The article examined Postel’s work since taking the reins nearly nine months ago amidst growing controversies, such as a $48 million budget deficit, academic probation from the university’s accrediting body, and an FBI investigation into the men’s basketball program.

“I’ve been at the university a long time and I wouldn’t have agreed to do this if I didn’t care so much about the place,” Postel told the publication.

Highlights from the interview include:

• Postel’s family, including wife Sally, twin 7 year olds and golden doodle, help him balance a work/life schedule.

“I spend time with them every day. I get a good night’s sleep every night. I get up early and exercise … I eat well. I’m organized … I think that people who are organized and rested and balanced are able to stay sharp.”

• Postel hopes to continue a tuition freeze, but it is still early in the budget development process and no decision has been made yet. “Our goal is to make school as affordable as possible,” he said.

• Postel also offered a piece of advice to new UofL graduates: “View your education as a tool, not a confining instrument … Stay open to possibilities and opportunities.”

• Finally, Postel said he tries to motivate employees by setting an example.

“If I’m trying to be fair and I’m in the office early and working hard and answering emails quickly and trying to raise money and doing the right kind of things, I hope people see that and try to do the same thing,” he said.

The entire profile on the 55-year-old Canton, Ohio, native is available on the Business First website.

��

The trustees also heard an update on the university’s financial picture from interim CFO Susan Howarth. Howarth says UofL’s cost cutting efforts are working and there is “good news” in the numbers. UofL is meeting its budget targets and on pace to meet its goal of spending $10 million less than the 2016-17 fiscal year in each of three categories: compensation, procurement and other cost savings.

“We feel very comfortable about meeting these goals,” Howarth said.

Howarth says first quarter revenues are running ahead of last year’s and a slight drop in the size of the freshman class has been offset by an increase in enrollment at the Brandeis School of Law.

The board also took two actions designed to address the two remaining concerns of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, UofL’s accreditation agency:

• Approved memoranda of understanding between the university and both the UofL Real Estate Foundation and Pediatric Medical Office Building, Inc.
• Approved a resolution in support of administrators currently filling interim roles

Also, faculty members Susan Jarosi and Rob Keynton appeared before the full board expressing concerns about the board’s plan to conduct a closed search for the next UofL President. Jarosi and Keynton head the Presidential Search Faculty Consultation Committee and laid out reasons the board should conduct a more open search process, reveal the three finalists and bring them to campus for meetings with faculty, staff and students before a final decision is made. Due to time constraints there was no discussion following the presentation, but board chair David Grissom invited the faculty members to appear at the next meeting for a question and answer session.��

From an administrative perspective, we are confident in the leadership abilities of the acting athletic director, Vince Tyra.�� We know that Vince will lead the department in a way that best serves the university, and our student athletes, both on and off the field.��

On behalf of the board of trustees, we thank those who have taken the time to write us in the past weeks.�� Your passion and support for the University of Louisville will ensure that our best days are ahead of us.��

To our students, faculty, staff and Cards fans, this is our opportunity to demonstrate the unity and integrity that define being a Louisville Cardinal.�� When I walk around campus I’m always inspired when I see a student wearing one of our t-shirts that reads “Rise to the Occasion.” Right now, we need to challenge ourselves to do just that.

Thank you.

The Special Committee of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges Special Committee has issued a draft report after visiting campus Sept. 19-21 to review the university’s compliance with SACS’ Principles of Accreditation. .

The committee reports that UofL is in compliance with Core Requirement 2.2, which relates to its governing board, and with comprehensive standards related to CEO evaluation/selection, conflict of interest, external influence, board dismissal, financial stability and control of finances.

The committee provided specific recommendations to ensure the university complies with two other issues in the Principles of Accreditation. It suggested the university sign a memorandum of understanding to clarify its relationship with the University of Louisville Real Estate Foundation, Inc., and it raised questions about the number of interim senior appointments in the university’s central administration.��

UofL Interim President Greg Postel said the university will quickly create the memorandum of understanding. UofL’s administration currently is conducting searches to fill several of the leadership positions.

Also in the document, the SACS committee applauded the “extraordinary cooperation that the institution showed” during the visit, and that it stated the university “currently operates with integrity.”

The university is expected to respond to the draft by early November. The organization will rule on the university’s probationary status at its national meeting in December.

The senate approved the qualifications and qualities of an A+ University President, including:

• Visionary with a focus on strategic planning
• Terminal degree
• Commitment to academic excellence
• Experience in academic leaderships
• Experience with demonstrated knowledge of sources of income, revenue and managing fiscal affairs.

The full list is .��This list was pulled from feedback from all staff employees via a survey on Survey Monkey.

Another ad hoc committee created a new mission statement for the Staff Senate:

“The University of Louisville Staff Senate, as a partner in the Shared Governance structure, is an advocate for the interests and concerns of staff, in support of the University community and its mission.”

The statement was approved.

Report: Dr. Greg Postel, interim president

Postel opened his PowerPoint presentation with an overview of the UofL Hospital/James Graham Brown Cancer Center management transition, which was completed without incident July 1. Postel said 2,500 employees now work for UMC, which has a “strong” balance sheet and a balanced budget. Also, employee enthusiasm and engagement over the transition is “profound.”

“There were a number of people outside cheering when they were changing the signs. They’re excited about the opportunity to manage their hospital,” he said. “This is a real economic engine for the University of Louisville. This is one example of how to bring into our control and asset and a growth opportunity versus a cut.”

Postel provided a quick overview of the four construction projects underway – Belknap Academic Building, Swain Center renovation/expansion; Pediatric Medical Office Building; and Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.

“I’m most excited about the academic building. It will include all of the things that go into making sure our students excel,” he said.

All projects remain on track for completion about a year from now.

Postel wanted to reiterate to the Staff Senate that the administration is not immune to the budget issues, noting that a number of positions will go unfilled, such as his chief of staff and the Chief Administrative Officer.

“The office of the president is down to four people. We had over 20 a year ago,” he said.

There are a number of appointments and searches underway:

• President, interim, Board of Trustees process
• Provost, interim, no search plan
• EVPHA, interim, no search plan
• Chief of Staff, will not be filled
• CAO, will not be filled
• VP of Advancement, interim, no search plan
• VP of Community Engagement, interim, no search plan
• VP of HR, interim, no search plan
• CFO of HSC, national search completed
• CFO of Belknap, interim, national search underway
• COO, interim, under consideration
• Ombudsman, search conducted by provost
• VP, ERM, under consideration

Postel provided an update to UofL’s SACS accreditation status, noting the leadership had an “excellent” meeting in June with SACS. Postel and a few other administrators are going to visit SACS in Georgia to talk about anything extra the university can do to ensure the September site visit is successful.

“It is a way for us to be proactive and for us to get our faces out there,” he said.

One of his biggest concerns is the financial stability of the university.

“SACS will want to see that we have a balanced budget. This institution has not had a balanced budget in years and they’re going to make sure we’re sticking to this. I’m very focused on this. “Now is not the time to be lax on expenses and revenue,” Postel said.

Postel said he has received a lot of feedback from donors and members of the public about the recent NCAA ruling about the men’s basketball team.

“This is frustrating, but it’s a part of our life and we have to get past it. There were four sets of findings and they were not appealing. This is a bad story and we’re not making excuses,” he said.

UofL is not appealing any of the findings.

“We want to send a message to the community loud and clear that we’re not trying to make light of anything that happened,” Postel said.

UofL is, however, appealing two of the penalties: vacation of wins/titles and financial claw back from conference proceeds.

“It’s hard to find precedent with these penalties. We are appealing these two with a ‘non-emotional’ justification. We feel that there were errors made in the way these penalties were decided. Some of the players ended up not even playing for UofL, for example,” Postel said. “We have to balance being fair but accepting our punishment.”

The appeal process will run at least until the fall, when the next hearing is scheduled.

Postel said there is not much to update on the UofL Foundation’s forensic audit. The board of trustees continues to study the report and a detailed discussion will take place at the next board meeting, July 20. This, he said, will kick off additional conversations.

The Jewish Hospital/Frazier Rehabilitation Center are on the market. These are KentuckyOne Health’s largest facilities and UofL owns the ground and much of the programming that takes place there (about half of the admissions).

“We’re trying to understand what we can do that produces no-to-minimal risk for the university but is in the best interests of the community because these facilities provide a big safety net for many, many people,” Postel told the Faculty Senate a week prior. “Two of the three busiest ERs in the city are for sale and as a service we can’t look away, but we can’t do something at the peril of the university.”

Finally, UofL will “reassess” the current, “extremely conservative” budget in the fall to see if we can change strategies.

“Will we have to be as harsh about hiring? Procurement? We should be able to know more by then. Nothing is going to be easy or popular,” Postel said. “But we are busy trying to make this as painless and short term as possible. I am also confident we are going to have donors back again and soon. We’re all in this together.”

Postel conducted a Q&A after his presentation, fielding many questions about the 6-percent procurement tax that has been proposed to each unit to help reach a $10 million procurement savings.

“I think it’s for the birds, but it’s a step that is being taken to kick off this savings effort. It may very well morph into something different, but this is a start,” Postel said.

Postel added that the procurement tax will be assessed soon and encouraged faculty and and staff to cut back on purchases and buy only what is needed.��

Report: Jeanell Hughes, AVP of HR

Hughes said the HR Tours launched in the spring have been well attended. HR is currently developing reports on attrition so we will know where we are month to month. The department is also developing a compensation report.

A program is being developed for any RIF employees that allows them to put their resume into a pool to be notified should any opportunities come up across campus. It is an opt-in program.

Hughes noted that July 21 is her last day with UofL.

Report: Faculty Senate

Dr. Bob Staat provided the Faculty Senate report from the week prior, which is . Staat is retiring Dec. 31.

“It has been a great pleasure serving in this role. You learn what’s really going on at this university with this group,” he said.

Chair Will Armstrong provided the Staff Senate Chair’s Report, also .��

Also at the meeting, new senators were welcomed and committee reports were provided, including ��and .��

The treasurer’s report indicates that there is $2,347.53 in the general fund as of the end of May. The SHARE fund is $14,712.47, and the tech fund is $1,674.

The Staff Senate will not meet in August. The next meeting is Sept. 11 at 2:30 p.m. in Chao Auditorium.

The “topping off” event was celebrated by the campus community and dozens of people signed the beam before it was hoisted into place.

The four-story,150,000-square-foot is on track to open fall 2018 and will enhance learning and provide academic and career services to students. It will primarily serve undergraduate students on the Belknap Campus and will feature more than two dozen classrooms, as well as science labs and group study areas, gathering spaces and food service options.

“This building is vital for many reasons,” said Greg Postel, interim president. “It will provide the learning environment and the related services that will help drive our students’ success, both while they are undergraduates and after they have moved on to careers, families and positions of leadership in the community.”

A major part of the new structure will be a program that helps students align their abilities, academic degree and possibilities for future employment as part of their college success. The Career Development Center, open to all university students and housed in a building nearby, will be a partner in the programming for the new building.��

Jim Begany, Vice Provost for Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success, lauded the planned focus for the building said it will help students “navigate any roadblock on their path to graduation.”

Student Government Association President Vishnu Tirumala said the building is “nothing short of transformative” for students, who want to see more innovative classrooms and labs.��

The Kentucky Legislature approved funding for the building in 2014 to address a significant lack of classroom space at UofL. According to a Kentucky Council on Postsecondary ����ֱ�� study, UofL had the most significant shortage of classroom space among all Kentucky’s public universities.

The new facility is being built on the site that previously housed the Crawford Gym. Built in the 1960s, Crawford once served as the practice facility for the UofL basketball and swimming programs and, later, as home to the College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development’s Department of Health and Sport Sciences.��

Postel thanked employees who have had an especially large role in the ongoing construction of the building including Physical Plant and Planning, Design and Construction.

Video from the ceremony is below:��

The $1.238 billion budget includes $512 million in general funds, which support most of the university’s instructional and operational activities. Those funds come primarily from tuition and fees and from state appropriations. Non-general funds, primarily produced through affiliated corporations such as the UofL Research Foundation, the UofL Athletic Association and the UofL Foundation, will total about $726 million.

The budget addresses four priorities:

• Resolving a structural imbalance in the operating budget. The budget emphasizes efficiency in administrative operations, trimming travel expenses and implementing a hiring “frost” to more closely scrutinize the need to refill vacant positions.
• Keeping college affordable. The budget keeps tuition flat for all students and increases overall financial aid by $1.3 million. It also includes $2.5 million for the Credit for Credits program, in which students who complete at least 30 hours in an academic year receive a $526 credit toward the next year’s tuition. Students in the program will pay less in 2017-18 than they did last year.
• Strategic allocations. Using a $12 million reallocation pool from a 3 percent across-the-board budget cut in the past year, the university will direct funding toward targeted areas including academic quality and student recruitment.
• Establishing a firm financial foundation for future years. The budget includes a revised forecast of revenues and expenses, as well as savings realized through administrative efficiencies and capture of vacant salary lines.

Postel noted that while the budget is tight, it will enable the university to continue moving forward.

Interim CFO Susan Howarth told the board that the university has taken actions to offset a projected $48 million shortfall in 2017-18. Those actions included reducing operational costs by $9 million to $10 million, realizing $10 million in efficiencies and economies of scale in the university’s procurement practices, saving $10 million through the hiring “frost” and using $17 million in one-time funds from the university’s partnership with KentuckyOne Health. The KentuckyOne funds will be replaced through operational efficiencies as a result of the transition of management of University Hospital and the James Graham Brown Cancer Center to University Medical Center.

Also at the meeting, Kentucky Council on Postsecondary ����ֱ�� President Robert King provided an orientation session on board membership. King stressed that trustees’ loyalties must lie with the institution rather than with any particular university leadership. He also weighed in on UofL’s current SACS probation, stating that he is “confident that all the things you’re doing … will take you off probation.”

In other action, the board approved:

• Creation of an ad hoc committee on tenure and nepotism policy
• Construction of a television production studio. Athletics will fund construction of the $8 million facility, which is required as part of UofL’s membership in the ACC
• A long-term ground lease and development of the Churchill Park property near the Lynn Soccer Stadium. The property will be used for soccer practice fields.
• A motion to empower Postel to negotiate terms of a revised Yum! Center lease with the Louisville Arena Authority.

John Paul Nelson, from the College of Business, was recognized for 50 years at UofL. Nelson is professor of��Economics.��

All recognized faculty members and their years of service include:

College of Arts & Sciences

• Augustus A. Mastri, Classical and Modern Languages (40)
• Robert M. Buchanan, Chemistry (35)
• Susan M. Griffin, English (35)
• Barbara L. Hanger, Fine Arts (35)
• Beth A. Boehm, English (30)
• Alan Golding, English (30)
• Suzanne Meeks, Psychological and Brain Sciences (30)
• Prasanna Sahoo, Mathematics (30)
• Patricia Gagne, Sociology (25)
• Elizabeth Grossi, Criminal Justice (25)

College of Business

• John Paul Nelson, Economics (50)
• Archie W. Faircloth, Accountancy (45)
• Alan N. Attaway, Accountancy (40)
• Jay T. Brandi, Finance (35)
• P.S. Raju, Marketing (30)
• Robert M. Barker, Computer Information Systems (25)

School of Dentistry

• Carmine J. Esposito, Oral Health and Rehabilitation (40)
• Susan W. Grammer, Oral Health and Rehabilitation (40)
• Douglas S. Darling, Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases (25)

Brandeis School of Law

• Russell L. Weaver (35)
• John T. Cross (30)

School of Medicine

• Jeffrey P. Callen, Medicine (40)
• Richard D. Miller, Microbiology and Immunology (40)
• Richard W. Stremel, Physiology (40)
• Gordon R. Tobin, Surgery (40)
• Michael E. Brier, Medicine (30)
• William Gerald Cheadle, Surgery (30)
• Royce D. Coleman, Emergency Medicine (30)
• Steven R. Ellis, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics (30)
• Mary E. Fallat, Surgery (30)
• Mark P. Pfeifer, Medicine (30)
• Gerard Paul Rabalais, Pediatrics (30)
• Michael J. Voor, Orthopedic Surgery (25)
• Gordon Strauss, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (25)
• Vicki L. Montgomery, Pediatrics (25)
• Karen W. Krigger, Family and Geriatric Medicine (25)
• G. Rafael Fernandez-Botran, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (25)
• Rif S. El-Mallakh, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (25)
• Tracy D. Eells, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (25)
• Vernon Cook, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health (25)

School of Nursing

• Carla P. Hermann (30)

J.B. Speed School of Engineering

• James Charles Watters, Chemical Engineering (40)
• Patricia Ann Stark Ralston, Engineering Fundamentals (35)
• J.P. Mohsen, Civil and Environmental Engineering (35)
• Adel S. Elmaghraby, Computer Engineering & Computer Science (35)
• Geoffrey Cobourn, Mechanical Engineering (35)
• John S. Usher, Industrial Engineering (30)
• Glen Prater, Jr., Mechanical Engineering (30)
• Mark N. French, Civil and Environmental Engineering (30)

Thousands of cap-and-gown-clad graduates converged at the KFC Yum! Center to pose for family pictures, congratulate classmates, get in line for the processional and, finally, to savor that sweet moment as they crossed the stage and heard their name called.

“Graduates, this is your day,” said Interim President Greg Postel in his commencement speech. “This semester, 3,156 students are receiving proof of hard-earned success: a college diploma from the University of Louisville.”

Although not all graduates take part in commencement, there were more than 2,000 at this semester’s celebration, making it one of the largest in university history.

Here’s a snapshot of a few of the spring 2017 graduates:

Never, ever give up

CEHD sport administration graduate Ryan Dant was diagnosed with a rare disorder at age three. His parents, Mark and Jeanne Dant, were told it was unlikely he would survive beyond age 10. The Dants fought back hard. With persistence and grit — plus medical breakthroughs and community support — Ryan not only survived but thrived.

The 29-year-old, who has referred to UofL as his “dream school,” said some of his fondest memories include working as an equipment manager for the men’s football team.

“It’s a lot of fun to be part of a great athletic program,” said Dant who came to UofL on a scholarship and graduated with a grade point average of 3.5. “I live by the quote ‘never, ever give up.’” said Dant. His incredible story was recounted in detail in ��It was also reported locally in the .��

Victorious Victoria

Victoria Sledge’s collegiate journey was so beset with obstacles that most people would have simply given up.

The Memphis, Tennessee, native’s unplanned pregnancy��in 2011 caused her life to unravel.��Beset with extreme morning sickness, she��dropped out of college, was evicted from her home and, later, came to Louisville to be near family. She had no place to call home and worried that her rootless life would impact her newborn daughter.

In 2012 Sledge learned about , a UofL partner that provides housing for low income, single parents.��Sledge started classes, made the dean’s list and��was a homecoming queen candidate. Her daughter, Levi,��thrived in��the UofL early childhood education program.

Sledge, a sociology major in the College of Arts and Sciences,��has already��accepted a position in Chicago’s school system and will start soon.

“I hope others will see my example and know that they can do it too,” said Sledge.��She is the first in��her family to get a college degree.

A fine arts first

There’s a certain magic to being first and three UofL��scholars had that honor as the of the Hite’s��Master of Fine Arts program. Miranda Becht, Tom LeGoff and Marie-Elena Ottman are the program’s first graduates. The three MFA graduates were hooded by their mentors at the UofL hooding ceremony May 12.

Their art can be seen in that runs through May 27 at the Cressman Center for Visual Art.

From refugee to medical doctor

At the School of Medicine’s 4:30 p.m. convocation on May 13 received her degree. The Bosnian refugee came to the U.S. when she was eight years old and later settled in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

She developed a passion for medicine while serving as a translator for her aging grandfather during hospital visits.

“I was the oldest of my siblings and the oldest of the grandchildren. I found myself riding in an ambulance with my grandfather on a frequent basis. I became his interpreter for every emergency room visit and hospital stay. As his condition unfortunately worsened, my curiosity and passion for medicine grew,” she said.�� “I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.”

With a medical degree in hand, Hrustanovic-Kadic will continue to be a familiar face at the Health Sciences Campus. She plans to stay at UofL to complete her internal medicine residency.

Photos from the morning commencement ceremony are available and .��

Photos from the afternoon commencement ceremony are available and .��

Photos from the doctoral ceremony and hoodings are available and .��

Elections

Election results for Faculty Senate officers are as follows:

Enid Trucios-Haynes, Chair

Krista Wallace-Boaz, Vice Chair

Roger Bradshaw, Executive Committee

Academic Programs Committee: Rob Barker, Dno Demuth, Jasmine Farrier

Committee on Committees and Credentials: Dwayne Buttler, Susan Peacock

Part-Time Faculty Committee: Tim Crawford and Mary Makris (tie)

Planning and Budget Committee: Reg Bruce, David Owen

Redbook Committee: Beth Willey

Academic Technology Committee: Murali Ankem

Parking Advisory Committee: Tom Simmons

Staff Senate Rep: Avery Kolers

Student Conduct Hearing Board: Elizabeth Grossi, Martin Hall

Student Grievance Committee: Lynn Boyd, Robert Detmering

Regular meeting

Dr. Billingsley provided a number of updates to the Faculty Senate, including news that the 2018 budget is where it needs to be at this time. UofL will host three public workshops in May prior to the next Board of Trustees meeting, which will allow for feedback before the full, final budget is presented to the board in June.

Each unit has and will continue to be informed monthly of their progress on deficit reduction. The budget committee has been expanded to include Faculty and Staff Senate representation, among others.

The search for a new ombudsman has been reduced to three finalists. A final recommendation will be made to the provost on May 17.

Dean searches continue as well. Colin Crawford has been named the new dean of the Brandeis School of Law, pending board approval, and will begin Jan. 1. Law professor Lars Smith will fill the role in the interim. A new search for the Speed School dean will begin in the fall with “an aggressive timeline.” Gail DePuy will take on the acting dean role in the interim. Finally, the School of Nursing dean search will begin in the fall.

SACS work, according to Billingsley, is moving forward as usual, with nothing new to report.

From the enrollment front, applications and admissions are up 11 percent compared to last year. Students, surveys have shown, are not deterred by the SACS accreditation status. Underrepresented minority student numbers and mentored scholarship numbers are both strong at this point.

UofL is currently exploring a winter online session, but there is no follow up news to report at this time. The University of Kentucky has such a program and has generated thousands of registrations throughout the past few years.

There are two policies faculty should be diligent about due to either SACS or federal requirements – posting syllabi on Blackboard prior to the course and posting book orders before the first day of registration.

“These aren’t just a requirement by SACS and the federal government. They’re also a benefit to students,” Billingsley said.

Finally, Billingsley encouraged faculty to attend graduation next week, stating it is “an important year for students to know their teachers are there to support them.”

Dr. Postel opened his remarks by expressing appreciation to faculty for another successful semester. He also provided an update from the latest CPE meeting in Frankfort, including the growing recognition of deferred maintenance on state campuses across Kentucky, estimated to be around $8 billion.

“We have been giving attention to that at UofL and have been looking at ways to put in requests to the state to consider a bond issue of some kind to help defray the cost of deferred maintenance on this campus,” Postel said. Other campuses agree and they are looking at perhaps a larger, coordinated request for a bond issue that is partly, “hopefully,” funded by the state, and partly funded by donors.

“This is the state’s property and at some point they have to understand how it’s going to be maintained, so I thought that was an interesting conversation,” Postel said.

Another point was brought up about the state’s budget, which was about $113 million behind what was anticipated for Q3, or just over 1 percent, for the general funds budget. Things could change for Q4 to get the budget back in line. However, if that doesn’t happen, the governor has the ability to use about 25 percent of the rainy day fund to heal the general funds shortfall. This would still leave a deficit of about $60 million, which could potentially threaten the higher education budget. Postel said they will be watching this closely and will know more in the next few weeks.

Postel noted some positive news from UofL, including production of the state’s only Truman Scholar, the multiplicity of Fulbright Scholars and the success from the athletics programs. Additionally, he noted success with recruitment for hiring the law school dean, the new CFO of the HSC campus and the new director of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center.

Coming up, Postel expects May and June to continue to be busy, courtesy of the initial budget presentation to the Board of Trustees on May 18, and with two “big announcements” coming out within the first two weeks of June – the NCAA ruling on the men’s basketball team and the UofL Foundation forensic audit report.

“Both of these will attract a lot of media attention regardless of the outcomes,” he said.

Also, June will mark the final days for Kentucky One Health’s management of UofL Hospital, which will revert back to UMC management on July 1.

“This is a really big deal,” Postel said. “There are literally hundreds of people working on this transition. It is a good thing for UofL. Management will be focused on gaining efficiencies like never before and profitability will be able to better sustain all of our activities on the HSC campus.”

Postel also touched upon the budget process, saying it is “starting to get to a point where we’re about ready to conclude and begin presentations for the board for their deliberations and hopefully approval.

“It has been a tough process, but we have had incredible involvement and a lot of help from deans and faculty and staff on both campuses.”

Postel said everyone involved in the process has been focused on minimizing the impact on employees and programming. Opportunities have been located within the operations of the university, where we have modernized and become more efficient, which has saved us close to $20 million for the 2017-18 year.

“The beauty of this is it is done without the loss of jobs, it enhances functionality, and it also saves us money in the next year and also in the ongoing years,” Postel said. “We are now trying to create a budget not just to get the budget approved, but to build on the budget in future years.”

Postel added that we are holding firm on avoiding mass RIFs and programmatic closures and that the hiring frost may not be as widespread as initially predicted.

“We don’t want to ever live through this kind of process again. This is not the kind of process that builds long-term stability and growth,” he said. “We now have to sharply turn our focus to revenue generation and that will be through the medical complex, a better and larger UofL hospital, through a revised approach to development, and also a focus on a strategic plan of future.

“We’ve lived through this process and we’re going to be OK, but I don’t want anybody to think I’m happy about having to go through this.”

Other business

The Faculty Senate meeting also included the Redbook Committee’s second readings of the Speed School Personnel Policy and Procedures and the Kent School Bylaws, both of which passed.

There was no report from the Student Government Association.

The Staff Senate reported that its elections are coming up – June 12. The body has also created two new ad hoc committees, one focused on strategic plans and bylaws, and the other on presidential qualities.

Standing committee reports include:

Academic Programs: The committee is exploring a new BS in interdisciplinary studies, focused on neuroscience. Members are not ready for a report at this time.

Part-time Faculty: .��

Executive Committee: .��

Faculty Athletic Representative: .��

Faculty Senate’s next meeting is June 7 at 3 p.m. on the HSC campus. The location will be announced later.