Lunch is available from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Those taking advantage of the promotion can choose from a full buffet, soup/salad, the special of the day, or order from the menu.

The open dining promotion is a way to extend a welcome to new faculty and staff, said Linda Johnson, director of membership at the University Club. Tours are also available.

For reservations, call 852-6996.

More information about the U Club is available below:

The renovation, which began over the summer, will offer greater meeting space for the more than 400 recognized student organizations on campus, more and better dining options and common areas where students can socialize and study. The renovation is financed through private sources, facility funds and a $9.6 million agency bond funded by the current student activities fee.

Construction on the project has already begun. It is expected to be completed in fall 2018.

“This expansion and renovation is part of a strategic effort to improve campus facilities — and the on-campus experience — for our 22,000 students,” Acting President Neville Pinto said during the ceremony. “By offering them more meeting and study areas, as well as better services and more social areas, we will improve their time on campus, which in turn will help us retain and graduate more students.”

In addition to Pinto, Board of Trustees Chairman Larry Benz, Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Harlan Sands, Dean of Students Michael Mardis and Student Government Association President Aaron Vance spoke at the event. Each stressed the partnership between students and university leaders in completing and financing the project.

When Sands first arrived at UofL in 2015, plans were being developed for the renovation. He said the university listened to students’ concerns and helped develop a plan that addressed their needs.

“We listened, and we brought partners to the table to make this happen,” Sands said.

Vance, who thanked former SGA leaders who worked to make the renovation a reality, noted that the renovated SAC will be at the epicenter of the east side of campus, which is undergoing a physical transformation.��

“This side of campus is going to be nothing short of spectacular,” Vance said.

This is the first major renovation to the building since it opened in 1990. Mardis said the facility was transformative for the campus and that the building became the living room for campus, allowing students to congregate, dine, study and more.

The SAC is home to many of the university’s student services, including its Student Government Association, a number of dining venues and some small meeting rooms. It also houses the offices for the UofL athletics program.

During the renovation, the SAC remains open for use, though some of the areas will be closed at certain times.��

“It’s kind of like a jigsaw puzzle,” said Tim Moore, director of Student Involvement and the Student Activities Center. “As we’re able to finish a piece of the puzzle, we’re able to open that part of the building up and then close another part of the building.”

Updates on the renovation, including milestones, openings and closures, are available online.��

Moore added that the new additions and increased space will be a benefit for students. The number of registered student organizations has grown from 260 about 10 years ago to more than 400 during the last academic year. And some of the larger events held by students have had to move off-campus due to space constraints.

“It will be the kind of place that will be more suitable for our student groups,” Moore said. “It will be a better place for the university community.”

East SAC updates

Construction began on the first floor on SAC East in June. Updates include:

• The former intramural offices and the racquetball courts have been demolished, and the new space is now offices and lab spaces for the Department of Health and Sport Sciences.
• The new campus bookstore is being built on the SAC’s east side facing Floyd Street. The new store will have an entrance from the street level on Floyd. The space is expected to be ready in December, when the bookstore will vacate its west SAC location.
• Construction of a Starbucks, scheduled to open in late spring, has begun on the corner of the building nearest the Floyd Street parking garage.
• Work on the plaza in front of the bookstore will continue into spring 2017.

West SAC updates

Work on SAC West will begin later this semester. Projected timeframes include: 

• PEACC and Health Promotion will move from the Student Services Annex later this fall into new offices on the third floor, which formerly housed the game room.
• The student services annex will be demolished and prep work will begin later this year to make room for the SAC expansion.
• After the bookstore moves to the new location in December, its former space on the west side will be converted into a new dining space that will open in fall 2017.

View more photos from the .��

Video from the ceremony is also available below: 

Among the biggest changes are the new construction projects happening around campus.��Two new residence halls, University Pointe and The Nine, will begin housing students this semester. The luxury-style apartments will add about 800 beds within a block of campus.��In addition, Crawford Gym will be demolished in order to make way for a new academic building, slated to open before the Fall 2018 semester. But perhaps the most ambitious project underway this semester is the renovation of the Student Activity Center, which will add thousands of square feet of meeting space and give the building a face lift in order to convert it into the “living room of campus.”

“Housing and common spaces like the SAC have a big impact on student involvement,” said engineering student Chris Bird. “The new facilities are going to make it much easier for students to come together and get involved on campus.”

Students can also expect to see some changes in how they navigate around the university. Warnock Street, which serves as the southern entrance to campus, has been renamed University Boulevard. The new flyover ramp joining Brook and Iowa Streets on the south end of campus has been christened the Brook Street Connector. In addition, the intersection of Floyd Street and East Brandeis Avenue at the northeast corner of campus has been converted into a roundabout.

Campus dining options have undergone a lineup change as well. With its new dining partner Aramark, UofL now features restaurants such as Greens to Go, Aqua Sushi, Mark’s Feed Store, City Café, Twisted Taco, Panda Express, two Starbucks and four P.O.D. Markets (Provisions on Demand). Papa John’s, McAlister’s, Einstein Bros., Tulip Tree Cafe, Wendy’s, Subway and Chick-fil-A will remain open, with the latter three now offering expanded menus.

In the classroom, students will begin to see more technology being incorporated into lesson plans, thanks to the opening of the Technology Innovation and Learning Lab (TILL) in the Ekstrom library. Run by the Delphi center, the TILL will allow instructors to try out new gadgets and techniques to help bring their teaching styles up to the cutting edge. To complement this, large lecture halls like those in Davidson, Strickler and Sackett have been outfitted with larger student desks featuring power outlets for charging their various devices.

In addition to these new sights around campus, UofL is also welcoming new leadership. Dr. Neville Pinto will serve as acting President of the university, following the departure of James Ramsey last month. Pinto will lead the university until the Board of Trustees selects a permanent president. English professor Dale Billingsley has stepped into Pinto’s former role as interim vice president and provost.

Cardinal Ambassador Rachel Casey is excited to start the school year at the improved Belknap campus. “When it’s all said and done, there’s not going to be another university on Kentucky that looks as good as ours,” she said.

This new chapter in UofL’s story began in late July when medical and dental students returned to the classroom.��On Aug. 17, students will descend upon campus for the annual move-in. Undergraduate classes begin Aug. 22.