A friend recommended she seek employment at UofL to help offset the cost of attending school. Vasser pursued a job and was hired as a temp in HR. A short time later, she moved to Physical Plant, where she worked as a dispatcher.

That was about 24 years ago. Vasser continued her career at UofL, moving from Physical Plant to the Controller’s Office to the Career Center to the Football program and then to the James Graham Brown Cancer Center. She liked the Cancer Center job, but “needed to be around more people.” 

So, Vasser pursued a job following her passion for social justice, and was named diversity program coordinator in the College of Arts & Sciences. It was a good fit, as her supervisor, Department Chair and Professor David Owen, reiterated to her often that she was doing the work she needed to be doing.

“I remember David Owen getting me involved in conversations and talking about how they were underutilizing my skills. I always felt so surprised they would come to me, a staff employee, for my thoughts on these programs. Out of those conversations the Inclusion and Equity Internship program started and we had 42 students through its five years. I knew that was what I needed to be doing,” Vasser said.

Not only did Owen seek Vasser’s input on programming in the unit, A&S Dean Blaine Hudson also encouraged her to finish her degree, which she did in 2012.

“I really started to like it here. But I started a family and my degree fell on the back burner,” she said. “(Hudson) was the driving force behind me getting my degree. He was so wonderful to me. My father died when I was young, so he became a father figure and it was his hand I got to shake when I crossed that stage. He said ‘Great, now let’s get onto your master’s.’”

When Hudson died (2013), Vasser held onto that commitment and received her master’s degree in 2015 in Higher ����ֱ�� Administration.

“Family has always been a priority and somewhere along the lines, I tricked myself into thinking that I had a job, so I didn’t need a degree,” Vasser said. “Dean Hudson is the one who taught me otherwise and I wanted to keep my promise to him. I got my master’s for me and my family, but also for him.”

Vasser began to look for work away from campus. However, Brian Buford, assistant provost for diversity, and Mordean Taylor-Archer, vice provost for diversity and international affairs, wanted to retain her and, coincidentally, the 21^st Century Initiative sought to create a position focused on inclusivity, equity and diversity training. Vasser was named director of diversity education and inclusive excellence in July 2016.

Since then, Vasser has conducted nearly 300 workshops at units all over campus and throughout the community.

“What I’m finding is I am increasingly going into units/classrooms that have never had diversity training. So just the visibility of this position is making people think maybe we should do this as well,” she said. “This work helps people unpack what is going on.”

Vasser’s training is used by JCPS, where she conducts professional development workshops with faculty and staff, as well as some classroom training and curriculum. She also works with the Center for Women and Families, the Kentuckiana Prevention Network, UPS, Humana, Leadership Louisville and more.

Vasser’s work extends beyond training and workshops. Two years ago, she started a social justice camp on campus. 

When asked how she balances being a single parent of three boys with a busy career on and off campus, Vasser credits her mother.

“I don’t remember her stopping. I don’t remember her giving up or making a lot of excuses. Is it hard sometimes? Absolutely. But at the end of the day, I know that this world is not designed to benefit my boys, so I do what I have to do to close that gap as much as I can,” Vasser said. “I cannot stop and I cannot give up. The beautiful thing is I love the work that I’m doing. If I didn’t, this narrative would be different.”

Quick fire questions with Marian Vasser

UofL News: How do you spend your free time?

Vasser: I’ve learned how to practice self care. I love road trips. I sing in my church and enjoy Bible study. The most pleasurable experiences I have are with my kids. I love being a mother. (Vasser has 14-year-old twins and a 23 year old).

UofL News: What is your favorite thing about UofL?

Vasser: There are some really, really good people that work here. I have met more people who are dedicated to their jobs, who love their jobs, even underpaid and overworked. I very rarely run into people who hate what they do.

UofL News: What is your favorite spot on campus?

Vasser: Parrish Court, where Dean Hudson’s tribute is. That is my peaceful spot.

UofL News: What is your favorite UofL sport?

Vasser: Basketball.

UofL News: What is your favorite off-campus work to do?

Vasser: My work with JCPS. It’s our future. My generation and older will listen to kids before they listen to me. They’re able to change the climate with their peers. That’s huge.

UofL News: What are your goals, both personal and professional?

Vasser: My goal is to get my PhD, which I am exploring now. I am trying to figure out which program to pursue.

My big goal with this work is not obtainable. But if I had it my way, this climate would be such that this position isn’t necessary. I love doing this work, but I will not be satisfied until the need for doing this work is over. And unfortunately we are long way from that.

“The vast majority of time we’ve spent since January has been in the diligent resolution of past issues, and these are real problems to tackle. But they’re not our future. What I want to do is shift the emphasis away from the problems of the past and look at what we can become,” Postel said to a full crowd in Strickler Hall’s Middleton Theater.

It was a rallying cry of sorts for the president, who solicited everyone’s help to keep the campus dialogue open, to submit ideas on how best to move forward, and to stay engaged with the university.

Postel used the recent transition of UofL Hospital’s management from KentuckyOne Health to University Medical Center as an example of what can happen when everyone gets involved and works together.

“It was run as a corporate entity, more of a top down structure. People were demoralized and many left. There was a feeling that things weren’t going to get better,” Postel said. “But we work for a university, where thought leaders come together and become part of the solution. When we started the steps to bring the hospital back to UMC, hundreds of faculty and staff became engaged. It was palpable and July 1 (the transition) was like a pep rally. There is enthusiasm there now that we are in control and we are going to do it right.

“We need an analogy like that on the Belknap Campus.”

2020 Plan and 21^st Century Initiative: Where we are, where we’re going

Postel used UofL’s 2020 Plan (put into place in 2008) and 21^st Century Initiative (meant to “reinforce” the 2020 Plan with a more granular approach and put into place in 2012) as the focal point of his presentation, noting what we’ve accomplished, what we’ve missed and what opportunities remain. He also shared some of his preliminary ideas meant to facilitate better, shared dialogue on how to improve on each of the five pillars from the 2020 Plan.

“The pillars very clearly represent what’s important to the university. Here we have two points in time where a huge shared governance process took place at the university. There are so many things within (the pillars) that can be empowering to us if we choose to engage,” Postel said.

1. ����ֱ��al Excellence

UofL has improved its student-to-teacher ratio, has better integrated critical thinking, has increased PhD production and has “dramatically improved” the student experience with library renovations, the upcoming SAC renovations, more and better campus housing and LLCs, and the construction of the Belknap Academic Building.

UofL has to work on a static number of undergraduate programs, enrollment growth and, especially, graduation rates.

Some of Postel’s ideas to be better in this area include expanding the student body, cultivating creative thinking to improve graduation rates, discussing whether or not we need to start a Phi Beta Kappa chapter on campus, and redesigning the distance education program.

“If the faculty and staff desire, these are things that can be transformative,” he said.

2. Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity

Postel said research tripled in the decade after the Bucks for Brains program was launched, but since then, about 2007, growth has been more modest and goals have been missed. Clinical trials have also grown, but modestly.

Postel said more thought needs to go into the trajectory of research on this campus.

“We’ve never built a scalable infrastructure here for research. There is no valid business plan for supporting research. Research requires subsidy and not a lot of thought has been given to that in the past,” he said.

3. Diversity, Opportunity and Social Justice

UofL’s study body is more diverse than it was when the 2020 Plan was put into place. However, Postel questions whether our underrepresented student numbers have increased enough. Additionally, though more of our students are studying abroad, we’re not getting enough international students to study here.

Some of his initial ideas to move forward on this pillar include conducting and publishing a comprehensive campus climate survey, renewing our scholarship creation, enhancing pipeline programs and revisiting our recruitment policies.

4. Community Engagement

This pillar has been “tremendously successful,” according to Postel, for example yielding more than 21,000 instances of student engagement. UofL is one of 360 universities in the U.S. with a Carnegie Foundation designation, which it has received twice.

Postel hopes to use our community engagement efforts to continue being an engine for economic development, interdisciplinary research, advocacy in healthcare and more.

5. Creative and Responsible Stewardship of Resources

Postel touted UofL’s successful $1 billion campaign and the university’s active and modernized Alumni Association. However, he noted that our endowment fell well short of its $3 billion goal; we lack a sustainable model for advancement, our culture of philanthropy is inconsistent; and our donor stewardship is also inconsistent.

Postel suggests prioritizing a new donor campaign and a new approach to stewardship.

“We need to have a collective effort to renew the faith of our donor community,” he said.

Budget and beyond

Postel also quickly touched upon the budget, noting that we have a balanced budget in place with conservative assumptions, and we are reporting on the budget monthly. He also said the suggested 6-percent procurement tax has been suspended and other models are being looked at after negative feedback was received.

“We are listening and this 6-percent tax is an example of that,” he said.

Postel took a series of questions regarding communication hurdles, long distance learning, how to enable voices from the bottom up and create better structures, and what the timeframe is to “move forward.”

More forums will be scheduled in the fall semester. Postel said those will be the next step in understanding what kind of mechanisms we can put into place to maintain positive momentum.

“The bulk of my presentation today is to test campus receptivity to shifting our focus to the future. We can’t wallow in self-pity or we won’t get past this junction,” Postel said. “This is our university, if we don’t fix it, nobody will. But it’s going to take all faculty and staff to fix it. Engagement is essential.”

Dr. Postel also recently sat down with Mark Hebert, UofL’s director of programming and production, to discuss some issues in more detail. That video is available below: 

The Cooperative Consortium for Transdisciplinary Social Justice Research’s inaugural Transdisciplinary Faculty Grantees’ Roundtable and Reception will be from 1-3 p.m. at the Brandeis School of Law, Room 175.

The consortium is led by co-principal investigators Cate Fosl, professor of women’s and gender studies, and director of the Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research in the College of Arts & Science, and Enid Trucios-Haynes, professor in the Brandeis School of Law and director of the Muhammad Ali Institute for Peace and Justice.

The program focuses on arts and humanities disciplines, entailing research not generated from a science lab, which makes it unique, according to Fosl and Trucios-Haynes. It also promotes the relatively new concept of “transdisciplinary,” which Fosl describes as “cross-pollinating” research and expertise from a variety of disciplines (history and law, for example), and then adding in community partners outside of campus who have applied knowledge and expertise.

“Together, we’re seeking to find solutions to problems that are larger, more complicated than simply putting each of our disciplines’ best knowledge to work, even jointly,” Fosl said. “For us in the academy, it’s also a very intentional recognition that we don’t have all the answers and that we need community expertise and community practitioners. The ideas some of us merely think about are insufficient without that knowledge of practice.”

A call for proposals generated the first group of grantees, whose projects will be showcased at Monday’s event. They include:

• “Elucidating the Stories of Wellbeing in the West Louisville Community: A Phenomenological Study,” led by Meera Alagaraja, CEHD, with Dr. Lisa M. Hooper (CEHD) and Dr. Emma Sterrett-Hong (Kent School of Social Work), in partnership with the Park DuValle Community Health Center.
• “Middle-School Citizen Science Investigation of Global Climate Change: Developing Local Environmental Justice School Partnerships,” led by Dr. Mary Brydon-Miller, CEHD, with Dr. Shira Rabin (Biology), Dr. Bronwyn Williams (English), in collaboration with Marion C. Moore Traditional Middle School (JCPS) and Four Winds Nature Institute.
• “What is Health?  A Photovoice Project with Special Olympics Kentucky Athletes,” led by Dr. Priya Chandan, School of Medicine and School of Public Health and Information Sciences, with Kathleen Carter (CEHD) and Dr. Susan Buchino (Commonwealth Institute of Kentucky, SPHIS), in partnership with Special Olympics Kentucky.
• “LGBTQ Adolescent Health in Louisville: An Approach to Identify and Assess Local Priorities,” led by Dr. Ryan Combs, SPHIS, with Dr. Maurice Gattis (Kent School) and Dr. Amber Pendleton (Pediatrics), in partnership with the Louisville Youth Group and the JCPS LGBTQ Student Supports Subcommittee.
• “Microaggressions in Clinical Medicine,” led by Dr. Lauren Freeman, Philosophy, with Jennifer Stephens (School of Medicine) and Dr. Dwayne Compton and Dr. David McIntosh (Office of Community Engagement and Diversity), in partnership with the Kentucky Health Justice Network.
• “Civil Rights History in Kentucky,” led by Dr. Lara Kelland and Dr. Daniel Vivian, History, with Dr. Stephen Schneider (English); Heather Fox and Carrie Daniels (Libraries: Archives and Special Collections), in partnership with the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage.
• “Examining Stigma, Stress and HIV Care Utilization among African American Elders,” led by Dr. Jelani Kerr, SPHIS, with Dr. Timothy Crawford (School of Nursing) and Dr. Lesley Harris (Kent School), in partnership with the House of Ruth.
• “Project STAAR: Survivors of Trafficking Creating Art, Agency and Resilience,” led by Dr. Jennifer Middleton, UofL Human Trafficking Research Initiative in the Kent School, with Dr. Maurice Gattis and Dr. Lesley Harris (Kent School), Dr. Theresa Hayden (Criminal Justice), Dr. Jennie Vavrousek, MD (Pediatric Forensic Fellow – School of Medicine), Dr. Zhixia (Richard) Li and Dr. Olfa Nasraoui (Speed School), in partnership with the Kristy Love Foundation.
• “Strengths and Needs of the Louisville House Ball Community,” led by Dr. Emma Sterrett-Hong, Kent School. with Dr. Kaila Story (Women and Gender Studies/Pan-African Studies), Dr. Ryan Combs (SPHIS) and Dr. Maurice Gattis (Kent School), in partnership with individuals from the Louisville House Ball Community.
• “Learning how the Community Leads: Evaluating and Informing City-Based Participatory Engagement in West Louisville,” led by Dr. Angela Storey, Anthropology, with Dr. Daniel DeCaro (Urban and Public Affairs/Psychology), Dr. David Johnson (SPHIS), Dr. Lauren Heberle (Sociology), in partnership with Louisville Metro Government (Dr. Allison Smith, PhD).
• “‘Minds in Motion’ in a Spanish Immersion School,” led by Dr. Daniela Terson de Paleville, CEHD, with Dr. Jason Immekus (CEHD) and Dr. Kristi King (CEHD), in partnership with JCPS.
• “Transforming Learning Communities: A Multi-Year Project Supporting Teachers of Adolescents,” led by Dr. Shelley Thomas, CEHD, with Dr. Shantel Crosby (Kent School) and Dr. Penny Howell (CEHD), in partnership with Westport Middle School, Seneca High School (JCPS), and the Kentucky Department of ����ֱ��.
• “Black Men as Agents of Change in Children’s Literacy Success,” led by Kathryn Whitmore, CEHD, with Dr. Ahmad Washington (CEHD) and Dr. Faye Jones (Office of Diversity and Inclusion, HSC), in partnership with Servonta.
• Housing Justice in Louisville Metro and Beyond, led by Dr. Lauren Heberle, Sociology and Center for Environmental Policy and Management, with Dr. Cate Fosl and Kelly Kinahan (Urban and Public Affairs), in partnership with the Metropolitan Housing Coalition (MHC).

Each of these teams will also include about 50 students involved as either research fellows, assistants or student scholar activists.

The program does require that research groups work with a community partner. Brainstorming sessions have been underway since last summer with a large group of faculty spanning numerous schools on both the HSC and Belknap campuses. 

“It’s very positive and has been a morale booster. But we don’t want to lose sight of the importance of really getting at some of these compelling social problems that need justice-driven solutions,” Fosl said. “It’s not only about building something at the university. It’s about building something at the university with the community that can move us all forward as a society.”

The Faculty Grantees’ Roundtable will be followed by a reception in the law school’s Cox Lounge. All faculty, students and staff are encouraged to attend to find out more about these research projects and how to become a part of the new social justice research community.

For more information or to RSVP, call 852-2371 or send an email.

The meeting opened with a report from the Student Government Association. The SGA was part of the Kentucky Board of Student Body Presidents’ statement concerning lottery funding of state scholastic programs.

The statement reads in part:

“Right now, the diversion of lottery funding from need-based financial aid for higher education is harming the future of our Commonwealth. This must change. The purpose of the Powerball Promise, as (Kentucky’s lottery money) allocation of funds is known, is to use Kentucky lottery revenue to directly aid our Commonwealth’s students by making a postsecondary degree more financial achievable.

“Over the past few years, the need-based grants have been under-funded … In the past legislative session, there was bipartisan support in restoring the funding to grants for students in need. Governor Bevin’s veto of House Bill 10 effectively stopped this funding from being restored, illustrating his lack of commitment to Kentucky’s poorest students.

“… If we want a strong economic future for Kentucky, we must invest in our students today … Governor Bevin, we urge you to … (restore) the Powerball Promise instead of diverting the funding away from students who need it the most.”

In addition to UofL, colleges represented on the statement include Western Kentucky, Murray State, the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities, Eastern Kentucky, KCTCS, Kentucky State, Morehead State, Northern Kentucky and the University of Kentucky.

The SGA is also working on a change to course evaluations where students will not see their grades until they fill out an evaluation. The group is also working on ways to increase awareness of the university’s safety app and is focused on diversity issues and hoping to plan a diversity summit with other ACC schools.

Trucios-Haynes provided a Chair’s report, including an update on standing meetings with Provost Dale Billingsley, and CFO Harlan Sands. One of her priorities is action on creating a committee to review proposed parking changes around the Belknap campus.

The November Board of Trustees meeting doesn’t have an agenda yet, but Trucios-Haynes anticipates a discussion at some point in the near future about the desired attributes of a 21^st Century President. A discussion was held among the senators on what some of those attributes should be. Trucios-Haynes will present these suggestions to the board.

Among the desired attributes is demonstrated leadership experience from a university. Senators discussed whether they’d prefer that experience to be from a large university. Some pointed out that this definition would have disqualified former successful presidents. Many senators, however, agreed that experience at a university with professional and graduate schools would be ideal, as the candidate would then be familiar with the complexities of UofL’s model.

Senators agreed to strike business leadership as a potential qualification.

“The Board of Trustees is made up mostly of business leaders. The president can rely on them for the business side. I’d prefer an emphasis on university knowledge,” said one senator.

Trucios-Haynes noted that a faculty committee should be created as part of the process, as outlined in the Redbook. Senators agreed the Faculty Senate should begin working on this committee to include a faculty member elected from each school.  The committee is expected to be in place by the end of the fall semester.

Dale Billingsley provided the Provost Report, including an update on the salary equity effort expected to be completed at the start of the new year. He also provided an update on the ombudsman search, which he hopes to be completed by July. The administration is determining whether or not to divide this role for faculty and staff. The hiring committee will make a recommendation.

Billingsley also said issues are being resolved for part-time faculty regarding their email access and benefits.

Administrators are seeking more faculty input and participation in the budgeting process, including the Strategic Planning and Implementation initiatives underway at each unit. Each school’s dean has put together how they could use money to better enhance their goals and the university’s goals. President Pinto has identified a $50 million budget for these initiatives, and Faculty Senate input will be solicited on where that money will come from.

“This is a great idea and I hope it works, but it won’t work unless the money is there. That may mean reallocation, which will be difficult,” Billingsley said.

Faculty Senate input is also requested on performance measurement of units and for program review and new program recommendations.

Finally, Billingsley said a draft recommending new general education requirements has been posted on the Provost’s web page. The university is hoping to get through revisions by the end of the spring semester and to implement the recommendations within a year. The biggest change is with the cultural diversity program. Currently, students are required to take one course that develops cultural competency and one course on the varieties of diversity. The new program will also include geographical diversities, both in the U.S. and globally.

Faculty senators were asked to read the draft and make further recommendations.

The President’s Report was provided by Dr. Neville Pinto, who touted many positive news stories from UofL within the past month, including the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Academic Success Building. He said we’ll be able to leverage that building to bring in higher quality students and faculty.

Pinto discussed the UofL Foundation and the changes it is going through. A search has been started to find an interim executive director. RFPs have been issued to identify a firm that will objectively conduct an audit of the foundation and one should be named within weeks. The audit, Pinto said, will “help us figure out what changes are needed moving forward in terms of our responsibility as stewards of endowments.”

Other updates include the NCAA’s investigation into the men’s basketball team. Pinto expects a final decision in the spring, possibly even as late as June.

The administration is working on ways to improve diversity and inclusion initiatives and has a committee charged with making recommendations.

“We have to look at this with a perspective of our responsibility as faculty to make sure every student is in a learning environment where they’re comfortable. It’s not political, it’s an operational responsibility. We have to ensure we’re very personal with every student,” Pinto said. “I believe in local solutions.”

 Finally, Pinto attended the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary ����ֱ�� meeting in Frankfort, where discussions continue about how the state will appropriate higher education funding based on equity and performance. No final decisions have been made on action as of yet. Each school is submitting a report with their recommendations to the governor on Dec. 1.

Committee Reports were provided from the Redbook Committee, with Kurt Metzmeier (law) elected as chair; the Part-Time Faculty Committee, which has a new landing site for the first time to provide these employees with aggregate data; and the Planning and Budget Committee, which is short one member.

The Executive Committee also provided a report and is seeking input on ways to honor deceased faculty members. Finally, the ,���ٳ�� , and the  have all been posted online.

The next meeting is scheduled for Dec. 7 from 3-5 p.m. in Chao Auditorium.

Marian Vasser has agreed to serve as the inaugural Director for Diversity ����ֱ�� and Inclusive Excellence, effective immediately. Prior, she was the senior program coordinator for Diversity Programs in the College of Arts & Sciences.

“Those of you who have worked with Marian over the years or attended one of her workshops know that she is a gifted trainer and educator and we are pleased to welcome her to this new role. Whether as a staff member in the College of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Office for International, Diversity and Engagement Programs, or as a voice on numerous campus committees, Marian is a passionate advocate and the logical choice to lead this initiative,” said Mordean Taylor-Archer, Vice Provost for Diversity and International Affairs.

Vasser will work with Brian Buford, UofL’s Assistant Provost for Diversity, to develop and implement a comprehensive diversity education plan for all members of the campus community, including faculty, staff and students.

“I am blessed to have my career align perfectly with my passion for social justice and believe our university has the potential to be a national model in this area,” Vasser said. “It is an honor to serve in this capacity and I am excited about the opportunity to advance the university’s mission of diversity and inclusive excellence.”

Vasser and Buford have already started working with campus partners to develop a training program for new students that will be introduced at this year’s Welcome Week in August.

Their objective for Welcome Week and beyond is to develop a plan to enhance our efforts in building an inclusive campus climate based on fairness, equity and social justice. The education/training module will include tools to help eliminate unconscious/implicit bias, micro-aggressions, cultural appropriation as well as understanding the latent effects of privilege.