Part of the growth in numbers comes as the result of major strides in the areas of affordability, access and equity, meaning Cardinals from a variety of backgrounds can take advantage of learning opportunities and experiences with reduced financial burden. This academic year, UofL announced the expansion of its Border Benefit Award that allows students from some neighboring states to attend UofL at in-state tuition rates, along with the investment of $2.4 million toward the Cardinal Commitment Grant for in-state residents.

UofL jumped 15 places in the 2023-24 U.S. News and World Report  ranking, from No. 146 to No. 131, and also topped the list of “best values” among national universities in Kentucky. In the past few years, Cardinals have graduated with the second-lowest student debt among all Kentucky four-year public universities.

New leadership helps guide the way

Taking the helm in early 2023, UofL’s 19^th president, Kim Schatzel, spent six months in some 40 listening sessions to learn what was important to UofL’s students, staff and faculty, as well as community and government leaders.

She outlined her first eight priorities in September, and those priorities became the basis for a new 2023-2025 . Schatzel was officially inaugurated on Sept. 29 in a joyous ceremony filled with music and tradition that was held on The Oval outside Grawemeyer Hall. The historic event took place during UofL’s yearlong celebration of its 225th anniversary. In recognition of her leadership, Schatzel was named among Louisville Business First’s Power 50 for 2024, which identifies the city’s most influential people in business and related communities. The Louisville Defender Newspaper also named Schatzel as one of the “Women Who Choose to Challenge” in the publication’s women’s history recognition edition.  

In spring 2024, the university chose Gerry Bradley as permanent executive vice president and university provost. No stranger to the Cardinal community, Bradley had served as dean of the  since 2016 and as interim provost since July 2023. He previously held that same role from January 2022 to February 2023.

Several other top leadership positions have been filled throughout 2023 and 2024, including: Karlis Kaugars, vice provost for information technology services and chief information officer; Dayna Touron, dean, ;��John W. Miller Jr., dean, ; and Kathryn (Katie) Cardarelli,����𲹲�, . This summer, Whitney Nash becomes dean of the , which celebrates 50 years of educating and preparing nurses for distinctive careers.

UofL also welcomed Pat Kelsey to lead the men’s basketball program, infusing excitement and enthusiasm into Card Nation.

Renovations, new infrastructure boost student success

The university is updating facilities and building new infrastructure to ensure students have the physical space to unleash their potential.

�ճ����Center for Military-Connected Students debuted its newly renovated offices in Brodschi Hall on Belknap Campus. The center focuses on meeting the needs of the more than 2,300 military-connected students enrolled at UofL. At the , construction of a new four-story, $90 million student success hub is underway. It will help us produce the next generation of engineers.

And thanks to a tremendously successful legislative session, the state budget appropriated $260 million toward a new Health Sciences Center Campus simulation center and collaboration hub. That’s the largest amount of funding for a single project in UofL’s history. It also is the largest project being funded in Louisville and represents the most general fund support for any single project among Kentucky’s colleges and universities this session. UofL also received about $69 million for needed repairs on some existing facilities.

UofL’s research and innovation powerhouse flourishes

Research and innovation continued to soar to new heights in academic year 2023-24. Just a few highlights were:

• More than $22 million in funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration was awarded to the Schools of Medicine ($16 million)���Ի���Nursing ($6.5 million) for physician and nurse training to help increase Kentuckians’ access to health care, particularly in underserved rural and urban areas.  
• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded four grants totaling $11.6 million to researchers affiliated with UofL’s to study factors affecting heart health. Through these projects, they hope to better understand how environmental exposures and tobacco products can affect the cardiovascular system, as well as how remodeling takes place in the heart after a heart attack.
• UofL researcher Cheri Levinson has received an $11.5 million grant from the NIH to continue her work addressing the devastating effects of eating disorders.
• UofL researchers Susan Harkema, Charles Hubscher and collaborators recently won a $1 million grant from the NIH aimed at helping spinal cord injury patients regain function. They are now among four teams exclusively invited to participate in another competition with a potential prize pool of $5 million.
• More than 100 UofL researchers are among the top 2% most-cited in the world, according to a new compiled by Stanford University and Elsevier. Citations show the value other researchers around the globe place on UofL research.
• Research conducted in UofL’s Micro/Nano Technology Center is investigating whether the antibacterial properties of cicada wings can be turned into an antimicrobial for use in places like food service, health care facilities and medical devices. 
• More than 80 of UofL’s top researchers, scholars and artists were honored in October at the 2023 Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Awards ceremony.
• Four University of Louisville innovators have been selected by the prestigious National Academy of Inventors for its 2024 class of Senior Members. The four inventors selected from UofL–the only ones from Kentucky–are: Thad Druffel, Nobuyuki Matoba, Thomas Roussel and Jagannadh Satyavolu.

Commitment to serve, transform the community 

Throughout the 2023-24 academic year, Cardinals have utilized knowledge and resources to advance the mutual needs of the university and the community. Earlier this spring, more than 400 students danced for 18 hours at the annual raiseRED ���������ٳ�Dz�.��

The students raised more than $516,000 for Norton Children’s Cancer Institute and the . This is UofL’s largest student philanthropic effort. It has raised more than $5 million in its 11-year history.

In the mean time, former firefighter James Cripps was awarded one of the  for teaching firefighters throughout Kentucky about occupational cancer and mitigation strategies. A manufacturing administrator at the UofL Health , he hopes to eliminate some of those risks.

, meanwhile, celebrated a milestone: 200 years of compassionate care, medical innovation and serving the underserved. It was Kentucky’s first hospital, first admitting patients in a facility downtown in 1823. Now, to address a real need for citizens south and west of Louisville, UofL Health recently cut the ribbon on UofL Health – South Hospital in Bullitt County just off Interstate 65.

As part of UofL’s ongoing effort to collaborate with five K-12 schools in West Louisville, Central High School Pre-Medical Magnet Program students received white coats this spring, recognizing their hard work and encouraging them to stay focused on their goals. Students shadow UofL doctors and get to practice performing simpler procedures, like sutures, through this immersive curriculum.

Recently, UofL’s McConnell Scholars and others heard a presentation by Sen. Katie Britt, R-Alabama, who spoke about the importance of respect and trust in building relationships to address the country’s most pressing issues. A guest of the McConnell Center, Britt spoke as part of its Distinguished Speaker Series. Celebrating its 30th year, the center also brought Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, to Belknap Campus Oct. 30. She gave a public talk and met separately with the McConnell Scholars.

Students begin their next chapter at commencement

On May 11, more than 2,000 of the approximately 3,100 students who applied for degrees and certificates, will go across the stage at the KFC Yum! Center signifying their academic success.

This Commencement holds particular significance for the high school class of 2020, which graduated at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. For some, it will be their first chance to celebrate their educational achievement by taking part in a complete traditional ceremony.

UofL President Kim Schatzel will preside at both the 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. ceremonies. �ճ���� also will host a doctoral hooding and graduation ceremony for more than 100 graduates at 2 p.m. Friday, May 10, on Belknap Campus in the Swain Student Activities Center (SAC) Ballroom, second floor. All of these ceremonies will be broadcast live at .

Kelsey’s contract with the Cardinals will be for five years, extending through the 2028-29 season. The University of Louisville Athletic Association Board of Directors approved the terms of his contract Thursday afternoon.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Pat Kelsey as our new men’s basketball coach,” Heird said. “Pat has proven his ability to build multiple programs to an elite level. He garners great respect as a coach, manager, communicator and motivator who will build strong bonds with his student-athletes, coaches and our fan base. Pat understands the expectations of this storied program and will attack this opportunity with unmatched enthusiasm and work ethic. We’re looking forward to having him, his wife Lisa and their children become part of the best community in college athletics.”

Kelsey has been a dominant winner across his 12 seasons as a head coach, including the last three at College of Charleston and the previous nine at Winthrop. He boasts an impressive 261-122 record (68.1%) across his head coaching career with 11 total conference championships and four NCAA Tournament bids.

The Cincinnati native Kelsey will be the 24^th head coach in Louisville’s 110-year history, and the 10th in the past 79 years.

“I am humbled and honored to be named the head coach at the University of Louisville,” Kelsey said. “I would like to thank Josh Heird, President Schatzel, the Board of Trustees and ULAA Board, former UofL players and all of Card Nation for entrusting me to lead one of the great programs in all of college basketball. Coaching giants that I have tremendous respect and reverence for led Cardinal basketball to national prominence during their era. It is my charge to help this great program return to its rightful place as one of college basketball’s best.”

This season, College of Charleston finished 27-8, claimed the Colonial Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles, and earned a No. 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament before falling to fourth-seeded Alabama.

The Cougars became the first team in seven years to win back-to-back Colonial titles. Kelsey was named the league’s Coach of the Year, in addition to three All-CAA player honors and a Sixth Man of the Year award for Bryce Butler.

College of Charleston ranks in the top 25 nationally this season in 3-point attempts per game (3rd, 30.6), made 3-pointers per game (8th, 10.5), bench points per game (11th, 30.1), winning percentage (18th, 77.1), rebounds per game (20th, 39.8), assist-to-turnover ratio (22nd, 1.5) and offensive rebounds per game (23rd, 13.1).

During his second season at the helm in Charleston, the Cougars set numerous records with a 31-4 mark and the program’s first CAA title since 2008. They won 20 straight games, claimed the 2022 Charleston Classic and spent four weeks in the AP Top 25, peaking at No. 18. Kelsey was named the USBWA and NABC District Coach of the Year, and was on the Naismith Coach of the Year Watch List.

Kelsey arrives in Charleston from Winthrop, where he became the fifth all-time winningest coach in the history of the Big South Conference. He averaged 20.7 wins per game in nine seasons in Rock Hill, S.C., compiling more overall wins and conference wins than any other team in the league.

In his final season at Winthrop, Kelsey guided the Eagles to a 23-2 campaign, a school-record 21-game win streak, a Big South tournament title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament where they fell to Villanova. Kelsey was named 2021 Big South Coach of the Year.

Kelsey also led Winthrop to NCAA Tournament berths in 2020 (canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and 2017.

A two-time finalist for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award and finalist for the 2021 Jim Phelan Coach of the Year Award, Kelsey compiled a 186-95 (.662) overall record and an impressive 110-46 (.705) mark in conference play at Winthrop. The Eagles also won the Big South regular-season title four times in 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2021.

In all, 16 Winthrop players were selected all-conference, while three were tabbed Big South Player of the Year, one Big South Freshman of the Year and two Big South Tournament Most Valuable Player honors.

Prior to Winthrop, Kelsey served as associate head coach at his alma mater Xavier from 2009-11. Before that, he worked at Wake Forest as assistant coach (2004-09) and director of basketball operations (2001-04). He began his coaching career at Elder High School in Cincinnati as an assistant from 1998-2001.

Kelsey graduated cum laude in 1998 from Xavier University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing. He began his collegiate playing career at the University of Wyoming, before transferring and playing three seasons at point guard for the Musketeers from 1995-98.

Kelsey and his wife, Lisa, have three children: Ruthie, Caroline and Johnny.

Read more on the .

The 24th head coach in school history, Brohm’s No. 11 jersey is one of 26 to be honored by the program throughout its history.

“We’re excited to welcome Head Coach Jeff Brohm and his family home to the University of Louisville,” Heird said. “The Brohms are synonymous with Louisville, and Jeff has made a lasting impact on our city as a high school star, college quarterback, professional athlete and coach. But beyond his ties to the city, what excites me most about Jeff is that he’s had success at the highest level of college football. To put it simply, Jeff is a proven winner. Along the way, he’s done it with an exciting brand of football that remains innovative and entertaining, and he’s done it by making the right decisions with the best interest of his student-athletes at the forefront. I knew we needed to identify a tremendous leader for our program who understood the history of Louisville Football, and who would be committed long-term to this school and this community. There’s not another coach in America who checks those boxes like Jeff Brohm.”

“Today is a great day for the University of Louisville as Jeff Brohm is coming home to the Commonwealth,” said Governor Andy Beshear. “Britainy and I want to personally welcome his family and we know he will not only be a great coach, but also a great member of our Louisville and Kentucky community.”

Brohm ushers in a new era of UofL football after elevating the Purdue program to unprecedented success during his six seasons as head coach.

Hired on Dec. 5, 2016, he guided the Boilermakers to four bowl appearances and the school’s first Big Ten West Divisional title in 2022. The Boilermakers fell to No. 2 Michigan in the Big Ten title game, but Purdue was awarded a trip to the Citrus Bowl.

“My family and I are honored to return home to the University of Louisville, a place we love, which has been so influential in shaping me as a player, a coach and a man,” Brohm said.  “I am extremely grateful and humbled that Dr. Gonzalez, Dr. Schatzel, Josh Heird and the ULAA Board believe that I am the right person to lead this football program. I promise relentless energy, effort, and hard work every single day on behalf of all our coaches, staff and student-athletes.  Our goal is to compete for championships while also developing our student-athletes into true leaders on and off the field. These young men will make our university, our community, and our fan base proud to be Louisville Cardinals.  This city means a great deal to me and my family. Louisville is who we are. Thank you all for welcoming us back home.”

Prior to his arrival in West Lafayette, the Boilermakers won a combined nine games over four seasons. In his six seasons at Purdue, Brohm compiled a 36-34 overall mark with the Boilermakers. He led the program to notable victories, posting three wins over Top 3 teams: No. 2 Ohio State in 2018; No. 2 Iowa in 2021; and, No. 3 Michigan State in 2021.

Over the last two seasons, Brohm’s teams compiled a 17-9 record, including a 9-4 mark in 2021 – the school’s first nine-win season since 2003. The school achieved back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2006-07.

In nine seasons as a head coach, Brohm boasts a career record of 66-44, a .600 winning percentage, and has positioned himself as one of the top offensive minds in the country. His passing offenses have placed in the top 20 in eight of his nine seasons as an FBS coach, which ranked 13th on average over that span.

In his tenure at Purdue, Brohm produced nine National Football League draft picks, highlighted by defensive end George Karlaftis, who was selected as the No. 23 pick in the first round by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022. Wide receiver Rondale Moore was a second-round selection in 2021 by the Arizona Cardinals, and wideout David Bell was taken in the third round by the Cleveland Browns in 2022.

Playing in Brohm’s high-powered offense, several Boilermakers were honored for their accomplishments within the league. Moore and Bell captured back-to-back Big Ten Freshman of the Year awards and Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year awards, while Brycen Hopkins was tabbed the Big Ten Tight End of the Year in 2019. Moore was also the 2018 Paul Hornung Award winner as the nation’s most versatile player.

Three Boilermakers were named All-Americans during Brohm’s tenure in West Lafayette. Moore became the first true freshman consensus first team All-American in Big Ten history in 2018 before wide receiver David Bell and defensive end George Karlaftis earned All-America honors following the 2021 season. Bell was a consensus All-American, joining Moore as the second under Brohm and the 21st in Purdue history.

The 2021 season featured a 9-4 record, the second-most wins in Purdue history. The Boilermakers tied for second in the Big Ten West, which included a pair of Top 5 victories over No. 2 Iowa and No. 3 Michigan State, which handed both teams their first loss of their respective campaigns. The Boilermakers capped the campaign with a 48-45 overtime victory over Tennessee at the TransPerfect Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn.

Purdue exceeded all expectations in his first season in 2017 and put the program on the map nationally. The Boilermakers won seven games, recaptured both of its rivalry trophies (the Cannon and the Old Oaken Bucket), and finished the season with Foster Farms Bowl victory over Arizona. They followed that up in 2018 with another Bowl appearance, and Top 25 victories over Boston College, Iowa, and a monumental victory over No. 2 Ohio State at Ross-Ade Stadium.

Prior to taking over in West Lafayette, Brohm spent three seasons at Western Kentucky, where he compiled a remarkable 30-10 overall record (.750 winning percentage), including a 19-5 Conference USA mark (.792), from 2014 to 2016. The Hilltoppers were league champions in 2015 and 2016, the school’s first back-to-back titles as an FBS member. They won the 2014 Bahamas Bowl (49-48 over Central Michigan) and the 2015 Miami Beach Bowl (45-35 over Miami), as well as the 2016 Boca Raton Bowl (51-31 over Memphis under interim head coach Nick Holt). Western Kentucky was ranked No. 24 in the final 2015 Associated Press poll.

In his first go-around as a head coach at Western Kentucky, the Hilltoppers were one of the most explosive offensive units in the nation, averaging 44.6 points, 356.6 passing yards and 526.2 yards of total offense per game over three seasons on The Hill.

Under Brohm’s tutelage, WKU’s starting quarterbacks completed 69.2 percent of their passes and threw 131 touchdowns and just 25 interceptions. The offense averaged a hefty 7.3 yards per play, while running 72.1 plays per game. Brohm’s teams re-wrote the WKU record book, breaking more than 75 school offensive records since 2013, when the Louisville native served as assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Western Kentucky ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring offense (No. 6 in 2014, No. 3 in 2015 and No. 1 in 2016), passing offense (No. 2 in 2014, No. 4 in 2015 and No. 5 in 2016) and total offense (No. 4 in 2014, No. 9 in 2015 and No. 5 in 2016) each of Brohm’s three seasons as head coach.

As an assistant at his alma mater (2003-08), Brohm played an integral role in coaching during the high point of Louisville football. Serving as the quarterbacks coach in 2006, with his brother Brian as the quarterback, the Cardinals finished the season with a school best 12-1 record, which was capped by winning the Orange Bowl – the school’s first appearance in the Bowl Championship Series. That season, the offense ranked second nationally in total offense, fourth in scoring offense and were seventh in passing offense and 12th in rushing.

As the offensive coordinator in 2007, Louisville was just as explosive, finishing fourth nationally in passing offense, six in total offense and 18th in scoring.

One of the top quarterbacks in school history, Brohm returns to UofL where he enjoyed an outstanding collegiate career from 1989-93. A three-year starter, he still ranks among the Cardinals’ career leaders in touchdown passes (tied for eighth, 38), total offense (ninth, 5,410), completion percentage (ninth, .562), passing yards (10th, 5,451), and passing efficiency (ninth, 129.97), passing attempts (10th, 715) and completions (10th, 402) through the 2022 season. Brohm was voted the team’s Most Valuable Player during both his junior and senior seasons, and his No. 11 became part of the Louisville Ring of Honor in 2006.

Professionally, Brohm played eight seasons in the NFL, competing with the San Diego Chargers (1994), Washington Redskins (1995-96), San Francisco 49ers (1997-98), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1998), Denver Broncos (1999) and Cleveland Browns (2000). In eight career games – all with the 49ers – he completed 37 of 58 passes (63.8 percent) for 353 yards with one touchdown and one interception. His best game came Oct. 27, 1996, when he completed 19 of 30 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown to lead San Francisco to a 10-9 win over the Houston Oilers. In 2001, Brohm played in the XFL for the Orlando Rage and was named first-team All-XFL.

A standout at Trinity High, Brohm was awarded the Kentucky Mr. Football Award as a senior in 1988, while leading the Shamrocks to a state championship and undefeated season. Brohm was named the Kentucky High School Player of the Decade for the 1980s and was inducted into the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2014.

A native of Louisville, Brohm, 51, (born April 24, 1971) earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1994. He and his wife, Jennifer, have a son, Brady, and a daughter, Brooke. Jeff is one of four family members to be a football letterwinner at Louisville, along with his father, Oscar (quarterback 1966-69), and brothers, Greg (wide receiver 1989-92) and Brian (quarterback 2004-07). The Brohm family, including mother, Donna, and sister, Kim, was inducted into the Louisville Catholic Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.