Dr. Kevin Gardner,��the new��Executive Vice President for Research & Innovation, was��introduced to the senate body and provided a summary of his background��and vision for��UofL’s research enterprise.��

“The vision is that our enterprise represents all the activity here and all that’s in the world: Meeting the needs of��the public. Solving and addressing problems. Presenting ideas and research to the world with the aim that it helps the world,” he said.��

Before arriving to UofL, Gardner served in a similar role at the University of New Hampshire where he��led��that institution’s rise from��its designation as��an R2��university��to an R1��university.��Since starting his position in��late January,��Gardner has��met��with multiple��deans from various colleges, library staff and faculty members to understand the technology��and research development��needs of UofL.

He��will��soon��announce��several different��work��groups to address the most pressing needs based on these conversations��and��three open forums��will��also��be��scheduled.��

Gardner��concluded his introduction with comments on how��he thinks about the��external role��of the enterprise.����

“How are we��helping the university navigate the relationship between the faculty who��are��the lead of an idea, and��then��liaison��with the companies or public that��might be interested?” he asked.��

Rick��Graycarek��, AVP for Budget & Financial Planning, gave a budget update.��His����showcased an overview of the $1.2 billion��current��total��budget, along with an overview of the upcoming FY20-21 budget planning process.��

For action items: the Redbook Committee��will have a on its revised bylaws at the next meeting.���ճ����Academic Program Committee��proposed sending��back a����to the��Provost; and the��Planning and Budget committee��proposed the establishment of a Board of Trustees for the LARRI (Louisville Automation and Robotics Research Institute) Center. Both were approved.����

Student Government reported that elections just concluded and a new president will be named after commencement. The Staff Senate representative reported that their body recently found that of the last seven staff RIFs,��six were above the age of 40. The .��

Faculty Senate Chair��Krista Wallace-Boaz��reported that the��provost search��is��still��underway,��and candidates will��arrive��in April. Senate members will have opportunities to engage with the candidates. Also, a free speech work group that started back in April of 2019 is working to examine current policies on free speech and will build a��page on the UofL website to centralize those policies along with resources.����

Wallace-Boaz also facilitated a discussion on the��new����for��Fiscal��Year 20–21. On behalf of the parking office,��she presented a��summary��of��rates��that spanned from��FY16��to FY21��and��stated the goal was to keep the increase under 3%.��One faculty member expressed��a��grievance for this being a decision without the senate’s involvement in the process. Another member brought up their hope that future rates could be altered for part-time faculty and��be based on��salary level.��

Tracy��Eels��presented updates on behalf of the current Provost, including that the Free Speech policy committee is being co-chaired by Paul DeMarco��and Meg Hancock��to provide an��in-depth��review of student rights and code of conduct in response to the KY Free Speech act of 2019.��

The Committee on Committees & Credentials reported that elections will be coming up in May for new faculty senators. The Part-Time Faculty Committee��reported that they will soon be deploying a survey for part-time faculty.����The Faculty Athletic Representative reported that one of the��university’s��student athletes was named ACC player of the year.��Full committee reports are .��

The next Faculty Senate meeting is��scheduled for April 1 in Chao Auditorium.��

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Those subcommittees include one to identify grand challenges, and nine (three each) for our strategy focus areas of making UofL a great place to learn, work and invest.

The grand challenges subcommittee has met its January 2020 timeline and has passed along recommendations for priority research areas in which UofL can make the biggest impact on local and global communities. These recommendations will be reviewed by the president, provost and EVPRI and announced in late February/early March.

The strategy subcommittees start meeting this month.

For the Learn strategy, the objectives are to attract and graduate the most talented, diverse student body through meaningful and structured commitment to student success; engage every undergraduate student in required meaningful experiential learning opportunities; and engage students in increasing research that will bolster our prominence.

For the Work strategy, objectives include becoming an employer of choice that intentionally attracts and retains the most talented and diverse faculty and staff; inspiring a culture of care, trust, accountability, equity and transparency by embedding the Cardinal Principles; and providing all faculty and staff fair and equitable compensation.

For the Invest strategy, objectives include increasing productivity and innovation in research, scholarship and creative activities addressing the grand challenges; improving the ease and impact of partnering with the university by building and stewarding mutually beneficial relationships that support student success, faculty productivity and staff development; and creating social, cultural and learning opportunities that bring people to campus or campus to people.

The implementation update is . Also, regular updates will be posted on the Strategic Plan website: my.louisville.edu/strategic-plan. ��

Provost Beth Boehm��provided an update to the Faculty Senate, noting that a budget planning and monitoring committee has been formed and includes three subcommittees – funding requests, budget model discretionary allocation, administrative activity. She said the goal is to make sure the campus community is better informed about the budget process.

The provost search committee has been created, co-chaired by Dentistry Dean Gerry Bradley and Kent Dean David Jenkins. The provost will replace Boehm, whose two-year term ends June 30. Airport interviews will be conducted in mid-March, with on-campus interviews taking place in April.

Boehm also reported that the search is also underway for a new Arts & Sciences dean and that UofL has suspended travel to China as the coronavirus proliferates.

Krista Wallace-Boaz provided the Faculty Senate Chair report, including the provost search timeline, and a call for faculty representation on the shared governance workgroup and the strategic plan implementation subcommittees.

Finally, Speed School Professor Olfa Nasraoui presented details on an Athena grant received from the National Science Foundation, which includes a Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher ����ֱ�� (COACHE) Faculty Satisfaction Survey.

There are two main objectives for this survey: to improve the recruitment, retention, promotion and advancement of faculty, particularly women in STEM fields; and to provide education on implicit bias.

Survey themes include research, teaching, service, resources and support, interdisciplinary work/collaboration/mentoring, tenure and promotion; institutional leadership; shared governance; department engagement/quality and collegiality; appreciation and recognition; and retention and negotiation.

More information about the COACHE Survey is available online.��

Additional committee reports are .��The next Faculty Senate meeting is March 4 in Chao Auditorium.

Although these work groups – Learn, Work, Invest – will be filled with just 30 employees each, Bendapudi said there will be plenty of opportunities for as much input from as many people across campus as possible, whether that’s through town halls, the strategic planning website or something else.

“It’s really important we keep everyone engaged in this process,” she said.

Benadpudi said progress is being made on fundraising, pointing to recent donations from UPS and the Gheens Foundation as examples. She continues to devote much of her time to HSC issues surrounding the fate of Jewish Hospital and UofL’s clinical programs that exist there. An RFP to find a partner for this location closes on March 8. At stake is about 36,000 ER visits a year.

“Not only are we concerned about our programs, but for the community as well,” Bendapudi said. “But it has to make sense for UofL and not put us at risk.”

She closed by telling senators that she is much more optimistic now about the direction UofL is headed than she was just a few months ago.

“I have a much better understanding of what we are facing and I feel really good about what we’re doing,” she said. “Every day is like a jigsaw puzzle and I am seeing it come together.”

Provost Beth Boehm also provide updates from her office, including personnel announcements. Rehan Khan was named chief information officer last month, while the EVPRI search is under way and the EVPHA search is on hold. The SPHIS and School of Medicine five-year dean reviews were recently conducted and approved. Boehm expects a new music dean to be named soon.

She also provided an update on faculty diversity. Nine African American faculty have left since 2016, representing a total of 8%. By comparison, 63 white faculty have left since that time frame, representing a decline of 4.7%. About 6% of our faculty are currently African American. By comparison, about 3.3% of UK’s faculty are.

“We recognize we should be higher here. In some schools, we’re higher, in some places we’re less,” Boehm said.

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A proposal was made for a distilled spirits business certificate, with representatives from the College of Business noting the booming industry in Louisville and beyond. The certificate covers not just bourbon, but also distilled spirits, and aims to teach students the unique aspects of this business.

While the University of Kentucky offers a program in wine and distilling, theirs is an undergraduate degree focused on science. UofL’s proposal is focused on business operations. The College of Business expects about 25 students in the beginning, with a growth projection of up to 50 students. It was approved.

Faculty Senate Chair Krista-Wallace Boaz guided a discussion about a University Values and Principles Statement. The document acts not to replace any current language or the work and suggestions the Strategic Planning work groups. The impetus behind this statement is to “define who we are to inform strategic decisions” including and especially through potential budget crises.

The statement is . It was approved by the Faculty Senate.

Wallace-Boaz also provided a chair’s report, including an upcoming board of trustees meeting April 18, an HSC update and an update about the Ekstrom Library renovations. .��

The SGA is working on safety initiatives, including via a new partnership with the ULPD and Housing to increase officers on campus, and pedestrian safety on the HSC campus. A food pantry is open at the SAC for students and employees with food insecurities and donations are welcome.

The Staff Senate heard an update about the budgeting process from CFO Dan Durbin, as well as a parking update. .��

Finally, Amanda Herrera from the Campus Bookstore reminded faculty that adoption campaigns for the summer and fall are due March 18. This advanced time frame allows students to have a better idea of what books they need and how much they’ll have to pay.

Committee reports are . The next Faculty Senate meeting is March 6.

The body approved a second reading for Redbook changes to the Kent School bylaws, which were mostly procedural updates.

The Student Government Report included concerns about UofL’s online course selection and its correlation with retention efforts.

Chair Krista Wallace-Boaz reported that she will start monthly office hours on the HSC campus, as will Staff Senate Chair John Smith and SGA president Jonathan Fuller.

The UofL Foundation has reported that S&P has boosted the foundation’s rating from negative to stable. The rating is based in part on ULF’s significant steps to restore confidence in governance and improve transparency; governance reform that includes three non-voting constituent members; and changes in senior management.

Additionally, HR has asked for senators’ input regarding what makes UofL a great place to work, as well as what changes are necessary to make UofL a great place to work. The executive committee is currently addressing these questions and the Faculty Senate will continue to provide input. So far, the list includes:

What currently makes UofL a great place to work

• The people
• The location in Louisville
• The diversity of our students, staff and faculty and the institution’s commitment to inclusion and equity
• Rich in both talent and diversity

What changes are necessary to make UofL a better place to work

• Investing in our people
• Re-committing to systemically improving inclusion and equity
• Doing more to build community instead of narrowly focusing on finding efficiencies
• Suffers from a lack of community mission
• Under-resourced in terms of funding and staffing
• Transparent and open communication – more opportunities needed for open communication among faculty and staff
• Work/life balance
• More training and development
• Recognition for hard work
• Strong team spirit (programs and physical environment need to be designed to accomplish this)

A discussion followed the presentation of this list, with some faculty senators expressing concern about systemic issues regarding implicit bias and the lack of investment in buildings and compensation.

The Belknap Academic Building Pedestrian Plaza project is underway. The creation of a drive that replaces Brook Street and maintains service access to the Northwest portion of the main campus has long been desired. The transformation of this portion of Brook Street from vehicle to pedestrian traffic is a major improvement to campus, and the creation of a pedestrian plaza to replace Brook Street will be an amenity to campus. There will be two phases of this project, which are outlined .��

Provost Beth Boehm provided the president’s report in Neeli Bendapudi’s absence, noting that the president has spent much of her time working on HSC issues to ensure the community’s health care needs are met in a time of change. Tom Miller has been appointed as CEO of ULH, which should help with some of this workload.

Strategic planning efforts are underway and Bendapudi has requested feedback from across campus, as well as alumni and community partners, which generated 60 pages of comments. She is hosting an executive cabinet meeting Friday to dive into this information. Among the priorities within that strategic plan are research and professional development/compensation.

Bendapudi’s looking at a three-year plan. She believes that longer plans are not as useful, Boehm said.

Boehm also provided a report from her office, noting that we have been given a clean bill of health from SACS and designated a Carnegie Research 1 institution.

Boehm also shared Bendapudi’s proposed changes to the Redbook so that fewer administrative appointments go through the Board of Trustees. A committee has been appointed to look at potential Redbook changes that clean up obsolete or inconsistent language and to gauge where appointment efficiencies can be made.

The Mayor’s Office has urged UofL to offer more computer-savvy degrees. There are currently 120 such degrees offered on campus, mostly through Computer Information Systems in the College of Business or through the Speed School of Engineering. The idea is to bring in more programs that can be leveraged by analytical areas, such as philosophy and English. The goal is to get to 720 programs.

“The Mayor is also asking UK and Bellarmine to do more here. I don’t want to lose this opportunity to those institutions,” Boehm said.

Senators held a discussion about timing and expressed concerns about resources.

Bob Knaster and Gary Becker provided an update on the Parking Strategic Plan.

UofL’s parking issues include constrained space, zero budget for operational and deferred maintenance, limited availability for visitors and events and decreasing proximity increases safety issues. The parking office has engaged a consulting firm to look at these issues and the firm returned 70 recommendations. Among them are:

• Budget and plan for new parking
• Add maintenance to the parking budget
• Charge for all visitor parking
• Implement LPR enforcement
• Promote transit services and cross parking
• Add transportation services, augment cameras and lighting
• Implement zone-based parking permits
• Introduce new services to improve the customer experience

LPR technology means license plate recognition. Knaster said this could free up hours a day for police officers who are tasked with monitoring permits.

A lengthy discussion was held on the office’s next steps. In response to some concerns about proposed rate increases, Knaster said, “one of the worst decisions we made was to not increase the cost of parking for six years. Now we’re under water and playing catch up.”

The Parking Strategy presentation is .��

The next Faculty Senate meeting is Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. in Chao Auditorium

Despite the work and long hours endured by her predecessor () in the chair’s role, Wallace-Boaz didn’t hesitate to pursue the role.

“There are many changes at the university that are occurring at a staggering rate. New leadership, including the office of the president, has established a strong partnership with the faculty and is openly committed to shared governance,” she said.

She is especially looking forward to working with President Neeli Bendapudi.

“(Bendapudi) is student focused and completely committed to an equal partnership with the faculty, staff and students. I appreciate the deep love for the university that she has demonstrated in her few months on campus, and I am excited to work closely with her on both internal and external issues,” she said.

Wallace-Boaz, a Somerset native, has been teaching at UofL since 2000, and also earned her bachelor of music degree in Piano Performance here before going on to Northwestern University, where she earned master of music and a doctor of music in piano performance and pedagogy degrees.

Following her doctoral hooding ceremony from Northwestern, Wallace-Boaz lived in the Chicago area for eight years. However, she missed Kentuckiana and moved back in 1999 to teach at Indiana University Southeast for a year.

“After accepting the position at the University of Louisville in 2000, I was completely excited to be returning,” she said.

This marks Wallace-Boaz’s eighth year as a faculty senator. She has served as chair of the Redbook Committee, vice chair of the senate and chair of the Executive Committee. Taking over as chair seems like a natural progression.

“I remember my very first Faculty Senate meeting during which I was impressed with the commitment to shared governance demonstrated by my colleagues,” she said. “While the past three years have been filled with turmoil and unique challenges, I believe that the students, faculty and staff form the strong heart of the university, and that we will continue to be a leader in higher education for the persistence and demonstration of transparent communication and shared governance.”

Wallace-Boaz said her leadership style in this role focuses on two key points – listening and process.

“I believe strongly that communication begins with the ability to listen and understand the details of the issue and how it is affecting all parties involved. No issue is too small, and never should one apologize for sharing a problem or concern,” she said. “How issues are addressed is critical. Taking five minutes to discuss methods and processes can be the difference in effective and poor communication.”

In fact, communication is one of her main priorities.

“Effective communication is critical but challenging in an institution of this size,” she said. “I will continue to work closely with campus partners to optimize our methods of communication.”

Getting to know Wallace-Boaz

We asked Wallace-Boaz a quick round of personal questions to get to know her a little better.

Favorite thing about UofL: “The people!”

Favorite spot on campus: “That is a tough one. I love the campus and how it has transformed since my undergraduate years (1988-1992). To pick one, I would choose Grawemeyer Hall and the Oval. I love studying The Thinker, reminding me of the necessity to take time for thought and reflection during these busy days, and then walking up the steps into Grawemeyer, thinking of all the students, faculty, staff, administrators and many others who have walked these steps over the past decades with the ultimate goal of creating a strong university for the present and the future.”

What do you do in your free time: “I love to read (I am currently in two book clubs on campus) and to draw Zentangles.�� People are surprised when I do not list ‘playing piano.’ I LOVE the piano, it is my artistic life and central to my teaching and research and creative activities. It is an important part of each day, especially when preparing for a concert or recording, so I do not include it when considering free time.”

Best piece of advice you’ve ever received: “Be yourself.”