Bendapudi presented senators with updates from her meeting with the Counsel on Postsecondary 成人直播, which oversees all Kentucky higher education institutions. The counsel assesses all colleges and universities on 29 different metrics of progress. Bendapudi was proud to report that since the 2015/2016 academic year, the university has improved on 26 of the 29 measured metrics. Adult learners over the age of 22, diversity of tenure track staff, and student performance in English were among those areas with room for growth.

Bendapudi stated, 鈥淚 want to point out that we were the top-ranking university in the Commonwealth for English but relative to where we were (in 2015/2016), there is room for improvement. We are certainly going to be looking at those three areas moving forward.鈥�

In addition to these accomplishments, UofL was the only institution in the Commonwealth to see an increase in enrollment. The university also reported its highest graduation rate with over 60% of students completing degrees within 6 years. Bendapudi attributed the approximate 2.5% growth in enrollment and the record high graduation rate to the hard work of all faculty and staff.

Senators were also informed about an upcoming event with guest speaker, Simon Sinek. Sinek is a renowned speaker, author, and presenter of the third most watched TED Talk of all time. To celebrate the launch of the new Employee Success Center, President Bendapudi will host a virtual fireside chat with Sinek on Feb. 22 at 1 p.m. Faculty and staff were encouraged to attend and learn more about the new Employee Success Center, which aims to improve workplace culture and employee engagement through leadership training, mentoring and coaching. Employees can register for the free virtual event

Executive Vice President and University Provost Beth Boehm provided updates from the Academic Scenario Planning committee. While decisions have not been finalized, Boehm informed senators that there will most likely be an increase in face-to-face instruction during the fall of 2021. A majority of summer courses will be offered remotely, with the exception of some STEM courses that require in-person instruction.

Boehm addressed questions concerning current faculty travel policies. The university is following policies recommended by the CDC, which at present do not differentiate between vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers. It was reported that some faculty members have received approval for domestic travel, and a small number of faculty members have also been approved for international travel relevant to their research efforts. Boehm further recommended that faculty avoid planning student involved trips with agencies requiring nonrefundable deposits.

Executive Vice President for Research & Innovation Kevin Gardner reported that 2020 was a strong fiscal year with a record number of research awards totaling more than $170 million. He reported a record $9 million from translational research and innovation. Gardner further commended the university鈥檚 world-class contributions in translational research and innovation throughout the past fiscal year.听

Gardner highlighted the four UofL researchers and innovators recognized for their work at the . Paula Bates, a cancer researcher and serial inventor, was presented with the Innovator of the Year award. Brad Shuck, Theo Edmonds and Laura Weingartner each accepted Trailblazer awards on behalf of their teams for outstanding work in new areas of innovation for the university.听

Committee reports and a of the virtual meeting can be accessed on the . The next Faculty Senate meeting is scheduled for March 3 via Microsoft Teams.

鈥淚 feel very, very confident and optimistic about where we are as an institution,鈥� she said. 鈥淥n the HSC front, we are able to accrue savings faster than I thought we would. We need to be able to say we are delivering on what we are promising, so this is good news.鈥�

Because of this, Bendapudi noted in a campus-wide email sent Thursday that UofL has requested a smaller loan for the facilities 鈥� from the original $50 million to $35 million.

鈥淲e are anticipating a procurement savings of more than $7 million annually and we will make operational reductions of nearly $10 million after year one,鈥� she said.

This loan request will be up for a vote in Frankfort during this legislative session.

Also, Aaron Thompson, president of Kentucky鈥檚 CPE, visited UofL as the last stop on his state-wide listening tour. He shared high-level observations about college affordability and mental health resources. More information about Thompson鈥檚 .听

Provost Beth Boehm also provided an update to senators, noting that UofL kept its dorms open over the winter break, a new decision she called 鈥渧ery successful.鈥�

鈥淭here are two groups who especially took advantage of this, LGBTQ students who may not have the opportunity to go home, and international students who may not be able to afford the travel to go home,鈥� she said, adding that meals were donated by a handful of companies during break for those students.

Boehm also noted that the student well-being committee has met to talk about what faculty members can do to help students be more successful, both academically and personally.

鈥淪tudents have a lot of roadblocks to work around and we need to try to reduce those,鈥� she said.

Other committees up and running since the semester started include:

• IBM group
• Advising work group
• Consensual sexual policy
• Faculty accountability
• Also, an open educational resources committee has been created to ensure our students have easy access to resources

Mark Watkins, senior associate vice president of Operations, and Gary Becker, assistant director of Parking Administration, provided an update on upcoming construction on the Belknap Campus. Starting in May 2020, construction will begin on a new residence hall where the Miller Hall parking lot currently sits. This new residence hall is scheduled to open in August 2021. The existing Miller Hall will be demolished in May 2022.听

In May 2021, Threlkeld Hall will be demolished and construction will begin on a new residence hall at that location in June 2021. It is slated to open August 2022.听

These construction projects are facilitated through $90 million funded from the state.

Additionally, as part of that phase one construction, the Cultural Center will be torn down and rebuilt.听

A brief update was provided from the benefits design work group, which meets in February. In the meantime, the employee benefits guiding principles are .听

The Academic Programs Committee shared two proposals:

• A bachelor of Business Administration from the College of Business. This degree is meant to be more of a generalist degree, versus our current bachelor of science in Business Administration program, which takes a deeper dive into functional areas of business such as accounting, economics and marketing.
• An MS in Materials and Energy Science & Engineering from the Speed School. Currently, UofL does not offer any degrees in advanced materials and energy science and engineering.

Both proposals passed.

Second readings were held for a for the School of Dentistry, and more extensive update for the Speed School of Engineering’s personnel documents, including a . Both were approved.

There was no report from the Student Government. The Staff Senate report from December is and includes a budget update from CFO Dan Durbin. There is no January meeting for that body.

Faculty Chair Krista Wallace-Boaz announced that Kevin Gardner has been named executive vice president for Research and Innovation effective Jan. 27 pending board approval. Gardner comes to UofL from the University of New Hampshire, where he served as vice provost of research.

Wallace-Boaz also presented a timeline for the provost search, expected to ramp up in late February with airport interviews. Three to five individuals will be brought on campus in March and April, and a final committee meeting will be held in April.

The Student Success Center has created a group for campus partners to discuss initiatives regarding first-generation students. Areas of discussion include potential collaboration, prevention of redundant programming and unique obstacles this population faces.

The next Faculty Senate meeting is Feb. 5 in Chao Auditorium.

鈥淚鈥檓 a black man from Clay County, Kentucky, born of an illiterate father and an 8^th grade-educated mother who was born in a log cabin with a dirt floor and I鈥檓 the head of higher education for the state of Kentucky 鈥� if that makes a statement,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut (moving the state forward) is going to take more than optimism. It鈥檚 going to take smarts, collaboration 鈥� It鈥檚 going to take us thinking differently.鈥�

Thompson, who spent much of Tuesday on UofL鈥檚 campus as part of his ongoing listening tour of public universities, has been in his current role for a little over two years, advocating for higher education in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It鈥檚 been a challenge 鈥� state funding has been cut for 11 straight years 鈥� but he hopes this trajectory will change with the new legislative session, which kicked off this week.

鈥淚鈥檓 proud that even through these cuts, Kentucky鈥檚 campuses have continued to produce. Over the last 5 years, we鈥檝e had about an 11% increase in higher ed production, whether through certificates or degrees. The other thing I鈥檓 proud of is that we鈥檝e closed some of our educational gaps,鈥� he said.

Those gaps include a 27% increase in the number of students of color earning their degrees, and a 23% increase in the number of low-income/underrepresented students earning their degrees.

Despite this progress, however, he said it’s critical to regain funding for higher education, adding that such funding is a proactive approach to solving some of the state鈥檚 biggest issues.

鈥淚 know we have a lot of needs in Kentucky 鈥� criminal justice, Medicaid, pensions. However, 90% of SNAP and Medicaid recipients don鈥檛 have a degree. I argue that we are funding problems and not much of the solution,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not saying to not fund problems, but we have to fund solutions, too.鈥�

UofL and UK, Kentucky鈥檚 two research institutions, are especially well positioned to provide solutions, he adds.

鈥淩esearch has to take on a more crucial role. We have a lot of ills in Kentucky and research helps us with those ills,鈥� he said.

Thompson also discussed UofL鈥檚 financial turnaround under President Neeli Bendapudi鈥檚 leadership, stating that it has restored a sense of hope.

鈥淣ow the university is doing exactly what we knew it could do and I think that turmoil is behind us,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here is a sense of hope and courage. UofL is easily invested into with its research and its diversity and inclusion efforts, which are unlike anything else being done in the state.鈥�

That sense of hope extends to the entire Commonwealth. Thompson said just over 53% of residents go to college, which presents a big opportunity to attract the other 47%. Further, as the demand for adult learning grows, Kentucky universities have another opportunity to ensure professionals are as marketable as they can be.

鈥淭here is a significant value in higher education that we need to promote. Most jobs 10 years from now have not been invented yet,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淲e have to show that this is worthy of the investment and not be shy about quality. The return is huge.鈥�

Check out more of Thompson’s interview below.听