Called Living-Learning Communities (LLCs) and Themed Communities (TCs), these groups are varied and sometimes offer lower and upper divisions. Among the 2022-2023 communities are those for majors such as engineering, education and health sciences and those that focus on interests such as sustainability, social justice, Black culture or the LGBTQ+ community. There is even one dedicated solely to transfer students.

“The idea of the LLCs is to make living on campus something that’s desirable and to give it a little bit more meaning,” said Eva Little, LLC program coordinator, in a recent Student Affairs .

This fall, one of the two new residence halls dedicated on Belknap Campus — Denny Crum Hall — boasted a new Sport Professional LLC.��

“This LLC provides students a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the sport industry,” said Thomas Hardy, executive director of University Housing and the Resident Experience (UHRE). “Among other things, members have an ‘inside’ look into the UofL Athletics Department and opportunities to network with other sport organizations in Louisville as well as UofL’s extensive alumni network of sport professionals.”

These types of communities are common across higher education institutions because they directly contribute to student success, said Tina Belcher, director of resident experience.

“The LLC offers many opportunities for different majors,” said Emma Hurley, a first-year student from Sidney, Ohio, living in the ����ֱ�� and Health & Sports Sciences LLC in Belknap Village North. A major in middle and secondary education in the College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development, she praised the instant support an LLC offers. “Whenever one of us needs help on something, we are close by. I recommend living in an LLC to other students because if you think you might struggle with your major or a class, there is always someone there to help you with it.”

Classrooms built into some of the newer residence halls (Belknap Village North and South) allow LLC/TC residents to have a class right in their building.

“Most really enjoy their time in their LLC/TC and really love the community they are in, coming back specifically for the upper division LLC if offered,” Belcher said. She added the communities are always being reevaluated to keep up with student interests and needs. To that end, an ESports LLC is expected to be offered .

The LLCs and TCs operating during the 2022-2023 academic year are:

• Denny Crum Hall: Sport Professional
• Belknap Village North: ����ֱ�� & Health and Sport Sciences; Feminist Social Justice Leadership; First-Generation Cardinal; Parish; Social Work
• Belknap Village South: Men of PEACC; Metropolitan College; Psychology; School of Music
• Bettie Johnson: Engineering; Entrepreneurship; Global Village; Public Health; School of Music
• Billy Minardi: Metropolitan College
• University Pointe: Air Force ROTC
• Community Park: Engineering; Health Sciences
• Cardinal Towne: Bayard Rustin LGBTQ+ & Social Justice; Transfer Student
• Kurz: Honors
• Louisville Hall: College of Business TILE; Ethics; Sustainability
• University Pointe: Army ROTC
• University Tower Apartments: Air Force and Army ROTC; Bayard Rustin LGBTQ+ & Social Justice.

For more information on LLCs, visit .��

The residence hall opened for occupancy this semester and houses student-athletes from men’s basketball, women’s basketball and women’s lacrosse, as well as other UofL students. Named for the Cardinals’ former Hall of Fame men’s basketball coach, the facility is located directly across Floyd Street from the Planet Fitness Kueber Center, the training home of the three sports housed in the new residence hall.
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“Denny Crum Hall represents a first-in-class residence hall,” said UofL Director of Athletics Josh Heird.��“I would argue no other university has put as much energy and attention into an on-campus residence hall as the University of Louisville. … When you have something named in your honor, it tends to commemorate the years of service you’ve dedicated toward something bigger than yourself. And while I’m not sure we could have built a building big enough or nice enough to show our gratitude for all that Denny has given to the UofL community, we tried. Each day, Coach Crum had the opportunity and unique ability to impact lives, help families, serve as a compass to navigate difficult situations, and provide encouragement and advice for those seeking his counsel and expertise.”
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The $23.5 million project is a partnership among UofL Athletics, UofL Campus Housing and a third-party developer consisting of Buffalo Construction Inc. and Investment Property Advisors, who also developed Cardinal Towne, another campus housing project. L&N Federal Credit Union has provided a $2.25 million gift to the Cardinal Athletic Fund to promote the legacy of UofL Athletics through naming the facility in Crum’s honor.
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The five-story, 67-unit facility includes 128 beds, of which UofL Athletics will guarantee occupancy for 63 to remain within the NCAA requirement of no more than 50% of the beds being occupied by student-athletes. UofL Athletics will also guarantee an additional 10 beds to be used by team managers and graduate assistants.��
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The residence hall will also serve as a Living Learning Community (LLC) to bolster its sports administration program and others that involve athletic excellence from a business and operations standpoint. With the LLC including many athletes in action, it offers unparalleled opportunities for athletes and students to work together to innovate in the field of sports.
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“We know what Coach Crum means to the university athletics program and what he means to the university basketball, but he also means so much to us at UofL,” said Louisville Interim President Dr. Lori Gonzalez. “Every Cardinal fan is familiar with all of his accolades – national championships, Final Four appearances and induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. But he’s much more than those awards and accomplishments that happened on the hardwood. He’s also a husband, a father, a mentor and a role model.
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“… For many years and to many people, Denny Crum has been the face of the University of Louisville, and we couldn’t be more proud of that fact.”
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Each apartment features a full kitchen with cabinets, island, solid surface counters, refrigerator, kitchen sink, cooking range, dishwasher, and microwave. Additional features include a single stack-style washer and dryer in each apartment, furnished common living space, and access to a private bedroom, restroom and closet for every occupant.
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Shared amenities on the first floor include:
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• A common kitchen and dining area adjacent to the lobby
• A common area in the lobby with a 164-inch video wall capable of showing up to four screens
• Another media lounge with a 198-inch video wall capable of showing two screens
• A study lounge with a private tutoring area
• A gaming wing with billiards, Pop-A-Shot, arcade games and other games
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Each floor of the residence hall includes multi-purpose rooms, including a Muhammad Ali-themed space on the second floor, as well as an outdoor patio deck on the fifth level. There’s also an outdoor deck attached to the Ali room that wraps around with a great view of the Kueber Center and Cardinal Stadium.
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Those on hand for Thursday’s dedication included the facility’s namesake Crum, who served as UofL’s men’s basketball coach for 30 years (1971-2001), retiring following the 2000-01 season.�� He directed Louisville to the 1980 and the 1986 NCAA Championships, ranking him as one of only 14 coaches in NCAA history to win two or more titles. Six times he guided the Cardinals into the NCAA Final Four, including four times in the decade of the ’80s. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on May 9, 1994.
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After his retirement, Crum continued to work as a special assistant to the UofL president for several years. The KFC Yum! Center court has been named in his honor. Since 2001, The Denny Crum Scholarship Foundation and the Denny Crum Scholarship Fund at UofL have awarded over a million dollars benefiting over 425 students. The San Fernando, Calif., native made Louisville his home and has lent countless hours of his time for charitable causes throughout the community for the past 50 years.��
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Two members of Crum’s first national championship team in 1980, Darrell Griffith and Roger Burkman, spoke Thursday to the wide-reaching impact of their former coach.
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“The most important thing is what Coach has meant to his former players, and that’s evident with all of the former players that are here now,” Griffith said. “Coach is the University of Louisville. He’s the marquee trademark of our brand.”
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“He’s been there for all of us, for this university and for this community,” Burkman said. “He’s that humble guy that you would never know is a legendary superstar of a college basketball coach. He’s always been, without a blemish, a great mentor and role model for all of us. He’s had such a positive impact on everybody’s life that he’s touched, especially mine.”