Michael Mardis – UofL News Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:56:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 UofL posts strong enrollment figures /post/uofltoday/uofl-posts-strong-enrollment-figures/ Tue, 30 Mar 2021 21:50:27 +0000 http://www.uoflnews.com/?p=53008 The University of Louisville is posting strong enrollment figures for the 2020-21 academic year, with undergraduate increases in underrepresented minorities.
From Fall 2019 to Fall 2020, Black/African American undergraduate enrollment rose 8%, Hispanic/Latino went up 13% and Asian increased by 11%.
“UofL has held steady and even increased enrollment while other public universities nationwide are seeing declines during this challenging year,” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi. “We are especially pleased that underrepresented minorities are finding a college home with us.”
In Fall 2020, total enrollment was up to 23,246 from 22,684 a year earlier, or 2.4%. Preliminary enrollment figures for the spring semester show 21,081 total students, up from 20,877 in spring 2020 for an increase of 0.98%.
Nationally, enrollment numbers have trended downward. The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) reported that overall postsecondary enrollments in the United States declined 2.5% in the fall, and public college enrollments went down by 4%. Also last fall, while our incoming class enrollment increased by more than 200 students, freshmen enrollment dropped 13% nationwide, according to the NSC.
UofL has met numerous challenges during the pandemic. We have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from generous, willing donors to help meet students’ dire financial needs and enable them to continue their studies. The Student Emergency Fund, which usually maintains a modest $25,000 balance, increased almost 3,000%.
“UofL distributed $788,000 in emergency funds to 862 undergraduate, graduate and professional students since the pandemic started in March of 2020,” said Dean of Students Michael Mardis.
Another result of the pandemic was students’ loss of their academic routines. This led to UofL student success coaches identifying 1,222 students as being at risk and offering guidance to help them stay on track. Advisors reached out to hundreds of students to personally lead them through the spring registration process.
“Our continuous connection with students enables UofL to find solutions to problems before they are too difficult to overcome,” said James Begany, vice provost for enrollment management and student success. “We are devoted to continuing these efforts to ensure every UofL student can reach their goals.”
In addition, through two rounds of 2020 federal COVID-19 stimulus funding, UofL swiftly distributed more than $12 million to students who qualified for aid. More than 8,300 undergraduate and 1,600 graduate students received average awards of $596.
]]> Markers unveiled to celebrate history of UofL’s Black fraternities and sororities /post/uofltoday/markers-unveiled-to-celebrate-history-of-uofls-black-fraternities-and-sororities/ Wed, 28 Oct 2020 18:01:46 +0000 http://www.uoflnews.com/?p=51753 New markers that celebrate the history of the , a group of nine traditionally Black fraternities and sororities that have been part of UofL for nearly three decades, are the latest addition to the Belknap Campus.

The markers were unveiled Oct. 23 in the plaza between the Belknap Academic Building and the Student Activities Center.

The 10 markers—one representing NPHC overall and nine representing each affiliated Greek fraternity and sorority—were planned and designed by students.

Founded in 1930 at Howard University in Washington D.C., NPHC supports Black college students who seek the benefits of a Greek organization, especially collegial collaboration, peer activism and a robust campus life.

Political science senior Brandon McClain, who spoke at the unveiling ceremony, said NPHC’s mission is to work “toward advancing the social and economic status of African American and other persons of color through lifelong brotherhood and sisterhood.”

McClain, who is also vice president of the university’s NPHC and president of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., said the plots serve as a reminder that “the University of Louisville National Pan-Hellenic Council is strong and united. This campus is better because we are here.”

“I don’t need to tell you how much Black Greek life has meant to Black life in this country. If you think about the leadership, the scholars, the activists that are right here in our midst today, the debt we owe is incredible,” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi during the virtual ceremony.

Dean of Students and Chief Student Affairs Officer Michael Mardis said conversations have been ongoing about having a physical, permanent location on campus to recognize NPHC.

“With some of the renovations underway, the idea came up and the students thought maybe we could utilize the plaza space,” Mardis said.“Our goal every day at the university is to make sure every student has a place to belong and an opportunity to succeed and achieve their goals.”

Members of NPHC and its Black fraternities and sororities have a strong record of overall student success including higher grade point averages and higher graduation rates than non-Greek students. NPHC members are typically active in leadership roles as both students and alumni.

For alumna Terina Matthews-Davis (‘93) the NPHC plots are a gratifying milestone in a journey she helped launch. In the early 1990s, Matthews-Davis was part of a group dedicated to establishing NPHC at UofL.

“We saw all of our friends at other schools with NPHC chapters and saw an opportunity to govern ourselves,” she said. “We wanted something where we could have intimate, and sometimes controversial, conversations amongst like-minded people.”

Mardis said that while NPHC has been linked with UofL for nearly 30 years, not all council-affiliated chapters—often called the Divine Nine—were active during those decades.

“By April, 2012, all Divine Nine were back on campus and it was truly a great celebration,” Mardis said.

The Black fraternity and sorority chapters under the NPHC umbrella are Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc.

Photos of the marker dedication . To watch a video of the virtual event,

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