“With the name ‘Cardinals Rising,’ I immediately thought of a nest,” Mahone said. “How do we build a nest for our students so that when they graduate high school, they are ready to come to UofL, or ready to go into their careers? At UofL, there’s a nest here to help them nurture and hone their skills and abilities so they can succeed in a higher learning institution.”

, which was announced Aug. 28 at the , is designed to serve students in grades 8-12 and will bridge the educational divide for underserved, low-income and first-generation students and their families to help build a thriving college-going culture. The program is a collaborative effort with UofL’s academic colleges and resources that will provide year-round engagement and ongoing development through mentorship and enrichment activities.

“Our mission is to empower students by creating and cultivating pathways to higher education through an infrastructure of intentional relationships and strategic investment,” Mahone said. “We want to create a future where every student, regardless of background or circumstances, has equitable access to higher education and the opportunities that it brings.”

The initial phase of the program will focus on recruiting a pilot group of male students from and connect them with UofL Cardinals Rising ambassadors. Later phases of the program will introduce opportunities for female students and broaden the scope.

The first participation goal is to attract 200 JCPS students to be evenly placed across the grade levels from 8-12 with 15-20 UofL ambassadors made up of students, staff and faculty recruited for mentorship matching. JCPS principals, counselors and Family Resource Center staff will help recommend and recruit youth for the program.

Once the first cohort of ambassador-student matchups is identified, Mahone said they will meet with parents and host getting- to-know-you sessions with families in spring 2025. Next, the summer academy will offer a weeklong immersive experience on Belknap Campus filled with dynamic college-level activities. Cardinals Rising ambassadors also will meet with students at their own schools and offer holistic support that empowers entire families with tools needed for success.

Mahone said he hopes to eventually expand the program to all JCPS schools and every county in the Commonwealth.

“Our vision is a community where the talent and the potential of all students is recognized and nurtured, and they contribute to the workforce of the city and state through collaboration and innovation,” he said.

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The exhibit, presents more than 30 of Douglas’s paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures. It is on display until Oct. 1 in the museum’s second-floor Chellgren Gallery. Read this review by Forbes magazine .

UofL students, faculty and staff enjoy free general admission to the Speed Museum. Through a generous donation from Eleanor Bingham Miller, general admission for all members of the public will be free through Oct. 1, during the run of this exhibition.

Douglas�� was a prolific visual artist and longtime resident of Louisville’s West End, a former community organizer, and a teacher and mentor to generations of artists and thinkers. He earned a fine arts degree at UofL in 1963 and, after obtaining his master’s and Ph.D., returned to UofL as a PAS and art professor.

To discuss the relevance of his work in examining and reflecting the Black community in Louisville, two UofL professors will hold a at the Speed Museum at 6 p.m., Sept. 7. will feature , UofL associate professor of English, and , chair of PAS and director of the Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research.

• Included a request in the upcoming budget for increased student support services, including for our LGBTQ and other diverse groups;
• Provided key training in transgender issues for student leaders, Physical Plant employees and officers in our UofL Police Department, with future training planned for additional members of the campus community;
• Assessed and begun to make changes to our housing procedures to ensure fairness to all students.

UofL’s inaugural Black Business Summit was held April 28 in the Main Ballroom of the Student Activities Center. Hosted by UofL Interim President Lori Stewart Gonzalez, along with Louisville ambassadors and business leaders Alice Houston, Ira Salls, Junior Bridgeman, Darrell Griffith and new UofL men’s basketball coach Kenny Payne, the evening included cocktails and a dinner presentation on how locally-owned companies can build mutually beneficial relationships with the university.��

The Black Business Summit showcased how collaboration can support student success and build a talent pipeline to all Louisville businesses. Over 300 guests attended representing 120 businesses from all sectors and areas of the community.

During the evening, guests heard from the university’s top leadership including Gonzalez, Interim Senior Vice Provost Gail DePuy, Interim Athletic Director Josh Heird and Payne.

“One of our Cardinal Principles is diversity and inclusion and, as we add more events like the Black Business Summit, we continue to provide opportunities to exemplify that Cardinal Principle,” Gonzalez said. “The Black Business Summit was an opportunity for business owners, but it was an even bigger opportunity for us to see how we can partner and grow with our local community.”

In addition to the speakers, video messages were played throughout the evening from Houston, Salls and Bridgeman, who each shared stories about their personal connection with UofL and the importance of empowering students to become the next generation of business leaders.

The Black Business Summit also was an opportunity for the university to share the mission and vision of the new Center for Engaged Learnin, a resource designed to improve students’ educational experience while creating opportunities with our community businesses. These opportunities include internships, apprenticeships, research projects, community service and more.

“The success of this event proves how the community wants to grow its ties to UofL,” Griffith said. “I’m grateful to be involved in creating such a great event, and I’m excited to see how we can continue creating partnerships locally.”

UofL and the Department of Procurement Services are committed to engaging with the local community to increase awareness of potential opportunities for supplier diversity and develop mutually beneficial relationships with all businesses.

The inaugural winners of these awards are:

Community of care: Jenna Orwick, program coordinator, UofL Health Promotion

Orwick was a lead facilitator on the Growing Mindfulness Initiative, a campus-wide collaborative effort built around the Cardinal Principles to cultivate a community of care through mindfulness. She has coordinated weekly mindfulness programming and other services and workshops for the entire campus community. “Jenna has been essential in creating a culture on campus of compassion, gratitude, kindness and health mentally and physically,” according to her nomination.

Accountability: Cathy Carter and Roberta Devers from the Human Subjects Protection Program Office��

The office reviews research submissions that involve human participants and serves as the administration office to support the UofL Institutional Review Board. In 2020, the office transitioned its entire operation despite a high volume of time-sensitive work due to COVID. Carter and Devers have motivated the team by hosting discussions and meetings based on the Cardinal Principles.

Respect: Tamara Russell, academic coordinator senior, University Honors

According to her nomination letter, Russell “has a rare and extraordinary ability to subvert existing hierarchies to uplift and empower students. She is ceaseless and unwavering in highlighting students’ strengths, making space and creating platforms for them to speak their own truths, and supporting them to carry out their visions and plans … At the same time, she is able to see multiple perspectives and act as a liaison and mediator.”

Diversity and inclusion: Jonathan Hughes, director of admissions, Speed School of Engineering

Hughes has come up with creative initiatives that have yielded an increased number of African American and Black students attending the Speed School, according to his nomination. He also greatly increased the Latinx and first-generation student population at the school.

Integrity and transparency: Julie Dials, senior executive director of Development, University Advancement

According to her nomination, Dials exhibits the Cardinal Principles in her daily work. One of her values is also integrity. “She doesn’t just expect this of us as we deal with one another as well as with donors, but she also walks the walk. I have seen her time and time again display herself as an honest leader, one that extends grace and always assumes good intention.”

Noble purpose: Karen Thompson, administrative assistant, A&S Criminal Justice

During the pandemic, Thompson continued to come into the office, stating the work needs to be done and the faculty need support. According to her nomination, “Her belief in the noble purpose of our collective work has definitely helped the department’s faculty weather the storm of 2020-21, but it has also helped to shine a bright light on how her kindness, generosity and sense of care are too often underappreciated. This past year has made it abundantly clear … that things would fairly quickly start coming apart at the seams if she wasn’t there to keep holding it all together.”

Agility:��Michael Mardis, Stephanie Reibert, Tim Moore, Angela Taylor, Heather Gentry, Kevin Lush, Ryan Sears, Joe Elliott, Amanda James, Lily Assgari, Kassie Flanery, Scott Burks, Vanessa Blair, Janet Cappiello, Paul DeMarco, Courtney Kerr, Reilly Brown, Zach Pennington, Mary Ann Vetter, Commencement Planning Team

The team recommended the postponement of May 2020 commencement due to the pandemic and began planning for a virtual celebration to honor what would have been the spring 2020 commencement date. The team then started to plan the virtual commencement ceremony in December 2020 and continued to meet weekly to plan and execute a return to in-person commencement exercises in May.

Leadership: Brandyn Bailey, Nubia Bennett, Blaz Bush, Valerie Casey, Sarah Garrison, Leondra Gully, Lisa Gunterman, LaJa Hurt, Jamieca Jones, Faye Jones, Goldie Latta, Daquarius Mahone, Marcos Morales, Monica Negron, Patsy Russell, Enid Trucios-Haynes, Marian Vasser, Aaron Weathers II, Phyllis Webb, Brevin Woodford, Shonna Boyd-Wagner, Kiana Fields, Vicki Hines-Martin, Karen Krigger,Jon Moody, Steven Osborne, Ryan Simpson, Tonia Thomas, Craig Ziegler, Diane Whitlock, Diversity and Equity Division

The DEI has stayed the course of its noble purpose, including some pushing back, to make a difference in the campus and the community, the nomination notes. “Even when they receive messages that their policy recommendations, messages or trainings are ‘too much’ or ‘not realistic’ or ‘don’t play nice enough,’ the DEI unit continues to speak up and out to try to make the action that is needed … As we move forward, this group will most likely continue to be instrumental in the leadership of the [Cardinal Anti-Racist Agenda] as the agenda must move from a dream into realities.”

Read more about these .

For Demetria Miles-McDonald ’11, her mission has never been more important than it is now.

With the tragic deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd shining light on the racial injustice and inequality plaguing the nation, Miles-McDonald knows there is nothing stopping it from being her, her husband, or even her newborn son.

“This work has always been important to me, but I have taken it more personally than ever before this past year,” she said. “It is my purpose to make the world better for my son and for all generations behind us. We have an obligation to do that.”

As the founder and CEO of��, Miles-McDonald is striving to make things better now as well as for future generations. Currently in its sixth year, Decide Diversity is a training and consulting firm working with organizations that are serious about improving diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

Miles-McDonald, who graduated with a degree in psychology from the��, helps her clients learn the skills necessary for true and lasting transformation within their organization. Through a variety of products and services, she focuses on not only ensuring women and minorities achieve top leadership positions but thrive once in those roles.

“No one is going to get it right 100% of the time, and this is not going to look the same for every organization,” she said. “But we all have to get better, even if that means taking baby steps. It’s about progress, not perfection.”

While many organizations focus on increasing representation of individuals from protected classes, they often fail to recognize how very few people identify with just one underrepresented group. Decide Diversity fills in the gaps of traditional diversity programs by focusing on intersectionality, which occurs when an individual identifies with two or more minority groups.

Miles-McDonald was first introduced to the concept of intersectionality from an advisor while pursuing her doctorate degree. In attempt to find a way to help others comprehend the complex concept, Miles-McDonald created the����to discuss intersectionality in the same way as the periodic table of the elements.

“All of these organizations that are talking about diversity, equity and inclusion are not going about it from an intersectional standpoint. I knew that I could bring that to market, and it took off when I created it,” said Miles-McDonald, adding how the Table of Diversity has been the highlight of her career.

UofL earned five out of five stars from the Campus Pride Index, a national nonprofit organization that rates colleges and universities according to their support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. ��

UofL earned a five out of five for the following inclusion factors:

• Sexual orientation score
• Gender identify/expression score
• LGBTQ support and institutional commitment
• LGBTQ student life
• LGBTQ counseling and health
• LGBTQ recruitment and retention efforts

UofL earned a four or four and a half out of five for the following inclusion factors:

• LGBTQ policy inclusion
• LGBTQ academic life
• LGBTQ housing and residence life
• LGBTQ campus safety

Some of UofL’s signature LGTBQ-friendly initiatives include offering an LGBT Studies minor program, the School of Medicine’s curriculum inclusion efforts (which have become a national benchmark for other institutions), the LGBT Center’s robust programming, LGBTQ-inclusive career services, LGBTQ clubs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, trans-inclusive healthcare, free and anonymous HIV/STI testing and LGBTQ student scholarships.

The LGBT Center marked its 10^th anniversary in 2017.

Campus Pride acknowledges UofL’s goal to foster and sustain an environment of inclusiveness. The organization’s synopsis states, “One of the five critical areas of the University of Louisville’s 2020 Plan is Diversity, Opportunity, and Social Justice. UofL is committed to creating a challenging intellectual climate enhanced by our many human differences, and this serves as the foundational objective of the programs and services provided by the Office for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Services. The Office supports the 2020 plan by working to strengthen and sustain an inclusive campus, one that welcomes people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions through support, educational resources, and advocacy. The office works in partnership with other diversity efforts on campus supporting the Vice Provost for Diversity and International Affairs.”

UofL supports that 2020 plan by:

• Maintaining a “safe zone” gathering space where students, faculty and staff—regardless of their identity or orientation–can make positive connections with staff and peers
• Providing a hub for LGBT student organizations
• Promoting student/employee retention and success through personal support, advising and by connecting them with services and resources
• Developing and facilitating education and training for the campus community
• Reaching out to prospective and new students, faculty, and staff to make them feel welcome and connected to campus

UofL is one of only three Kentucky institutions on this year’s list. The 2020 “Best of the Best” listing is based on the data provided annually through CPI related to policies, programs and practices. The research is analyzed by the Campus Pride research team. .

To guide us toward this goal, UofL has launched the Cardinal Anti-Racism Agenda. The agenda entails a phased process, soliciting input from the university community, creating a committee to organize and identify priorities from that input, and seeking approval from the Board of Trustees to get this important, intentional work started.

This goal is an iteration of UofL’s mission of being the “premier, nationally-recognized metropolitan research university,” established in 1997 with the passage of HB1 – the Postsecondary ����ֱ��al Improvement Act. As part of that initial mission, UofL was obligated to serve the needs of a diverse population, including many ethnic minorities and place-bound, part-time, nontraditional students.

Indeed, in the 23 years since the passage of that legislation, UofL has transformed itself from an urban commuter college to a world-class research university. We serve a more racially and socio-economically diverse student population than most research universities in the country, and we have a unique and pervasive relationship with the City of Louisville. We are proud of our progress and of our standing.

However, times have changed, and it is appropriate as a higher education institution to change with them in an effort to achieve the highest ideals of society. It is incumbent upon us to explore and to grow for the purpose of being a model for the communities we serve. That is why we have created this Cardinal Anti-Racism Agenda.

Actions will define who we really are and what we truly believe as a community and there is no better time than now – – to stand on the right side of history.

As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice … Each of us who works for social change is part of the mosaic of all who work for justice; together we can accomplish multitudes.”

There is no doubt this work will take time and it will take all of us. Our first step is to harness our collective wisdom to lay the groundwork. We have already established a few key commitments, including the recruitment and retention of more Black employees and students, building intentionally anti-racism curriculum across all disciplines, ensuring diverse representation on boards and committees, developing budgets that reflect the priority of diversity and equity and more.��

In the coming weeks and months, the Commission on Diversity and Racial Equality (CODRE), in partnership with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, will lead the charge to engage our community for more potential items to add to our agenda. We will regularly remind our community to to craft an appropriately robust agenda, which will be put in front of the Board of Trustees at the Sept. 24 meeting.

Upon approval from the board, we will put the ball in motion to become a national model of anti-racism, proving that race will not negatively impact anyone’s experience at the University of Louisville.

We’ve made bold steps before. In 1951, for example, UofL integrated our student body several years before most of our Kentucky peers were willing to do the same. Our Department of Pan-African studies is one of the oldest of its kind in the country. We are that provide equal access for Black and Latinx students.

Those bold steps will be the foundation of our new objective. We will continue to lead the way here. We will become the country’s premier anti-racist university. .��

Check out President Bendapudi’s introduction of our Anti-Racism agenda:��

At the heart of the UofL Cultural Center’s��Conocimiento��is cultural resilience,��meaning skills gained from life experiences often informed by one’s own background and traditions.��The center will host this cultural resilience training during the spring semester, its fifth time doing so, and its second year partnering with JB Speed School.��

“The goal is for students to raise their consciousness of themselves and their relationship to society,” said Sarah Nuñez, associate director of the Cultural Center.

Nuñez and Marcos Morales, former UofL student and current program coordinator at the Cultural Center, adapted��Conocimiento��for a university setting from E3: ����ֱ��, Excellence, and Equity, an organization that identifies five 21st century global skills needed by each person: Innovation, critical analysis, cross-cultural communication, teamwork and adaptability.

“We believe we get [those skills] from lived experiences we have every single day and even growing up,” Nuñez said. “We all have these unique gifts from the lived experiences.”

Both Nuñez and Morales see myriad benefits for those who participate, especially a deeper understanding of and respect for themselves.

“Students get a chance to pause and look at their garden … and see the fruits that are waiting to be picked right there,” Morales said. “You being able to function with your friends, and then go and interpret for your mom at the doctor’s, that’s cross-cultural communication.”

Morales, who participated in the training during his senior year, personally attests to the value of��Conocimiento.

“It was the very first time I brought my latinidad (various��characteristics shared by Latin American individuals) into an educational space,” he said. “I think [Conocimiento] impacts students here in that they get to become more proud of their latinidad in higher ed, and that’s a big role of our office as a whole.”

Nuñez adds that��Conocimiento��prepares students for their time at UofL, especially as student leaders.

“The stronger you are within yourself, the more that you have the ability to represent, to stand for and with other groups … and to build up whatever the organization’s goal or mission is,” said Nuñez. “So, from a student leadership perspective, I think a training like this gives them skills to step into leadership roles.”

Going forward, Nuñez and Morales would like to expand Conocimiento while still maintaining its personal element.

“There’s a lot that happens when people come together and talk; a lot comes forward,” said Nuñez. “Even more comes forward when they’re given a space to talk, and to deep dive, and to build connections with one another.”

Last year’s training included 45 participants. Participation levels have increased in each of the four years the training has been held. Nuñez expects that trajectory to continue, as the percentage of Latino students in the area is expected to grow by 53% through 2023.