“I am incredibly proud of our university, our dedicated team and the many wellness champions across campus,” said Tamara Iacono, wellness coordinator for Get Healthy Now. “This award reflects the strength of our program and the collective commitment of our employees to building a healthier workplace. Together, we are creating a culture where everyone can thrive – both personally and professionally.”

The Worksite Wellness Award is grounded in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Worksite Health Scorecard—a rigorous evaluation tool that assesses an organization’s efforts to promote a healthy workplace culture. To achieve Platinum status, organizations must:

• Establish clear mission and vision statements with a strategic plan for sustainable wellness initiatives.
• Implement comprehensive programs that support healthy behaviors, including physical activity, nutrition and stress management.
• Partner with community organizations and health care providers to expand access to health services for employees.

According to the council, UofL’s Get Healthy Now program continues to exceed expectations in these areas. GHN has made significant strides in employee wellness, with more than 2,000 participants taking part in 25 HRtalks Wellness sessions, along with a successful hydration challenge involving 290 participants. Participation in GHN’s incentive program increased 13.5% from 2024 to 2025, and behavior modification programs increased to more than 1,400 participants. Overall satisfaction with GHN’s well-being offerings reached an impressive 4.7 out of 5 rating, reflecting strong impact and appreciation from faculty and staff. See the for more information.

Iacono emphasized that the university remains steadfast in its mission to prioritize health and well-being and encourages all employees to explore the resources available at .

By Kristina Doan, Get Healthy Now.

The Worksite Wellness Award is based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Worksite Health Scorecard, a comprehensive assessment tool that evaluates organizations’ efforts to create a culture of health in the workplace. To qualify for this prestigious recognition, organizations must:

• Have established mission and vision statements, along with a defined plan for ongoing development and purposeful support.
• Implement sustainable worksite wellness programs that encourage healthy behaviors, such as physical activity, nutrition and stress management.
• Collaborate with community resources and healthcare providers to enhance employees’ access to health services.

According to the council, UofL’s Get Healthy Now program embodies these principles and goes above and beyond to promote employee well-being. The program is an integral part of the university’s comprehensive benefits package and offers a wide range of wellness services, including but not limited to , nutrition counseling through , yoga, meditation, stress management workshops, educational resources on topics such as healthy eating, mental health and preventive care, and more. Regular workshops and seminars empower employees to make informed decisions about their well-being.

“I am so proud of this university, of our team and of all our wellness warriors. This award is not only a reflection of the Get Healthy Now program, but also a reflection of our colleagues and employees who come together to promote wellness,” said Tamara Iacono, wellness coordinator for UofL’s Get Healthy Now program. “Fostering a culture of wellness at the university ensures employees thrive both personally and professionally.”

Iacono adds that the university will continue to prioritize health and well-being and encourages employees to visit the to explore the programs and resources.

By Kristina Doan, UofL Human Resources

• Top Management Support: Established Mission/Vision Statement along with a defined plan for ongoing development and purpose for support.
• Programs: Wellness opportunities available to employees at the worksite or through outside organizations.
• Policies: Formal or informal written statements that are designed to protect or promote employee health.
• Benefits: Part of an overall compensation package including health insurance coverage and other services or discounts regarding health.

The Worksite Wellness Council of Louisville is a local council whose mission is to promote wellness by facilitating a culture of health through the development of sustainable worksite wellness programs, promotion of healthy lifestyles and providing support access to essential resources. Each year, the council hosts a Worksite Wellness Conference to award employers who prioritize wellness and promote a healthy work environment for its employees.

“As part of the university’s comprehensive benefits package, Get Healthy Now’s mission is to cultivate a culture of wellness through generous program offerings and wellness education,” said Tamara Iacono, wellness coordinator for UofL’s Get Healthy Now program. “The WWCL award reinforces Get Healthy Now’s mission and confirms the university’s commitment to employee well-being.”

Learn more about the and go to the to learn about the University of Louisville’s wellness programs and resources.

Over the last month, UofL has increased the amount of wellness opportunities available to faculty and staff. While these opportunities have been previously announced on various internal webpages and within the UofL Today employee newsletter, below you will find a central listing of the opportunities compiled for your convenience.

Virtual Classes and Fitness at Home

Get Healthy Now (GHN), the university’s employee wellness program, has collected multiple online resources for staying active and focusing on your wellness.

• is a collection of stretches for your back, neck, arms and legs. Whether you’re sitting at a desk, on the couch or somewhere else in your home, you can follow these short videos for a quick, seated stretch break. The stretches are designed to release tension, ease anxiety, and get relief from aches and pains.
• is a written workout plan you can do at home by following the visuals and step-by-step techniques for exercising with resistance bands.
• is a YouTube yoga channel for families that incorporates yoga movements into interactive stories and songs. The energetic instructor uses her British accent to take families on virtual adventures that build strength, balance and confidence.
• is an online collection of dance tutorials provided by the Louisville Ballet for families to stay active and creative together. The tutorials include a wide range of dance warm-ups, ballet basics, and folk dances from around the world.

The Department of Intramural and Recreational Sports is offering multiple virtual fitness opportunities that are open to faculty and staff.

• Virtual Fitness Consultations are free to all employees Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. When you sign up for a 15-minute, one-on-one virtual consultation with a certified fitness instructor, you’ll receive a customized exercise routine based on what you have available in your home. To get started, send an email to woodall@louisville.edu.
• Mile Club is an exercise program that encourages participants to walk, run, hike or bike the miles they would have traveled this summer to a destination. With the Mile Club, you can email your destination and weekly totals to the host, or you can download the app and join the UofL SRC Mile Club there to track your miles. Once you “arrive” to your destination, Intramurals staff will send you a champion t-shirt.

  
  To join the club on the app, download “Strava” on your smart phone and touch “Sign Up.” Skip any free trials that pop up to maintain a basic, free account. Touch the “Club” tab, then touch “Explore Clubs,” then “Clubs” again. In the search bar, type “UofL SRC Mile Club” and touch the club to join it.

Mental Health and Connection

Human Resources is offering a new professional/personal growth series called “Learning Cafes.” There are also many existing benefits for employees that can support your overall well-being.

• are online sessions focused on continuing your professional and personal growth while working at home. Each “cafe” features a topic of interest, guidance from a seasoned moderator, an engaging activity or reading, and time for discussion and sharing to renew your connection to the UofL family. Topics include talking to your kids about furloughs, staying motivated while working remote, meditation, how employee resource groups can support you, and more.
• is an online program and app available for Anthem members that helps users learn to reduce stress and monitor different areas of their health. For example, you can utilize their daily mood tracker to analyze your patterns, take mini interactive courses on focus areas such as “Controlling Anxiety,” listen to relaxation audios, and scroll through uplifting images and quotes that update every time you log on. There is also a specific set of practical tools and articles dedicated just to coping with the COVID-19 pandemic.

  
  To get started, log in to , click on “My Health Dashboard,” then “Programs,” and you’ll find “MyStrength.” Follow the prompts to set up your customized MyStrength account. If you already have an Anthem account, you can download the MyStrength app on your smart phone and sign in there to keep your customized program and tools within easy reach.

• The (EAP), is a university benefit that provides free and confidential counseling services and resources to you and your household family members, even if you aren’t enrolled in a UofL medical plan. Managed by a third party, Human Development Company, the program’s counselors are available 24/7 and you can get up to eight free confidential sessions per topic, per year. Topics you can discuss with a counselor include grief and loss, stress management, alcohol/substance use, marital/relationship, depression, workplace concerns, Counselors can also provide referrals for things such as day care, elder care and financial concerns.

  
  Individual use of the EAP is confidential and not reported to your supervisor nor the university. Call 502-589-HELP (4357) or 800-877-8332, or go to to schedule an appointment.

Health Promotion, a division of Campus Health Services, has expanded some of their program offerings to include faculty and staff.

• is a four-week class that teaches participants evidence-based methods for mindfulness, meditation and stress resilience. The “Koru Basics” introductory course is available now through June. After completion of “Koru Basics,” participants may advance to “Koru 2.0” for an additional four-week class.
• is a set of guided narrations meant to facilitate mindfulness by walking listeners through “slow looking” at works of art. Originally created for in-person art observations at the Speed, the guided prompts can also be used with artwork available in your home or with the Speed’s online collections. For example, you can open their online and listen to while you observe a work of art.

Trager Institute, the university’s hub for optimal aging research, innovation and care management, offers multiple opportunities for employees to stay connected over topics related to holistic health.

• is a weekly virtual meeting open to those who want to learn more about individual, family and community holistic health. These weekly meetings occur every Monday evening from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., and feature a range of holistic health topics, guest speakers, activities and open discussions. Meetings are designed to help participants cope with the pandemic and provide a space to bring your concerns for peer support.
• is a virtual meditation series offered every Friday at 12:30 p.m. Sessions are hosted by one of the Republic Bank Foundation Optimal Aging Clinic mental health providers, Anna Walton, LCSW. Participants will address their stress and anxiety during this uncertain time through her guided meditations.

We are all navigating the unknown together. Your total well-being is critical and UofL has multiple resources and opportunities available right now to help you. Carve out some time in your calendar to schedule a meeting with yourself and look further into these opportunities today.

Opportunities listed above might not be an exhaustive list of all available wellness opportunities, and new ones may become available. If your department also offers a wellness opportunity that is open to all employees, be sure to submit an announcement so that it can be featured in the UofL Today employee newsletter.

Durbin said the budget is meant to acclimate the Board of Trustees to the university’s priorities, but serves as a “status quo placeholder” this year, since we are on the verge of implementing a strategic plan. The two priorities are to be stable and predictable so we can start the work on that plan.

The proposed budget entails $23.8 million of costs, including a 2% salary increase. Durbin noted that this current year’s budget had $20 million of costs supported by one-time items, which is unsustainable.

“This budget is based on some assumptions, including the assumption that enrollment stays stable. If enrollment stays stable, we’re in good shape,” Durbin said.

There are tuition and fee increases requested to fund some priorities. The proposed face-to-face tuition increase is 2.5% for undergraduates, while the online learning fees have been restructured to match the current per-hour rate plus a $50 tech fee.

“We have been careful not to price ourselves out of the market,” Durbin said, showing a slide of our tuition, which remains lower than the University of Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky. Our proposed rates for the 2020 budget are also lower than UK’s proposed rates, including out-of-state, which is 2.5% at UofL compared to 6.2% at UK.

“We don’t think these fee increases place us at a competitive disadvantage,” Durbin said.

Durbin also noted that 62% of all beds will cost less in 2020 versus 2019, so housing costs will also be lower.

He also discussed the foundation’s spending policy and how it is expected to impact the university. The foundation had to rein in some spending this year to ensure the endowment funds stayed intact and were positioned to grow.

“We looked at every line of the budget. We will have some pain this year, but in the longer term, we will be good,” he said. “We think of this year as a re-set,” Durbin said. “In our current state – with stable enrollment and adjustments and tuition and fees – we have a balanced budget.”

Durbin’s full presentation is .

President Neeli Bendapudi also provided an update for the senate, stating that she feels better about the budget than she did three months ago.

Still, administrators did recently discover the $20 million base budget covered by one-time dollars and had to make significant adjustments accordingly. One of those adjustments was in closing the Humana Gym. Doing this, Bendapudi said, saves UofL about $1 million a year.

Bendapudi apologized to the Faculty Senate for the way the administrators handled the decision-making and communication around the gym’s closing.

“I sincerely believe this decision was the right thing for the university. But we failed during the process. I will own that and I promise it will not happen again,” she said. “We’re learning. We’ll do better.”

Bendapudi plans to host a retreat this summer with her senior leadership team to discuss a new rubric for these types of decisions, including who provides input, who approves and how to communicate.

Keith Sherman, executive director of the UofL Foundation, which owns the Humana Gym building, added there was no easy fix to this issue.

“The facility was well under water, so it became a question of how we stop the bleeding as quickly as possible,” he said.

After going through each line of the budget, administrators have also discovered that the same dollars were promised to multiple deans.

“We don’t want this to happen again. We want a budget committee to be actively engaged and for every single person on our campus to be able to pull up our budget and understand it,” Bendapudi said.

Bendapudi provided an update from the CPE, encouraging all faculty members to be mindful of our performance funding model.

“The best thing we can do is make sure our students succeed. It’s the morally, ethically and financially right thing to do,” she said. “What we’re hoping is that no student graduates without an internship, co-op or student learning/experiential opportunity. That gives them the best chances.”

Bendapudi also briefly discussed the recent Passport deal, stating that she is confident it was the best outcome for the university and for the community. Because of non-disclosure agreements, she is still not able to talk much about the negotiations surrounding Jewish Hospital.��She ended, however, by stating that she feels comfortable and confident.

Provost Beth Boehm also provided an update, noting that Vice Provost Mordean Taylor-Archer is retiring. Her areas include international and diversity. Diversity will be moved under the president’s office, and an open call for applications will be held for the diversity position with a short timeline.��Boehm admitted that our culture needs to be improved so we stop losing faculty of color.

“We have to work on our environment so people don’t even look for jobs elsewhere,” she said.

Meanwhile, the international office will be under the provost’s office.��

Michael Mardis, dean of students, has agreed to take on the international office in the interim and will work to figure out what that office will look like moving forward.

. The next Faculty Senate meeting is July 3 in Chao Auditorium.

Chair John Smith opened the meeting by explaining why he voted in favor of Bendapudi’s raise.

“I’ve been vocal about not giving raises to administrators because of the affect it has on our morale, having not gotten raises in quite some time. Two things made Neeli’s situation different for me,” he said.

First, when she was first hired a year ago, the Board intentionally made a low offer under the conditions that her pay would be adjusted to a higher level – proposed last week – if she was able to restore ethical behavior and integrity to the university.

“I thought it would be hypocritical for us not to do what we said we were going to do,” Smith said. “Second, she told us before the board meeting that if she received the raise she was going to donate it. Those two things made this situation different for me.

“I also thought it would send a strong message to state legislators, donors, potential new corporate partners and from a gender equity standpoint if we brought up her salary, which was in the bottom 5% when we hired her.”

Bendapudi then took the floor to answer a number of questions from senators, most of whom were concerned about the Humana Gym closing without warning. The president said she wants the university to get to a point where employees can expect consistent and predictable raises. In doing so, administrators began an exercise a few months ago that examined every line in the budget.

“As we looked at every line of our spending, we found that this gym cost about $1.05 million to operate annually and is used by about 335 members. That equates to about $250 per month per member,” she said.�� “I can see how much this decision would hurt those who were a part of that. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was a very expensive thing to maintain for 335 members.”

Bendapudi said the decision was not made without a trade off – GHN members can join Planet Fitness for the same cost ($15 a month) with no other changes to their GHN program – wellness coaching and the $40 discount continue.

“In order for us to get to an annual 2% raise, we have to make tough decisions,” she said. “Please believe me when I say we are trying to do the right thing.” 

Bendapudi predicts that 2% raise will happen in January 2020 and then hopes it can be annual by the summer of 2021.

Senators expressed discontentment about the gym decision not including shared governance input. Bendapudi ensured them that research was done but said she will work to use the Staff Senate as a resource and a partner for future decisions.

“That’s on me,” she said. “If you look at the gym benefits from Planet Fitness, it’s important to communicate that they are increasing, not decreasing. I have to look at anything that is only benefiting a small percentage of our employees.”

A senator asked why the fees are higher at the Student Recreation Center versus the Planet Fitness membership and Bendapudi noted that general student fees pay for the SRC.

“That is mandatory for students and we have a directive to not be cheaper for anyone else,” she said.

Bendapudi was asked if she has plans on what to do with the money donated from her raise. Her initial thoughts are to focus on mental health resources for students, but nothing has yet been solidified.

Finally, Bendapudi said she will consider communicating decisions to senators before any mass communication goes out to the entire campus in order to receive their feedback and solutions.

Todd Kneale, UofL’s director of total rewards, also provided the Staff Senate with updates to the shared leave policy. A discussion ensued about some of those updates – for example the definition of “catastrophic” and whether or not donations should be pooled or direct. After receiving input, Kneale said he will send another update to the senators at a later date.

He added that the compensation policy is also being updated for consistency and simplicity. He hopes to have that in place by July 1.

Nominations were submitted for chair (3 candidates), vice chair (3 candidates) and secretary/treasurer (2 candidates). Each candidate had 3 minutes to speak to the senate about why they wanted the position and why they were the best suited for such a role. Elections will be held during the June meeting.

Finally, Smith’s chair’s report notes that the Chick-fil-A opening on the HSC campus has been delayed and is now expected to be early August. .��

The next Staff Senate meeting is June 10 at 2:30 p.m. on the HSC campus.

Like other winners, Pardieu is tasked with helping the American Heart Association educate others on how to make similar lifestyle changes with the ultimate goal of improving everyone’s cardiovascular health.��

Pardieu began her journey to change her life because of her family history of heart disease.��

“The goal was simply to live longer. A change was necessary to my well being,” she said. “I lost a brother and a father, so i don’t view this as a choice — it’s a requirement. This award of recognition was amazing to me because it was a reminder that I’m making the right choices in my goal to live longer.”

Those changes began with implementing a regular exercise routine. She at Get Healthy Now. After nine months of personal training, she began to incorporate healthy eating habits.��

Since January 2018, Pardieu has lost 33 pounds.��

“I am continuing this regimen and the Get Healthy team has been with me every step of the way and has kept me motivated,” she said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do this without them. My drive, determination and support from Get Healthy Now definitely got me where I am today.” 

In addition to maintaining her current workout schedule, her next goal is to add one group class per week.��

“I want to continue improving …” she said. Her ultimate dream is to retire healthy and travel.��

Because of her efforts, and well before the American Heart Association’s recognition, Pardieu was named Get Healthy Now’s Member of the Month in April. She is a 16-year employee of UofL.��

UofL Faculty and Staff,

Health Fitness Corp., a third-party vendor that provides services through the Get Healthy Now program at UofL, has informed us of a data breach in their system that affected several institutions. The company has identified 247 University of Louisville employees, retirees or related individuals who enrolled in the program between 2007 and 2014 and whose information was exposed in the breach.

There is no evidence of the data having been seen by an individual or having been used for any illicit purposes. The university was notified of a breach on Aug. 24 and has worked with the company to verify the identities and contact information of those affected since that time.

The university has notified all affected current faculty and staff, as well as retirees and others for whom we have a current email address. Those affected who do not have current email on file with the university are being notified by U.S. mail. If you have not been notified, you were not affected by the breach.

What information is at risk?

• Get Healthy Now coaching program physical activity focus area forms (only)
• Participant’s name and in some cases employee ID
• Physician’s name (in less than one-third of cases)
• Small amount of medical information (in a single case)

What information is NOT at risk?

• Financial information
• Social security number
• Any other data that would likely lead to financial security concerns

What is being done for those affected by the breach?

• Health Fitness will provide one year of free credit monitoring.
• Health Fitness will provide a call center for the next 90 days for any questions you may have.
• Health Fitness will send letters to individuals with specific details on their information.
• We are working with Health Fitness to make sure this type of breach does not occur again.

While this breach did not involve any university systems and it does not appear that any individual actually accessed the information, we recognize that any compromised data causes stress and may raise many questions. For more information, call Get Healthy Now at 502-852-1907 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The university will continue to review policies and procedures, both on campus and among our various vendors, to protect your information now and in the future.

John Elliott

Chief Human Resources Officer

This year, for the first time ever, Team Captains can join a Leadership Society for showing their commitment to the Heart Walk. Captains who are able to form a 10-person team, lead that team to $1,500 in donations, make a personal donation of any size, and who provide encouragement and support for their team will become a member of the Leadership Society and be rewarded with a gift from the American Heart Association and a lunch with campus leaders. More information is available on the .

UofL scored 67.09 out of a possible 100 on the health employer index (HEI), which is 10 points higher than the national average (58.7) and higher than the Louisville average as well. The average index for a Louisville company this year was 60.4 – up 17 points from last year.��

“It is great to see how we stack up against so many other business and organizations, locally and nationally, and to know UofL is well-positioned as a leader,”  said Patricia Benson, AVP of Health, Wellness and Disease Management.��

Benson said the UofL team will review the six key metrics of the HEI index to consider how to improve the employee wellness program, as well as how to best serve the entire campus community.��

“That is one of the positives that come from events and competitions like Healthiest Employer.�� It gives us an understanding of how we are doing in comparison to the industry as a whole and where to make changes,” she said.��

UofL has participated in the Business First Healthiest Employer competition since inception, securing the title as Healthiest Employer in the inaugural event in 2010. This year’s large group category competition included companies such as Yum! Brands, Humana, Norton Healthcare, GE Appliances and more.

Benson said since 2010, more companies — both locally and nationally — have implemented worksite wellness programs, reaping positive rewards.��

“UofL has a great story to share in that regard – both in terms of return on investment and value on investment,” she said. “We will continue looking for ways to expand our comprehensive health and wellness offerings with the heart of every employee in the forefront of our mind.”

Methodology

The Healthy Employer Index (HEI) is based on an analysis of the company’s wellness program in six key metrics:  

• Culture/leadership commitment;
• Foundational components;
• Strategic planning;
• Communications/marketing;
• Programming/interventions; and
• Reporting/analysis.

The scores were calculated by Healthiest Employers, an Indianapolis-based research firm. The scores are calculated using an online survey completed by participating employers. Each employer is ranked with their individual Healthiest Employer Index (HEI). The survey consists of 75 scored questions.