Officials estimate there were about 15,000 attendees at the two ceremonies (the first ceremony was at 10 a.m. and the second ceremony at 2 p.m.).

More than 3,100 students completed their degrees during the spring semester and more than 2,000 of those graduates took part in graduation day.

The day was especially poignant for Interim President and University Ritualist .

Just before Postel delivered his last commencement address, Board of Trustees Chairman David Grissom thanked him for his significant accomplishments during a difficult time for the university. Grissom said Postel “handled these issues with calmness, integrity and clarity.” University officials on the podium stood to applaud for Postel.

Spring commencement was also a “last” for Laemmle, a retired UofL professor who has been university ritualist for more than three decades. “Dr. Phil,” as he is known to the campus community, typically sets the tone for commencement when he steps into the arena and gravely tells the audience that he has two important requests. The first is to stay off the main commencement floor. The second is to “have as much damn fun as you can.”

When acting provost Dale Billingsley told the crowd it would be Laemmle’s last commencement as ritualist, a group of students called out, “We love you Phil!” Billingsley thanked Laemmle for “his decades of service and outright hilarity.” Dean of Students will take over the role of ritualist.

.

2017 Distinguished Faculty Awards��

Awards for Outstanding Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity

• David Scott, School of Dentistry
• Terry Scott, College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development
• Wendy Pfeffer, College of Arts and Sciences
• Frank Zamborini, College of Arts and Sciences

Awards for Distinguished Service

• Jenny Bay-Williams, College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development
• Tim Daugherty, School of Dentistry
• Keith Lyle, College of Arts and Sciences
• Robert Pennington, College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development
• Elaine Wise, College of Arts and Sciences

Awards for Distinguished Teaching

• Patricia Ralston, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Sarah Miller, College of Arts and Sciences

2018 Distinguished Faculty Awards��

Awards for Outstanding Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity

• Charles Hubscher, School of Medicine
• Cynthia Logsdon, School of Nursing
• Stephen Mattingly, School of Music

Awards for Distinguished Service

• John Gibson, College of Arts and Sciences
• Cedric Powell, Brandeis School of Law
• Chris Reitz, College of Arts and Sciences
• Roman Yampolskiy, J.B. School of Engineering

Awards for Distinguished Teaching

• Chris Fitzgerald, School of Music
• Allison Ogden, School of Music��

2017 Outstanding Performance Awards��

Professional/Administrative Awards

• Kristen Brown, Delphi Center
• Daniel Bye, Office of Academic Planning & Accountability
• Keneka Cheatham, College of Arts and Sciences
• Sharolyn Pepper, International Student and Scholar Services
• Jessica Kidd, College of Arts and Sciences

Technical/Paraprofessional Award

• Donald Biddle, College of Arts and Sciences

Skilled Craft/Service Worker Award

• Rick Cardwell, Business Services

2017 Supervisor of the Year Award

• Kathy Meyer, Student Involvement

2018 Outstanding Performance Awards

Professional/Administrative Awards

• Melissa Atkinson, School of Dentistry
• Misty Burkhead, Planning Design and Construction
• Lyshanna Cunningham, College of Arts and Sciences
• Amanda LeDuke, College of Arts and Sciences
• Karen Newton, Health Promotion and ����ֱ��
• Linda Wilson, Office of Planning and Budget

Technical/Paraprofessional Award

• James Hundley, College of Arts and Sciences

Skilled Craft/Service Worker Awards

• William Brown, Department of Public Safety
• Kenneth Carey, Physical Plant

Clerical/Secretarial Award

• Lisa Shonburg, Department of Comparative Humanities

2018 Supervisor of the Year Award

• Gale Rhodes, Delphi Center

2017 Presidential Exemplary Multicultural Engagement Staff Award��

• Shannon Fitzgerald, Office of Dental Clinical Affairs��

2017 Presidential Exemplary Multicultural Teaching Award��

• Delaina Amos, J.B. Speed School of Engineering��

Distinguished University Scholar��

• Shirish Barve, School of Medicine��

University Scholars��

• Bradford Hill, School of Medicine
• Norman Lehman, School of Medicine

to see a full photo gallery of award winners.

Postel spoke briefly about his experiences throughout the past year and half as interim president, stating that he enjoyed the endless conversations and opportunities presented to him during that time.

“The past year and a half took a toll personally for me and my family, but all that said, it has been an extremely gratifying experience,” he said. “I’d like to thank the campus community for being responsive to our needs.”

Postel added that he has had numerous conversations with incoming president Neeli Bendapudi to help her “have a soft landing.”

“She is engaging, bright, fun to talk to and I think she will be a pleasure to work with,” he said.

Postel has compiled a transition document for Bendapudi that includes 195 active topics.

“She is not coming to the university in a time of full-blown crisis, but she is coming to a campus that has an awful lot of needs. Those needs are challenging. They will require year over year attention. She deserves and needs the full support of the university, the city and the state to move the needle,” Postel said.

Postel also touched on the state budget process, noting that the proposed 6.25-percent cut is disappointing, but some of it is offset by performance funding and cancer research.

“Still, we have to remain sharply focused. There is a pervasive attitude in Frankfort that higher education is bloated and we are forced to become lean – too lean in some areas,” Postel said. He submitted a list of priorities UofL needs to focus on to be transformational, including enhancing liquidity, retaining and recruitment of students, establishing a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, asset preservation and more.

“These are not in the budget. The budget is balanced right now, but that doesn’t include these things, which we need to move forward,” Postel said. “We have to focus on revenue generation – re-gaining the trust of our donor community and student recruitment. We’re past the crises, but we still have some heavy lifting to get to where we want to be.”

Billingsley said the CPE has approved a 6-percent ceiling on tuition increases for the next two years. If the board refuses a tuition increase, UofL will have to implement budget contingencies again, noting that enrollment increases will continue to be critical.

A new, electronic faculty evaluation system has been proposed that aims to make the process easier and save money. Miami of Ohio implemented a similar system and realized an 80-percent saving of faculty time, for example. There will be a formal proposal to include this system in next year’s budget.

Billingsley noted that Beth Boehm will serve as acting provost beginning in June; Paul DeMarco will be acting dean of SIGS; and Beth Willey will be interim associate provost for undergraduate programs.

Brandeis School of Law Dean Colin Crawford provided an update of the work he has been focused on since starting in that role in the beginning of the semester. These focus areas include signature programs, such as the Human Rights Advocacy Program and Central High School partnership, as well as commercial law opportunities and international programming.

CHAWS proposal

A proposal was made for a Center for Health Air Water and Soil (CHAWS), to be housed in the Cardiovascular Institute and led by Dr. Aruni Bhatnagar from the School of Medicine. CHAWS received a $250,000 annual gift for five years and is expected to be self-funded after that time period.

The mission is “to support and promote innovative, environmental research and project focused on health in all policies using the city of Louisville as an urban laboratory; to improve the health and harmony of our community by empowering citizens and using inventive technology; and to encourage new conversations and find new solutions to health challenges in our community and in our world.”

CHAWS is to be part of an Envirome Institute that also includes the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health Science; the Center for Integrated Environmental Health Science; Superfund Basic Research Program; American Heart Association Tobacco Center; Diabetes and Obesity Center; Center for Environmental Engineering; Center for Environmental Sciences; Center for Environmental Policy and Management; and Center for Healthy Air, Water and Soil.

The proposal was approved by the Faculty Senate.

Geospatial Technology certificate

A certificate In Geospatial Technology was also proposed during the meeting. The 15-credit-hour undergraduate certificate complements other programs including criminal justice, engineering, anthropology and biology. It was noted that the discipline is marketable and multidisciplinary. The proposal was approved.

Other news

Enid Trucios-Haynes provided the chair’s report, .��

Elections were held and new senate officers include:

Chair, Krista Wallace-Boaz, Music

Vice Chair, David Owen, A&S

Academics Programs Committee: Chin Ng, Medicine; David Stirling, Medicine; Clare Sullivan, A&S

Committee on Committees and Credentials: Ben Foster, Business; Rebecca Jemian, Music; Michael Tseng, Medicine

Executive Committee: Diana Chlebowy, Nursing; J.P. Mohsen, Speed

Part-Time Faculty Committee: Robert Detmering, Libraries; Robert Myers, Business

Planning and Budget Committee: David Schultz, A&S

Redbook Committee: Forest Arnold, Medicine; John Ferre, A&S; Patrick Harris, Medicine

Academic Technology Committee: Patrick Harris, Medicine

Parking Advisory Committee: Ricardo Caicedo, Dentistry

Parking Appeals Committee: J.P. Mohsen, Speed; Eugene Miller, A&S; Patrick Lai, Dentistry

Staff Senate: Christopher Tillquist, A&S

Student Conduct Hearing Board: Joseph Gutmann, A&S; Diksha Katwal, Dentistry

SGA Representative: Patrick Harris, Medicine

Student Grievance Committee: Robert Barker, Business; Meg Hancock, CEHD; Avery Kolers, A&S; Patrick Harris, Medicine; Ben Schoenbachler, Medicine

Per his contract, Postel will earn a salary of $950,000 for at least one year. The board also awarded him a $100,000 bonus thanking him for his work as interim president, a role he has served in .��

Postel has been at the university for 24 years. The former chairman of UofL’s radiology department was named interim vice president for health affairs in 2015 and has continued in that role during his time as interim president.

Postel’s new contract begins May 15 and is for one year. After May 15, 2019, he becomes an at-will employee.

During his time as president, Postel led the university through an impressive list of accomplishments, including:

• Removal from probation by SACSCOC and completion of 10-year SACSCOC reaffirmation including QEP review
• Completion of 2016-2017 academic year ahead of budget and forecast for completion of 2017-2018 academic year ahead of budget
• Creation of a balanced budget for 2018-2019 academic year with introduction of revenue targets (risk/reward)
• Major restructuring/cultural change in Athletics
• Unwind of the joint operating agreement with KentuckyOne Health
• Successful on budget near completion of four large construction projects: Belknap Academic Building, Student Activities Center, Pediatric Medical Office Building and Papa John’s Cardinal Football Stadium Expansion (All should be completed this summer.)
• Success in strategic enrollment management with applications for admission at 15,000 compared to 11,000 at this time last year
• Continued progress in community engagement highlighted by groundbreaking of a $100 million project in West Louisville in conjunction with Passport

Also during Postel’s tenure as interim president, deans of the Speed School, Brandeis School of Law, College of Business and School of Nursing were appointed. Vice presidents were named for Enterprise Risk Management, Athletics, Community Engagement and Operations. Also, a new CFO was named for the HSC campus, a new director named for the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, and a new head men’s basketball coach was named.

In his appointment letter, board members thanked Postel for an “outstanding job.”

“You have been a tireless change agent who has worked effectively with the board to put the university on sound financial footing, rebuild trust and relationships within the university and across the state, and position the university for growth,” the letter states. “Leading through times of transition is difficult, and you have done it superbly.”

Earlier this month, UofL’s Faculty Senate unanimously passed a resolution thanking Postel for his interim leadership during challenging times.

As part of his role as EVP for health affairs, Postel will be responsible for ensuring that University Physicians Group Inc. is a regional center of excellence for health sciences education, research and clinical care. He will be tasked with participating in and facilitating strategic planning for the University Medical Center, Passport, UofL Health Care, University Physicians Associates, the James Graham Brown Cancer Center and related entities. This includes determining the allocation of resources from UMC, UPA and UofL Health Care.

Postel will also serve on the board of directors for UMC and as chair of the board and CEO of University Physicians’ Group Inc. He will report directly to the president and will advise the president on policies, programs and operations.

He said the operations unit is working on a 5-year plan that includes making data-based decisions, improving communication within units and getting staff involved in decisions.

“I am thrilled to be here and I am excited about the direction we’re headed in,” Han said.

Also during the meeting, SGA’s newly-elected president Jonathan Fuller gave the group’s report, which includes a resolution to establish course fee evaluations. Fuller asked faculty senators for input on where this information should go (for example, at the end of a course evaluation). The resolution objective is to make clear to all students enrolled in a course with associated fees what the intended use of those fees is. The full resolution is .��

Faculty Senate Chair Enid Trucios-Haynes provided her report, which included an update on several board meetings and subcommittee meetings since February. She said 53 candidates have applied for the presidential position, calling it a “good pool of candidates.” That number has since been whittled down to about 10. The presidential decision is expected in April or May. Her full report is .��

Trucios-Haynes opened the floor for discussion on recently-held budget forums, survey results and other university priorities. Concerns were raised about the process behind dropping low-enrollment programs and which metrics are used to determine their fate.

“We shouldn’t be cutting any programs if our goal is to grow enrollment by 40 percent,” one senator said.

Another expressed concern about how to scale for such ambitious growth, including digital and physical infrastructure, support staff and services.

Interim Provost Dale Billingsley provided an update on the state budget process, noting that UofL will not know if any cuts are on the table until mid-April.

“The House passed a budget proposal that removed most of the governor’s cuts to university budgets; while this more generous budget is likely to be tightened up in the Senate, the university’s advocacy work, led by assistant vice president Shannon Rickett, seems to be having good effects,” he said.

Billingsley also reported that about 500 employees and students participated in President Postel’s budget forums in February, noting that while there was good discussion, none of the ideas proposed have been unexplored already.

UofL is reconsidering tuition sharing plans and whether they’re beneficial. Billingsley also discussed the university’s enrollment growth goals, which will become more clear when the revenue targets are further along by the end of April.

“Enrollment growth is many different things. The cheapest is retention, so we’re focusing very heavily on retention efforts,” he said. “Part of the reason for growth is not just to get money, but to improve the programs we have and to provide our students with the education and experience they need to become productive citizens.”

Billingsley also noted that, at 2018 tuition rates, discounting fees of any sort and thinking only of resident undergraduate tuition, an increase of 5,000 full-time undergraduates will yield almost $28 million dollars in gross tuition revenue per term.

Other general interest items from Billingsley’s report include:

• Cardinal Core, the program that replaces the General ����ֱ�� Requirements of 2002, has been accepted by the undergraduate faculties and will be promulgated for all undergraduate students in the undergraduate catalog to be issued in May. The Cardinal Core makes some significant but not radical changes in the current program, especially in the areas of quantitative reasoning, historical understanding and diversity.
• CPE has proposed a new academic program review policy with more CPE control over curriculum and program administration.
• Campus Climate Survey action plans should be released later this month.
• Dean search updates: The Speed School search committee hosted four campus visits, which concluded at the end of January. The committee submitted unranked recommendations. The Nursing School search committee selected five finalists for on-campus interviews. The SIGS decanal review is underway and expects to complete its work in May. The Music decanal review and SPHIS decanal review are getting underway with the election/appointment of members as required by the REDBOOK. Medicine decanal five-year review will begin in July.
• For other searches: With the resignation of Bryan Robinson, President Postel is overseeing advancement activities until a consultant can be retained. VP Enterprise Risk Management and Compliance: Rhonda Bishop, Vice President for Enterprise Risk Management, Audit and Compliance, starts April 16. VP Finance and CFO: Preparations for a renewed search have begun. University Ombuds: Dr. Bob Staat has agreed to take up this assignment (again) until June 30.
• The SACS reaffirmation team will visit the university March 26-29 for onsite review of the focused report issues and the QEP proposal.

Billingsley’s full report is .��

Committee reports, including academic programs, part-time faculty, ULAA and the president search faculty consultation committee, are also .��

The next Faculty Senate meeting is April 4 from 3-5 p.m. in Chao Auditorium.

“Athletics is such a small part of who we are, I think it’s 3 or 4 percent of the university’s budget. My job is to be looking out for everyone, for all of our programs,” he said. “What kind of job would I be doing if I was just focusing on 3 percent of the business all the time? Sadly, these past couple of weeks, I’ve had to do that more and I don’t like that. But we’ll get it back in balance, I promise you.”

Postel said there is plenty of positive news from UofL, including Dr. Roberto Bolli’s $13.8 million grant to study a promising new heart failure treatment, the UofL Foundation’s 12-percent gain on endowments through good investments, a positive visit from SACS, and a positive visit with the law school from the American Bar Association.

“The work of the university goes on. The front page of the newspaper doesn’t stop our focus,” Postel said. “What I am focused on is how to construct a good budget, especially in the context of what does and will come from the state.”

Postel said just 4.5 percent of UofL’s budget comes from the state and that number will likely be cut further to help with the pension crisis. To lessen the blow, administrators are looking at different scenarios that could play out in the next year, and trying to come up with more ways to generate revenue.

“This is why I’m so interested in holding open forums around campus. We’re trying to find out what’s important and what needs to be prioritized. The challenge will be how to grow revenue and we’ll be trying to get as much feedback from as broad of an audience as we can for those ideas,” he said.

Postel took questions from the senators, including why the presidential search is a closed search.

“I hope you know I am not being consulted about this. But I do think both open and closed searches are common and I think the logic is purely to not lose a good candidate, though I agree that it’s in stark contrast with shared governance,” he said.

Postel was also asked for a budget update, noting that many ideas have already been implemented by interim COO Lee Smith’s office.

“He is saving about $1 million a month in operational costs and much of that savings has come from ideas that were submitted by faculty and staff,” he said.

Postel was asked about how many RIFs have taken place since the beginning of the year, and that number is 103. A majority of job loss has been voluntary through attrition, he noted. He also mentioned that the hiring freeze is now considered a frost.

“The key is, whatever we call it, that we’re judicious about hiring, that we’re being smart with our resources,” he said. “Everyone who leaves doesn’t necessarily need to be replaced.”

Report: John Elliott, interim AVP for HR

John Elliott provided a report from HR, noting that Open Enrollment is Oct. 16-26 and notices and communications are out. He also provided the following updates:

• The RIF temp pool is now operational.
• The COO search is now posted and the committee is in place. There are “seven or eight” candidates.
• He has received many questions about the performance evaluation document. “It is long and tedious. I’m not sure if we’ll get the committee together and changes made before this year’s evaluations, but I hear you on this,” Elliott said.
• He said there was a RIF in HR and the department is going through a reorganization to combine compensation and benefits into one function.
• The Staff Recognition Luncheons are scheduled for Oct. 20 and 27 and will be facilitated by Will Armstrong and Vickie Tencer.

“I am two months into the job and I am trying to meet as many people as possible to help me prioritize what we need to focus on in the coming year,” Elliott said.

Committee and general reports

The Senate meeting opened with a report from Vice Chair Vickie Tencer, who said there have been several board meetings. Also, the CFO search is ongoing.���� Eight candidates have been interview, and the Staff Senate has provided a recommendation to Dr. Postel. Her .

The Credentials and Nominations Committee is finalizing goals and objectives and noted that a fall cookout last week was well attended.

The Policy and Economic Development Committee reported that the RIF policy was posted in September, extending the policy to 18 months and giving preference to RIF candidates. The committee is also working on an internal hiring policy to send to HR, and a shared leave initiative. Other initiatives in the works include a telecommuting policy – UofL does not have one currently – and flex scheduling. The telecommuting policy is in line with the 21^st century initiative to enhance campus climate. It could also contribute to a reduction in UofL’s green footprint and add productivity. The policy recommendation is .

The Grievance Committee is planning training for the year and establishing a relationship with the new ombudsman, Mindy Eaves.

The Staff Morale and Community Outreach Committee has a new website that needs more content and an FAQ page, which are in the works. The committee is also planning on a staff recognition page, and is working on bylaws to better define the committee’s work.

Chairman Will Armstrong provided the Chair’s Report, noting that the CFO search is down to seven or eight candidates, and a committee has been formed for the VP of Enterprise and Risk Management. He also commended the PED committee for its “incredible work” and relationship building efforts with John Elliott. Armstrong reminded senators about the anonymous feedback section on the Staff Senate website.

“A lot is going on at UofL right now and that feedback will help guide me to speak for you through all of it,” he said.

Finally, Armstrong said the budget advisory committee is starting to morph into more of a committee focused on strategies instead of a workgroup formed in response to the budget deficit.

The next Staff Senate meeting is Nov. 13, 2:30 p.m. in Chao Auditorium, Ekstrom Library.

Senate committee elections were held, and an action item was approved to add a graduate certificate in biostatistics. All courses already exist as part of the master’s program, so no additional resources are needed to launch the certificate program.

Chair Enid Trucios-Haynes presented highlights from the chair’s report, which is available .

She noted her efforts urging board of trustees’ chair David Grissom to advise the campus community about the planned framework for the presidential search process, which he has reported will be a closed search throughout the process. The BOT has received numerous responses to his proposal, including from faculty, chairs, deans and the AAUP.

The Faculty Senate Executive Committee also responded and, after a lengthy discussion, it was motioned and approved that the senate endorse the XC’s letter, which reads:

Dear Members of the Board of Trustees,

The Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate is thoroughly opposed to the decision of the Board of Trustees to conduct a closed Presidential search. We feel that severely limiting the input from faculty and other constituents will damage the efforts to cultivate greater transparency, undermine the importance of shared governance, and negatively impact the future working relationship and trust between the faculty and senior leadership.

We believe that more input from constituents, particularly faculty, will assist the search committee throughout the process by providing important institutional history, and thus result in a better outcome. This more inclusive representation would also help restore the confidence of the University’s donors. We urge the Board to reevaluate the search process, and open the search once finalists are selected, allowing faculty, staff and students to interact on campus with each of the finalists. We also strongly recommend that the search committee be expanded to include a broader representation of campus and community constituents, along with a robust engagement of the .

Collaboration is essential to restoring the morale of the faculty, and greater collaboration will serve to unify the administration, students, staff and faculty so that we, the community of the University of Louisville, can focus on moving forward with our values, goals and initiatives.

Sincerely,

The Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate & The Faculty Senate

Todd Mooradian, dean of the College of Business, was introduced to the Senate. He has been in the post for a little less than a year and provided some of his background, including his proximity to higher education throughout his entire life, growing up near the campus of the University of New Hampshire.

Mooradian outlined three of his priorities in the decanal role, including promotion of a culture of inclusiveness, innovation and efficiency.

“I want to the school to embrace and celebrate each individual and invest in their success wholeheartedly. We’re also spending a lot of time thinking about value propositions so the community embraces us more,” he said. “We’re working hard to engage the community and finding ways to contribute to Louisville, Kentucky and the world. I am so pleased to be a part of an institution that gives students a public service opportunity.”

Report: Interim president Dr. Greg Postel provided an update on a variety of issues, including SACS. Last week, SACS sent six visitors to campus to gauge UofL’s progress in addressing the organization’s concerns that initiated probationary accreditation status last year. Specifically, SACS representatives were looking at 10 issues and UofL was cleared on eight of them.

The two that remain a concern have to do with the university’s affiliated entities and the qualification of administrators.

Postel said a memorandum of understanding is being created to define UofL’s relationship with the UofL Real Estate Foundation. He added that many searches are underway for administrative positions and he hopes to name a few permanent positions soon to help with the second concern.

More information about the SACS visit is��.��

Postel noted that September marked UofL’s biggest research month in the history of the institution, led by Dr. Roberto Bolli’s $13.8 million grant from NIH to study a promising new heart failure treatment.

He pivoted to donor activity, which he described as “good, surprising,” and noted that the Advancement Office is working on enhancing stewardship efforts and programmatic support.

Postel provided an update on UofL Hospital, describing it as “busy, busy, busy.”

“The hospital is full. It hired 108 nurses in two months. Prior to July, it couldn’t hire a nurse to save itself, so that just shows the kind of work UMC is doing,” he said.

Postel discussed the budget, noting that 2016-17 is done and favorable. It will be available next week. The 2017-18 budget, meanwhile, is balanced, including the $48 million deficit.

“We’re right on target in every category,” he said. “I’m obsessed with finding new revenue streams. My biggest worry right now is how much education could be a victim to a decrease in state appropriations. It’s not a matter of ‘if,’ it’s a matter of ‘how much.’ But it’s reason for us to get motivated to find ways to stand on our own,” Postel said. “This is why we’re focusing on priority setting and hosting open forums to get faculty and staff to help us understand our priorities.”

Finally, Postel touched on the athletics scandals taking place, nothing the NCAA appeal for the prostitution scandal is in process and expected in mid-December. He said he is not optimistic because of the more recent FBI allegations against the men’s basketball team.

“The real issue here is reputational. To see another hit is painful,” he said. “There is nothing good about this (FBI) story. We are working very hard to stay current about the information as it comes in. The university is not a target in this, we are viewed as a victim. But that means we will have financial and reputational exposure again.”

Postel said he received about 3,000 emails last week about this scandal via email.

“It’s important to note that none of the decisions being made are personal. They’re all being made to protect the university,” he said.

Report: Interim Provost Dr. Dale Billingsley provided a brief update that will be available online soon. He mentioned the diversity plan is now available online and individual units will be required to work on their own plans soon. He also noted that there have been requests for more support for tuition revenue sharing plans for new programs and his office is working on getting a single template launched to tuition revenue sharing plans are transparent.

Report: Brian Bigelow, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, introduced himself to the Faculty Senate, having been in his position for the past 15 months. He provided an overview of what the university’s responsibilities are in response to last month’s changes to Title IX, introduced by Secretary of ����ֱ�� Betsy DeVos.

“There are new regulations, but we don’t know what they say yet and we don’t know how long it will take for them to go into effect,” he said. “In the meantime, it doesn’t affect UofL specifically. We’re in a holding pattern, but we’re alert to changes coming down the pike.”

Other reports are available online:

The next Faculty Senate meeting is Nov. 1, 3-5 p.m. in Ekstrom Library’s Chao Auditorium.

“It’s important we have an active dialogue to make sure we are understanding what it is we want for this university going forward,” he said.

Postel opened the forum with an introduction of a new social media campaign, #WeAreUofL, launched last week in the midst of the news about an active FBI investigation into the men’s basketball program.

“What this means is this is our university. We are tough. We are resilient. We’ve gotten through all types of problems and we’ll get through these,” he said.

Updates on SACS and athletics

Prior to introducing the panel of UofL leaders, Postel provided updates on the SACS accreditation process and the latest news from athletics. Last week, SACS sent six visitors to campus to gauge UofL’s progress in addressing the organization’s concerns that initiated probationary accreditation status last year. Specifically, SACS representatives were looking at 10 issues and UofL was cleared on eight of them.

The two that remain a concern have to do with the university’s affiliated entities and the qualification of administrators.

Postel said a memorandum of understanding is being created to define UofL’s relationship with the UofL Real Estate Foundation and the Pediatric Medical Office Building to close the first loop. He added that many searches are underway for administrative positions and he hopes to name a few permanent positions soon to help with the second concern.

More information about the SACS visit is .��

On the athletics side, Postel said the “bombshell” news about the FBI investigation has consumed a lot of time and he is very concerned about how it is going to play out.

“I’m not going to downplay this. I love this place and it makes me sick that we have to continue to dodge things that hurt our reputation like this,” Postel said. “There is a lot that we still don’t know. It is an ongoing criminal investigation.”

Postel added that he is working to make the best decisions to protect the university and its reputation and that these decisions are not being made in a vacuum.

“There are no personal issues here. I am having many thoughtful conversations with the boards and we are approaching these issues as a team to acknowledge what is necessary to protect the University of Louisville,” he said.

2020 Plan

Postel then pivoted to the panel, brought together to examine UofL’s progress and discuss ideas for the future related to the five pillars in the 2020 plan.

• ����ֱ��al excellence: Interim Provost Dale Billingsley led the conversation on educational excellence, soliciting ideas on how to best increase enrollment while simultaneously increasing our graduation rate.

Professor Al Futrell suggested using distance education as a strategy to do both: “Distance education has played a major role in helping us get to where we are now. We need more of a focus on it as a legitimate strategy,” he said.

It was also suggested to increase a focus on our international student program. The graduation rates of international students are higher and “if we provide them with a good undergraduate experience, they may be more likely to choose UofL for their graduate studies.”

A concern was raised about who is going to teach all of these extra students if we hit ambitious enrollment goals in the next few years, since faculty resources are already compromised.

A suggestion was made to create a committee to focus on innovative ways to retain and develop adjunct faculty, since about 70 percent of classes are taught by adjuncts.

• Research, scholarship and creative activity: Bill Pierce, EVP for Research and Innovation, noted the dramatic increase in research output from 1997 through 2007-08 and said if UofL would like to continue in the top tier of research institutions, a business plan needs to be devised. He added that the IPR site is a major opportunity for the university.

“Most research institutions in metropolitan areas would kill to have 40 acres of land contiguous to their engineering school,” he said.

It was also suggested that the university focus more on undergraduate research as much as graduate research. This would overlap other priorities, such as educational excellence and recruitment of faculty.

• Diversity, opportunity and social justice: Mordean Archer-Taylor, vice provost for diversity, said there is a compelling interest in diversity, as it intertwines with all of the pillars. Also, a diversity plan has been approved by the CPE and the board of trustees and will be online soon. She noted it is a live document and is focused on the diversity of students and our workforce, as well as cultural competency programs.

• Community engagement: Ralph Fitzpatrick, interim VP of community engagement, noted that UofL is a national leader in community engagement. His goal is to become a national model. He provided a brief overview of some of successes in this area, including the Brandeis Human Rights Advocacy Program, which was recently named as an exemplary designee by the Engagement Scholarship Consortium and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities as an outstanding model of community engagement. Fitzpatrick also said UofL is in the midst of helping with the major revitalization of the Russel neighborhood in West Louisville, and is heavily involved in health care projects, especially for indigent communities.

“We are a major player in helping to strengthen regional economies and revitalize neighborhoods. We are a national leader. I believe we can become a national model. We stand ready,” Fitzpatrick said.

• Creative and responsible stewardship: Finally, Bryan Robinson, interim vice president of advancement, said his department is getting back to the basics of accountability and transparency. The team is improving the information flow to donors, including annual reports, and it is communicating more closely with deans and faculty to understand unit priorities and how endowment should be spent. The department created an office of stewardship to fulfill this objective.

Postel concluded the forum with a financial update, noting that UofL finished ahead of budget for 2016-17, and is on budget for 2017-18.

“We are just scratching the surface today,” Postel said. “We will continue to obtain input and spend time and consideration to decide what makes sense and find resources to make it possible.”

.��

President Postel report

Postel opened his remarks by indicating the university’s progress on a number of issues, including the SACS accreditation process. SACS will conduct a site visit Sept. 19-21 to asses our current accreditation probationary status.

“I can tell you we’re ready. We’ve checked every box in a very meticulous way,” Postel said.

Exit interviews will be conducted on the last day of the site visit, Sept. 21, and Postel said we will have a reasonable idea of where we are with our accreditation at that time.

Postel also discussed the Trump administration’s recent decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

“This decision is of great concern to the university. Though it doesn’t apply to a lot of people, it is symbolic. We pride ourselves on being a diverse and welcoming campus and this threatens that,” he said. “We are taking this as a very serious concern and we intend to spend a lot of time talking to elected officials about finding a solution instead of just discontinuing the program, which I think would be a huge mistake.”

Postel discussed the university’s work on security and affiliated campus housing. He mentioned a lot of work is being done thinking about how to better security in and around campus, and he has also initiated a conversation about possibly changing affiliated campus housing’s policies that currently allow non-students to rent.

“Many of these affiliated buildings have non-students and a lot of crime is the byproduct of non-students. This will take a while because of leases, but one of the goals is to homogenize those dorms,” he said.

Postel also said the university is getting ready to launch a national search for a new police chief.

Postel transitioned to the donor community, which he said “continues to warm up to us.” Two major gifts are expected to be announced soon, as is a cardiac research project gift.

On the topic of the budget, UofL finished the fiscal year more than $20 million ahead this year, “a dramatic difference from the past two years.” He said this progress should bode well for the SACS visit.

UofL Hospital is “doing extremely well” since its transition to UMC this summer. In June, 85 nurses were hired and the hospital beds are full.

“This is a great problem to have,” Postel said.

Jewish Hospital and Frazier Rehab buildings are for sale. Postel said this is a concern since UofL has “major” programs housed in those buildings.

“The conversations are not going so great. It is possible there won’t be a buyer. We own the land and the buildings if the current operator leaves,” he said.

Postel said there will be more open forums in October to provide the university community with more updates. The forums will be panel format and will include five panelists and Postel. More information will be released soon.

In other business

A moment of silence was held to memorialize Dean Richard Clover, from SPHIS, who passed away in May, and Dr. Ron Sahoo, Mathematics professor, who passed away in June.

A new senator orientation was held prior to the formal meeting. Ten new senators were recognized.

Professor Jasmine Farrier led discussion on the action item of a new B.S. in Neuroscience. The initial meeting was held proposing this new program last May. She said concerns have included stretched resources and cannibalization of other majors. The program would include a collaboration between A&S and the School of Medicine. Farrier noted that Arts & Sciences Dean Kimberly Leonard-Kempf supported the proposal.

“We hope that instead of cannibalizing other students that this is used to recruit new students,” Farrier said.

The program was approved by the Faculty Senate.

Student Government report

The SGA reported that they have created a statement in support of DACA and it is on the SGA website and has also been shared via social media. The SGA has received positive feedback throughout the summer on the SAC and dining expansions.

The governing body is currently outlining qualities the next UofL president should have, and is consolidating redundancies in its constitution.

Staff Senate report

The Staff Senate did not meet in August, but did hold a forum on both the Belknap and HSC campus. Members met with John Elliott, the new AVP for Human Resources, and expressed concerns over the hiring freeze and continued uncertainty about finances.

Faculty Senate Chair report

Enid Trucios-Haynes posted her , which included her initiatives.

“Every Faculty Senate chair has initiatives. Mine are to increase the role of research in the classroom and to put together an ad hoc committee on best practices in teaching evaluations,” she said.

Trucios-Haynes hopes to host an event in the spring to highlight the intersection of research and teaching.

Also, the Committee of State Faculty Leaders meeting is being held this week. Agenda items include recommendations for faculty representation on the CPE.

Finally, Trucios-Haynes is hoping to define the role of faculty members in the presidential search. The search firm, R. William Funk & Associates of Dallas, was announced this week. The contract runs through June 30, 2018.

Provost Dale Billingsley report

Billingsley provided updated numbers about UofL’s graduation rates, which are now at 52.8 percent. The retention rate has increased in the past two years, from 79 percent to 80.6 percent.

“This is great news. If we can move the cohort rate this year and do it consistently, we will get to a 60 percent graduation rate by 2020,” he said.

Also, applications are up nearly 224 percent over this time last year. In our target markets of Chicago, Cincinnati and Nashville, our applications are up by nearly 310 percent.

Vice Provost for Diversity and International Affairs Mordean Taylor-Archer report

Taylor-Archer presented the University Diversity Plan, available in its entirety online, which was created in conjunction with a number of campus groups and entails three focus areas – .��

Of UofL’s nearly 23,000 students, 20.3 percent are underrepresented, including 11.1 percent African American. The five-year target is to get that number up to 23 percent and 14 percent, respectively. Taylor-Archer noted one challenge with achieving that goal is the expected flat high school graduation rate among African Americans.

The report also outlines high impact strategies to promote equity and inclusion and to monitor cultural competency. Some of these include diversity training and cultural competency training for faculty and staff.

UofL has won a Higher ����ֱ�� Excellence in Diversity Award for the fourth year, Taylor-Archer said.

Dean of University Libraries Bob Fox report

Fox noted that the Libraries is not renewing its largest (by cost) journal package, Elsevier’s ScienceDirect. There will be an opportunity to re-add individual titles, however, and the Libraries website will include a link for feedback about what those titles may be if the cost permits.��

To put the package in perspective, the package costs about $2.2 million, compared to less than $1 million for the next largest package.

“We’re looking at all of them to see if we can cut more. The only place I can really cut is collections. I don’t have an operations budget and we have 30 less staff than we did when I started seven years ago,” he said.

The next Faculty Senate meeting is Oct. 4 on the HSC campus.

��

“The vast majority of time we’ve spent since January has been in the diligent resolution of past issues, and these are real problems to tackle. But they’re not our future. What I want to do is shift the emphasis away from the problems of the past and look at what we can become,” Postel said to a full crowd in Strickler Hall’s Middleton Theater.

It was a rallying cry of sorts for the president, who solicited everyone’s help to keep the campus dialogue open, to submit ideas on how best to move forward, and to stay engaged with the university.

Postel used the recent transition of UofL Hospital’s management from KentuckyOne Health to University Medical Center as an example of what can happen when everyone gets involved and works together.

“It was run as a corporate entity, more of a top down structure. People were demoralized and many left. There was a feeling that things weren’t going to get better,” Postel said. “But we work for a university, where thought leaders come together and become part of the solution. When we started the steps to bring the hospital back to UMC, hundreds of faculty and staff became engaged. It was palpable and July 1 (the transition) was like a pep rally. There is enthusiasm there now that we are in control and we are going to do it right.

“We need an analogy like that on the Belknap Campus.”

2020 Plan and 21^st Century Initiative: Where we are, where we’re going

Postel used UofL’s 2020 Plan (put into place in 2008) and 21^st Century Initiative (meant to “reinforce” the 2020 Plan with a more granular approach and put into place in 2012) as the focal point of his presentation, noting what we’ve accomplished, what we’ve missed and what opportunities remain. He also shared some of his preliminary ideas meant to facilitate better, shared dialogue on how to improve on each of the five pillars from the 2020 Plan.

“The pillars very clearly represent what’s important to the university. Here we have two points in time where a huge shared governance process took place at the university. There are so many things within (the pillars) that can be empowering to us if we choose to engage,” Postel said.

1. ����ֱ��al Excellence

UofL has improved its student-to-teacher ratio, has better integrated critical thinking, has increased PhD production and has “dramatically improved” the student experience with library renovations, the upcoming SAC renovations, more and better campus housing and LLCs, and the construction of the Belknap Academic Building.

UofL has to work on a static number of undergraduate programs, enrollment growth and, especially, graduation rates.

Some of Postel’s ideas to be better in this area include expanding the student body, cultivating creative thinking to improve graduation rates, discussing whether or not we need to start a Phi Beta Kappa chapter on campus, and redesigning the distance education program.

“If the faculty and staff desire, these are things that can be transformative,” he said.

2. Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity

Postel said research tripled in the decade after the Bucks for Brains program was launched, but since then, about 2007, growth has been more modest and goals have been missed. Clinical trials have also grown, but modestly.

Postel said more thought needs to go into the trajectory of research on this campus.

“We’ve never built a scalable infrastructure here for research. There is no valid business plan for supporting research. Research requires subsidy and not a lot of thought has been given to that in the past,” he said.

3. Diversity, Opportunity and Social Justice

UofL’s study body is more diverse than it was when the 2020 Plan was put into place. However, Postel questions whether our underrepresented student numbers have increased enough. Additionally, though more of our students are studying abroad, we’re not getting enough international students to study here.

Some of his initial ideas to move forward on this pillar include conducting and publishing a comprehensive campus climate survey, renewing our scholarship creation, enhancing pipeline programs and revisiting our recruitment policies.

4. Community Engagement

This pillar has been “tremendously successful,” according to Postel, for example yielding more than 21,000 instances of student engagement. UofL is one of 360 universities in the U.S. with a Carnegie Foundation designation, which it has received twice.

Postel hopes to use our community engagement efforts to continue being an engine for economic development, interdisciplinary research, advocacy in healthcare and more.

5. Creative and Responsible Stewardship of Resources

Postel touted UofL’s successful $1 billion campaign and the university’s active and modernized Alumni Association. However, he noted that our endowment fell well short of its $3 billion goal; we lack a sustainable model for advancement, our culture of philanthropy is inconsistent; and our donor stewardship is also inconsistent.

Postel suggests prioritizing a new donor campaign and a new approach to stewardship.

“We need to have a collective effort to renew the faith of our donor community,” he said.

Budget and beyond

Postel also quickly touched upon the budget, noting that we have a balanced budget in place with conservative assumptions, and we are reporting on the budget monthly. He also said the suggested 6-percent procurement tax has been suspended and other models are being looked at after negative feedback was received.

“We are listening and this 6-percent tax is an example of that,” he said.

Postel took a series of questions regarding communication hurdles, long distance learning, how to enable voices from the bottom up and create better structures, and what the timeframe is to “move forward.”

More forums will be scheduled in the fall semester. Postel said those will be the next step in understanding what kind of mechanisms we can put into place to maintain positive momentum.

“The bulk of my presentation today is to test campus receptivity to shifting our focus to the future. We can’t wallow in self-pity or we won’t get past this junction,” Postel said. “This is our university, if we don’t fix it, nobody will. But it’s going to take all faculty and staff to fix it. Engagement is essential.”

Dr. Postel also recently sat down with Mark Hebert, UofL’s director of programming and production, to discuss some issues in more detail. That video is available below:��