseling and Human Development from Lindsey Wilson (College) University in 2008. 
  2. How did you come to be in your current position at UK? Upon graduation in 2008, I moved into a full-time position at Lindsey Wilson in the School of Professional Counseling (SPC). In the summer of 2010, I transitioned into Lindsey’s TRiO Student Support Services program full time, while still doing counseling and adjunct instruction for SPC. Unfortunately, the program lost its funding just before the start of the 2015 school year. While I enjoyed counseling, my love for the advising and academic side took preference when searching for my next adventure. 

    I was blessed with a job offer to work as an academic advisor for Undergraduate Studies at UK and started working on Jan. 4, 2016. In Jan. 2017, I started working in Gatton and then moved into the Senior Advisor role in the summer of 2023. 
  3. What is the most gratifying part of your work? The most gratifying part of my work and my WHY are the students. I love being a part of their journey and seeing how much they grow and all the things they’re able to accomplish along the way. I enjoy getting to know them and learning from them. 

    One such student is Griffin McCoy. Griffin is an amazing young man! When we meet each semester, I enjoy learning about what he’s involved in and what he is thinking about when it comes to his future. Like me, he has the value of service to others, and he looks for ways to tie in his values and beliefs into what he does now and will do later in his life. I can guarantee that whatever he decides to do, he will have a big impact on the people and world around him, mainly just by being himself. 

    Gatton students go on to do amazing things, and it’s cool to know I had a small part in that.
     

  4. How can Gatton alumni continue to help and support our students? Our alumni can help and support our students in multiple ways:

    - Willingness to share their time and knowledge (e.g. panel discussion, motivational interview, mentorship, workshops)
    - Internship Opportunities when available
    - Networking Connections 

Gatton College of Business and Economics

550 South Limestone
Lexington, KY 40506-0034
United States
(859) 257-8936

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