Earlier in 2021, a national group that helps transfer students evaluate programs named UofL one of schools in the U.S.

Honor Society added UofL to its , which recognizes excellence in the development and support of dynamic and innovative transfer pathways for community college transfer students. UofL is one of 151 total schools on the list, and one of only two in Kentucky.

“We welcome transfer students each year by offering flexible credit transfer policies, a signature transfer partnership with the Kentucky Community & Technical College System that includes the and a of transfer credit so that students are making informed decisions,” said Vice Provost James Begany. “We are committed to helping these students reach their goal of graduating from UofL.” 

According to data from the Office of Institutional Research, there were a total of 1,565 incoming undergraduate transfers in the 2019-2020 year. More than a third were from JCTC and Elizabethtown Community & Technical College.

Popular majors for transfer students include organizational leadership and learning; nursing; pre-business; biology; and criminal justice.

The program, in partnership with UPS, Jefferson Community and Technical College and the state of Kentucky, allows college students to work the third shift, for about 15 hours a week, at UPS’ World Port Freight Facility at the Louisville International Airport. In return for their work, UPS gives each student a paycheck and covers their tuition and fees.

Metro College also to help place students in careers after graduation through its built-in Career and Academic Planning Program, which requires students to complete a career assessment and meet with a counselor regularly.

It’s not hard to figure out why UofL would want to keep this program going. For starters, it provides students with a unique opportunity to graduate debt-free. It also encourages them to consider careers in high-demand fields like computer sciences and health care.

Thalia Almenares, a dental hygiene major at UofL, is one such student taking advantage of the program.

“If UPS is my big family, then Metro College would be my mother,” . “I say this because my mother makes sure that I have food, that I feel supported and loved, that I have everything I need. Well, Metro College provides me everything regarding school needs.”

It’s also a win for UPS, which has struggled in the past with workforce shortages. Before the college launched, the average tenure of an overnight worker was eight weeks. Today, it’s almost three years.

As the : “We need employees here to work at night, and it’s a challenging time. It’s a challenging shift. The benefit is we get great students who are committed, many of them come here, stay four years so it really is possible to graduate with zero debt.”

Because of this mutual benefit, the program earned recognition in 2017 by University Business magazine as a “Model of Excellence.” UofL was one of six colleges and universities honored by the publication.Ěý

The Metro College program was founded in 1988. Since its inception, 20,756 UofL and JCTC students have participated. Most recently, from the spring 2019 through the fall 2019, the program had a total of 4,336 enrolled participants – 2,511 of whom are from UofL and 1,825 of whom are from JCTC.

According to Carrie Faller, director of Workforce and Student Development at Metro College, the goal is to reach 2,800 UofL participants per semester.

“For the last two years, we have focused on increasing enrollment, which is reflected in [our enrollment trends],” she said.

Indeed, that most recent 2,511-participant number is much higher than the 1,811 number from the fall of 2018. When the program first started, there were less than 800 UofL participants.

Yielding an upward enrollment trajectory will remain a goal for the program throughout the next seven years and, potentially, beyond.

“The Metropolitan College program is a workforce development initiative that removes financial barriers to postsecondary education while supporting workforce needs, preparing participants for future careers through targeted career development activities, offering workforce pathways to high-demand fields, and providing opportunities to grow participant wealth,” Faller said.

More students are taking advantage of , a partnership with United Parcel Service that makes it possible for students to earn a degree and graduate debt-free. There also is an upsurge in new students enrolled part-time, many of whom are interested in the university’s growing number of online degree programs, which tend to attract adult students who work full-time.Ěý

“UofL strives to be an institution where every student can create their own path to graduation, including traditional, online and part-time students. I’m excited to see continued growth in programs that serve every type of student,” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi. “This will be my second incoming class, and I’ve been counting down the days until the fall semester begins.”

The increased participation in the Metropolitan College program is most likely attributed to UPS’ boost in the starting wage to $14 for overnight package handlers, effectively drawing a greater number of students who work for the shipping company, which then pays for their full-time undergraduate tuition. Metropolitan College also recently implemented an option for students to begin the program part time during a “transitional” semester, contributing to the university’s uptick in freshmen attending school part time.Ěý

Another factor in the increase of part-time students is the growing number of completely online programs.ĚýUofL offers more than 35 online programs including master’s, bachelor’s, certificates and teaching endorsements. Of this fall’s new students, 485 plan to earn their degrees completely online; most of those are adults returning to college. UofL’s current online enrollment for all students is 1,469.Ěý

The increased availability of online programs and strong partnerships with Metropolitan College and Jefferson Community & Technical College have helped UofL attract 77 transfer students for fall semester. JCTC students can participate in the Metropolitan College program.

Of students starting today, nearly 2,600 are freshmen. Here’s a snapshot of the first-time freshman class:

• 56% have some college credits
• 17% are African American or identify as mixed race
• 6% are Hispanic/Latino 
• 72% live on campus 
• 17% are first-generation college students
• 25.6 is the average ACT score, well above the 2018 Kentucky average of 20
• 3.6 is the average high school grade-point average, based on a 4.0 scale
• 22% are from outside Kentucky
• 38 states represented
• 271 part-time incoming freshmen, up 70 from last year
• Psychology, biology, business, education and nursing are the five most popular majors.

Those partners include the Jefferson Community and Technical College, Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, Owensboro Community and Technical College and Ivy Tech Community College.

The announcement was made Wednesday by UofL President Neeli Bendapudi, who was joined by JCTC CEO Ty Handy and Mary Gwen Wheeler, executive director of 55,000 Degrees, a Louisville organization that works to improve education attainment.

A reverse degree is an associate’s degree or a certificate that’s awarded by community colleges to their former students who have transferred to UofL and earned at least 60 total credits, including a minimum of 15 from the community college.

“This is simply a matter of giving credit where credit is due. These reverse degrees recognize the hard work students are already doing. We’re just giving them what they’ve already earned,” Bendapudi said. “This program is the perfect example of the university and community college partners working together to increase the number of people with secondary degrees.” 

Bendapudi notes that UofL’s is the first formal reverse degree program in the state.

Former JCTC students have been the most frequent beneficiaries of UofL’s program with 777 of them having received more than 1,000 reverse degrees in the past six years.

“We all know somebody where life got in the way and it took them longer to complete their bachelor’s degree than you would expect them to,” Handy said. “Most of us tend to think of college as a four year experience – you’re in, you’re out, you’re on with life – and that is just not the pattern people follow anymore, especially in urban markets like Louisville. This partnership is critical to us because many of these students take longer to finish their degree and that credential gives them an opportunity for better work.”

Indeed, Wheeler said more than 65% of local jobs now require training beyond high school. However, only 43% of people in the community have those credentials.

The reverse degree program tends to motivate students to finish their degrees. The latest data on reverse degree recipients shows that 85% of students are retained at UofL, and 62% of participants who received a reverse degree have graduated with a bachelor’s degree from UofL.

“Increasing those opportunities is important, not just for the community but also because it correlates with a better quality of life,” she said.

Wheeler also points to this program as one of the reasons the city of Louisville has been .Ěý

“We want seamless pathways for students in Louisville to be able to complete their bachelor’s degree,” Handy said.

More from the press conference is available below: 

The Metropolitan College is the partnership between UofL, JCTC, UPS and the state of Kentucky. Through this partnership, students are expected to work the 3^rd shift at UPS’ World Port Freight Facility, located at Louisville International Airport.Ěý In return for their work, UPS gives each student a paycheck and, more importantly, covers their tuition and fees.Ěý

As part of the deal, students must take on an extremely busy schedule between work and school. UofL sophomore Julie Hummel is enrolled in the Metropolitan College. She admits her schedule is “crazy,” but adds “I feel so free knowing I don’t have to pay debt after college.” 

Check out more about these UofL students’ UPS work below:

The partnership is a win for the schools, company and students involved, said Tim Goral, senior editor at the publication.Ěý

“It illustrates the powerful effects a university can have on its city’s economy,” he adds.Ěý

In 1998, shipping giant UPS considered moving its overnight air hub out of Louisville. In response, UofL, Jefferson Community and Technical College, the city of Louisville and the state of Kentucky developed an innovative education initiative to keep the company in town. The program, named Metropolitan College, aims to to help UPS improve workforce retention while eliminating a financial barrier to higher education for Kentucky residents, says Courtney Abboud, director of workforce and student development for Metropolitan College.

Students in Metropolitan College work approximately 15 hours per week at UPS and attend courses at the university or community college. Approximately 60 percent of Metropolitan’s 2,300 students are enrolled at the university and 40 percent attend the two-year school. If students commit to work through the semester at UPS, the company pays half of the tuition. The balance is covered through federal and state grants and a state tax credit to UPS.

So far, 4,698 students have earned associate’s, bachelor’s and graduate degrees through the program.

Metropolitan College also has built-in career guidance.The Career and Academic Planning Program requires students to complete a career assessment and meet with a counselor regularly. After completing 30 credit hours, they create a resume and set career goals. At 60 credit hours, students complete an online experiential learning module and the counselor helps them obtain related professional experience. Then, at 90 credit hours, students participate in a mock interviews geared toward their career goals.

“The goal of the program was not to create long-term UPS employees, but to provide a temporary workforce and then put credentialed employees back into the workforce” in other companies throughout Kentucky, says Abboud.

Metropolitan College has also been a win for UPS, which initially struggled with a workforce shortage. Before the college launched, the average tenure of an overnight worker was eight weeks. Today, it’s almost three years.

In addition to University of Louisville, Summer 2017 Models of Excellence honorees include: Central Georgia Technical College (Macon, Ga.); Endicott College (Beverly, Mass.); McDaniel College (Westminster, Md.); University of Wyoming (Laramie, Wyo.); and Villanova University (Villanova, Pa.).

According to a press release, Models of Excellence was launched in 2015 as a national recognition program honoring colleges and universities that have implemented innovative, effective and inter-departmental initiatives that are bolstering student success.

On Monday, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer awarded Mog the city’s Joan Riehm Memorial Environmental Leadership Award, making him the eighth recipient of the honor.

Mog, named UofL’s first assistant provost for sustainability initiatives in 2009, said he was “tickled pink” by the award.

“What an incredible honor to follow in the footsteps of past recipients who I regard so highly as my own local sustainability heroes – terrific citizens and servants like Larry Owsley, Mike Mulheirn, Pamela Dumm, Tina Ward-Pugh and Tom Owen. Sadly, I came to Louisville too late to know Joan Riehm personally, but her impact on our community is undeniable. I am humbled to receive this award in memory of Joan. Let’s continue working together every day to cement the only legacy that would truly have mattered to her – a sustainable future for Louisville,” he said.

The award honors public service employees, volunteers or students who have made Louisville a clean, green and healthier place to live, work and play.

It was created after Riehm’s death from pancreatic cancer in 2008. Louisville’s first female deputy mayor, Riehm initiated Metro government’s inclusion in , a collaborative effort to improve sustainability whose members are four of Louisville’s largest public entities: UofL, Louisville Metro Government, Jefferson County Public Schools and Jefferson Community & Technical College.

“As deputy mayor, Joan Riehm was best known for her positive personality, practical strategy and an ability to build community collaboration toward ambitious goals,” said Brent Fryrear, director of Partnership for a Green City. “Justin embodies those characteristics of leadership as he promotes sustainability on campus and in the community. He also leads by example in the way he lives.”

Mog is an avid bicyclist who has never had a driver’s license and calls himself not only “car-free” but also “TV-free.” An urban-foraging vegetarian known to take “technology vacations,” he and his wife, Amanda Fuller, live in in Paristown Pointe where he also gardens and keeps bees. His mission in life “is to help people understand that sustainable solutions are not only fun and life-affirming, but they are all around us. We need to only change the way we perceive and respond to the daily and long-term challenges of life,” he said.

Past recipients of the award are citizen volunteer Mike Hayman; retired JCPS teacher Darleen Horton; Dumm, JCTC’s business manager; Ward-Pugh, former Metro councilwoman; Mulheirn, former JCPS director of facilities and environmental services; Owsley, former UofL vice president of business affairs; and Owen, UofL professor and archivist and a former Metro councilman.

Mog earned his BS in Environmental Studies & Geology at Oberlin College and an MS and PhD in Land Resources at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Institute for Environmental Studies. His graduate research focused on assessing the sustainability of international rural development projects, and his studies took him to Ghana, Costa Rica and the southern Philippines as a Fulbright scholar in 2001. He continued this work from 2005-2008 when he lived with his wife in Paraguay working on sustainable rural development efforts with the U.S. Peace Corps and Plan Paraguay.

Check out the award ceremony below: