The first opened in 2021, and the second opened this fall. While the new residence halls are outfitted to meet 21st-century students’ needs, both were missing one important element — proper names.

University of Louisville Interim President Lori Stewart Gonzalez provided that last key element at the Sept. 23, 2022, meeting of the university Board of Trustees, when she announced that the new resident halls will bear the names Belknap Village North and Belknap Village South. Gonzalez’s announcement was met with the trustees’ approval. In her remarks, Gonzalez noted the proximity of the residence halls to other university facilities, such as the Swain Student Activities Center, the Interfaith Center, Ekstrom Library, numerous classroom buildings and outdoor common areas. Further, the new Center for Engaged Learning, where students can find hands-on job and research opportunities, will open on the bottom floor of Belknap Village South.

“Both the placement of these new facilities as well as consideration of students’ needs in the planning, design and construction exemplify the university’s commitment to strength of community,” said Gonzalez. “Our new residence halls, which 900 primarily first-year students call home, are indeed part of our campus village.”

Other Highlights

Trustees approved the creation of a Public Health Training Graduate Certificate and a Franchise Management Undergraduate Certificate. The Public Health Training Certificate will provide foundational public health knowledge to working professionals who may not be ready to fully commit to a traditional Master of Public Health degree. The Franchise Management Undergraduate Certificate will prepare students to work in franchising, whether that involves becoming a franchisee, working for a franchisee, working for a franchisor or working in the industry.

According to Interim Provost Gerry Bradley, both new certificate programs align with growing market interest in their respective fields and will provide stronger connections between the university and leaders in the public health and business franchise sectors.

The School of Medicine’s request to rename the Diabetes & Obesity Center to the Center for Cardiometabolic Science was unanimously approved. “Diabetes and obesity” focus on risk factors and disease; however, the center’s members also work on fundamental explanation of cardiovascular/cardiometabolic health. The center’s new name encompasses members’ interests in both health and disease.

Bradley notified trustees of two program closures. During a program review, the Kentucky Council for Postsecondary łÉČËÖ±˛Ą identified the Bachelor of Arts in art history degree program for closure due to low and declining enrollment, low degree conferrals and low student market demand. The art and design faculty are converting the BA (Bachelor of Arts) in art history to an art history track within the BA in art degree program.

The Graduate Certificate in Logistics and Distribution will also close due to low enrollment with no students enrolling in the program since Fall 2016. Consequently, the industrial engineering faculty will transition the certificate to an interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Logistics and Supply Chain Management in partnership with faculty in the College of Business.

UofL’s new Center for Engaged Learning (CEL) will celebrate its grand opening Tuesday, Oct. 18, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. UofL’s newest student resource is located on the first floor of the Belknap Village South residence hall. Paul DeMarco, interim director of the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity, gave a presentation about the value of engaged learning at UofL. In doing so, he emphasized how the university’s many different engaged learning opportunities, such as internships, study abroad programs, co-ops and research assistant programs, illustrate how the student experience goes beyond the classroom. The CEL will work on partnership with UofL’s existing engaged learning resources, such as the University Career Centers, Office of Community Engagement, Office of Study Abroad and International Travel, academic programs and several other units to connect students with engaged learning activities.

Jacoby Banet, Madison Cicha and Afi Tagnedji, who all recently participated in the Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP), were also on hand to share the positive outcomes of their engaged learning experiences.

“The center is an exciting resource that will greatly benefit our students,” said Gonzalez. “Students who have had engaged or experiential learning opportunities ask richer questions in class and are prepared after graduation to tackle complex problems in any workplace setting.”

The next meeting of the University of Louisville Board of Trustees will take place Friday, Oct. 28, at 1 p.m. in the Jefferson Room, Grawemeyer Hall. Meeting information, committee reports and meeting minutes are available on the Board of Trustees .

This year, more than 700 students submitted recommendations for Student Champion Awards, yielding 547 recipients representing several schools, colleges and offices.

“A UofL diploma represents a communal investment in academic, professional and personal success,” said interim President Lori Stewart Gonzalez, who as provost initiated the Student Champion Award program in 2021. “As our students succeed, so does our university. My thanks and congratulations to the winners of this year’s Student Champion Award.”

The College of Arts & Sciences received the most nominations, with student submissions recognizing 173 faculty and staff across multiple departments. Students also recognized 63 employees in the College of łÉČËÖ±˛Ą and Human Development, 45 employees in the School of Medicine and 33 employees in the College of Business.

Raymond Chastain, associate professor in the College of Arts & Sciences, Amy Hirschy and Susan Longerbeam, both associate professors in the College of łÉČËÖ±˛Ą and Human Development, and Leondra Gully, director of the Cultural Center, received the most acknowledgements from the student body.

“Our Student Champion Award recipients demonstrate the kind of faculty and staff that make UofL a great place to learn,” said interim Provost Gerry Bradley. “Their commitment exemplifies the Cardinal Principles of Community of Care and Noble Purpose. The support they provided and the relationships they developed were vital to the university’s mission.”

All faculty and staff names that were submitted as Student Champions can be viewed [PDF].

For nearly a decade, Guan has led various academic innovations in the College of Business. In his senior leadership role, he has focused on strategic initiatives as the college addresses challenges brought on by technological innovation, globalization and demographic change. His knowledge of the college’s strategy and operations, his close working relationships with different constituencies in the college and beyond, and his demonstrated ability to engage the business community make him an ideal person to lead.

“I am confident that Interim Dean Designate Guan will be a highly engaged leader for the college during the period of transition,” Bradley said. 

“It is an honor to be appointed interim dean of the College of Business,” Guan said. “I very much respect this institution and the students it serves, and it is my intention to build upon the momentum we have created over the last five years of Dean Mooradian’s leadership. It has been a privilege to be part of Dean Mooradian’s leadership team, and I feel that I am well prepared to lead the college during our search process.”

Mooradian and the College of Business’s chief of staff, Joe Neary, will work closely with Interim Dean Designate Guan to ensure a smooth transition for the college. The university leadership team will move forward with a formal dean search for the college in the spring of 2023. At that time, a professional search firm will be selected, and a search committee will be formed consisting of both elected and appointed members of the college. The university will provide more details regarding the search process this winter.

In his announcement, Bradley took a moment to recognize departing Dean Mooradian.

“I want to express both my and Interim President Gonzalez’s sincere appreciation to Dean Mooradian for the many ways he has strengthened the College during his tenure,” Bradley said. “I am thankful to Interim Dean Designate Guan for accepting his appointment, and I look forward to partnering with you all on this journey to the College of Business’s next chapter.”

While he is interim in title, Guan’s role in developing many of the college’s initiatives over the last four years means the college is in a prime position to continue its growth and innovation for students and the Cardinal Community.

“We are indeed in excellent shape as we enter the fall semester. Our enrollment is strong, as is our financial position. We continue to improve the student experience and focus on increasing our graduation rate,” Guan said. “All these, and many more, are reasons to feel very optimistic about the College of Business.”

Interim Provost Gerry Bradley addressed the faculty senate with information on student enrollment and departmental budgets. Data collected through last fall semester revealed student enrollment was under projection for both undergraduate and professional students. For this reason, the university entered the spring 2022 semester with roughly $4 million less than anticipated. Although a similar budgetary loss was anticipated for this spring term, strong enrollment and retention rates mitigated this effect, leaving the spring semester budget at a deficit of $1.5 million.

“All in all, we were down about $5.5 million dollars. The budget teams, especially in the units that have been impacted by lower enrollment than expected, have carried a lot of weight trying to work through that. We also made adjustments centrally and allocated discretionary funds to support those units,” Bradley said. “Overall, we are confident we can go forward, finish out the budget year and break even as we do every year.”

Bradley attributed this confidence to an overall increase in first-year student applications and admits for next academic year. All budgets for the next academic year are currently being developed, and increases to employee pay have been identified as an institutional priority.

“As we are developing our budgets now, we certainly want to build in things we know are important. We need to build in a pay increase, and we are committed to that. That is certainly critical for us to recruit and retain our faculty and staff here in this institution, who we know have gone through a trying two years with COVID-19,” Bradley said.

Faculty members Lauren Freeman and Avery Kolers presented senators with the proposal for a new academic program, the . The proposal moved for transition of the current master of arts in interdisciplinary studies-health care ethics, which is housed in graduate school, to the department of philosophy under the rubric of applied philosophy. The 33-credit hour program offered through the College of Arts and Sciences was proposed for implementation during the fall 2022 semester. Senators unanimously approved the proposed academic program.

Committee reports and a of the meeting can be accessed on the . The next Faculty Senate meeting is scheduled for April 6 via a hybrid format with the option of remote attendance via Teams, or in-person attendance at Ekstrom Library’s Chao Auditorium.