The award was presented during the University of Louisville Graduate School’s 11^th Annual Dean’s Reception in April in recognition of her three years of outstanding performance as a graduate teaching assistant. The Graduate School also commended runner-up Lauren Fusilier, an English doctoral student, with an honorable mention.

The new award recognizes graduate teaching assistants who have distinguished themselves by the care they have given and the excellence they have shown in meeting their instructional responsibilities.

Beth Boehm, dean of the Graduate School, led the charge for establishing the university-wide teaching award to provide students with the opportunity to be acknowledged for their excellent teaching – not just at graduation but throughout their career as instructors. While students were invited to self-nominate, nominations were submitted in partnership from academic units.

“We need to acknowledge the very important role graduate students play as instructors,” said Boehm. “Graduate teaching assistants are central to the experience of our undergraduates, as graders, as lab assistants, as course assistants, and even as instructors of record. We need to let them know how much they are appreciated.”

This award will be given each spring semester to one UofL graduate student with at least two semesters of experience as a graduate teaching assistant.

For Kelly-Taylor, the most valuable part of her experience as a graduate teaching assistant has been the ability to make a positive impact.

“Receiving this award means my hard work and passion for teaching has been transformative, not only for myself, but for the many students I have had an opportunity to encounter,” she said.

Kelly-Taylor, who graduated in May 2023, plans to use her doctorate degree to teach the next generation of public health scholars.

“For me, this fuels my passion to continue to provide them with the tools and knowledge that I hope elevates their academic experience.”

By Ashley Striegel

For 73 days, since senior leaders began considering major interventions related to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 9, you’ve done heroic work to keep the university operating while facing unprecedented challenges in your lives. In 88 days, we’ll face the fall semester and create a new normal — together.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began affecting our community, we have intentionally prioritized the health and well-being of our staff, faculty and students. As you know, Provost Boehm is leading our planning efforts for a safe return to campus this fall. While that important work will ensure we are ready for August and September, I know many of you have questions about June and July.

Beginning June 1, we will cautiously begin our pivot to the fall, continuing to keep the health and safety of our faculty, staff and students as our top priority. This phased transition will include the following:

• We have extended the remote-work policy through June 30 for those employees who can continue performing their duties off campus.
• Beginning June 1, certain units whose vice president, dean or vice provost determines they have critical on-campus needs may begin to bring some employees back to campus. Those decisions will be approved by central administration, and those units will follow the governor’s plan for reopening businesses. This includes enforcing physical distancing, limiting face-to-face meetings, providing an initial supply of masks for on-campus employees, restricting access to common areas, providing plenty of hand sanitizer and encouraging frequent hand washing.
• Beginning June 1, small meetings and events of 10 or fewer people may be held.
• Pay reductions and furloughs scheduled between now and June 30 will continue as planned.
• Some research labs and clinical research programs will begin to open following strict health and safety guidelines. You can read more about these EVPRI guidelines under “Research Reopening Plans.”
• We will continue to evaluate the situation and update the campus on next steps prior to July 1.

Fall 2020: A ‘new normal’

While we anticipate the COVID-19 pandemic to influence our actions for the foreseeable future, we are preparing for the fall semester under what we expect to be a “new normal” environment.�� As Provost Boehm wrote to faculty and staff last week, we have formed – each including faculty, staff and student representatives – to lead those preparations: a coordinating committee to develop plans for campus operations, student services and other key functions; a safe return to campus committee to plan testing necessary to safely return to work and classes; and an academic scenario planning committee to address delivery of academic programming. We will share information from those committees as they develop those plans.

While none of us knows what the future holds, we are working diligently to ensure that the University of Louisville will be prepared for any eventuality. Details about UofL’s phased approach toward returning to “normal” are included below: 

Phase 1: March 16-May 30; remote work when possible/recommended

• Face coverings or masks, required except in individual office
• Physical distancing, required
• Meeting restrictions, remote only
• Enhanced hand washing/use of hand sanitizer, recommended
• Increased cleaning of high-touch surfaces, required
• Use of hand sanitizer to enter food service areas, required
• SARS-CoV2 screening tests, not available
• Contact investigations and tracing, required
• Mandatory face-to-face instruction, not applicable 

Phase 2: June 1-30; low-density on-site work; predominantly remote

• Face coverings or masks, required except in individual office
• Physical distancing, required
• Meeting restrictions, remote only unless 10 people or fewer with distancing and masking
• Enhanced hand washing/use of hand sanitizer, recommended
• Increased cleaning of high-touch surfaces, required
• Use of hand sanitizer to enter food service areas, required
• SARS-CoV2 screening tests, limited testing begins
• Contact investigations and tracing, required
• Mandatory face-to-face instruction, not applicable 

Phase 3: TBD time frame; return to full ‘new normal’ operations; medium-density on-site work, some remote

• Face coverings or masks, required in all public areas
• Physical distancing, required unless masked and distancing is not possible
• Meeting restrictions, larger meetings allowed when appropriate distancing and/or masking. Maximum size TBD
• Enhanced hand washing/use of hand sanitizer, recommended
• Increased cleaning of high-touch surfaces, required
• Use of hand sanitizer to enter food service areas, required
• SARS-CoV2 screening tests, expanded screening assuming sufficient testing supplies
• Contact investigations and tracing, required with possible expanded tracing capabilities 
• Mandatory face-to-face instruction, not permitted 

Phase 4: TBD time frame; back to normal 

• Face coverings or masks, not required
• Physical distancing, not required
• Meeting restrictions, no restrictions
• Enhanced hand washing/use of hand sanitizer, recommended
• Increased cleaning of high-touch surfaces, recommended
• Use of hand sanitizer to enter food service areas, encourage and available
• SARS-CoV2 screening tests, only when clinically indicated
• Contact investigations and tracing, required but expanded contact investigations and tracing no longer necessary 
• Mandatory face-to-face instruction, TBD

As always, thank you for your dedication to the university and for your continued support as we navigate this uncharted territory. I promise you this: we will get through this together.

Go Cards!

Neeli

Nearly 37% of JCPS students are African-American, yet just over 12% of its full-time teachers are black.

“When students identify with a teacher in their classroom it fosters a sense of belonging, promotes engaging interactions, and improves student outcomes,” said JCPS Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio. “The Louisville Teacher Residency program strives to not just increase the number of minority and other high-needs teachers, but to make sure those teachers have the skills and experience they need to make a positive impact on our students.”

The LTR program offers college graduates who did not major in education the opportunity to obtain a master’s degree and teaching certification in one year, in exchange for their commitment to teach in a high-needs JCPS school. , the program is modeled after similar programs in Chicago and St. Louis.��

The program kicks off in June, with an inaugural class of 30 residents.��Following a Thursday press conference, that the goal is to expand the program to offer 100 slots. This would provide one solution to the district’s teacher shortage problem. The CJ reports that JCPS’ 155 schools had more than 100 vacant teaching positions midway through this school year.�� 

Though there are benefits for the school district in bridging the teacher shortage gap, and for UofL students in gaining hands-on experience, Kaarmel Eaves, a third-grade teacher at Semple Elementary, that the program should especially be beneficial for her students.��

“Kids when they see somebody that looks like them and has the same life experiences as them, it just matters to them,” she said. “I think they relate better, and when you instruct them, they receive the information better.” 

During the residency year, participants will spend four days a week in the classroom alongside JCPS master teachers, who will mentor them while the residents engage in hands-on teaching experiences. During the summer and on Fridays, residents will attend classes at UofL, and complete coursework co-designed by JCPS and the university.

Participants will earn $30,000 plus benefits from JCPS during their residency then commit to work for five years in an Accelerated Improvement School (AIS) within JCPS.��

“The University of Louisville is honored to partner with Jefferson County Public Schools to implement the first teacher residency program in the commonwealth,” said UofL Provost Beth Boehm. “UofL is committed to preparing high quality educators to meet the district’s needs and to improving P-12 student achievement. The Louisville Teacher Residency program is a unique opportunity for UofL and JCPS to diversify the teacher workforce and is an extension of the university’s call to celebrate diversity, foster equity and strive for inclusion.”

In addition to experience, a salary and benefits, candidates in the program can also receive a boost from Class Act Credit Union, which is committing up to $300,000 over three years for $3,000 scholarships to participants, as well as funding assistance for faculty evaluations and programming.

Individuals interested in applying for the LTR program should . Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree and at least a 2.75 GPA. Participants need not be a minority to apply, though the district is prioritizing candidates in high-needs areas, including minority representation and math and science teachers.

Those subcommittees include one to identify grand challenges, and nine (three each) for our strategy focus areas of making UofL a great place to learn, work and invest.

The grand challenges subcommittee has met its January 2020 timeline and has passed along recommendations for priority research areas in which UofL can make the biggest impact on local and global communities. These recommendations will be reviewed by the president, provost and EVPRI and announced in late February/early March.

The strategy subcommittees start meeting this month.

For the Learn strategy, the objectives are to attract and graduate the most talented, diverse student body through meaningful and structured commitment to student success; engage every undergraduate student in required meaningful experiential learning opportunities; and engage students in increasing research that will bolster our prominence.

For the Work strategy, objectives include becoming an employer of choice that intentionally attracts and retains the most talented and diverse faculty and staff; inspiring a culture of care, trust, accountability, equity and transparency by embedding the Cardinal Principles; and providing all faculty and staff fair and equitable compensation.

For the Invest strategy, objectives include increasing productivity and innovation in research, scholarship and creative activities addressing the grand challenges; improving the ease and impact of partnering with the university by building and stewarding mutually beneficial relationships that support student success, faculty productivity and staff development; and creating social, cultural and learning opportunities that bring people to campus or campus to people.

The implementation update is . Also, regular updates will be posted on the Strategic Plan website: my.louisville.edu/strategic-plan.  

Provost Beth Boehm provided an update to the Faculty Senate, noting that a budget planning and monitoring committee has been formed and includes three subcommittees – funding requests, budget model discretionary allocation, administrative activity. She said the goal is to make sure the campus community is better informed about the budget process.

The provost search committee has been created, co-chaired by Dentistry Dean Gerry Bradley and Kent Dean David Jenkins. The provost will replace Boehm, whose two-year term ends June 30. Airport interviews will be conducted in mid-March, with on-campus interviews taking place in April.

Boehm also reported that the search is also underway for a new Arts & Sciences dean and that UofL has suspended travel to China as the coronavirus proliferates.

Krista Wallace-Boaz provided the Faculty Senate Chair report, including the provost search timeline, and a call for faculty representation on the shared governance workgroup and the strategic plan implementation subcommittees.

Finally, Speed School Professor Olfa Nasraoui presented details on an Athena grant received from the National Science Foundation, which includes a Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher ����ֱ�� (COACHE) Faculty Satisfaction Survey.

There are two main objectives for this survey: to improve the recruitment, retention, promotion and advancement of faculty, particularly women in STEM fields; and to provide education on implicit bias.

Survey themes include research, teaching, service, resources and support, interdisciplinary work/collaboration/mentoring, tenure and promotion; institutional leadership; shared governance; department engagement/quality and collegiality; appreciation and recognition; and retention and negotiation.

More information about the COACHE Survey is available online.��

Additional committee reports are .��The next Faculty Senate meeting is March 4 in Chao Auditorium.

Bendapudi reminded faculty members that student wellness is a priority and that employees should reach out the best they can to make sure our students are doing OK. She also noted that new trustees have been appointed by Governor Matt Bevin – Scott Brinkman, Randall Bufford and John Chilton.

A committee has been formed to identify UofL’s “Grand Challenges.”

“These are big, broad topics that we can tackle as a university, identifying what we’re particularly strong at,” Bendapudi said.

Bradley and David Jenkins, dean of the Kent School, were named co-chairs of the provost search committee, and a search firm has been identified.

Bradley provided a breakdown of the new budget model, agreed upon by a large committee with broad representation. The committee followed these guiding principles: 

• Commit to a conversion from a centralized to a decentralized approach
• Keep an academic focus front and center
• Expand incentive opportunities
• Analyze via common information systems and metrics
• Support responsibility and authority for end goals
• Allocate resources to accomplish institutional goals
• Communicate broadly and act timely
• Align incentives with the University Strategic Plan
• Recognize institutional barriers in changing budget models.��

There are a number of budget models, including incremental, zero-based, activity-based and responsibility center management. UofL has chosen to go with activity-based at this time because it incentivizes enrollment and enrollment brings in money, Bradley said. He also noted that it’s important to remember people make decisions, budget models do not.��

“We want to create incentives for each unit that align with the strategic plan,” Bradley said. “We came up with levers for every credit hour.”

Those levers include 70% return for each undergraduate credit hour; 75% return for each graduate credit; and 85% return for each professional school credit. For units that charge fees, those fees will be 100% returned.

“If one unit gains and we don’t have a model to reward that unit, that’s a problem,” he said. “We want protections in place for units to find out where they’re at and have discussions about budget subsidy allocations.”

The model also changes the way the university approaches carryover. Before, any money left in the budget at the end of the fiscal year would be swept. Now, 50% of that surplus carries over.

The model as it is now does not include departments like Libraries or IT that are part of the centralized budget.

Some faculty members raised concerns about the model encouraging cannibalization from other units and the lack of inclusion about interdisciplinary studies.

“This is not a do or die budget model. This is an evolving process,” Bradley said.

The committee is in the process of resetting the general fund base budgets. The next phase, expected to come in July, includes reviewing/modeling and changing the model, discussing cost allocations and discussing an All Funds budget model.��

Boehm said the search for a new A&S dean is underway, with SPHIS Dean Craig Blakely chairing. An interim dean will be put into place soon.

Interfolio, a management software tool, has replaced Digital Measures for faculty documents and training will be held in mid-January.

An update about the Benefits Design Workgroup was provided. The objective is to offer a competitive benefits package that enhances UofL’s ability to recruit, retain and reward its employees in order to ensure the university is a great place to work.

As part of this charge, the group is looking at a 2020 Strawman Strategy that evaluates moving to an HDHP with an HSA and a generic preventative drug list to replace one or both HRA plans. The group will also evaluate the EPO, consider plan design changes for the PPO, evaluate university-provided seed money and more.

Delivery of care, health management and wellbeing and member education and communication are also being evaluated by the group. .��

The Student Government Association is working on making sure class spaces are effective for engagement, that web pages are accessible and that books are affordable.

The Staff Senate’s .��

The Faculty Senate Chair’s report is . Chair Krista Wallace-Boaz informed the group that the new committee on student wellbeing has met and formed subcommittees, including a subcommittee on faculty roles in student wellness. She also noted that the EVPRI position is down to three candidates.��

The meeting opened with a proposal for a new BS in Urban Studies. The program would be housed in Urban and Public Affairs in the College of Arts & Sciences and would include collaboration from the departments of Sociology and Geography. It would ideally increase undergraduate research, community engagement and transfer students and is modeled on similar programs at the University of Cincinnati and Cleveland State. The motion carried.

The Redbook Committee announced two first readings: an update to the School of Dentistry bylaws that includes minor clarifications, and a revised personnel document for the Speed School, which includes a rework of term appointments and a code of conduct. Votes for both will be held during the January meeting.

The next Faculty Senate meeting is Jan. 8 in Chao Auditorium.��

Prior to her presentation, however, three academic programs committee proposals were approved by the body:

1. , which would be housed in the College of Arts & Sciences. The program provides undergraduates with certification in knowledge about the unique healthcare needs of LGBTQ populations. An advantage of this program is it would use many resources that are already in place at UofL. It would also be the first undergraduate program of this kind in the country.
2. , which would be housed in CEHD and aimed at preparing postsecondary instructors and faculty members for professional practice related to understanding and managing organizational change within their institutions and units.
3. The final approval went to a new , chaired by Dr. Carl Maertz, with an intended date of implementation in fall 2020. The major provides targeted courses in management, requiring functional knowledge of business disciplines and an internship experience in management.

President Neeli Bendapudi said the acquisition of the KentuckyOne Health Louisville assets is complete. UofL is trying to respect the legacy of these facilities by keeping part of their names; for example, UofL Health – Peace Hospital, and UofL Health – Mary & Elizabeth Hospital. More information about the new names is .

“We are trying to be sensitive to the communities we serve,” she said. “We feel good about turning things around.”

Bendapudi noted that Jewish Hospital was losing about $50 million a year. UofL will receive $33 million a year in funding just for being an academic health institution. UofL is also depending on a $50 million loan from the state to help kick the turnaround plan in place.

“The loan is critical to the success of this turnaround. It will provide long-term stability and continued service,” she said.

Bendapudi added that the risks of not acquiring this system would have been significant. Jewish Hospital, for example, gets about 3,000 emergency visits per month.

“There is nowhere else in the city or state that can accommodate those patients,” she said. “Where would they go?”

Further, UofL’s renowned transplant program would have to close, about 1,900 jobs would be lost equating to about $100 million annually in wages, 60 residents would have to be relocated and more.

“We would have lost faculty and our R1 research status would have been jeopardized,” Bendapudi said. “This adds the best stability for not only our academic and research mission, but more importantly for patient care.”

Several hundred employees participated in the inaugural Cards Come Together event held during Homecoming Week in October. Bendapudi said she hopes this becomes an annual event.

Raise Some L, also held during Homecoming Week, raised a record amount of money – more than $900,000. This compares to the about-$300,000 raised last year.

“This shows a sense of pride about the university and that our support is increasing and that much is a good sign,” Bendapudi said.

Finally, Bendapudi said the Strategic Plan is in the implementation phase. There are three committees each under the Learn, Work and Invest focus areas, and two additional committees tasked with identifying our thematic charges (e.g. aging) and how to best implement our CARDINAL principles.

Provost Beth Boehm also provided a report, noting that we’re struggling with enrollment – a general theme across the country due to changing demographics and less students. This year, for example, we are down by 122 students, which translates to about $1.9 million. One of our priorities is to make sure we aren’t affected by the December to January melt, when some students drop out. Boehm called on faculty to engage with students as much as they can.

“We make a big difference in a student’s experience here,” she said.

Boehm has also charged an advising committee to develop a more coordinated advising system between schools.

“We want every student to have a consistent experience,” she said.

Mary Elizabeth Miles, interim associate VP for HR, was introduced to the body and provided an overview of some of the work that has been done since she assumed that role earlier this year. She said HR plans to administer a comprehensive study of the staff, including roles and salaries, to get a better sense of how UofL lines up with other institutions. She is also focused on increasing communication from HR and has added HR Talks sessions on campus. The sessions will continue to be advertised in UofL Today.

Other reports

The Student Government Association reported that 471 Metropolitan College students took advantage of the priority registration window. SGA will keep an eye on the impacts this initiative has on retention.  

The Staff Senate report from October is .

Elaine Wise, the Faculty Athletics Representative, reported that UofL’s student-athletes generated a

Krista Wallace-, noting that the new committee on student wellbeing has held its first meeting. The committee includes four subcommittees: wellbeing and resilience; suicide prevention; faculty roles; and tool kits for faculty, staff and students.

Also, Sandy Russell has been appointed as interim vice president for Enterprise Risk Management, Audit and Compliance, and the top four candidates for the EVPRI position have been identified and are currently scheduled for on-campus forums.

. The next Faculty Senate meeting is Dec. 4 in Chao Auditorium.

Among the attributes UofL needs in its next provost, as agreed upon by the Faculty Senate, are:

• Understanding of, and dedication to, the context, vision, and strategic goals of UofL
• Ability to cultivate a cohesive university community by making fair and just decisions
• Creates a unity of purpose through coherent and consistent messaging, and through transparent internal communication
• Effectively communicates the goals of the University and the President’s Office to the University community

Essential qualifications include a PhD or equivalent, earned tenure, demonstrated excellence in academic leadership (departmental/decanal/provostial) and demonstrated commitment to academic freedom/shared governance and – added during the meeting – Constitutional rights.

Core competencies include demonstration of the highest ethical integrity, prepared to advance the metropolitan mission of both a Carnegie Highest Research Activity university and a Carnegie Community Engaged university, ability to develop a clear and coherent vision for the academic mission and more.

The . It was passed unanimously by the Faculty Senate.

President Neeli Bendapudi provided a number of updates about the Council on Postsecondary ����ֱ��, noting that more money is being allocated for performance-based funding, as well as deferred maintenance. The finance committee asked for a 10 percent increase for performance-based funding.

Bendapudi said the business community in Kentucky is starting to push harder for education initiatives to support economic development.

“This is needed. It’s encouraging,” she said.

She also reflected on the past year in the office, expressing pride in UofL’s graduation rate increases within just one year, as well as the fact that UofL students graduate with the lowest amount of debt of all public universities in the state, among other accomplishments.

Bendapudi also talked about the Strategic Plan, which is officially underway.

“This has truly been a campus-wide process and I am optimistic about achieving our biggest goals,” she said.

Finally, Bendapudi said the hospital process is “coming along well,” since UofL agreed to acquire .

“There is a sense of excitement and trepidation. This will be good for us. We are finally in charge of our own destiny,” she said. “Had Jewish closed, that would have been 2,500 jobs lost, $100 million in payroll. The human impact was what was most important to me – 600 people a month in the community need a hospital room. Where would they go?”

Provost Beth Boehm said the new student well-being committee has been formed.

“It is a big group and I’m delighted so many people wanted to be a part of this,” she said.

Also, an advising task force has been charged, as has an IBM implementation committee.

Boehm also provided an update from the Council on Postsecondary ����ֱ��, noting that a program review consultant has been hired by the state to review programs at all public schools. They will look at which programs to sustain, grow, start or sunset. This work will require an “enormous” data pull, Boehm said.

A search firm has been chosen for the provost search. Airport interviews continue for the EVPRI position. Boehm is meeting with Arts & Sciences faculty next week to discuss the school’s dean search. Finally, Boehm is attending an ACC Provost Conference at Clemson and will provide an update upon her return.

Dr. Ralph Fitzpatrick, senior vice president for Community Engagement, Susan Jenkins and Heidi Cooley Cook discussed the Cards Come Together initiative. This inaugural week of service, led by UofL President Neeli Bendapudi, will feature several service projects across the city as well as collection sites on campus. The objective is to get 1,000 faculty, staff and students to participate. A complete list of projects is available online at events.louisville.edu/cardscometogether.

A kickoff celebration will be held at the Red Barn Oct. 22 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Cedric Powell, faculty grievance officer, provided his annual report. From Sept. 20, 2018 through Sept. 30, 2019, there were nine Type I faculty grievances filed and four Type II grievance. His full report is .

Ombudsman Diane Tobin also provided a report from her office. She said the trends she is seeing that cause people to use her services include communication issues, budgetary issues, understanding policies and procedures and lack of positive recognition. Throughout the past year, 122 people across campus have used the ombudsman’s services. More information about those services is .

Sabrina Collins provided an update from the SGA. She recently attended the College Completion Summit in Salt Lake City with administrators and staff with an objective of learning how to become a more student-centered campus.

Also, two resolutions recently passed in the Student Senate:

• A resolution to implement an anonymous evaluation system of academic advisers following advising appointments;
• A resolution to excuse students from class for election day due to absentee ballot issues.

The Faculty Senate voted to endorse the latter.

The Staff Senate report from September is . Committee reports are also .

The next Faculty Senate meeting is Nov. 6 in Chao Auditorium.

Durbin said the budget is meant to acclimate the Board of Trustees to the university’s priorities, but serves as a “status quo placeholder” this year, since we are on the verge of implementing a strategic plan. The two priorities are to be stable and predictable so we can start the work on that plan.

The proposed budget entails $23.8 million of costs, including a 2% salary increase. Durbin noted that this current year’s budget had $20 million of costs supported by one-time items, which is unsustainable.

“This budget is based on some assumptions, including the assumption that enrollment stays stable. If enrollment stays stable, we’re in good shape,” Durbin said.

There are tuition and fee increases requested to fund some priorities. The proposed face-to-face tuition increase is 2.5% for undergraduates, while the online learning fees have been restructured to match the current per-hour rate plus a $50 tech fee.

“We have been careful not to price ourselves out of the market,” Durbin said, showing a slide of our tuition, which remains lower than the University of Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky. Our proposed rates for the 2020 budget are also lower than UK’s proposed rates, including out-of-state, which is 2.5% at UofL compared to 6.2% at UK.

“We don’t think these fee increases place us at a competitive disadvantage,” Durbin said.

Durbin also noted that 62% of all beds will cost less in 2020 versus 2019, so housing costs will also be lower.

He also discussed the foundation’s spending policy and how it is expected to impact the university. The foundation had to rein in some spending this year to ensure the endowment funds stayed intact and were positioned to grow.

“We looked at every line of the budget. We will have some pain this year, but in the longer term, we will be good,” he said. “We think of this year as a re-set,” Durbin said. “In our current state – with stable enrollment and adjustments and tuition and fees – we have a balanced budget.”

Durbin’s full presentation is .

President Neeli Bendapudi also provided an update for the senate, stating that she feels better about the budget than she did three months ago.

Still, administrators did recently discover the $20 million base budget covered by one-time dollars and had to make significant adjustments accordingly. One of those adjustments was in closing the Humana Gym. Doing this, Bendapudi said, saves UofL about $1 million a year.

Bendapudi apologized to the Faculty Senate for the way the administrators handled the decision-making and communication around the gym’s closing.

“I sincerely believe this decision was the right thing for the university. But we failed during the process. I will own that and I promise it will not happen again,” she said. “We’re learning. We’ll do better.”

Bendapudi plans to host a retreat this summer with her senior leadership team to discuss a new rubric for these types of decisions, including who provides input, who approves and how to communicate.

Keith Sherman, executive director of the UofL Foundation, which owns the Humana Gym building, added there was no easy fix to this issue.

“The facility was well under water, so it became a question of how we stop the bleeding as quickly as possible,” he said.

After going through each line of the budget, administrators have also discovered that the same dollars were promised to multiple deans.

“We don’t want this to happen again. We want a budget committee to be actively engaged and for every single person on our campus to be able to pull up our budget and understand it,” Bendapudi said.

Bendapudi provided an update from the CPE, encouraging all faculty members to be mindful of our performance funding model.

“The best thing we can do is make sure our students succeed. It’s the morally, ethically and financially right thing to do,” she said. “What we’re hoping is that no student graduates without an internship, co-op or student learning/experiential opportunity. That gives them the best chances.”

Bendapudi also briefly discussed the recent Passport deal, stating that she is confident it was the best outcome for the university and for the community. Because of non-disclosure agreements, she is still not able to talk much about the negotiations surrounding Jewish Hospital.��She ended, however, by stating that she feels comfortable and confident.

Provost Beth Boehm also provided an update, noting that Vice Provost Mordean Taylor-Archer is retiring. Her areas include international and diversity. Diversity will be moved under the president’s office, and an open call for applications will be held for the diversity position with a short timeline.��Boehm admitted that our culture needs to be improved so we stop losing faculty of color.

“We have to work on our environment so people don’t even look for jobs elsewhere,” she said.

Meanwhile, the international office will be under the provost’s office.��

Michael Mardis, dean of students, has agreed to take on the international office in the interim and will work to figure out what that office will look like moving forward.

. The next Faculty Senate meeting is July 3 in Chao Auditorium.

Joining the Academic Programs Committee for a three-year term are Evan Frederick, Erin Gerber, Reg Bruce and Ryan Schroeder.

Ben Schoenbachler joins the Committee on Committees and Credentials. Rob Barker, Eugene Mueller and David Simpson join the Executive Committee. Diane Chlebowy has been added to the Part-Time Faculty Committee.

Monica Delano joins the Planning and Budget Committee. Sarah Carter and Ryan Schroeder are now on the Redbook Committee.

Also, Patrick Harris joins the Academic Technology Committee; Olfa Nasraoui joins COSW; Tom Simmons joins the Parking Advisory Committee; Karen Turner joins the Parking Appeals Committee; and Patrick Harris is the SGA representative.

During the regular Faculty Senate meeting, Dr. Bob Myers from the College of Business was recognized for his 48 years of service on the senate.

“I am indebted and honored. I wish you the best wishes for your continued quest for collegiality and shared governance. I really believe that’s what makes this a great university,” Myers said, to a standing ovation.

President Neeli Bendapudi provided an update on a number of issues, stating that there has been much positive news recently, including with the recently announced IBM partnership. She provided a personnel update, including the renewal of Dean Toni Ganzel at the School of Medicine, and Dean Craig Blakely at SPHIS, as well as the new Dean of the School of Music, Teresa Reed, and the new CIO, Rehan Khan. Further, she noted that Bradley Shafer has been named as the permanent VP of Advancement.

Bendapudi also thanked Keith Sherman, executive director of the UofL Foundation, for supporting the university as it continues to work through budget shortfalls. The foundation recently invested $13 million in UofL’s Bucks for Brains program, for example. Bendapudi noted this investment will yield a strong return, and already has as evidenced by the recent announcement that Talaris – a UofL-founded company created through the program – secured $100 million.

“The impact Bucks for Brains has to the university is several million dollars and it will bring in predictable funding,” she said.

Bendapudi also provided an update to the Strategic Plan, noting that feedback has been received by more than 3,000 different people throughout campus.

“That is remarkable, to have that many people providing input,” she said. “We intend to be nimble and action-oriented with this and not have it be some book on a shelf.”

Bendapudi urged senators to continue to be patient as administrators continue to work to clean up the budget mess, stating that she is confident next year we will be in a much better place. She is aiming for a 2% raise in January.

Provost Beth Boehm also provided an update, stating that she has charged a committee to review and streamline the Redbook, and has also created a committee to examine the consensual sexual policy and faculty accountability.

Boehm said enrollment numbers are down 2% for the summer and 4% for the fall at this point and urges senators to engage with students and help with the recruitment and retention process.

“When we’re down on numbers, it’s like taking another budget cut,” she said.

We are recruiting students in new areas like Chicago, and working to make sure those students find a cohort once they get to campus.

ULF’s Sherman also provided a report, ensuring senators that “we’re in a much better spot today than we were just a year ago.” Specifically, we have faculty, staff and student representation on the foundation board and have therefore become a benchmark for governance.

We’ve also improved transparency, reporting live item budgets monthly and quarterly.

Sherman encouraged senators to spend their current use, endowment and general funds.

“It is easier for us to ask donors for money if we’re spending the money they give us wisely,” Bendapudi said.

Sherman said a new system will be in place starting July 1 that will allow those who work with endowments and endowment donors to see their accounts online whenever they so choose.

“This is part of our work toward more transparency,” he said. “Hopefully it will lead to more discussions on the best way to use that money.”

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Gail DePuy provided an update on the strategic planning process, stating that work group committees have collected and reviewed the data and are now working on action plans.

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Other reports, including the Chair’s report and committee reports, .��

The next Faculty Senate meeting is June 5 on the HSC campus.

A draft of the mission statement reads: “The Center for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage is a teaching, research and curation facility dedicated to the scholarly pursuit of knowledge about human cultures, past and present. CACHe supports experiential student learning and active research pursuits of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Louisville and is a repository for regional archaeological collections. CACHe is a resource for collaborative research and is dedicated to engaged public outreach with the community of Portland, the city of Louisville and the greater Falls of the Ohio River region.”

The CACHe intends to:

• Preserve archaeological collections from the Falls of the Ohio and surrounding regions
• Create new curation contracts with state and federal agencies
• Offer collection revitalization services

The proposal was approved by the senate.

Senators held a discussion about what it means to be a “Great Place to Invest,” as part of the strategic planning process. Enid Trucios-Haynes, who is part of that committee, noted that “invest” means everything from capital to labor.

The Invest group is considering the following principles/framework to guide its work:

• Promote transdisciplinary/multidisciplinary education, research, scholarship and creative activity and service;
• Incorporate community-engaged partnerships and services;
• Ensure we are student-centered to advance educational excellence;
• Have a demonstrated economic, social and/or cultural impact in Louisville, the Commonwealth of Kentucky and beyond;
• Serve the community as a whole by advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, including the interests of underrepresented minorities and historically marginalized communities; and
• Demonstrate principled leadership and responsible stewardship

As part of the discussion, senators offer suggestions such as focusing on small businesses (not just major corporations) and benchmarking other institutions.

Bob Fox, dean of Libraries, provided an update from his area. A new system is available on the HSC campus called “Browsing,” allowing faculty to access journal databases. Libraries has renewed all major journal and database packages this year, despite the campus-wide 5% cuts.

Fox is currently working on the FY20 budget and will request new books, specifically humanities and social sciences books, because ours are out of date. He said the last time we bought books from state funds was in 2012.

Fox also provided an update on the renovations taking place throughout the Libraries system. Light renovations were recently completed in the music library, while Ekstrom is gearing up for a large renovation to its third floor that will expand its on-site storage capabilities.

Finally, Fox provided an overview of accomplishments, including , new software instruction offered at the Delphi Center, and the installment of the Stan Denny collection this year. Denny was a photographer with the Courier Journal who focused mostly on sports.

UofL’s new chief information officer, Rehan Khan, was introduced to the senate. He said his goal is to be proactive, to understand constituents across campus and their challenge, and to engage with them all.

The department is changing its name from Information Technology to Information Technology Services.

Provost Beth Boehm provided a report from President Neeli Bendapudi, who couldn’t make it to the meeting. Bendapudi acknowledged the one-year anniversary of accepting the role as UofL president.

“I am happy to confirm there is no buyer’s remorse,” she said in a prepared statement. “This community has fully embraced me and I am grateful that everyone I’ve met wants UofL to be great. That level of support helps what we’re doing.”

Bendapudi also reiterated that the RFP process has been extended with Jewish Hospital, noting that several entities expressed interest initially, but there wasn’t enough time to fully vet a partnership. An extension could help.

The strategic planning process continues to move forward. Draft strategy statements and outlined actions are expected between mid-April and mid-May. Boehm encouraged senators to share their insights on the Strategic Plan website:

Boehm also noted that UofL is extending its Frankfort Internship Program. Currently, this program includes political science majors, but we are aiming to get 20 total students involved across disciplines.

A Redbook Review Committee is currently working to update the Redbook, while an Enrollment Management Committee is feeding data to the Learn Workgroup as part of the strategic planning process.

Boehm also announced that Teresa Reed has been named dean of the School of Music. Ann Larson has moved from dean of the College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development into a role focused on the local high school pipeline.

“One of Neeli’s personal priorities is to make sure every high school student gets some type of college experience and Ann Larson has agreed to lead this strategy,” Boehm said.

Amy Lingo has been named interim dean of CEHD during this transition. Five-year reviews have been conducted for the dean of Medicine and SPHIS.

Finally, Boehm noted that the ACC Meeting of the Minds event hosted by UofL last weekend was a success.

“We have gotten such kudos on this. It was really successful and exciting and we showed that we belong in this league,” she said.

Reports

The Student Government Association introduced the next Faculty Senate representative – Sabrina Collins, a sophomore studying political science.

The Staff Senate reported that it has endorsed the values statement previously endorsed by the Faculty Senate. Staff senators are also very concerned about a parking rate increase. .��

Chair Krista Wallace-Boaz’s report included an update on the EVPRI search. The search firm – Storbeck/Pimentel and Associates – has been on campus for the process.

Additionally, HR is charging a workgroup to review the university’s health benefits. This group will help create a multi-year strategy that will help ensure that UofL continues to provide valuable health benefits while managing costs. The RFP process that the university entered last month did not produce a suitable partnership. This process on the HSC campus has been extended for 90 days. .

. The next Faculty Senate meeting is May 1 at 3 p.m.