Accountability and well-being

Bradley discussed his from the Board of Trustees and outlined , citing a commitment to decisiveness, accountability and focus.

“I want to send the message that I am holding myself accountable and my team,” Bradley said.

Board leaders described the process as the .Ìý

Bradley also responded to recommendations from the breaking progress into immediate, developing and completed actions. Immediate steps include clarifying how sick days may be used to support mental healthcare, while supervisor training for staff and faculty is in development.

Communication and transparency were flagged as continued areas for improvement, and the monthly town halls were introduced as part of the response to give staff and faculty a place to ask questions in real time from university leadership.

Read Bradley’s .

Cardinal Intelligence

Turning to the university’s technology strategy, Cardarelli provided an update on , UofL’s overarching vision for integrating AI into the university’s strategic plan and guiding how the campus teaches, researches and works with technology. The leadership council and four committees are now fully staffed with members from across campus and are meeting regularly to advise on usage in curriculum, tools adopted and best practices.Ìý

“We are in a world where this is all rapidly changing, what I say today may change tomorrow,” Cardarelli said. “We feel really good about the governance structure we’ve set up. We put a lot of thought and intentionality into how we have set up our governance into these four committees to make sure we are putting into place the right guardrails with the right tools.”

Cardarelli added that universities should take the lead in figuring out how to use new tools responsibly while balancing ethical and environmental concerns.

Budget and retention

Addressing questions about why the university faces budget pressure despite record enrollment, Bradley pointed to rising health premiums and pay increases as major cost drivers.

“We have a razor-thin margin,” he said. “As difficult as it has been, we have managed to do due diligence, compensate our faculty and staff, provide benefits, and we will go through the same process next year.”

He added that higher education broadly is navigating a difficult financial landscape, and that UofL’s focus going forward will be on retaining students and keeping the university affordable and accessible while continuing to grow.

Cardarelli reiterated the university’s commitment to data-informed student retention. A dedicated Student Success Task Force meets weekly to evaluate enrollment trends and analyze fall numbers that are currently tracking under target. Academic deans are participating in planning sessions to ensure their school or college-level strategic plans align directly with available resources, while the Provost’s Office continues to fund high-impact initiatives, such as .

Campus Safety

The Department of Public Safety provided an update on campus safety measures, addressing questions about the university’s emergency alert system. SafeZone replaces the RAVE emergency alert system and the Card Armor mobile safety app. RAVE ends Sept. 1 and the campus community is reminded to download the free SafeZone mobile safety app in the  (for iPhone) and  (for Android).ÌýPhone numbers must be registered to receive text message alerts. Learn more on the .Ìý

Please provide your feedback about the event through this anonymous .

The next Town Hall will be held on the Health Sciences Center Campus in the Kornhauser Library, on Sept. 23, 4-5 p.m. .

A full recording of the Town Hall is available on the .