Originally installed in 2009, the McConnell Chao Archives includes a permanent gallery in with exhibits, films and interactive displays about U.S. government, history and politics. This new expansion significantly enhances both the capacity and functionality of the facility with a newly constructed archive storage room to house the collections of McConnell and Chao, which includes 3,768 individual items.

The contemporary space also includes high-density shelving and meets archival standards to ensure long-term preservation and accessibility. Additionally, the project features a newly dedicated digital processing room, the creation of a new research carrel and the installation of a dedicated exhibit showcasing memorabilia related to McConnell.

“Senator McConnell and Secretary Chao have long held a special place in the life of our university, and the expansion of this archive marks yet another milestone in a shared history rooted in service, scholarship and civic leadership,” said UofL President Gerry Bradley. “It’s not just a record of political history — it’s a living resource for students, scholars and citizens who seek to understand and engage with the democratic process.”

“I want to sincerely thank the University of Louisville and the McConnell Center for their hard work, dedication and continued support in preserving and sharing the McConnell Chao Archives. This collection represents decades of public service and provides a front-row view of how our government and institutions operate,” said Senator McConnell. “By preserving these materials, we’re helping foster a deeper understanding of our nation’s political process and the importance of civic engagement. The expansion of the archives marks a continued investment in passing on the lessons of government, leadership and media engagement with the hope of igniting the next generation to take part in shaping the future of our democracy.”

“What a memorable day this is to celebrate the expansion of the McConnell Chao Archives at the University of Louisville,”��said Secretary Chao.��“In chronicling my life journey of coming as an immigrant to America, working in leadership positions in the public, private and nonprofits sectors, this collection will hopefully serve as an inspiration to current and future generations of the opportunities in this country and the myriad ways to contribute to the betterment of our beloved Commonwealth, nation and world.”

McConnell is Kentucky’s longest-serving senator and earlier this year completed his tenure as the longest-serving Senate party leader in American history. Chao, the first Asian American woman to serve in a cabinet-level position, has served as secretary for the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of Transportation.

The senator graduated from UofL in 1964 and served as a student body president. In 1991, he established the McConnell Center, a nonpartisan academic program that prepares students and educators to become top-level leaders.��

Throughout his tenure in the Senate, McConnell has secured over $1.26 billion in federal funding for research and infrastructure at Kentucky universities, including $413 million for the University of Louisville. The expansion of the McConnell Chao Archives was funded in part through private donor philanthropy.

View photos from the Aug. 12 event on .��Watch the celebration event on .

Funding for the project, dubbed Advancing Manufacturing and Building Construction Technologies (NSF AMT), comes via an NSF Engines Development award through the NSF Regional Innovation Engines program, setting them up to pursue an NSF Engine award of up to $160 million – the largest award ever offered by the NSF. AMT is led by the , and core partners include UofL, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System and trade organizations, such as ASTRO America.

“When Kentucky’s businesses are able to leverage groundbreaking innovations from our leading institutions, like the University of Louisville, our entire economy stands to gain,”��said U.S. Senator Mitch��McConnell, who helped secure the funding for the AMT coalition.

Together, the partners will develop a regional plan to improve use of and innovation in additive manufacturing technology, also known as 3-D printing, which can help manufacturers reduce part lead times, material costs, energy usage and waste. Louisville alone more than 2,400 manufacturing firms in areas ranging from food and beverage to automotive, with a total workforce of more than 82,500.��

“By focusing on advancing sustainable additive manufacturing technologies, this project has the potential to support expansion and attract companies and additional high-wage, high-skilled jobs for our commonwealth,” said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. “These kinds of initiatives add to the remarkable strides being made by Kentucky’s entrepreneurs, companies and colleges and universities toward building our state’s future economy. Congratulations to the AMT team for securing this award and both demonstrating and improving Kentucky’s competitiveness and capacity for research and innovation.”

As part of NSF AMT, UofL will leverage its top-notch degree and technology badging programs to build a qualified workforce and its research and innovation strength to further technological innovation. This includes connection to the UofL-based (KY-MEP) statewide resource center, along with labs, including the multi-disciplinary . Over the next year, UofL also will host a series of events, workshops and demonstrations to engage businesses and showcase the potential of additive manufacturing.

“The innovative research we produce at UofL becomes most meaningful when applied to advancements that improve our community,” said UofL President Kim Schatzel. “We’re proud to continue working with our partners to translate our additive manufacturing knowledge into solutions that revolutionize the way we manufacture everything from medication to computer chips.”

UofL and partners also were recently awarded a $1 million NSF Engines Development grant, dubbed Generate Advanced Manufacturing Excellence for Change (GAME Change), aimed at securing economic competitiveness throughout the Southeastern Commerce Corridor (SCC) of Kentucky and Tennessee, with a focus on next-generation and advanced manufacturing, supply chain and logistics, more durable and sustainable materials and more. NSF Engines Development awards are meant to help applicants prepare for an NSF Engines proposal.��

“UofL is committed to empowering small and medium enterprises in our region with the latest advancements in additive manufacturing,” said Will Metcalf, UofL associate vice president for research and innovation and partner on NSF AMT. “Through our NSF Engines Development award and other efforts, we will engage in training and outreach to help these businesses thrive in an increasingly competitive market.”

Launched by NSF’s new Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships and authorized by the “CHIPS and Science Act of 2022,” the NSF Engines program uniquely harnesses the nation’s science and technology research and development enterprise and regional-level resources. NSF Engines aspire to catalyze robust partnerships to positively impact regional economies, accelerate technology development, address societal challenges, advance national competitiveness and create local, high-wage jobs.

“We are eager to continue the work and build upon the partnerships we developed as part of our initial NSF Engines proposal through this�� award,” said KSTC President Terry Samuel. “It is a testament to the importance and potential of both our region and additive manufacturing technologies.”

This year’s Fiscal Year 2023 government funding bill contains significant resources to support important Kentucky institutions and programs. Utilizing his role as Senate Republican Leader and as a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. McConnell advocated on behalf of the University of Louisville in this year’s government funding process. That includes his support of the NSA’s cyber workforce training initiative, which has funded educational programming at the University of Louisville.

“It’s an honor to return to my alma mater and announce that NSA’s cyber workforce training initiative, which has made landmark investments in educational programming at UofL, will once again receive robust resources from this fiscal year’s government funding bill. UofL is at the center of the growing cybersecurity field, benefitting the Commonwealth’s economy and our country’s national security. I look forward to more students taking part in this program and entering the workforce with the skillset needed to succeed in the 21st century,” said Sen. McConnell.

UofL launched its Cybersecurity Workforce Certificate in 2020 thanks to $6.2 million in funding from the NSA as a pilot for a national program supported by Sen. McConnell to train a qualified cybersecurity workforce. The UofL program so far has enrolled more than 200 students, with an emphasis on training military veterans and first responders in health care cybersecurity and logistics.

“The need for highly skilled cybersecurity professionals to protect our information systems is increasing rapidly. The University of Louisville is leading the way to meet this need in developing our innovative cybersecurity workforce training program and assembling a coalition of universities to support and replicate this training on a national level,” said Lori Stewart Gonzalez, interim president of UofL. “We are grateful to Sen. McConnell for supporting this and other programs with additional funding, and for his advocacy on behalf of UofL and Kentucky.”

UofL’s cybersecurity certificate program includes online learning, hands-on applied learning labs at all levels and gamification components, along with online technology industry badging from Microsoft, IBM and Google. Students gain expertise in artificial intelligence, robotics process automation, blockchain, internet of things (IoT), machine learning and other areas to earn individual badges throughout the certificate’s 24 modules.

“With technology continuing to become more of an integral piece of our everyday lives, a strong cybersecurity industry and workforce are the most important protections we have to ensure secure businesses and critical infrastructure across the Commonwealth and nation,” said Kevin Gardner, UofL’s executive vice president for research and innovation. “As a top research institution, UofL is proud to lead the charge on this important work through groundbreaking and unparalleled research, innovation and academic programs. We appreciate Sen. McConnell’s support for advancing cybersecurity technology and growing our cybersecurity workforce.”

UofL is partnering with corporations, including logistics companies, health care providers and others, as well as other colleges and universities to create a national cybersecurity training coalition. UofL’s university partners include Kentucky Community and Technical Colleges, University of North Florida, University of Arkansas – Little Rock, City University of Seattle, Kentucky State University, Simmons College, City University of New York, Kennesaw State University, Hood College and Northwest Missouri State University. The University of West Florida and Purdue University Northwest also are building university coalitions for cybersecurity workforce training.

“This new funding can allow UofL and the other lead universities to leverage resources and initiate cooperation for the good of the entire cybersecurity national community,” said Sharon Kerrick, associate professor and assistant vice president, UofL Digital Transformation Center.

Following the initial $6.2 million in funding to launch the UofL program in 2020, the university received an additional $2.3 million to expand it to include logistics and train-the-trainer components in which students are trained to instruct others in their organizations.

The UofL provides future-focused curricula and educational tools to help train the workforce in fast-growing technology areas by integrating the best features of industry and academic institution relationships.

UofL researchers already are testing wastewater to determine whether coronavirus infection exists in different neighborhoods around Jefferson County. This new work goes one step further, with the goal of estimating how many people within those neighborhoods are infected. If virus levels are high in the wastewater, it may be a signal of widespread infection in the community.

“This could revolutionize the way we track and contain pandemics, and not just COVID-19,” said Aruni Bhatnagar, professor of medicine. “It gives us an invaluable tool that could offer a clearer view of where and how the virus spreads.”

Researchers at UofL’s , where Bhatnagar is director, began testing wastewater last year as part of the Co-Immunity Project, a groundbreaking partnership with the to track COVID-19 in Metro Louisville.

As part of that effort, the from 12 sites representing multiple neighborhoods and five water quality treatment centers that aggregate the entire county to the UofL Center for Predictive Medicine for virus analysis.

In this new work, MSD and other community partners will continue collecting wastewater samples over the next six months. After analysis, UofL will also send the results to the CDC’s National Wastewater Surveillance System, which will help inform efforts across the U.S.

As with previous rounds of COVID-19 testing conducted through the Co-Immunity Project, researchers will recruit participants by sending letters to selected households across Jefferson County. They hope to continue to enroll a few thousand people every month and will compare their COVID-19 infection and antibody results with wastewater samples from the same area, with the goal of finding how they correlate.

“The aim of the project is to figure out whether we can estimate how many people in a given area are infected by simply testing the community wastewater,” said Ted Smith, associate professor of medicine and a lead on the wastewater epidemiology project. “Additionally, this is a passive and comparatively low-cost way to monitor community infection and has the additional benefit of being inclusive of all communities in our city and is a promising step to ensuring public health equity.”

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Co-Immunity Project has conducted ongoing testing and surveys to better understand the spread of the coronavirus and COVID-19. In the past year, UofL researchers have tested more than 12,000 people for COVID-19 infection and antibodies, beginning with frontline health care workers. They also have worked to gauge how local citizens feel about COVID-19 vaccines, with in a recent poll saying they would like to be vaccinated.

“This is critically important work in our fight against COVID-19,” said Kevin Gardner, UofL’s executive vice president for research and innovation. “Our hope is that by working with the CDC, we can develop these new, more efficient tools for tracking pandemics and take a big step in advancing health for all of our community.”

Last year, U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), then-Senate majority leader, negotiated and championed five historic and completely bipartisan COVID-19 rescue packages. In addition to supporting workers and propping up the economy, these relief bills also allocated for COVID-19 testing. McConnell personally called then-U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar to request that the CDC direct a portion of that funding to UofL’s Co-Immunity Project.

“Our country has responded to this terrible pandemic with innovation and discovery and Kentucky continues to play a major role in beating this virus. I’d like to congratulate Dr. Bhatnagar and UofL’s entire Co-Immunity Project on their groundbreaking study,” McConnell said in a statement. “After hearing about their work, I took this project to the highest levels of the federal government to help accelerate their research with additional federal funding.��As UPS and other Louisville employers are sending safe and effective vaccinations around the country, I’m proud top researchers right here at UofL are pushing the boundaries of knowledge in detection and prevention.”

To keep our New Year-induced optimism strong, the Courier Journal has identified 20 of the “most influential people” in Kentucky to watch this year, a list featuring many familiar faces from UofL.

That includes President Neeli Bendapudi.

The “hasn’t shied away from making high-profile, high-stakes decisions, including the admittedly risky move in 2019 – with the support of UofL’s trustees – to acquire the financially struggling Jewish Hospital as well as other local KentuckyOne Health facilities.”

The publication also highlights Bendapudi’s efforts toward eliminating barriers to student success.

“In 2020, you can expect us to not rest on our laurels but to continue driving forward toward our goal of being an even greater place to learn, to work and in which to invest. In the new year, we will increase our focus on experiential learning, student mental health and providing greater access to student financial aid,” the president told the publication.

Also recognized is Daniel Cameron, who made history last year when he became Kentucky’s first black attorney general. Cameron graduated from UofL with a bachelor of science degree in 2008 and then from the Brandeis School of Law in 2011. Cameron played on the UofL football team during his time as an undergraduate.

He is expected to be offered a prime-time speaking slot at the August 2020 Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, and has already been considered as a potential U.S. Senate candidate in 2026.

Kevin Cogan, chairman and CEO of the Jefferson Development Group, is also one to watch as his company is leading the development of the One Park project. According to the publication, Cogan, a UofL graduate, has pushed for years for approval of the $200 million-plus mixed-use development to “transform the 3.5-acre triangle near Cherokee Park.”

In 2016, around the world tuned into the Rio de Janiero Summer Olympics. There’s no reason to believe that number will be much different this summer during the 2020 Tokyo Games and one of the story lines those viewers could witness is that of 2019 UofL graduate Mallory Comerford.

Comerford is a member of the USA Swimming National Team and a four-time NCAA gold medalist. As the publication notes, “all of Comerford’s accomplishments have been building toward the 2020 Olympics Games in Tokyo.” Her first step? Getting through the Olympic Trials in Omaha, June 21-28.

Dr. Melissa Currie, chief of the UofL Division of Forensic Pediatrics, oversees the state’s most severe cases of suspected child abuse. The Courier Journal acknowledges her unique position in 2020 as Kentucky has the highest rate of child abuse and neglect in the country.

The story notes, “Currie, as a founding member of the Kosair Charities Face It campaign to eliminate child abuse in the region, will continue to work with the group to expand efforts to educate the public about the warning signs of abuse. She is also a key member of the independent panel that will continue to look for ways to reduce child abuse deaths and injuries.” ����

The Family Scholar House is a statewide entity that provides stable housing and child care while single parents earn college degrees. Five Family Scholar House campuses have housed over 500 people who have earned their degrees while in the program. The original FSH opened in 2008 in partnership with UofL’s College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development.

The Courier Journal expects 2020 to be a big year for FSH, with the potential of over 100 scholars graduating in a single year for the first time. Accordingly, the publication recognized CEO and president Cathe Dykstra as a person to watch.

This year, Matt Gibson officially assumed the role of CEO and president of the Kentucky Derby Festival. The organization manages more than 70 community events starting in April with Thunder Over Louisville. Gibson, a UofL graduate, is the first new CEO for the organization in more than 20 years.

Treva Hodges, mayor of Charlestown, Indiana, is the first female mayor of any city or town in Clark County. The 40 year old also completed her PhD in Comparative Humanities at UofL in July 2019. Among her goals for the town of 8,000 residents: to make it more financially transparent.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell graduated with honors from the University of Louisville in 1964 with a major in political science and served as president of the student body. He founded the McConnell Center in 1991 based on his belief that “Kentucky’s future depends on inspiring talented, motivated leaders.” The center pursues its mission through the McConnell Scholars program, public lecture series, civic education program, military education program and the Senator Mitch McConnell and Secretary Elaine L. Chao Archives.

The Courier Journal notes that 2020 is important for McConnell because it will be up to him and the Senate to facilitate a trial to decide whether or not recently impeached President Donald Trump stays in office. McConnell, who is the longest-serving U.S. senator in Kentucky’s history, is also up for re-election in the fall.

Pompeo, a graduate of West Point, served as a cavalry officer patrolling the Iron Curtain before the fall of the Berlin Wall. After leaving active duty, Pompeo graduated from Harvard Law School.

He was confirmed as secretary of state on April 26, 2018, after serving as director of the Central Intelligence Agency and, prior, as a congressional representative from Kansas.��

During his McConnell Center speech, Pompeo discussed the three central ideas to President Donald Trump’s foreign policy approach:

1. Realism
2. Restraint
3. Respect

The “realism” principle, he said, means looking at problems “as they are, not as what we want them to be.” Pompeo provided an overview of work done specifically in Latin America as an example of this.

“In just the last few years, we’ve seen some remarkable things. Many nations have made a sharp turn towards democracy, capitalism, good government and away from dictatorship, socialism and corruption that has been endemic in some of those countries,” he said.

He pointed to Bolivia, Cuba and Nicaragua as examples.

“No one in the region any longer believes that authoritarianism is the way forward,” he said, adding that “there is more democratic cooperation in our hemisphere today than in any other part in history.”

Pompeo also touched upon the importance of helping the Venezuelan people move toward achieving freedom, including religious freedom, something he said this administration has taken to heart. Venezuela is currently under the rule of socialist leader Nicolas Maduro.��

“We do [support the Venezuelan people] for a couple of reasons. We support it because people should be able to express their unalienable right to self-government. We support it because political freedom goes hand in hand with economic freedom,” he said. “And we support it because it’s simply the right thing to do.”

Pompeo added that, despite this progress, authoritarian regimes “don’t go away easily,” pointing to Maduro as an example. However, Pompeo noted this presents the administration with an opportunity to approach foreign policy realistically.��

“We’ve tried to drive with moral and strategic clarity the recognition that authoritarianism in our hemisphere is a threat. … We’ve done so in a way that’s been realistic – within the capacity of the American power to achieve the ends that we’re seeking,” he said.

That means, for example, rolling back the Obama administration’s Cuban policy and adding new sanctions on the country.

“We recognized engagement hasn’t improved Cuba’s regime; in fact, the human rights record was worse,” Pompeo said. “We see these tyrants for what they are and we craft policies to confront them, not to appease them.”

For the “restraint” piece, Pompeo said calls for regime change through violent means isn’t always the answer, again pointing to Venezuela as an example.

“What we’ve learned from history, is that the risks for using military force are significant, so we’ve instead worked to deprive Maduro of oil revenue … we’ve been ruthless in attacking the drug cartels and we built a coalition of 57 other allies to maximize the economic and political pressure that we’ve put on the regime,” Pompeo said. “If we do it right and do it well and represent American values, Maduro will fall.”

Pompeo said the Trump Administration will continue to be relentless with restraint, calling “unending pressure and sensible restraint” the right combination.

Finally, Pompeo noted that our foreign policy is built on respect, meaning respect “for our principles as enshrined in our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution and respect for our neighbors and allies and how they run their affairs.”

Pompeo pointed to border security as one example of striking this respect chord.��

“A poorly secured border violates Americans’ enjoyment of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It undermines the rule of law, compromises security, enables human trafficking, and the president has taken on these problems – that’s the basic respect for American ideals,” he said.

Pompeo added that one of his proudest diplomatic successes is working with Mexico to “do more inside of their own country to stop the flow of illegal immigration into the United States.” ��

“We didn’t tell them how to run their country; we just insisted they be good neighbors,” he said.

Pompeo said this same approach has yielded an 80-percent drop in intentions to illegally enter the U.S. from Ecuador and therefore a stronger relationship with El Salvador.

Ultimately what the respect tenet comes down to, Pompeo said, is ensuring people’s “yearning to be free” and that includes their religious freedom and economic rights.��

“We’ve seen protests in a number of nations. Those protests reflect the character of legitimate democratic governments,” he said. “We are so blessed here. America remains the greatest example of democracy in the history of the world … I am proud of what we’ve�� done in the region. Whatever the day brings, we’ll approach it with realism, restraint and support.”

A brief Q&A with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell followed Pompeo’s remarks. During that time, Pompeo touted the Trump Administration’s reversal of the Obama Administration’s Iranian Nuclear Agreement, noting that the sanctions put into place instead have worked without affecting the Iranian people.��

He also reiterated that the U.S. stands behind protesters in Hong Kong, calling on China to honor its 1997 commitment to offer autonomy and freedoms.

Finally, he discussed President Trump’s trip to London for the NATO Summit this week. Pompeo, who will be joining the president during the trip, said there are three priorities: to make sure NATO is prepared to fight new challenges, such as cyber threats; to increase NATO’s role in fighting terrorism; and to share the financial burden of a collective defense with other NATO countries. ��

Pompeo, the 70th secretary of state in U.S. history, is the seventh secretary of state to speak at the University of Louisville, following George Shultz, Madeleine Albright, James Baker, Colin Powell, Condoleeza Rice and Hillary Clinton.��

Here’s video from the event:��

“[It was] wonderful to meet with our country’s next generation of leaders who are part of the McConnell Scholars Program,” Esper said. “Their intelligence and acumen will be counted on to answer our nation’s call.”

McConnell noted that Esper joins a long list of distinguished speakers to meet with McConnell Scholars. The list includes four secretaries of defense, two sitting U.S. presidents, two CIA directors, Supreme Court justices, and dozens of congressional leaders and ambassadors.

“It’s always important to put ambitious young students in front of accomplished leaders who are currently serving our nation,” said McConnell Center Director Gary Gregg. “Secretary Esper’s diverse career — from serving in the infantry to business and now leading at the highest levels of civilian government — offers great leadership lessons. It was clear to us why he has been called upon to lead the Department of Defense, and we are grateful for his generous insights and time to our students.”

Eric Bush, a senior McConnell Scholar at UofL, presented Esper with a commemorative Louisville Slugger bat to mark his visit.

“I appreciated Secretary Esper’s timely insights on the challenges and opportunities facing our nation, but also his willingness to pass on lessons from his decades of military, civilian, and government leadership,” Bush said.

Esper retired from the U.S. Army in 2007 after spending 10 years on active duty and 11 years in the National Guard and Army reserve. He served as chief of staff at the Heritage Foundation think tank, followed by policy and adviser roles for Senator Chuck Hagel and former Senate Majority Bill First. He also served as vice president for government relations at the Raytheon Company before becoming Secretary of the Army in 2017.

Esper became the 27th secretary of defense in July following the resignation of Jim Mattis.

Specifically, the academy will provide curriculum and educational tools concentrated on eight fast-growing technology areas: artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, cybersecurity, cloud computing, internet of things, quantum computing, data science and design thinking.

Through IBM’s existing Academic Initiative, IBM will make available software and cloud technology with an estimated value up to $5 million a year.

“But the value of this far exceeds that figure. When you have two great institutions working together, who can say where the opportunity lies?” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi, who made the partnership happen along with Naguib Attia, IBM’s vice president of Global University Programs, after the two met recently at an event.

This skills academy is the first of its kind that IBM has developed with a higher education institute. The company is in discussions with four universities to open similar academies in the United States. Attia said the initiative is starting here because of Bendapudi’s “passionate leadership.”

“When I heard about IBM’s vision to try and bridge the digital divide, I knew we had to work quickly,” Bendapudi said. “It is important for us to be nimble with this, to be truly transformative, to say, ‘We see what’s coming, how can we be proactive?’ I am extremely grateful to IBM.”

Bendapudi said students will benefit from the academy through course credit and IBM certification, while faculty will be trained on skills curriculum to then be able to teach colleagues and students. But the benefits are expected to extend well beyond UofL’s campus, as trained faculty will also serve as workforce development agents for the community.

Attia said over 120 million jobs will be affected within the next three years by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.

Indeed, the share of jobs requiring AI skills has . Global spending on blockchain solutions in 2018 equated to $2.1 billion and is expected to . Meanwhile, the global cybersecurity market, currently valued around $120 billion, is expected to jump .��

“These skills are the most critical issue of our time and the south has the highest number of employees without an education beyond high school,” Attia said. “If we don’t work to close this gap, it could have a negative impact on millions of people.”

Because of the pervasiveness of these emerging technologies and the speed at which they’re evolving, Attia noted that such skills training will be available for all students, regardless of their area of study.

“The future is not going to leave the good people of Kentucky behind,” he said.

City, state leaders react to announcement

Underscoring the impact this announcement has locally and state wide, today’s press conference was attended by Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, Congressman John Yarmuth, Terry Gill, secretary of the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, and – via video –Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

“I attend a lot of events where I can say ‘this is a great day for Louisville.’ But with this announcement, I can say this is an important day for Louisville; this is a critical day for Louisville,” Yarmuth said. “The world is changing at 100 miles an hour and this initiative will deal with issues of the future, including the benefits and challenges of technological change.”

Mayor Greg Fischer added that the academy will help build on the city of Louisville’s employment growth trajectory from the past eight years – about 80,000 new jobs – noting that nearly every new position includes some technology skill requirement.

“Our goal is to quintuple the amount of employees receiving technology training every year and this (partnership) is exactly what we’re talking about,” Fischer said. “If we’re not integrating technology in everything we do, we’re really missing the boat.

In a prepared statement shown via video, Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell said the academy will further advance UofL’s upward trajectory and help push the boundaries of technology while providing the tools students, faculty and researchers need to be leaders in their fields.

“We shouldn’t have to rely on the west coast and the northeast corridor to be nimble in high-tech areas,” Bendapudi said. “This is a game changer for UofL and for the commonwealth.”

More information about the IBM Academic Initiative is .��

Check out footage from the press conference below:��

Haspel’s remarks were part of her visit to the university as a . She is the second CIA Director to appear as a guest of the Center, following , who came to campus in 2012.

“It’s a rare pleasure to be back home in Kentucky and back on this campus,” said Haspel, a 1978 UofL graduate and the first woman to head the CIA. About 400 people heard Haspel speak and for the Agency.

One of those priorities is to foster strong partnerships between the CIA and other government agencies, as well as with foreign allies.

“Teamwork is the only effective way of dealing with the range of complex threats we face across the globe,” she said. “The CIA is working more closely than ever with our allies across the world.”

She also spoke about the seriousness of the opioid crisis and said the CIA plans to make a bigger investment in counter narcotics efforts.

“No foreign challenge has had a more direct and devastating impact on American families and communities, including right here in Kentucky, than the flow of opioids and other drugs into our country,” Haspel said. “This terrible threat has killed far more Americans than any terrorist group.”

Haspel shared the stage with U.S. Senate Majority Leader , UofL President and McConnell Center Director . ��

She was interviewed by a UofL graduate, longtime public affairs expert, political commentator and co-founder/partner of Louisville-based RunSwitch Public Relations.

In her Q&A with Jennings, Haspel talked about careers in the CIA.

“We are looking for people who are dedicated to serving their country,” Haspel said.

“It’s not only the things you see in movies,” Haspel said. “We also have lots of other occupations that you find at any large organization. We have accountants, we have lawyers, we have scientists, engineers, data scientists and cyber experts.

“CIA can offer a rewarding career in a lot of different fields. Prepare yourself with a good education and raise your hand for the difficult jobs,” she said.

A video of her talk

He discussed bipartisan leadership, federal budgets, student debt, immigration reform and jobs during his visit as part of the McConnell Center’s Distinguished Speaker Series.

Schumer, D-NY, said he supports programs that take aim against high levels of student debt and would like to see lower interest rates for student loans. He also said he believes in strong support of colleges and universities, especially as the nation continues to move toward an “ideas” economy.

“A focus on higher education is needed more than ever before,” Schumer said. “It is our future.”

Schumer also delivered a surprise to UofL sophomore Jasper Noble when he announced that Noble was selected to be an intern in the Democratic leader’s office over the summer. Noble is a majoring in political science, history and philosophy.

Introduced to an audience of nearly 400 by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Schumer stressed that the two party leaders “can and do work together” to tackle important issues. He cited the Feb. 7 two-year bipartisan budget as a good example of how he and McConnell have recently worked together.

“We try our best to understand each other; to be honest and respectful,” Schumer said.

In his introduction of Schumer, McConnell shared similar thoughts about bipartisan problem solving. “Washington may look like a pretty divided place but, actually, the Senate is a pretty collegial place,” McConnell said.

This is the second time the McConnell Center has had both Senate leaders on the stage, said Gary Gregg, who directs the Center. The last time was in 2007 when former Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., was a McConnell Center guest.

The Center has hosted many political leaders since 1993. Past speakers include U.S. President George W. Bush; U.S. Secretarys of State Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright and Colin Powell; Senators Ted Kennedy, John McCain, Marco Rubio and many others.

In addition to giving a public talk, guests who come to UofL as part of the center’s Distinguished Speaker Series meet privately with UofL students who are part of the McConnell Scholars program.

Check out video from Schumer’s talk below:��