O'Bryan wins 2026 Global Impact Award for Education Abroad
The International Center at the University of Kentucky, housed within the Office for Student Success, has announced the 2026 UK Global Impact Award winners.
Recipients include faculty, staff, alumni and community members who have significantly contributed to the university’s global engagement through education, research and service. The 2026 recipients will be recognized at an event Oct. 28.
“These awardees are making a positive difference at UK and beyond through their globally focused work,” said Tim Barnes, acting associate vice president for global engagement. “It’s an honor to recognize them and their outstanding work.”
The Global Impact Awards were established in 2020 to recognize, highlight and celebrate the wide range of global engagement activities undertaken by UK faculty, staff and alumni. Nominees for the various award categories are reviewed by the International Advisory Committee and receive additional review from campus stakeholders, such as the Staff Senate and past awardees.
This year, six winners are being recognized with Global Impact Awards in six categories, with Associate Architecture Professor Mark O'Bryan taking home the award for Distinguished Faculty Achievements in Education Abroad.
UK Global Impact Award for Distinguished Faculty Achievements in Education Abroad
The 2026 Global Impact Award for Distinguished Faculty Achievements in Education Abroad recognizes the outstanding efforts of Associate Professor Mark O’Bryan. O’Bryan started a faculty-directed education abroad program in 2014 and has since proposed and organized eight programs. He has taken nearly 150 students abroad, focusing on architectural education in Italy. O’Bryan’s passion for education abroad began nearly four decades ago when he and his wife traveled and lived in Italy through a Traveling Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome in 1985 and a S.O.M. Foundation Traveling Fellowship in 1987.
He originally developed his faculty-directed summer program to reestablish the UK College of Design’s presence in Venice after the discontinuation of the college’s longstanding semester-length studio program there. He later developed the program into a studio based in Florence, incorporating the study of architecture, art and Italian culture alongside design coursework.
His programs have introduced students to architecture and design across Italy, including Rome, Florence, Venice, Verona and Orvieto, as well as architectural traditions in France, Spain and Prague. In addition to directing his own education abroad programs, O’Bryan has advised faculty developing other faculty-directed programs and supported broader international engagement within the School of Architecture and College of Design.
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This story originally ran in UKNow here and included all award winners. The story has been shortened for relevance to the UK College of Design.