This academic year, for the first time, Kentucky鈥檚 college students will have a say in what that 鈥渃hange and improvement鈥� should look like. CPE President Aaron Thompson recently created a student advisory group after his listening tour last year. He felt the formation of the student group would fit two major CPE priorities: communications and collaboration.

This year鈥檚 inaugural group includes 22 college students from across the state 鈥� including four UofL Cardinals. They include Juniors Rachel Burns and Priyadarshini Chandrashekhar, and sophomores Afi Henriette Tagnedji and Noah Young. The students are tasked with attending meetings to discuss high-level issues 鈥渢hat may need more attention from student government or campus boards,鈥� as well as helping out with events, public engagement and policy development. The group鈥檚 work will continue through June 2021.

As , students are faced with the most challenging academic year in memory, and this group will provide an 鈥渋nvaluable opportunity鈥� to understand their unique needs and circumstances.

Tagnedji, for one, is ready to offer such insights.

鈥淪tudents are at the forefront of education systems and we have a lot to say. I have a lot to say. That alone is enough [reason to get involved],鈥� she said.

“As a member of this board, my goal is to bring about bold dialogue, progressive reforms, and uplift the marginalized to bring about an ever-changing, equitable future for postsecondary education,鈥� Young added. 鈥淢aking the state of postsecondary education an optimistic, equitable, and prosperous enterprise, not only benefits our great state, but the country as a whole.”

All four of the UofL students are involved in a number of other initiatives. Burns and Tagnedji, for example, are both MLK Scholars. Young is a resident assistant, and Chandrashekhar has been involved in the undergraduate arts and research showcase.

Still, they are dedicating their time to this advisory panel to focus on priority areas they’ve each identified, including:

• Burns, who is studying history, is focused on student services and resources, as well as sexual assault and dating violence.
• Chandrashekhar, a biology major and math minor, is focused on academic quality, online instruction during COVID-19, student support and access to resources for success.
• Young, a political science major, is focused on college affordability, mental health, diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Tagnedji, a sophomore biochemistry major, is focused on student health and safety, education quality and access to financial aid.

鈥淐ost is and has always been a barrier to education. 成人直播 is a right and higher education should be no less. Students need support financially, not just with tuition but with other funds that come from an understanding of the real cost of post-secondary education,鈥� Tagnedji said.

Such financial support is critical, she adds, as it also ties into retention and belonging.

鈥淲ith culturally relevant curriculum catered to 鈥榯he times,鈥� I believe universities can bring added value to the many changemakers emerging, especially in this socio-political climate. The onus really is on institutions to equip students to be the change they want to see,鈥� she said. 鈥淎ll these issues are near and dear to my heart because I have seen firsthand what the power of an equity-focused education system does for individuals and the communities to which they belong.鈥�

Indeed, Tagnedji, who is originally from Todome in Togo, west Africa, is the first in her family to attend school in the U.S. And though just a sophomore, her involvement on the CPE student advisory panel fits her extensive community involvement resume.

In fact, that involvement is a big part of the reason she ended up at UofL. In late 2018, she met Provost Beth Boehm while both were serving on the Evolve 502 board (Tagnedji was serving as the student board member at the time).

Boehm recommended she apply for the Martin Luther King Scholars program. She did just that and was accepted, which led to a number of conversations with people across campus, including President Neeli Bendapudi and Jenny Sawyer, executive director of admissions.

鈥淚 was smothered with information, opportunities, and a very loud message of belonging. This really is the place for me, and I am so glad I had everyone鈥檚 support through the entire process,鈥� she said. 鈥淐hoosing the University of Louisville is honestly one of the best decisions I have ever made.”

Tagnedji is looking forward to being part of this new group that will be able to enact change well beyond UofL’s campus. 聽

鈥淚 am optimistic. I must be. I never commit to initiatives I do not believe in and having worked with Dr. Thompson on past projects, I am excited to see the change that comes from this council,鈥� she said.

鈥淚 feel very, very confident and optimistic about where we are as an institution,鈥� she said. 鈥淥n the HSC front, we are able to accrue savings faster than I thought we would. We need to be able to say we are delivering on what we are promising, so this is good news.鈥�

Because of this, Bendapudi noted in a campus-wide email sent Thursday that UofL has requested a smaller loan for the facilities 鈥� from the original $50 million to $35 million.

鈥淲e are anticipating a procurement savings of more than $7 million annually and we will make operational reductions of nearly $10 million after year one,鈥� she said.

This loan request will be up for a vote in Frankfort during this legislative session.

Also, Aaron Thompson, president of Kentucky鈥檚 CPE, visited UofL as the last stop on his state-wide listening tour. He shared high-level observations about college affordability and mental health resources. More information about Thompson鈥檚 .听

Provost Beth Boehm also provided an update to senators, noting that UofL kept its dorms open over the winter break, a new decision she called 鈥渧ery successful.鈥�

鈥淭here are two groups who especially took advantage of this, LGBTQ students who may not have the opportunity to go home, and international students who may not be able to afford the travel to go home,鈥� she said, adding that meals were donated by a handful of companies during break for those students.

Boehm also noted that the student well-being committee has met to talk about what faculty members can do to help students be more successful, both academically and personally.

鈥淪tudents have a lot of roadblocks to work around and we need to try to reduce those,鈥� she said.

Other committees up and running since the semester started include:

• IBM group
• Advising work group
• Consensual sexual policy
• Faculty accountability
• Also, an open educational resources committee has been created to ensure our students have easy access to resources

Mark Watkins, senior associate vice president of Operations, and Gary Becker, assistant director of Parking Administration, provided an update on upcoming construction on the Belknap Campus. Starting in May 2020, construction will begin on a new residence hall where the Miller Hall parking lot currently sits. This new residence hall is scheduled to open in August 2021. The existing Miller Hall will be demolished in May 2022.听

In May 2021, Threlkeld Hall will be demolished and construction will begin on a new residence hall at that location in June 2021. It is slated to open August 2022.听

These construction projects are facilitated through $90 million funded from the state.

Additionally, as part of that phase one construction, the Cultural Center will be torn down and rebuilt.听

A brief update was provided from the benefits design work group, which meets in February. In the meantime, the employee benefits guiding principles are .听

The Academic Programs Committee shared two proposals:

• A bachelor of Business Administration from the College of Business. This degree is meant to be more of a generalist degree, versus our current bachelor of science in Business Administration program, which takes a deeper dive into functional areas of business such as accounting, economics and marketing.
• An MS in Materials and Energy Science & Engineering from the Speed School. Currently, UofL does not offer any degrees in advanced materials and energy science and engineering.

Both proposals passed.

Second readings were held for a for the School of Dentistry, and more extensive update for the Speed School of Engineering’s personnel documents, including a . Both were approved.

There was no report from the Student Government. The Staff Senate report from December is and includes a budget update from CFO Dan Durbin. There is no January meeting for that body.

Faculty Chair Krista Wallace-Boaz announced that Kevin Gardner has been named executive vice president for Research and Innovation effective Jan. 27 pending board approval. Gardner comes to UofL from the University of New Hampshire, where he served as vice provost of research.

Wallace-Boaz also presented a timeline for the provost search, expected to ramp up in late February with airport interviews. Three to five individuals will be brought on campus in March and April, and a final committee meeting will be held in April.

The Student Success Center has created a group for campus partners to discuss initiatives regarding first-generation students. Areas of discussion include potential collaboration, prevention of redundant programming and unique obstacles this population faces.

The next Faculty Senate meeting is Feb. 5 in Chao Auditorium.

鈥淚鈥檓 a black man from Clay County, Kentucky, born of an illiterate father and an 8^th grade-educated mother who was born in a log cabin with a dirt floor and I鈥檓 the head of higher education for the state of Kentucky 鈥� if that makes a statement,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut (moving the state forward) is going to take more than optimism. It鈥檚 going to take smarts, collaboration 鈥� It鈥檚 going to take us thinking differently.鈥�

Thompson, who spent much of Tuesday on UofL鈥檚 campus as part of his ongoing listening tour of public universities, has been in his current role for a little over two years, advocating for higher education in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It鈥檚 been a challenge 鈥� state funding has been cut for 11 straight years 鈥� but he hopes this trajectory will change with the new legislative session, which kicked off this week.

鈥淚鈥檓 proud that even through these cuts, Kentucky鈥檚 campuses have continued to produce. Over the last 5 years, we鈥檝e had about an 11% increase in higher ed production, whether through certificates or degrees. The other thing I鈥檓 proud of is that we鈥檝e closed some of our educational gaps,鈥� he said.

Those gaps include a 27% increase in the number of students of color earning their degrees, and a 23% increase in the number of low-income/underrepresented students earning their degrees.

Despite this progress, however, he said it’s critical to regain funding for higher education, adding that such funding is a proactive approach to solving some of the state鈥檚 biggest issues.

鈥淚 know we have a lot of needs in Kentucky 鈥� criminal justice, Medicaid, pensions. However, 90% of SNAP and Medicaid recipients don鈥檛 have a degree. I argue that we are funding problems and not much of the solution,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not saying to not fund problems, but we have to fund solutions, too.鈥�

UofL and UK, Kentucky鈥檚 two research institutions, are especially well positioned to provide solutions, he adds.

鈥淩esearch has to take on a more crucial role. We have a lot of ills in Kentucky and research helps us with those ills,鈥� he said.

Thompson also discussed UofL鈥檚 financial turnaround under President Neeli Bendapudi鈥檚 leadership, stating that it has restored a sense of hope.

鈥淣ow the university is doing exactly what we knew it could do and I think that turmoil is behind us,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here is a sense of hope and courage. UofL is easily invested into with its research and its diversity and inclusion efforts, which are unlike anything else being done in the state.鈥�

That sense of hope extends to the entire Commonwealth. Thompson said just over 53% of residents go to college, which presents a big opportunity to attract the other 47%. Further, as the demand for adult learning grows, Kentucky universities have another opportunity to ensure professionals are as marketable as they can be.

鈥淭here is a significant value in higher education that we need to promote. Most jobs 10 years from now have not been invented yet,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淲e have to show that this is worthy of the investment and not be shy about quality. The return is huge.鈥�

Check out more of Thompson’s interview below.听