The new uniform showcases a two-toned red and white jacket with a metallic gradient sash, accentuated by a small red gothic “L” logo on the right sleeve. Positioned prominently, the iconic Cardinal logo adorns the left chest, while the “Louisville” wordmark spans across the upper back.������

“The donation was anonymous as was the exact amount, but it was motivated by our strong appearances and appreciation for the students’ hard work representing our university at high profile events over the past year,” said Jason Cumberledge, director of athletic bands. “It was noticed that we had a need for a new and fresh appearance that matches the energy of our athletics teams.”������

Cumberledge said all of the band directors had a hand in designing and approving the new uniform design. He also recalls the moment the ensemble learned about the new uniforms.������

“A loud roar was heard following the announcement,” he said.

The details create a sleek and sophisticated aesthetic, while paying homage to the current uniforms, which have been in use for the past decade.

The Cardinal Marching Band is the largest musical ambassador representing the University of Louisville and the second largest student organization on campus. With vibrant tradition and sound that spans more than 80 years, the Cardinal Marching Band has been�� prominently featured. They have been notably recognized as the official marching band of the Kentucky Derby since 1936.����

To learn more about the .��Follow the Cardinal Marching Band on , , ��and .����

from the University of Louisville vs. Jacksonville State game held on Sept. 7, 2024.��

By Laren Hines

• New main UofL website��

Students, faculty, staff and community partners can now more easily find important information on UofL’s , which launched just in time for start of the 2024-2025 academic year. This effort is part of the university’s . The site includes overview pages for departments and strategic areas linking back to their existing sites. All other websites will launch on the new Drupal system by Nov. 22.

• Building updates throughout campus

Major progress has been made on our next-generation engineering hub, and many of our longstanding facilities have upgrades aimed at improving their functionality, comfort and safety. Among these include the renovation of the Ernst Hall auditorium, with a new stage, seats, flooring, painting and lights. The corridor also received a refresh of lobbies and other student spaces. Work on an addition will get underway this academic year. The project, expected to be completed in summer 2025, will provide additional space for students to study and collaborate, along with more office space and archive space to preserve the history of the university and Commonwealth of Kentucky.

• Cardinal Marching Band to debut new uniforms
  

  

The will return to L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium this fall with a brand-new look.��Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, the band will step out in new uniforms. The design showcases a two-toned red and white jacket with a metallic gradient sash, accentuated by a small red gothic “L” on the right sleeve. Positioned prominently, the iconic Cardinal bird adorns the left chest, while the “Louisville” wordmark spans across the upper back.������

• University Safety App: Card Armor

UofL students, staff and faculty can now download the new��. This will allow access to several important resources. When visiting your preferred app store, search for the safety app by typing “cardarmor” as one word. Card Armor replaces the previous version of Rave Guardian but does not replace the Rave Emergency Notification System. All traditional methods of communicating with the also are still available.

• Blackboard Ultra

UofL has transitioned to for all fall 2024 classes. Blackboard Ultra is more modern and mobile-friendly. Some features have changed. As you gear up for this semester, take a few moments to��.

• New immigration clinic at the law school

The will launch a new immigration law clinic this fall to provide critical legal services to the growing immigration population, teach law students necessary skills to successfully practice law, and develop a pipeline of immigration law attorneys.��The clinic will serve clients who are authorized to be present in the United States and the Commonwealth of Kentucky but do not have the requisite documentation to prove it.��Law students, working under the supervision of a licensed, full-time attorney with extensive experience in immigration law, will take responsibility to represent clients and assist them in completing the required paperwork. ��

• New outpatient clinic and simulation operating room at the nursing school

The is opening a new simulation outpatient clinic and simulated operating room to provide the most up-to-date tools and experience for students in its nurse practitioner and nurse anesthetist programs. The space located on the first floor of the school has been repurposed from a former pediatric clinic. The new rooms will provide a modernized hands-on learning environment for students preparing to enter these specialties. This space will add to the already existing simulation and clinical training labs within the nursing school and Health Sciences Center campus, bolstering the educational opportunities for our students.

Hector Gomez, an all-source intelligence analyst for the U.S. Army, is originally from Key West, Florida. Gomez comes from a UofL family—his mom, aunt, uncle and two of his cousins are UofL graduates.

Growing up a big-time fan, Gomez knew that he wanted to attend UofL from an early age. He remembers watching UofL win the 2013 National Basketball championship with his dad and telling his friends in Florida that he was going to attend UofL.

Soon after starting at UofL, Gomez said he made the best decision he’s ever made by joining the Cardinal Marching Band, where he got to watch football games up-close.

Following his sophomore year, he withdrew from UofL for a year and attended a community and technical college.

During his first semester back at UofL in the spring of 2020, he was sent home due to the COVID pandemic. Instead of taking classes remotely, he decided to finish his classes early and enlist in the United States Army to help support his family.

After enlisting, Gomez completed basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, followed by training at the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence in Arizona. He was then assigned to Fort Eisenhower, Georgia, where he served with the 116th Military Intelligence Brigade in military intelligence analysis and open-source intelligence collection.

Gomez’s work supported numerous geographic combatant commands including United States Central Command, United States European Command and United States Indo-Pacific Command. During his service, he received several decorations and awards, including an Army Achievement Medal (AAM).

He is currently being relocated to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where he will be closer to home.

After graduating, he plans to become commissioned as an Army Officer and either work in civil affairs or to go to law school to become an Army Judge Advocate General.

Gomez, who attends classes online, said without the support of academic advisor Sophia Draper, who always made him feel he was a priority, he would not be graduating next year.

UofL is proud to recognize and celebrate Gomez and all members and veterans of the U.S. Army on the U.S. Army’s 249th birthday, June 14.

After graduating, Midle will return to her alma mater, South Oldham High School in Crestwood, Kentucky, to teach mathematics.

“I hope to stay there and help the students grow and give back to a community that gave me everything,” she said.��

The university is conferring a total of more than 3,300 degrees and certificates and more than 1,900 students are expected to attend the traditional two commencement ceremonies at the KFC Yum! Center. Interim UofL President Lori Gonzalez will lead both ceremonies, which mark the return of spring commencement exercises to the downtown arena since they were canceled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Last spring, exercises were held outdoors in historic ceremonies at Cardinal Stadium.

Midle said she plans to give her fellow UofL graduates a message of “new beginnings.”��

“I hope to provide my fellow graduates with a sense of hope and accomplishment as we enter this new chapter in our lives,” she said.

In their nomination letter, College of ����ֱ�� & Human Development associate professors Sue Peters and Shelley Thomas praised Midle for overcoming the challenges of becoming a teacher during a pandemic that upended school schedules and locations and left few true classroom experiences to learn from.

“Piper, however, learned how to adapt to the challenge, going above and beyond to refine her teaching skills. This is representative of the commitment to academic excellence and student engagement that she shows on a consistent basis,” they said.

Midle said UofL was a perfect fit for her as someone who grew up right outside of Louisville in Pewee Valley. A lifelong Cardinal fan with an older brother who graduated from UofL last year, she wanted to support the teams she had always loved as part of the Marching Band and the Pep Band. She played both flute and saxophone in the Cardinal Marching Band beginning in her freshman year.

“Some of my favorite experiences have been through band and the College of ����ֱ�� & Human Development,” Midle said.��

She loved traveling to away games to other cities with the band, she said, and she was disappointed they missed out on so many travel opportunities in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. But some of her most treasured band memories were a result of that difficult time.��

“While I did miss out on these opportunities, I was given different opportunities to work closer with my CEHD peers as well as provide nursing homes and hospitals with free performances to try to raise spirits and show our support of those on the frontlines during this time,” she said.

The May 14 ceremonies at the KFC Yum! Center will be as follows:

• 10 a.m.: College of Arts & Sciences, Brandeis School of Law, Kent School of Social Work & Family Science, Graduate School, School of Dentistry, School of Medicine, School of Nursing and School of Public Health & Information Sciences.

3 p.m.: College of Business, J.B. Speed School of Engineering, College of ����ֱ�� & Human Development, School of Music.

For more, visit .

When she was 10 years old, Proctor placed in the top six at the America’s Youth on Parade competition. That’s when she realized if she really pushed herself, baton could take her pretty far – and that’s exactly what has happened.

Proctor became the 2018 World Champion in the two-baton, the 2018 Twirling Unlimited World Majorette, 2017 Twirling Unlimited International two-baton and three-baton champion and represented Team USA in 2018 and 2019.

She watched her older sister, Miranda, head off to twirl for the University of South Carolina and knew she also wanted to end up at a Division I school.��

“There were a lot of schools I had my eyes on,” said Proctor, who wanted to find a university with a good nursing program.

When she had the opportunity to join UofL’s then-feature twirler, Steffany Lien, on the field for a football game in October of 2019, something clicked.

“When I walked onto the field, I knew it was my place and my home,” said Proctor. “I knew [UofL] was where I wanted to be.”

When Lien graduated and the feature twirler spot opened up, Proctor’s decision to audition was an easy one. The process didn’t come without some nerves, though. The mid-pandemic audition was shifted to Zoom, so the high school senior performed her 8-minute routine as her mom recorded in their busy gym.��

It paid off. After tryouts, Proctor was named the feature twirler for her freshman year at UofL, despite heavy competition from several acclaimed twirlers.��

“It’s really cool when people come up and say ‘I saw you at the football game’ or ‘I saw you at the Cardinal Kickoff’,” Proctor said. “People know my face and my name and it’s just because of baton.”

She has loved her experience so much, in fact, she spends extra time practicing on her own.��

“It’s just fun for me and it’s a good way to get my mind off of things sometimes,” Proctor said. “I love making new tricks and just taking time for myself.”

Just as she was quick to pick up a baton, the twirler was quick to find her home-away-from-home at UofL. She was immediately immersed in the work that is band camp and was increasingly surrounded by a sense of Cardinal pride.

“On gamedays everyone chants ‘Go Cards’ or they do the ‘C-A-R-D-S’ cheer and it’s just… that’s what I’m here for,” Proctor said. “It’s so incredible to see all of the red in the stadium and know that they’re watching the band. This is [the experience] I’ve wanted my whole life and I’m just so happy that I’m actually getting it.

During her time at UofL, Proctor is bound to have some unique experiences. Her debut as the feature twirler was at the Mercedes Benz Superdome, she’s quickly become a recognizable face at campus events and as the Cardinal Marching Band’s feature twirler, she will perform at the Kentucky Derby.

“[Being a Cardinal] is so special,” Proctor said. “It means to have a family. I love it.”

Since 1936, the group has served as “The Official Band of the Kentucky Derby.” What this means is that on the first Saturday of every May just prior to the Most Exciting Two Minutes In Sports, our students’ rendition of “My Old Kentucky Home” is showcased to about 150,000 people at Churchill Downs and an additional 15 million television viewers across the world. By the time the band is finished playing, there aren’t many dry eyes left.

A : “I’ve interviewed Kentuckians who haven’t set foot in the state for 30 years who still stand in front of their televisions and weep when they hear the woodwinds and brass instruments strike the first few notes of ‘My Old Kentucky Home.’ The lyrics tell us that there’ll be hard times, by and by. But at the crescendo, it’s as if 150,000 voices nudge us to weep no more.”��

Those are our students playing those woodwinds and brass instruments and��evoking such emotion, courtesy of Stephen Collins Foster’s lyrics. Such an experience is not lost on the group.

“Hands down my favorite part is hearing everyone sing at Churchill Downs. When the song begins, voices are a bit subdued, but then a strong rise of voices is heard on ‘Weep no more my lady.’ It is a powerful and unifying event that makes you feel connected to people all over the world and so proud to live in Kentucky,” said Amy Acklin, associate director of Bands and director of the Cardinal Marching Band.

This Saturday will mark her 12^th year with the band, eight of which have been as director and four spent as a student. This year will also mark year 24 for Dr. Fred Speck, UofL’s director of Bands, and year three for Dr. Jason Cumberledge, assistant director of Bands.

It’s not just the directors who appreciate the experience, either. Natalie Humble, a sophomore from Monticello, Kentucky, performed at the Derby as a trumpet player last year and will move into the drum major role this year. She calls the opportunity to play the Derby “surreal.”

“Traveling to (football) games is a unique experience in the fall, but there is nothing more special than having an opportunity like this right where we are,” she said. “It is entirely unique to the Cardinal Marching Band. Having that legacy of performing ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ is something you can only gain through the CMB – that’s the most special part.”

Acklin adds that having the unique opportunity to be part of this tradition is a privilege. ��

“It’s pretty incredible to know that literally thousands of UofL alumni, whom you’ve never met, are cheering you on and grateful for your service in continuing this important tradition,” Acklin said. “Having this singular honor for over eight decades is a testament to the commitment from the community and the dedication of the band and its alums.”

As for his perspective, which spans more than two decades, Speck simply passed along his favorite quote from famed sports commentator Jim McKay in 1999:

“It offers a moment that exists nowhere else in sports … when the horses come on the track and you see the silks on the jockeys and the tan of the track and the blue of the sky. Then they start playing that song, ‘My Old Kentucky Home,’ and you can’t explain why, but it doesn’t matter if you’re from Kentucky or England or Timbuktu, it brings a tear to your eye…”

Check out the Marching Cards’ and Cardinal Singers’ performance from the 2017 Derby below, but be sure to have some tissues on hand.

Steffany Lien joined the UofL Cardinal Marching Band this year as the Cardinal Girl Feature Twirler. Baton in hand, glistening in Cardinal-colored rhinestones, she leads the band’s pre-game and half-time shows. It’s her job to use the sport of twirling’s unique blend of dance and gymnastics to get the audience hyped at home football games, select away games, and of course, bowl games.

That’s a big job, but Lien has the twirling chops. She is one of the world’s most accomplished twirlers.

Lien has won six gold world championship titles with the U.S. Twirling Team, including World Strut Champion, World Solo Champion, World 2-baton Champion and World Rhythmic Champion. She holds 14 gold national titles and was gold medalist for the World Open 3-Baton Championship for seven consecutive years. She is the current Miss Majorette of America.

“It is an honor to have Steffany as the new Feature Twirler for the UofL Cardinal Marching Band,” said Amy Acklin, Associate Director of Bands. “Her world-class skill level, paired with her positive and kind spirit, represents the highest attributes we could have in a student. Steffany has a passion for representing UofL at the highest level and does so with maturity, humility and great excellence.”

Lien, who is from Lincoln, Nebraska, was awarded a full scholarship for four years. The scholarship is funded through the Owsley Brown Frazier endowment, which has secured a number of top-notch twirlers in recent years, ensuring that UofL’s preeminent twirling legacy continues. That legacy reaches as far back as 1952, when Hilda Gay Mayberry was named National Champion Majorette.������

“At UofL we’ve established a reputation for having a world-class feature twirler with our Cardinal Marching Band through the generosity and support of the late Owsley Brown Frazier,” said Frederick Speck, director of Bands and chair of the School of Music’s Department of Performance Studies. “In the history of our band, there have been other times as well��when the band has boasted twirlers of great talent. Steffany certainly exemplifies all of the same characteristics of talent, poise, spirit and maturity as many of her predecessors.”

Lien started twirling when she was four. She attended a camp where several types of dance and gymnastics were taught. Her mom encouraged her to try them all and pick which one she’d like to focus on.

“Right from the start, I knew it was twirling,” Lien said. “I’ve never regretted that decision. I love twirling.”

She started competing when she was 6��years old. She practiced daily at the University of Nebraska Student Recreation Center, and about twice a month made a 3-hour drive to Topeka, Kansas, to practice and learn choreographer from her lead coach.

She can twirl multiple batons – up to four at once – and also does routines with ribbon.

This past year, in addition to her twirling regime, she made about 100 appearances at community events through her role as Miss Nebraska Outstanding Teen.

“I love being involved and out and about in the community,” she said.

Lien, who is a pre-med psychology major, said she was introduced to UofL through a Twirler Day event and UofL’s former Feature Twirler, Melissa Cox, convinced her it was the place for her.

“I fell in love with Louisville,” she said. “It feels like home.”