UofL鈥檚 online psychology program is rated No. 7 in the nation according to the latest results. Two other programs made the top 50. UofL also received several honors for Best Online Programs for U.S. veterans.听

UofL鈥檚 fully 听have consistently appeared in the U.S. News and World Report rankings for more than a decade, earning recognition as some of the best-ranked education opportunities for online students.听

In 2026, the following degrees received Best Online Program honors:听听

• Undergraduate Psychology – No. 7
• Undergraduate Business – No. 24
• Graduate 成人直播 (Best Online Programs for Veterans) – No. 43
• MBA (Best Online Programs for Veterans) – No. 54
• Graduate Business – No. 82
• Bachelor’s Degree (Best Online Programs for Veterans) – No. 83
• MBA – No. 93
• Bachelor’s Degree – No. 141 听
• Graduate 成人直播 – No. 145听

Kelvin Thompson, UofL鈥檚 vice provost for online strategy and teaching innovation, highlighted the importance of quality online education in advancing lives and careers while offering the flexibility to balance life鈥檚 responsibilities.听

鈥淧roviding accessible, high-quality online higher education is crucial for American social mobility,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淎t UofL, our students come from all听walks of life听and in all manner of circumstances, including first generation, post-traditional and under-resourced students, and recognition from organizations like U.S. News & World Report reaffirms our commitment to excellence in everything we do.鈥澨�

UofL recently introduced several new online programs, including its first fully online PhD program, the online听.听

UofL鈥檚 online programs are designed for both traditional and non-traditional students, including adult learners, working professionals,听military听and degree-completer听students, as well as anyone looking to earn a college credential through flexible, high-quality online education.听

For more information about UofL鈥檚 online programs, visit听.

Henley has served in her current role since 2018. Prior to coming to North Dakota, she was executive director of MBA programs and associate professor in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship at the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University.

Henley held other positions at Kennesaw State and has taught management courses there and at the University of Southern Mississippi and University of Texas at Arlington. Before entering academia, she worked in transportation logistics and financial analysis in Dallas.

鈥淒r. Henley has extensive leadership experience, is adept at building alumni relationships, strongly supports academic research and has a history of building ties with the business, government and nonprofit communities,鈥� said UofL interim Provost Katie Cardarelli. 鈥淚 believe she will be a great fit here and will take the College of Business to an even higher level.鈥�

Henley earned a doctoral degree in organizational behavior and psychology from the University of Texas at Arlington. She holds an MBA and a bachelor鈥檚 degree in accounting from the University of Southern Mississippi.

“It is an honor to be named as the next dean for the University of Louisville College of Business,鈥� Henley said. 鈥淗aving the opportunity to serve at such a prestigious university, back in my southern roots, is truly a privilege. I look forward to helping propel our college into the next phase of innovation, entrepreneurship and thought-leadership as we inspire the future generation of business leaders.”

The offers the only equine industry degree from an accredited college of business in the world, giving students the opportunity to turn their love of horses into a viable career. The program provides a uniquely qualified workforce to Kentucky鈥檚 horse racing industry, as well as equine businesses across the globe.

For 37 years, the UofL College of Business has been delivering equine degrees with a rigorous business focus and dedication to the combination of horse commerce, business enterprise and academics. The goal of the Equine Industry Program is to produce graduates with sound business and management skills and equipped with an industry-specific, multidisciplinary education who can innovate and contribute to the industry as employees or business owners in any breed or discipline.

The 362 program alumni include Gary Palmisano, executive director of racing for Churchill Downs Incorporated; K. Amy Lawyer, who now directs the UofL Equine Industry Program; Thoroughbred trainers Lindsay Schultz and Jason Barkley; Corey Barberito, assistant trainer for Dallas Stewart; Hannah Boyle, social media director at Churchill Downs; Sean Collins, assistant tour manager at the Kentucky Derby Museum; Paige Thompson, who recently opened White Tail Eventing in Cincinnati and Ali Sturtevant, who will graduate from veterinary school this spring.

The graduate programs that saw the largest growth are business administration, human resource and organization development, educational administration, law and nursing. More than 6,450 graduate students are enrolled for fall 2021.

Conversely, following , the preliminary number of first-time undergraduate degree-seeking students enrolled for fall dropped 6% to 2,693.

鈥淭he COVID-19 pandemic has been life-altering for so many, and we are encouraged that more students are seeking post-graduate-level degrees,鈥� said Neeli Bendapudi, UofL鈥檚 president. 鈥淚t is such a thrill to see a vibrant campus once again, and we are confident of a bright future for all our students.鈥�

For the incoming undergraduate class, the five most popular majors are engineering, business, education, biology and psychology. Enrollment in public health programs for both undergraduate and graduate students also continues to be strong with a 19% increase since 2019.

The incoming undergraduate class remains diverse, with almost 20% of students identifying as African American or multiracial, and 7% as Latino.

Here is a snapshot of the 2021 first-time freshman class:

• 47.6% have some college credits
• 20.24% are African American or identify as multiracial
• 7.06% are Hispanic/Latino
• 64.05% live on campus
• 33.05% are first-generation college students
• 25.64 is the average ACT score
• 3.63 is the average high school grade-point average, based on a 4.0 scale
• 23.72% are from outside Kentucky
• 38 states are represented
• 246 are part-time

The startup 鈥� called , for 鈥淯nderestimated People Of Purpose鈥� 鈥� is built around a new cultural well-being survey and predictive analytics framework developed by UofL researchers Theo Edmonds, Cameron Lister, Molly O鈥橩eefe and Sonali Salunkhe, along with Xian Brooks from the UofL Office of Diversity and Inclusion.听

The framework, Edmonds said, can help companies understand and improve their cultural well-being, which can be a critical advantage in recruiting, retaining and motivating top talent, driving innovation and surviving rapid, unexpected changes.

鈥淎s the of COVID-19 has disrupted everything, every company must become an entrepreneurial company again,鈥� said Edmonds, research team leader and a co-founder of UPOP. “Economic resilience depends on cultural well-being and finding new ways to connect and co-create value with all stakeholders 鈥� both inside and outside the company.鈥�

The cultural analytics technology measures three key areas: cultural actions (creativity and curiosity of employees); bridging actions (inclusion, hope, trust, belonging and health-related quality of life); and growth actions (social and economic value creation).

UPOP is launching with a national, COVID-19 specific survey, and plans to share results with founders, venture capitalists, industry groups, policymakers, higher education leaders and corporate executives in a series of briefs and webinars in late summer.

鈥淥ne of the worthiest innovation challenges in the months and years ahead will be in creating new forms of cultural well-being in our places and spaces,鈥� said UPOP Board Chair, Dayna Neumann. 鈥淐ultural well-being is not about changing what came before, it鈥檚 about creating what comes next, together.鈥�

The Cultural Well-being Index intellectual property is protected through , which works to commercialize university inventions by working with industry and entrepreneurs. UPOP worked with the EPI-Center to obtain an exclusive license.

UPOP is UofL鈥檚 first public benefit corporation spin-out. This means that UPOP is organized to devote some of its profits to supporting underrepresented and underestimated public health and humanities entrepreneurs and to supporting advanced research on workforce culture, resiliency and inclusive innovation. Edmonds said the company also is a certified LGBT Business Enterprise through the

And now, Louisville startup 听has licensed the technology from UofL and is working to get it to market.听

The inventor here, , studies organizational culture and applied behavioral economics as an associate professor at the UofL College of 成人直播 and Human Development (CEHD). His is the first licensed technology out of CEHD.听

Shuck said organizations are more productive and, often, more profitable when their employees are engaged in their workplace. Engaged employees also have a better overall workplace experience. However, his research suggests there is a more than 60% drop off in levels of engagement in the first six months of an employee鈥檚 tenure.

鈥淕lobally, employee engagement remains a critical, and sought-after competitive advantage for businesses and organizations of all sizes,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is the differentiator between market share, customer experience and quality. Everyone wants more of it.鈥�

His software, the Employee Engagement Scale (EES), helps companies to monitor that engagement, and hopefully improve it, through brief, easy-to-use surveys that gauge how employees think and feel about their work.听

The EES will be a central part of system for businesses that provides a sort of 鈥渧irtual colleague鈥� 鈥� one that keeps track of who and what staff are communicating while analyzing collaboration. CEO听Charley Miller said the “colleague”听could help leaders in the company better understand their employees and make smart decisions on how to improve the work environment.听听听

鈥淥ne of the key aspects of a good colleague is that they are great listeners,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淒r. Shuck’s IP enables us to ensure our virtual colleague is great listener when it comes to understanding how to ascertain employee engagement.鈥澨�

Not only is Shuck鈥檚 technology the first out of CEHD to be licensed to a company, but it鈥檚 the first license of the UofL Office of Research and Innovation鈥檚 Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, or EIR, program.听

Miller was one of the program鈥檚 first EIRs, to help guide UofL research-backed technologies to market in collaboration with the . After Miller鈥檚 term ended, he launched Unitonomy around Shuck鈥檚 technology.听

鈥淪ometimes all it takes is getting the right mix of people 鈥� researchers, entrepreneurs, community members 鈥� in the same room,鈥� said Will Metcalf, executive director of , who launched the EIR program. 鈥淭his is case-in-point, and we鈥檙e so excited to see what grows of this partnership between Charley and UofL.鈥澨�

Funding for the EIRs comes from the , a public-private partnership led by UofL and backed by the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development to grow Louisville鈥檚 entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Read about in the latest edition of听, along with other stories that illustrate how UofL鈥檚 alums, students, faculty and staff are making their mark.听 听

• : Alumna Frankie Lewis 鈥�11 returns from 鈥淧roject Runway鈥� to brighten up Louisville.
• : It鈥檚 The Thinker鈥檚 70^th anniversary on campus. Find out where UofL students think the university will be in the next seven decades.
• : Cardinal connections litter the city鈥檚 revitalized waterfront

Lucky Cat Caf茅 and Lounge is non-profit cat caf茅 where guests can sit back and relax with a number of feline friends. The building, located on Dundee Road near the Douglass Loop in the Highlands neighborhood, is divided into the caf茅 portion, where cats are prohibited, and the lounge portion, where guests can take their coffee or snacks to enjoy in the company of cats.

The feline companions are tenants of LMAS simply looking for their forever home. The caf茅 hosts about a dozen kittens at a time that are available for adoption. The necessities, like cat food and litter, are completely funded by donations

鈥淚 knew marketing, accounting and finance were important, so I got those set up right away,鈥� said Spencer, who relies on donations to keep her costs low. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not doing this to make money. We want to be a community-supported organization, and we have been.鈥�

Spencer raises awareness through a variety of events within the community as well as in the shop.

For the complete story, visit .

The free event, at the Speed Art Museum鈥檚 Speed Cinema, is open to the public and boasts an agenda packed with workshops, speakers and other fun activities for aspiring and current founders.

鈥淥ur goal with the AWARE:ACCESS program, and this event, is to help entrepreneurs and startups grow,鈥� said Jessica Sharon, director of Innovation Programs at UofL. 鈥淎t the summit, we鈥檒l have a lot of resources to help them do that, from advice on applying for federal grant funding to how to make the perfect elevator pitch.鈥�

In addition to workshops and speakers, attendees can also participate in a 鈥淪hark Tank鈥�-style pitch competition. They can also speak one-on-one with experts in finance, accounting, marketing, human resources and pretty much any other topic a budding entrepreneur might need to know about.

More information and registration are .听

While the summit is open to all, the AWARE:ACCESS, or Accelerating Women and Underrepresented Entrepreneurs: Accelerate Entrepreneurial Success, program has a special focus on women and underrepresented entrepreneurs.听

The program, a National Science Foundation-backed partnership between UofL and Indiana University, provides support to help these entrepreneurs submit more competitive proposals for SBIR and STTR grant funding.

Women entrepreneurs represent only , despite making up some 51 percent of the total population. Collective minorities represent only 10 percent of awardees, combined.

鈥淒iversity unlocks so many new perspectives, ideas and potential innovations,鈥� said Robert S. Keynton, interim executive vice president for Research and Innovation. 鈥淚n accelerating the success of women and underrepresented entrepreneurs, we hope to improve that diversity of thought and spur new growth and opportunities for all.鈥�

AWARE:ACCESS is one of UofL’s suite of听 dubbed the “Superfecta,” to support the translation of research into viable commercial products.听UofL is one of only a handful of universities in the country to receive each of these, and is听the only one to receive all of them.

The awards ceremony recognizes high achieving graduates based on their merit and contributions to the community. Each year, one alumna or alumnus of the year is selected along with 13 Alumni Fellows from each of the schools, colleges, libraries, and student affairs.听

Alumna of the Year

• Jenny L. Sawyer ’78,听executive director of听admissions听at the University of Louisville.

Alumni Fellows

• Brandeis School of Law
  Edwin S. Hopson, Sr. ’67, ’69, partner at听Wyatt, Tarrant and Combs.
• College of Arts and Sciences
  George Nichols, III ’85,听president and chief executive officer of the American College of Financial Services.
• College of Business
  Raymond E. Loyd ’68, founder of Derby Industries and Derby Fabricating.
• College of 成人直播 and Human Development
  Linda F. Hargan ’71, ’73, ’93,听founder, president, and chief executive officer emeritus of CTL.
• J. B. Speed School of Engineering
  Gerald G. Hubbs ’64, ’76, retired vice president and director of engineering at the Brown-Forman Corporation.听
• Kent School of Social Work
  Ruby Gordon ’66, ’72, former social worker with JCPS and Hillebrand House.
• School of Dentistry
  Karen L. Pierce-West ’77, ’82,听dean and professor of biomedical sciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine.
• School of Medicine
  Shawn C. Jones ’82, ’86, ’93,听founder of Purchase ENT, an ENT-otolaryngologist specialty group in Paducah, Kentucky.听
• School of Music
  John M. Hoover ’63, ’69, former director of bands at the University of Louisville.
• School of Nursing
  Flora Ponder ’87, former head nurse at the Louisville and Jefferson County Health Department and director of nurses at the Park-Duvalle Community Health Center.听
• School of Public Health and Information Sciences
  Lewatis D. McNeal ’16,听assistant dean of administration of inclusive excellence and special projects at Northern Kentucky University.
• Student Affairs
  Todd A. Schmiedeler ’97,听Trilogy Health Service’s senior vice president of Foundation & Workforce Development and founder and president of Thumbprint Consulting.
• University Libraries
  Morris M. Weiss Jr. ’58, cardiologist with Medical Center Cardiologists and clinical professor of medicine in cardiology at the University of Louisville.

This year鈥檚 awardees will be honored at the 2019 Alumni Awards ceremony October 24.