The probation focuses specifically on issues related to the Board of Trustees, including its membership, selection and evaluation of the university president, external influence and Board of Trustees dismissal.

“While we are disappointed, it is important to note that this in no way reflects on the quality of our curriculum or our core academic strengths,” said Acting President Neville Pinto. “It focuses solely on issues related to governance of the institution. The commission’s decision to impose probation does not affect degrees, federal funding (including financial aid available to students), or research grants awarded to faculty.”

A SACS committee will visit the university in fall 2017. At that time, UofL will have the chance to show it has addressed the issues for which it was placed on probation.

“The University of Louisville continues to be accredited,” Pinto said. “We are a strong institution with a great track record of demonstrating compliance in all areas of review by SACSCOC … We have much to be proud of, and we will do all that we can to meet the challenges set forth by SACSCOC.”

See related video below. 

This year’s bumper crop of freshmen exceeds last year’s historic count by 100 students. Not only are there more of them, they represent a wider range of backgrounds than previous classes: 13.5 percent of its members are African American, and 4.1 percent are Latino. Executive Director of Admissions Jenny Sawyer believes that this is a new record for racial diversity.

“I checked our numbers going back to 1988 and I feel pretty confident that this year represents our highest numbers for African American and Hispanic/Latino students,” she said.

In addition, this year’s freshman class is the most well-prepared academically in the institution’s history. Nearly half of its students will arrive having already earned some level of college credit, and its average ACT score of 25.5 surpasses both the 2015 national average of 21 and the state average of 20. Of the freshman class, 465  students are part of the university’s honors program, while 236 are Kentucky Governor’s Scholars.

“It’s a good feeling to know that we are attracting top-notch students from across the U.S. who are well equipped to begin college,” said UofL Acting President Neville Pinto. “Our incoming students are extraordinary in many ways — nearly half already have some college credits, the class is highly diverse and their ACT scores are impressive.”

Most of the class hails from nearby: 78.7 percent (2,280) are Kentuckians, and nearly half  (1,055) are from Jefferson County. Just over 17 percent of the class comes from outside the commonwealth, representing 36 states. Most are ready to call UofL home for the year, with 73.8 percent living on campus.

The most popular declared majors among the new class are Engineering, Business and Nursing. They will embark on these and many other degree programs on Monday, Aug. 22 as undergraduates begin the fall semester.