With COVID-19 restrictions postponing the usual KFC Yum! Center commencement ceremonies, the University of Louisville will provide a virtual graduation celebration at .Ěý

The website will go live at 10 a.m. May 9, the exact time commencement would have started at the downtown arena. Although an in-person commencement ceremony for spring 2020 graduates will be held in December, this Saturday is the day graduates officially earn their degrees.Ěý

More than 3,200 degrees and certificates will be conferred across UofL’s 12 schools and colleges. More than half are bachelor’s degrees, while hundreds of master’s and doctoral degrees, as well as professional and post-graduate certificates, will also be awarded.Ěý

“We cannot be with our graduates physically, we can’t throw up our Ls and pose for selfies with them, but we are a Cardinal family and they are in our hearts,” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi. “We know that our virtual celebration won’t take the place of walking across the stage while loved ones look on, and we are still committed to a formal ceremony later this year, when we are again able to safely gather in larger numbers. What we hope is our newly minted grads will know we share in the joy of their accomplishment. You have done the work, we are so proud of you and this is but one way for us to come together virtually to celebrate this important achievement.”

Visitors to the Spring 2020 graduation celebration website can enjoy special video performances by School of Music faculty and the Cardinal Marching Band and a video message from Bendapudi, which will include a surprise for the graduates. Additional well wishes from university officials and state and local leaders, including a special announcement by Mayor Greg Fischer, will also be included.Ěý

The site also will feature user-generated content gathered from social media posts that use the hashtag #UofLGrads2020, so graduates can share their memories and photos, and loved ones can offer personal words of support and congratulations. Additional content on the site will include: an augmented reality feature, UofL graduate stories, words of advice from alumni, and other fun, interactive components.Ěý

The forum, one of many campus discussions about the process, began with an overview by President Bendapudi. Afterward, participants attended breakout sessions focused on the three pillars of the plan: making UofL a great place to “learn, work and invest.”

A similar event is on the Health Sciences Campus.Ěý

Bendapudi encouraged those attending the Belknap Campus forum to “stay engaged” in the process by attending events, submitting ideas and staying up-to-date via the .

She reminded attendees that the reason administrators are working toward two three-year plans, instead of a longer-term plan, is to boost accountability and flexibility.

“The strategic planning process doesn’t mean we throw everything away, but instead we are trying to build on what we already have,” she said. “We can create a process whereby every year we decide what’s happening the next few years. That will keep us more nimble and flexible.”

Since the January 24 kick-off, chairs, co-chairs and members for all three work groups have been selected.

“We were looking to fill 90 spots—30 people per work group,” Bendapudi said. “In just a few days we got over 1,400 nominations. Isn’t that incredible? That speaks so well for our institution.”

Next steps will be for the work groups to continue to gather feedback as they formulate proposed strategies, actions, metrics and timelines.

Bendapudi said “we’re still on track” to launch the plan at the beginning of the fall semester.

In addition to Wednesday’s HSC event, a session for alumni will be held that same day at 6 p.m. at the University Club. This session will be livestreamed here.Ěý

Those were some of the words used August 14 during a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the grand opening of the Belknap Academic Building. The 165,000-square-foot building addresses a longtime need for more and better classroom space.

“UofL had the most critical shortage of classroom space of all Kentucky public schools. This building changes all of that,” said UofL President .

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, who took part in the celebration, called the facility an “incredible resource” that will change people’s lives.

“This is the embodiment of what spending money on post-secondary education is all about,” Bevin said. “This building is how we connect young people with the skills they have to impart and to empower them and arm them with what they need in the real world.”

The four-story, $80 million facility, located along South Brook Street between the Shumaker Research Building and Lutz Hall, contains more than 50 classrooms, laboratories, seminar rooms and group study areas. It also includes common areas where students can interact with their classmates.

Additionally, the building houses the university’s , where students receive services that will help them to thrive in the classroom and beyond.

“These services are essential to student success and they belong in the same building,” said Interim Provost Beth Boehm. “We are trying to provide constant, intensive support for our students. Our goal is for them not just to succeed, but to excel.”

The ceremony, which was held less than 48 hours before freshman move-in day, represents a new beginning, said Student Government Association President .

“I think I speak for the entire Cardinal family when I say this building couldn’t come at a better time, when we’re starting fresh and refocusing on our mission,” Fuller said.

Construction of the academic building began two years ago on the site where the legendary Crawford Gym once stood. In a nod to the past, the first-floor benches in the new building are made of wood recycled from the Crawford Gym floor.

The new building primarily will serve undergraduate students, particularly those taking courses in the College of Arts and Sciences. It has labs dedicated to anthropology, biology, chemistry and physics.

The building’s technology-rich spaces are designed to foster innovative and active learning methods proven to promote student engagement. Services offered in the facility make it a one-stop academic shop for UofL students.

“Our hope is this building sends a powerful signal to the world that UofL will continue to thrive and excel as an academic institution,” Bendapudi said.

Photos from today’s ceremony and building tours are . Below are some highlights from the ribbon-cutting ceremony: