took a moment to talk with UofL News about the community impact of UofL’s School of Nursing. From her entrance into the school as a 17-year-old nursing student in 1976 to being named interim dean in 2022, the school has served as�� bookends for DeLetter’s dedicated nursing career.

UofL News: Your history with the School of Nursing is almost as long as the school’s history. Tell us more about that.

DeLetter: I started at UofL as a first-year associate degree nursing student at age 17 in 1976. I stayed in the program two more years and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1980. After my graduation, I did work at different hospitals in Louisville, then moved to North Carolina where I obtained my master’s degree. I returned to Kentucky and after working in Lexington for many years, I was recruited to UofL in 2017, where originally, I taught part-time. I then became director of the RN to BSN program, then associate dean for academic affairs, and in 2022, was asked by the provost to serve as interim dean. As of 2024, that’s a span of 46 years in nursing.

It’s been a huge honor and privilege to have been in this School of Nursing at the beginning – two years into the start – and now to have held this position. For me to have come in this big circle and to be able to close the loop on my career, having had the privilege to serve at this level, is something I will always treasure.

UofL News: What makes UofL’s School of Nursing distinctive?

DeLetter: From the very beginning, expectations of students were high; we were strong, and our faculty were strong. We were right on the cusp of a shift in the profession from subservient to autonomous.

We were guided to really use our knowledge, our science, our critical thinking, our assessment skills to make decisions. I don’t think all schools were there yet.��

We were encouraged to push forward in our education so that we would have a seat at the table with other health care professionals.

I learned at an early age that the patient’s family is whoever the patient says they are. It was the mid-70s and people didn’t all talk like that, but we were very open to diversity. We were ahead of our time. Today, we still have that vitally and strong commitment to our students and to the community.

UofL News: In addition to the massive technological and digital advancements from the ’70s through today, what are some of the most significant changes in the field?

DeLetter: I sometimes wonder how students still do it in a four-year degree. They’re spending the same amount of time now that we spent 40 years ago to learn so much more.

There are so many more drugs, medications, treatments, types of surgeries. When I first became a nurse, patients were admitted the day before a surgery, it could be something as simple as a carpal tunnel surgery, and they stayed for two or three days afterward. Now of course, for that and much bigger surgeries, they don’t stay.

We also have so much more knowledge about pathophysiology and treatment and outcomes. An important thing that’s changed for nurses is our ability to monitor what we do and how we have an impact on the patient. We have evidence-based protocols, and nurses are now expected to monitor and prevent conditions from developing like pressure ulcers, falls, infection from urinary catheters or central line IV access or ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Simulation education is hugely different. We practiced injections on each other. Today, students have excellent training in simulation. We also have a more collaborative health care team than 40 years ago.

Another momentous change in nursing has been the educational level of the faculty. Years ago, a new dean came and told everyone they needed to get doctoral degrees. It was pivotal in reframing the School of Nursing to be recognized as a credible discipline in higher education.

UofL News: What challenges do today’s nurses have that they didn’t have years ago?

DeLetter: The acuity of illnesses is greater. We are more challenged by societal problems of gun violence and domestic violence. Bills have gone before the state to decriminalize errors by nurses and to hold patients criminally liable when they assault nurses or other health care providers. The world is busier and more complicated.

Some students have bigger burdens to carry. Some are single parents or living in domestic violence situations. We have a student loan debt crisis. There’s discussion everywhere about the mental health crisis of many students on college campuses, not just ours, but across the nation.

UofL News: In what positive ways have you seen our nursing students change over the years?

DeLetter: Students have a broader view because of their access to the world, so they have a better understanding of global health. Also, they have a better understanding of the impact of the health of the community. We think broadly about social determinants of health that affect patients across the continuum of their health care. ��

UofL News: How has our nursing program impacted our community?

DeLetter: We’ve graduated over 7,000 nursing students in the last 50 years so there’s no question our graduates are everywhere.

We are well known in hospitals and other agencies for our quality graduates. We contribute to dozens of community activities every year. We provide service to people through our community health courses, we have students in schools, homeless shelters and in all kinds of agencies providing care to clients. When you have students doing something for them, and they wear that UofL shirt, that’s going to have a positive impact. The university is socializing students to care about others.

UofL News: What is one thing that you hope to see happen in nursing in the next 50 years?

DeLetter: I hope we reach a point where the workforce shortage is not so dire.
Another thing I would like to see is the continued proliferation of the research and evidence-based practice changes in patient care. We continue to give diligent care as bedside clinicians; we continue to advance the science and we continue to serve the communities where we live and work.

While Allen’s passion for history has not wavered since earning her BA in History from UofL in 2000 and MA in History in 2002, teaching was not always a part of the path she envisioned for herself.

“After earning a Master of Arts in History, I planned to pursue an occupation in museum work or another public history profession,” Allen explained.

It was clear she enjoyed her time on the Belknap campus when she began her professional career right at home working at the University of Louisville’s Ekstrom Library. Her time outside of the classroom, however, did not last long.

“I asked my mentor, Dr. Wayne Lee, who taught in the History Department at the time, if I could teach on a part-time basis in Fall 2002,” she said. “He agreed. Once I started teaching for the university, I desired to pursue a teaching career.”

In no time, Allen knew that her path would take a turn toward teaching. In fact, she’d return several years down the road to earn her MA in Teaching in 2009.

“[Teaching part-time at UofL is] what helped me to determine that I wanted to be a teacher and eventually go into high school teaching,” Allen told the .

Her involvement with the history department came with expansive content knowledge, her time working in the library allowed her to learn about new and exciting topics from other departments and her time with the ����ֱ�� Department taught her how to communicate her knowledge.

“The faculty of the ����ֱ�� Department helped open my mind to the variety of ways that teachers must communicate content to students in order to reach kids from diverse backgrounds,” Allen explained.

Equipped with deep knowledge of her area of study, Allen has found success in her career as a history teacher at Eastern High School, where she encourages her students to be inquisitive, active learners.

The three-time UofL Alumna has gone on to inspire countless students to pursue a higher education, many of whom have chosen UofL. With the help of then-History Department Chair Dr. Tracy K’Meyer, Allen facilitated a dual credit UofL course at her high school and often brings students to her alma mater for campus visits. ��

“My former students who currently attend UofL voluntarily take time out of their busy schedules to give [my current students] insight into college life,” Allen said. “The biggest compliment from my former students is their willingness to come back to my classes and talk to seniors about college life. I’ve always been grateful for my former students’ kindness and their willingness to share their knowledge.”

Allen, who credits some of her success as a teacher to her continued higher education, advises future educators to pursue a Master’s Degree in their content, which provides a broader understanding of relevant methods.

Whether she’s encouraging inquisitive minds or inspiring future educators, this UofL Alumna and local high school teacher is clearly making her mark on the community. ����

The project also features artistic video as visual accompaniment, with a feature-length film set to be released next year.��

“The dream here is that, once we get this film finished, I can take it around to a lot of different places in Kentucky and the region and have screenings and conversations,” .

A few years ago, Grimes, who lives in Carrolton, Kentucky, helped her parents move into assisted living facilities. In doing so, she found a treasure-trove of family documents, photos and letters spanning several generations. In 2016, she began researching some of the more vexing questions that surfaced about people, places and events.��

“Every time you open up a tub of photographs, you take all these different journeys and detours … ‘Look how that person looks just like my baby cousin’… It’s just this crazy journey that you go on when looking at family things,” she told Kentucky Monthly.

She also wanted to look at the larger history of Kentucky, including voices that were deeply marginalized and poorly represented.

“I wanted to investigate some of the lore, some of the stories, the linear chronology of the settlement of Kentucky, but also the daily life in Kentucky … through the eyes and ears and feelings of women,” she told Kentucky Monthly.

On the album, stories emerge such as Dolly, a slave from Boonesborough’s settlement;��Patsy, a Winchester farmer and��Sara Katherine Simpson Jones��of Lincoln County, who was able to attend high school by taking work in town.

Taken together, the songs weave a tapestry of yearning, nostalgia, grief and intimacies of everyday life through rich orchestrations.��

Instrumentation includes piano, harp, strings, choir, lead vocals and narrators. Special guest collaborators are Stephen Webber, Timbre Cierpke, Joan Shelley and Nathan Salsburg. The experimental film was created in collaboration with Catharine Axley, a filmmaker in residence at the University of Kentucky.

“The Way Forth” is available, along with other work by Grimes, .����

Grimes creates music for chamber ensembles, orchestras, film and collaborative live performances. Her work has been performed by ensembles such as the Louisville Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, Knoxville Symphony, A Far Cry, Longleash and the Dublin Guitar Quartet.

Recent works include the soundtrack “The Doctor From India” (2018), “The Blue Hour” (2018), “Through the Sparkle” (2017), “The Clearing” (2015) and numerous albums with the ground-breaking indie chamber group, Rachel’s.��

She holds a bachelor of music from UofL’s school of music in music theory and composition.

Dr. Tom Owen, archivist in University Libraries for 44 years, has found yet another way to get folks engaged in the city’s past.

This summer, Owen unveiled “,” a new YouTube channel featuring segments on local history. In each short episode, he recounts a bygone tale, often uncovering new information using primary sources and research tools found in .

He promises a new segment each month.

, Owen uncovers a 1960s mystery building near Breckinridge and Hancock streets, while telling the larger story of urban renewal in Louisville. In the , he spins the tumultuous tale of an office building at Chestnut and Liberty where working women and children were swept into a heartbreaking labor strike.

“It’s a great story,” he said, with his characteristic enthusiasm.

Owen said the project is an extension of the kind of work he’s done throughout his career.

“Very early on I stumbled into telling pieces of history, episodic stories, blessed with a notion that for something to be important or a story to be interesting, George Washington did not have to have slept there,” he said. “There’s a story under every rock.”

Owen’s inimitable charm and knack for storytelling has made him a favorite in local media through the years. He’s done a local history series for WHAS, KET and Louisville Public Media. Owen, who is a former Louisville Metro Council member, is also known for his walking history tours of downtown neighborhoods.

All of his work is about using stories to reach people and connect them with their past, he says, which influences the present. Now, he’s using the medium of the moment to do it. YouTube, after all, is cheap, easy and immediate. ����

“I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do,” he said.

Those are just a few of things , and have in common.

But the similarities don’t end there: the three are also winners of the prestigious Fulbright Award and are spending their summers teaching English in Asian countries.

Bush, Hilbrecht and Gassman met during their first year at UofL. As , they spent a lot of time together as they traveled the world, became roommates and studied.

Hilbrecht’s mother, Sharron Hilbrecht, said the college pals “were beyond thrilled” when they found all three would be Fulbrights.

“One by one, they heard from their respective countries that they’d been accepted, with each friend celebrating his own victory and keeping his fingers crossed for the others,” she said. “We were all blown away that three friends and roommates were all chosen for the Fulbright program since it’s so hard to get into,”

The threesome graduated in May 2018 from the College of Arts and Sciences. Bush and Gassman have degrees in history, political science and Asian studies. Hilbrecht earned a degree in political science.

Bush, who is spending his Fulbright in Macau, said UofL mentors were a big help in applying for the award.

“I am proud to have attended a school that offers such a fantastic support network for graduating seniors,” Bush said.

UofL had in 2018, a number that underscores the university’s impressive record as a producer of prestigious scholarships.

Those are just a few of things , and have in common.

But the similarities don’t end there: the three are also winners of the prestigious Fulbright Award and are spending their summers teaching English in Asian countries.

Bush, Hilbrecht and Gassman met during their first year at UofL. As , they spent a lot of time together as they traveled the world, became roommates and studied.

Hilbrecht’s mother, Sharron Hilbrecht, said the college pals “were beyond thrilled” when they found all three would be Fulbrights.

“One by one, they heard from their respective countries that they’d been accepted, with each friend celebrating his own victory and keeping his fingers crossed for the others,” she said. “We were all blown away that three friends and roommates were all chosen for the Fulbright program since it’s so hard to get into,”

The threesome graduated in May 2018 from the College of Arts and Sciences. Bush and Gassman have degrees in history, political science and Asian studies. Hilbrecht earned a degree in political science.

Bush, who is spending his Fulbright in Macau, said UofL mentors were a big help in applying for the award.

“I am proud to have attended a school that offers such a fantastic support network for graduating seniors,” Bush said.

UofL had in 2018, a number that underscores the university’s impressive record as a producer of prestigious scholarships.

To help bring that story to life, Locust Grove recently reached out to the��.����

, a teaching assistant earning her MFA in performance, was tapped to reenact the role of an enslaved distiller for visitors at the . Her job is also to help craft the character and storyline for the role she’ll be playing.

It’s no easy task. There are few records of the who lived at Locust Grove and none left in their own words.

“Slaves were the majority of the people who lived here 200 years ago. But it’s more challenging to recreate their experience than the owners of the farm because the owners left behind letters that tell of their perspective,” said Brian Cushing, Locust Grove Program Director, in a. “We’re trying to respectfully and authentically bring the characters of the enslaved African Americans who lived and worked at Locust Grove to life in the same way that we do other characters from the site’s history.”

To prepare, Edwards learned the distilling process, read letters from Locust Grove owners’ and reviewed an inventory of slaves which described them only by name, age and duty. She said she’ll ultimately create a composite character culled from her broader research. ��

Storytelling about slavery is “touchy, you have to approach it carefully,” she said. “Many people, black or white, seem to prefer to avoid it.”��

She’s appreciative of the opportunity to represent African Americans in such a context to help educate people.

“No matter how hard a thing it is to do, it’s still an important thing to do,” she said. “Children and people should know that slavery was a part of our American history. I like being a representative in that way.”

When Locust Grove initially contacted Theatre Arts,, whose teaching, directing, writing and storytelling focus on people of the African diaspora, offered some thoughts on involving students in the reenactment.

“I explained it would not be appealing or interesting to an African American to perform the role of an enslaved character that is marginal to the main action. The character must be central to the story, not peripheral,” Burton said. “Also the actor must have the freedom to create stories that actually represent the enslaved people’s lives and feelings, and not some made up, soft pedaling of what it meant to be enslaved.”

Edwards said she’s felt supported and appreciated by Locust Grove’s staff through the process.��

Edwards, who also teaches at Kentucky Shakespeare’s camp, is playing the lead role in the .

She earned her BFA in musical theatre from William Peace University in North Carolina and chose to come to UofL for graduate studies as Theatre Arts offers the only in the country.

“Both heritage and theatre are very important to me,” she said.

“Nobody – to our knowledge – has tried to use this type of GIS data for a history project,” Krebs said.

On March 3, faculty members and students from the Departments of History and Geography & Geosciences��went to Perryville, Kentucky, to fly drones equipped with cameras. The drones were piloted in a grid pattern over the battlefield, and took photographs of the ground from various angles. Using those photographs, Krebs and Biddle will use Agisoft, a mapping software, to put together a 3D map of the terrain.

“This is the first time that the Geography & Geosciences Department has tried this equipment out on such a large scale. Everybody wants to see what works and what doesn’t, and all wanted to try out different drones and approaches to find ways to put together a process for doing this sort of mapping,” Krebs said. “Professor Biddle, my main project partner, flies the drone, and knows the ins-and-outs of the two key software programs, ArcGIS and Agisoft.”

For the trip to Perryville, a number of additional researchers and students outside the project came along, including College of Arts & Sciences professors Robert Forbes, Andrea Gaughan, Andrew Day, and Forrest Stevens, geography alumna Laura Krauser, and Vince DeNoto, director of the National Center for Geospatial Excellence at Jefferson Community & Technical College. Geography & geosciences graduate student G. Allen Noona is also working on the project.

For more information on this project and others, visit the and the Department of Geography & Geoscience’s .

Jennifer Keene’s free, public lecture, “Americans at War: Experiencing World War I,” will begin at 6 p.m. in Chao Auditorium, Ekstrom Library, with a reception afterward.

The event is part of the Louis R. Gottschalk lecture series, which the College of Arts and Sciences’ history department hosts to promote the study of history and to honor Gottschalk, a former UofL professor and American Historical Association president.

Keene will discuss how the war meant separation, combat and loss for millions but also social advancement, adventure and victory to others. She will talk about how ordinary Americans experienced the war’s tragedies and triumphs.

The author is��Chapman University’s history department chair. She has published three books on U.S. World War I involvement: “Doughboys, the Great War and the Remaking of America,” “The United States and the First World War” and “World War I.”

She also was lead author for the history textbook “Visions of America: A History of the United States” and associate editor of the Encyclopedia of War and American Society, which won the Society of Military History’s 2005 prize for best military history reference book. Keene is also an advisory board member of the International Society for First World War Studies.

The Society for Military History will host its annual conference in Louisville next year.

The event, the second in the center’s “Promises and Perils of the American Presidency” public lecture series, featured UofL alumna and University of Virginia government professor Barbara Perry, who said that the first month of a Trump presidency has clearly shown that not all presidents are alike.

“In 2008 I was asked to examine whether or not it mattered who was in the White House because maybe it was thought that it didn’t matter because all politicians are alike,” Perry said. “I find it fascinating because, in part, Trump won the election because he played off of that, saying that all politicians are bad or crooked and that he wasn’t one of those. But it does matter who’s in the office. That’s been made clear through the first few weeks of that presidency and it has mattered throughout our history.”

Perry, the director of Presidential Studies and co-chair of the Presidential Oral History Program at UV, says a president’s success depends on a combination of factors.

“You also have to surround yourself with good people. George Washington had Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State and Alexander Hamilton as the Secretary of the Treasury,” Perry said. “It’s helpful to note that many presidents who were strong leaders were not afraid to surround themselves with the best and the brightest.”