All of the company鈥檚 participate in UofL Trager Institute鈥檚 network training hub, for example. Our School of Nursing houses a state-of-the-art simulation lab, upgraded just last year thanks to Trilogy鈥檚 $250,000 commitment.

And it just so happens that Trilogy鈥檚 founder, Randall J. Bufford, is one of our most prominent alums. In 2016, he was named the alumni award winner for the College of Business and just last month earned our inaugural Alumni Ambassador Award. The 1981 graduate was a part of UofL鈥檚 1980 national championship men鈥檚 basketball team. He has since been recognized for his leadership in his profession and community, as Trilogy employs over 10,000 people and is considered to be one of the best senior housing companies in the world.

It鈥檚 no wonder, then, that Trilogy would tap into UofL鈥檚 expertise to transform its organization to emphasize diversity, equity and inclusion. The company鈥檚 DEI plan was developed earlier this year with the help of UofL researchers from the College of 成人直播 and Human Development, Geneva Stark, Jeffrey Sun, Heather Turner.

UofL鈥檚 researchers worked alongside Todd Schmiedeler, Trilogy鈥檚 chief engagement and innovation officer, and Priscila Mattingly, Trilogy鈥檚 chief human resources and inclusion officer. The team worked for a year collecting and spoke to every level of employee to capture the company鈥檚 strengths and improve both employee and resident outcomes.

鈥淭rilogy Health Services has an impressive leadership team and has been dubbed one of the nation鈥檚 best workplaces for aging services. They care about their employees who are truly integrated as community members of the organization. They sought to expand their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and building off our existing relationship (which is based on trust and genuine interest in each other鈥檚 success), we also engaged with them on rethinking their practices, policies and priorities to ensure that diversity, equity and inclusion actively and visibly became a critical component of their organizational culture and values,鈥� Sun said.

鈥淚n fact, they revised their whole Environmental, Social & Governance structure so diversity, equity, and inclusion were not simply words or temporal concerns, but a lived experience where employees felt a sense of belonging and are hopefully having rich and valuable encounters across the company, even with their vendors and partners. It鈥檚 likely no organization has reached these aspirations, but Trilogy Health Services is trying, and we are honored to be partners with such a caring and focused company,鈥� he added.

Together, the UofL and Trilogy team identified four key areas to advance Trilogy鈥檚 DEI efforts: Accountability, recruitment, retention and development, and culture.

Accountability: The DEI plan tasks Trilogy鈥檚 leaders to develop unit-specific and measurable annual diversity goals. The goals are also to be monitored quarterly, so leaders can assess progress and readjust if necessary. Leaders are also tasked with holding regular campus town halls to ensure all employees have a voice in enacting these changes.

Further, Trilogy is conducting an audit of its suppliers to ensure their values are consistent with Trilogy鈥檚, and the organization will revise supplier contracts to include this consideration.

Recruitment: Trilogy will analyze job postings for content and placement to identify language or phrasing that may deter applicants. The company is also strengthening partnerships with organizations 鈥� such as universities and nonprofits 鈥� to help facilitate a recruitment pipeline. Finally, the company plans to establish a business resource group for networking 鈥� all with an objective of increasing the diversity of its applicant pools.

Retention and development: Trilogy is creating individualized employee growth plans to provide employees with steps for advancement into leadership roles. The plans are paired with advancement and mentorship programs that include training, resources and mentoring.

Culture: Trilogy aims to break down siloes by creating employee resource groups (ERGs) to focus on connecting people with similar interests across campuses and creating a stronger sense of belonging with the company.

This plan has been published in and will be presented next week at the 2021 annual conference of the Association for the Study of Higher 成人直播. This isn鈥檛 likely the last of the UofL/Trilogy partnership, however.

鈥淚n the College of 成人直播 and Human Development, our commitment is to our community, and since 2019, we have been working with Trilogy to build and enhance its workforce through innovative learning designs such as apprenticeships and workforce diversity,鈥� Sun said. 鈥淯nder the leadership of (CEHD) Dean Amy Lingo, we plan to continue expanding our private/public partnerships to learn from each other and increase community engagement.鈥�

Natalie Hewlett, CEHD’s coordinator for development and communications, contributed to this story.

In its 30^th year, the Trustees Award recognizes one faculty member annually for his or her outstanding contributions to student life. The award is the most prestigious faculty honor at UofL.

This year鈥檚 recipient is Jeffrey C. Sun, JD, PhD, chair of the College of 成人直播 and Human Development鈥檚 Department of 成人直播al Leadership, Evaluation, and Organizational Development (ELEOD). He is a nationally known scholar in higher education law who five years ago arrived at UofL and began the nation鈥檚 first faculty development program for U.S. Army ROTC instructors. The course, taught at Fort Knox, is attracting attention from others who want to partner with UofL, such as the U.S. Navy and the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and has made UofL the leading ACC institution for percentage of student body who are military-connected.

Students and fellow faculty members alike wholeheartedly recommended him for the award, saying Sun鈥檚 unwavering support for his students despite his full schedule makes him stand out.

鈥淚 came to the University of Louisville to work with Dr. Sun,鈥� wrote Megan J. Pifer, PhD, associate professor of higher education and senior assistant director of the Master Educator Course (MEC). 鈥淗e cultivated his vision around what students need today, what they will need tomorrow, and how we must better prepare them for their lives and careers.鈥�

She praised Sun for never letting his large-scale projects detract from his teaching and mentorship. 鈥淗e is known for recognizing students by name and remembering the details of their journeys鈥攖he institutions where they work, their recent promotions, the names of their children, their ambitions. I have personally delivered thank-you notes to him hand-written by students who want to express their appreciation for his effort to see him, sometimes among hundreds at a time, as individuals with fears, goals and talents.鈥�

William Kyle Ingle, PhD, associate professor and assistant ELEOD department chairperson, pointed out that Sun further impacts students indirectly through his leadership as department chair. Sun led the department to adopt four goals: enhance the student experience, value research and inquiry, develop partnerships and create a culture of community building and systems development.

鈥淒r. Sun is tireless in his pursuit of these goals and his dedication and work ethic are an example to us all,鈥� Ingle wrote in his nomination letter. 鈥溾�� When a faculty member says he or she cannot, Dr. Sun says, yes you can.鈥�

U.S. Army Master Sgt. Raul Cantu, a former student who is senior military instructor at Stephen F. Austin State University and an 18-year active duty serve member, said thousands of cadets have benefited from what their leaders learned in the Sun鈥檚 MEC (formerly known as the Cadre and Faculty Development Course).

鈥淗undreds of students have completed (the course) and taken that knowledge to their host universities/programs,鈥� he wrote. 鈥溾� can honestly say that my experience with the University of Louisville, (the MEC) and Dr. Sun has been transformative for me professionally and personally.鈥�

Sun has a Doctor of Philosophy and a Master of Philosophy聽 from the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and Teachers College at Columbia University; a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Moritz College of Law 鈥� The Ohio State University; and an MBA, and International Business Certificate and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University. He is a member of the bar in Ohio.

During his career, he has won more than $10.3 million in grant and contract funding. He has more than $1.7 million in external funds under review.

Sun received the news that he won after the trustees voted on the award at their April 18 meeting.

鈥淕iven the many dedicated, high-quality professors at the University of Louisville, receiving this award is surprising and humbling,鈥� Sun said.

The award is accompanied by a $5,000 prize. Sun plans to use $500 to establish a student scholarship fund in honor of Kelly Ising, a 42-year UofL employee who retired recently as ELEOD鈥檚 administrative associate. The rest he hopes to use on well-deserved break 鈥� a family vacation that will include his siblings and 10 nieces and nephews.

When asked his reaction to winning the Trustees Award, Sun provided his personal 鈥淪tatement of Teaching.鈥� He noted that he won similar teaching awards from his previous institutions.

鈥淲hile the awards are emblems of my progress,鈥� he wrote in his statement, 鈥淚 recognize that my role and professional responsibility include continuous development鈥揺specially in terms of incorporating new technologies and applying findings from new research on graduate teaching and advising.鈥�

More history of the Trustees Award and previous Trustees Award winners can be found .