The community is invited to this year’s free 2026 Grawemeyer Awards Lecture Series:

• PsychologyĚý–ĚýSir Simon Baron-Cohen Stanford, founder and director of theĚýAutism Research CentreĚýat the University of Cambridge, will speak on Tuesday, April 14, 12 p.m., Middleton Auditorium – Room 101, Strickler Hall, about his pioneering scientific research into the prenatal sex steroid theory of autism. In 2021, he received a knighthood for his services to autism, and in 2023 he was awarded the Medical Research Council’s (MRC) Millennium Medal, for his work on the prenatal sex steroid theory of autism and his contributions to autism research and the public understanding of neurodiversity.
• World OrderĚý– Joshua W. Busby, a professor of public affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, will speak on Tuesday, April 14, 1 p.m., Chao Auditorium, Ekstrom Library. In his book, “States and Nature: The Effects of Climate Change on Security,” Busby explains how the combination of state capacity, political exclusion and international assistance determine the degree to which the impacts of climate change affect security for a country’s citizens.
• Music CompositionĚý–ĚýLiza Lim, an Australian composer will give a lecture onĚýThursday, April 16, 3 p.m., Bird Hall, School of Music. Lim is recognized for her visionary work,Ěý“A Sutured World.” The piece was commissioned by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (BRSO)/Musica Viva, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam Cello Biennale, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Casa da MĂşsica Porto for the world-renowned cellist Nicolas Altstaedt.
• ReligionĚý–ĚýCandida Moss, a biblical scholar at the University of Birmingham, UK, will speak onĚýThursday, April 16, 7 p.m., Caldwell Chapel, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Throughout the history of Christianity, the authorship of the New Testament was credited mostly to Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Paul. But hidden behind these men are unnamed coauthors and collaborators. Their work is at the center of Moss’ influential book, “God’s Ghostwriters: Enslaved Christians and the Making of the Bible.”

There was no education award given in 2026.Ěý

Charles Grawemeyer, a UofL alumnus and philanthropist, created the Grawemeyer Awards in 1984. An initial endowment of $9 million funded the awards, which have drawn nominations from around the world. Grawemeyer distinguished the awards by honoring ideas rather than life-long or publicized personal achievement, advocating that great ideas should be understandable to someone with general knowledge and not be the private treasure of academics.

Learn more about the lectures on the .

Watch segment on UofL’s and .

UofL Health, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and is governed by an independent board of directors. The agreement solidifies UofL/ULH roles as an integrated academic health system, combining UofL’s medical education and research with UofL Health’s clinical services (hospitals, clinics) to train future providers, advance medicine and offer comprehensive care. It also ensures that UofL’s Health Sciences Center serves as the academic arm, fostering research and education in medicine, dentistry and nursing, while UofL Health provides advanced patient care and expands access statewide through this academic integration.

Clubhouse Apartments Renovation Project

The Finance Committee approved a capital renovation project to the Clubhouse Apartments located on Crittenden Drive near Belknap Campus. The university purchased the property in July 2025 for $9.75 million. Assessment by architecture and engineering firm Luckett & Farley determined a need for significant renovations to the buildings on the property due to poor initial construction and lack of maintenance prior to the university’s purchase of the property.

The total cost of the renovation is estimated not to exceed $75 million. The committee also approved a financing plan for the project, which is scheduled to begin January 2026. Anticipated completion dates are August 2027 for two of the buildings and August 2028 for the third building.

Strategic Plan 2026-2030ĚýUpdate

President Gerry Bradley and Executive Vice President and University Provost Katie Cardarelli submitted the latest draft of the University of Louisville’sĚý to the board for review.

According to Bradley, this is the university’s most comprehensive strategic plan, which includes strategic priorities, goals, specific strategies to reach those goals as well as revisions to the university’s mission, vision and core values.

Initial drafts of the plan have been shared with trustees as well as university faculty, staff, students and other stakeholders since May 2025. Each new draft was developed based on constituency feedback. To further ensure transparency, Bradley, Cardarelli and strategic plan co-chairs gave plan updates to the UofL community at Town Halls and throughout the year.

Pending the board’s approval, the plan will be implemented in January. Then, the university’s academic programs and operating units will have until May 2026 to begin incorporating the plan’s goals and action items into their own strategic initiatives.

Other Board of Trustees Actions

As legally mandated by the 2025 Regular Session Kentucky Senate , the board approved the Combating Antisemitism policy, which prohibits all forms of bias, discrimination and harassment, including Antisemitism. All such complaints will be investigated by the Office of Legal Compliance and Investigations in accordance with the existing university policy on .

The board also approved the December degree and certificate candidates. UofL’s newest alumni will be celebrated at the .

The winners were approved by the Academic and Student Affairs Committee. Award winners in the categories of Music Composition, World Order, PsychologyĚýand Religion were announced in early December 2025.

The next meeting of the UofL Board of Trustees is Jan. 22, 2026. Meeting minutes, dates and other information are available on the .Ěý