First up was Bradley, who was unanimously voted president by the Board of Trustees on March 26. In his remarks, Bradley emphasized how “his heart is with UofL,” and that played a significant role in his decision to accept the appointment.

“I am excited about the future of our great university,” said Bradley, who joined UofL as dean of the School of Dentistry in August 2016 and served as provost in both interim and permanent roles since 2022. “We have fantastic people in place to keep our momentum going forward.”

Bradley, along with Faculty Senate President Eugene Mueller, Staff Senate President Kevin Ledford and Board Chair Diane Medley, fielded questions about changes in university leadership.

Mueller and Ledford said the timeline needed to conduct a national search (average 1.5 to 2 years) was not practical given the immediate needs of ongoing university initiatives.

“The constituent representatives on the board – Faculty Senate, Staff Senate and Student Government – were all fully involved in the process and stand by the measure,” said Mueller.

Bradley was appointed with a three-year contract, rather than the customary five-year contract. In two years, the Board of Trustees along with all appropriate shared governance mechanisms, will conduct a formal review of Bradley’s work.

“We have a strong leader in President Bradley, and we look forward to working with him,” added Medley.

In his remarks, Bradley said that there will be no major changes in policies or priorities from the previous administration. Those priorities include completion of the university’s current Strategic Plan and development of the new Strategic Plan, which will be introduced in early 2026. Growing student enrollment and retention are among other university goals.

When asked about the potential impacts of the recently passed (an act relating to diversity, equity and inclusion), Bradley said that the university is an agent of the state and must abide by the law. However, the university’s general counsel, along with the general counsels from several other Kentucky universities, is working with the state attorney general to get clarification on what the law requires.

Interim Provost Cardarelli echoed Bradley’s comments about the university’s current priorities. She added that student success is one of her priorities and wants to create initiatives that promote a shared understanding among faculty, staff and administrators of their respective roles to prioritize a meaningful and productive higher education experience for UofL’s students.

Cardarelli will also drive ongoing efforts to ensure that faculty compensation standards are competitive in today’s market.

Concerns about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) efforts’ impact on UofL’s international students and faculty were raised at both meetings.

Paul Hofmann, associate vice provost for international affairs, addressed those concerns with Faculty Senate, and Cardarelli did so with the Staff Senate.

Recently, rumors circulated about ICE agents detaining international students on the Health Sciences Center Campus. Cardarelli and Hofmann said that these rumors were not true and noted that, if ICE were to come to any of the university’s campuses, they would first contact the University of Louisville Police Department.

The larger concern, according to Hofmann, is international students’ ability to return to the United States after traveling abroad, including those who travel as part of UofL-sponsored travel abroad programs. While a visa allows an individual to attempt to enter a country, it does not guarantee entry. The final decision on whether one is allowed to enter rests with the immigration officials at the port of entry.

The UofL International Center provides guidance to international students on how to best consider their decisions to travel abroad for personal, academic or professional reasons.

The next meeting of the University of Louisville Faculty Senate is Thursday, May 1, 3-5 p.m., Chao Auditorium, Ekstrom Library, Belknap Campus. Meeting minutes, committee reports, action items and other information are available on the .

The Staff Senate’s next meeting is Tuesday, May 13, at 2:30 p.m., on Teams. Meeting minutes, committee reports, action items and other information are available on the .

UofL News: You have served at the University of Louisville for 24 years. What is it about the institution that has compelled you to continue investing in this community?

Kevin Ledford: I served the university first as a student temporary worker, and then later as a full-time employee for the past 18 years. If I had to pick one thing that has compelled me to continue to invest in the UofL community, it would be the people. I see daily how passionate everyone is about the vitally important work we do in educating future generations. During my years, I have interacted with departments and people all over the university and they are almost universally dedicated and passionate about the work we do, and their role in it.

UofL News: Some may not understand or appreciate the purpose of a staff senate. Can you describe the significance of its impact, along with some distinguishing features of the UofL Staff Senate?

Ledford: To me, UofL’s Staff Senate provides a voice and representation of staff community, gives feedback to administration and advocates for staff outcomes that will hopefully improve conditions that help make the university a better place to work. We work collaboratively with administration and the other shared governance bodies, such as the Faculty Senate and the Student Government Association to help accomplish these goals

UofL News: How do you plan to use your new position to develop changes in ways that uniquely leaves your mark?

Ledford: I want to use my position to advocate for investment in our human capital, our employees. One of the key issues I have heard repeatedly is how we struggle to get and keep good talent in the staff areas and to maintain staffing levels that set us up for success. I think by advocating for that investment in our staff, we can improve the ability of our staff to support the goal of educating our students, providing them and the faculty who teach them a better experience.

UofL News: What would you say are the greatest factors in your life that have brought you vocationally to where you are today?

Ledford: I am an Information Technology person by profession. My IT background tends to make me approach things in a very process-and-systems-driven mindset. This has really been a benefit to me as I am in the role of Staff Senate chair. I am a firm believer that if you have good systems in place and your process is well designed, then it should be easier to adapt and innovate. IT also must be very collaborative and communicative, so those are skills I try and use as much as possible.

UofL News: Everyone loves telling and hearing a good story; what is one of the most memorable moments you have from your time on staff thus far at UofL?

Ledford: A very personal story comes to mind when you ask that question. In 2009, I ended up with a very bad case of swine flu, that became pneumonia and eventually ended up with me in a medically induced coma for a month. During that time, the people who I worked with and worked for, were amazingly supportive. I didn’t have a lot of sick time built up at that point, so I ran out of it quickly while dealing with that and my recovery. Those I worked with and even folks I didn’t know very well donated sick time. It is a lot of why I think that program is so important for supporting those in need, and I encourage those with time to donate to the Shared Leave Program. It also shows the heart of the folks who work here and how they will come together to support each other in times of need. We have great folks, and it is amazing when you get to see them at their very best.

To learn more about the Staff Senate and what they accomplish for the work culture of the university, visit the

“Over the coming year, my goal is to continue to lead our Staff Senate into an era of growth, influence and shared governance,” said Ledford, who is enterprise systems programmer III for UofL’s Information Technology Services. “I firmly believe that our Staff Senate should be a central pillar of our institution, representing the voices, concerns and aspirations of our dedicated staff. By working together, we can build a stronger, more inclusive and engaging environment that benefits us all.”

One of Ledford’s primary objectives is to raise awareness and understanding of the essential work the senate undertakes. Ledford adds that he will advocate for creating an institution where staff feel valued in a workplace that nurtures both personal and professional growth.

“To effectively champion our staff, we must cultivate strong relationships, build bridges and promote open dialogue,” said Ledford. “I am dedicated to fostering an inclusive and transparent environment where everyone feels heard and represented.”

Kari Donahue, director of communications and marketing for the J.B. Speed School of Engineering, was elected as the senate vice chair, and Carcyle D. Barrett, a paralegal in the Office of University Counsel and past president of the Black Faculty/Staff Association, was re-elected secretary-treasurer.

Smith, assistant director of Intramural and Recreational Sports, will remain on the Staff Senate as an at-large member. In his remarks to the senate, Smith noted how grateful he is to have served the university throughout leadership transitions, the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to improve employee compensation.

“I think our senate is much stronger than it has been due to the number and quality of individuals who commit to this service,” said Smith. “I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with every one of you.”

In other news:

Additional security cameras will be installed throughout Belknap Campus in the coming months. The new cameras are a proactive measure to improve campus security. Additionally, UofL’s security cameras are connecting to 135 City of Louisville cameras in the immediate vicinity of campus to improve coordination between Louisville Metro and University of Louisville Police Departments.

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems will be replaced in several university buildings in the coming months. This may cause disruption in some workspaces. Unit managers will be advised on the timing of HVAC replacement.

The agenda, committee reports and other information from the June 13, 2023, UofL Staff Senate meeting is available on the Staff Senate .

• Provide opportunities for career development and advancement;
• Provide a comprehensive and competitive compensation and benefits package; and
• Follow “best practice” philosophy and align the university’s job and pay structure with the market.

According to Mary Elizabeth Miles, vice president for human resources, the two-year evaluation is on schedule to finish in July, at which time the committees will report findings to university vice presidents, deans and vice provosts. Specifics on implementation strategies are not yet finalized. Communications about Compensation & Total Rewards Study results and strategy communications are forthcoming.

Learn more on the Compensation and Total Rewards Study .

The Staff Senate unanimously approved a letter of support for UofL’s trans community.

“We share the Commission on the Status of Women’s (COSW’s) beliefs that trans rights are human rights, and no UofL student, staff or faculty should be discriminated against based on their race, gender identity or sexuality. All students, staff and faculty deserve equal protection and civil treatment on campus, so they can live, learn, work and thrive in a safe environment.”

The letter also provides recommendations for how the university community can best support the trans community including the review of current university policies, transparency when policy and other issues which impact the trans community are being considered, using the Cardinal Principles as foundations for support and working with various groups such as UofL Trans Rights Alliance to gain a better understanding of trans issues.

Read the complete letter on the Staff Senate .

Staff Senate elections are coming up. All senators, whether their seat expires or not, must complete an application if they wish to serve on the senate for FY24 (July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024).

Applications are due April 15 and are available on the Staff Senate application .

Gary Becker, director of University Parking & Transportation Services, announced a new parking permit renewal process which will begin on Belknap Campus. Those renewing/requesting parking permits and paying for permits through payroll deduction for 2023-24 will receive a “forever permit,” which will have no expiration date on the permit. The following year, permit holders will receive a notification of fees and a deadline to confirm renewal or request changes to permit levels. (Notes: The renewal process will remain the same this year. There will be no increases in parking permit rates for 2023-24.)

The effort is designed to streamline the parking permit renewal process. If successful, the process will be integrated into the Health Sciences Center Campus parking permit renewal process in 2024-25.

Parking information is available on the University Parking & Transportation Services .

The agenda, committee reports and other information from the March 14, 2023, UofL Staff Senate meeting is available on the Staff Senate meetings . The next senate meeting will be Tuesday, April 11, 2023, on MS Teams. See the Staff Senate for details, and email staffsen@louisville.edu with questions.

“Leadership is a team sport, and this group [Staff Senate] plays an important role in shared governance at UofL,” said Schatzel.

She added that issues raised at the listening sessions so far have included housing and dining options, staff’s desire for more engagement with students, accessibility to services for non-traditional students, among others. Schatzel emphasized that her listening tour is just that – an opportunity to understand how to best align the university’s culture with its strategic plan and vision for the future.

See the president’s for updates and information about upcoming listening sessions.

The Staff Senate was also introduced to Kelvin Thompson, the university’s new vice provost for online strategy and teaching innovation. Thompson came to UofL in January after 25 years of service at the University of Central Florida, where he most recently served as executive director of the Center for Distributed Learning.

Thompson said that he was drawn to UofL by how the university positions online strategy and teaching innovation, a construct Thompson said is not common in many organizations. In his role, Thompson will assist with establishing online courses and academic programs, provide faculty development opportunities for teaching face-to-face classes, provide support for the Blackboard learning management system and more.

Learn more about Thompson’s role on the provost’s .

In other news, Senate President John Smith reported that Provost Lori Gonzalez will reassume her role as co-chair of the Shared Governance Workgroup following her service as interim university president. Smith also noted that he now serves on the university’s Legislative Advisory Committee, which reviews bills submitted to the Kentucky General Assembly which may impact the university.

Officer reports and other information from the Feb. 14, 2023, Staff Senate meeting are available on the Staff Senate’s . The next Staff Senate meeting will take place Tuesday, March 14, at 2:30 p.m. on Teams. Email staffsen@louisville.edu for questions.

Senators asked about how timesheets for bi-weekly/hourly employees should be managed prior to and during the holiday break. Shuter said, where possible, supervisors should go ahead and approve timesheets for Dec. 16, 2022 – Dec. 29, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2022, when no hours are worked. Supervisors who have employees working over winter break will need to approve hours worked. When Workday goes live, timesheets will be due Monday at noon. Employees are encouraged to check the for details.

Questions about the WorkdayHR transition should be directed to workdayhr@louisville.edu.

President Search

Staff Senate Chair John Smith provided a follow-up to the recent announcement of Kim Schatzel’s appointment as UofL’s new president. He said that Schatzel’s accomplishments in shared governance, student success and business acumen throughout her professional career made her the best choice as UofL’s next president. Smith recently contacted the Staff Senate chair at Towson University, where Schatzel has served as president since 2016, and was assured that Schatzel’s engagement in and support of Staff Senate issues and initiatives are exemplary.

Excellence Awards

Laura McDaniels from the UofL Employee Success Center shared information about UofL’s 2023 Presidential Excellence Awards. Nominations are being accepted until Feb. 15, 2023. Staff employees are eligible to receive the Outstanding Performance Award and the George J. Howe Distinguished Staff Award. Both staff and faculty are eligible for the Cardinal Principles Champion and Outstanding Supervisor awards. Winners of the Outstanding Performance, Outstanding Supervisor and Cardinal Principles Champion awards receive $1,000, and the George J. Howe Distinguished Staff Award winner receives $5,000. More information and nomination forms are available on the .

ITS Updates

Interim Chief Information Officer Brad Anderson gave an update on network outages which occurred across the university between September and December. While each instance was different, all resulted in disruption of network access and/or internet use. Anderson said that work is underway to provide additional means of communication to further minimize impact to end users including information on the ITS webpage that will provide updates on outage causes and resolutions. When outages prohibit or limit access to the internet, Anderson advises end users to access the ITS webpage using their cell phones. RAVE alerts about outages will deploy in extreme circumstances. Access the for more information.

AAPI

Andrew Zhao, an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology, was on hand to share the successes of the . The employee resource group was established in 2021 to build community, address the needs and lift up the unique perspectives and experiences of UofL’s AAPI community. The AAPI leadership team is growing and looking for leaders to take the employee resource group to the next level. They are looking for a variety of skills to round out their leadership team and are accepting until Jan. 17.

The next meeting of the University of Louisville Staff Senate will be held Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, via MS Teams. Committee reports, meeting minutes and other information from the Dec. 13, 2022, Staff Senate meeting are available on the .

John Smith, assistant director of Intramural and Recreational Sports, will serve a fifth term as senate chair. In his remarks at the June 14 monthly Staff Senate meeting, Smith, who also serves as the staff constituency representative on the UofL Board of Trustees, said his priorities for the next year will focus on the presidential search and the compensation and total rewards study.

“I believe we will have a strong candidate pool for the university’s next president,” said Smith who is on the presidential search committee. “I will consider candidates who are committed to shared governance, and I encourage all of our senators to keep sending me their ideas, questions and concerns about the presidential search.”

Where the compensation study is concerned, Smith said he will focus on how the results of the study will be addressed and will push against measures that put unnecessary strains on university departments.

Kevin Ledford, enterprise systems programmer III for UofL’s Information Technology Services, is the newly elected vice chair. He served as the senate’s secretary-treasurer in fiscal year 2021-22 and replaces Andrew Grubb who decided not to run for another term as vice chair.

“I see a lot of challenges and opportunities with shared governance and human capital,” said Ledford. “We must do what we can to make sure our university retains good employees. Our senate must also be sure we have a voice in every room where decisions are made.”

Smith, Ledford and several of the senators thanked Grubb for his service.

“You have all done much more for me than I have done for you,” said Grubb, senior academic coordinator for the University Honors Program. “It was a pleasure to have served you.”

Carcyle D. Barrett, a paralegal in the Office of University Counsel and immediate past president of the Black Faculty/Staff Association, was elected secretary-treasurer. She said, given her capacities at the university, she is confident in her awareness of issues of importance to the senate and university staff and will look for opportunities for the senate to be part of university decision-making. Further, she hopes that the Cardinal Anti-Racism Agenda (CARA) will remain a priority for the new administration and the entire university.

“CARA is not just a characteristic of previous administrations,” said Barrett. “This is a characteristic of all employees now and into the future.”

New Staff Senate website

The new fiscal year also brings a refreshed resource for the Staff Senate and UofL employees. Thanks to the efforts of Senators Kari Donahue and Gretchen Henry, the UofL Staff Senate have been updated to provide more and easier access to senate information. Donahue, a marketing and communications specialist in the J.B. Speed School of Engineering, and Henry, senate coordinator, said the new webpages are the result of about two years of work. Adjustments to the pages will be made as the university’s web improvement project falls into place, and information will be updated as necessary.

Guest speaker: Josh Heird, Athletics

Josh Heird, UofL’s new athletics director, was the guest speaker at the Staff Senate meeting. In his comments to the senate, Heird, who previously served as interim athletic director since December 2021, said that more frequent communication between Athletics and the Staff Senate is integral to strengthening trust throughout the university community.

“Athletics may be the most visible department in the university, but it is certainly not the most important,” said Heird, who also noted fiscal responsibility and providing student-athletes with the resources they need to succeed as some of his other priorities. “All of us work together to make sure our students are proud to learn here and work here.”

Other business

• Committee reports for the June 14, 2022, Staff Senate meeting are available on the Staff Senate .
• The next UofL Staff Senate meeting is Tuesday, July 12, and will be held via Microsoft Teams.

Chief Financial Officer Dan Durbin told senators the university entered the academic year with a balanced budget with expectations to generate sufficient revenue to cover expenses. These costs included last fall’s 1% salary raise and $1,000 bonus for university employees, and the return of retirement contributions to pre-COVID levels.

“We also had a provision for an additional 1% raise in the spring; we said we would revisit that raise based on how we were doing from a tuition revenue standpoint,” Durbin said. “We have looked through the fall semester and through spring registration. The good news is our tuition revenues are higher than last year; the challenging news is that those tuition revenues are below budget by almost $7.9 million.”

Despite this challenge, administration maintained the additional raise would be within the best interest of the university. The 1% raise was authorized by the Board of Trustees and went into effect in March. Senators were informed that a financial plan was developed to ensure adequate funding for the institution-wide pay increase. Tactics of this financial plan included withholding a 3% contingency back from the units to cover unforeseen costs, as well as an increased emphasis on the importance of funding available to colleges and units through the University of Louisville Foundation.

“While we have tactics to ensure that raise, we still continue to work on enrollment not only for spring, but for the fall and beyond. Applications look really encouraging at the moment, but it’s all hands on deck to make sure we can get back to our original estimates on enrollment so the university can be on good, solid footing next year,” Durbin said.

Kari Aikins, director of Total Rewards for UofL, provided senators with information on the . Segal, an HR consulting firm with expertise in higher education, is currently reviewing data collected from the employee survey. The survey closed March 1, and an aggregate report of this data, which Is being generated by Segal, will provide input on remaining aspects of the HR initiative.

“One of the projects that this data will be used for will be our guiding principles and compensation philosophy, which we want to make sure aligns with our employee feedback and incorporates that input. We will also be using the data as we move through benchmarking, development of the career progression, leveling and some other components of the study that are still to come,” Aikins said.

Committee reports and a of the virtual meeting can be found on the . The next Staff Senate meeting will be held April 12 via Microsoft Teams.

Jim Begany, vice provost for Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success, provided updates on current student enrollment and graduation rates. The student graduation rate at UofL has reported steady growth over the past six years, increasing from 52.9% in 2015 to 61.6% in 2021.

“Our graduation rate is the real highlight of this presentation. Last year we eclipsed 60% for the first time in the history of the university, and now we have surpassed it and we’ll continue to improve that number,” Begany said.

Total enrollment for fall 2021 was 21,754 students, a decrease of 227 from last year’s fall semester; these figures reflect the national downward trend in undergraduate enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Enrollment figures nationwide are projected to decline significantly over the next five to 10 years. This is due to falling birthrates and a decrease in the population of high school students known as the demographic cliff.

According to Begany, Kentucky’s estimated drop is around 15-16%, which, he said, will be a significant challenge in our regional markets.

Begany informed senators that the Office of the Provost is exploring possible solutions to address this future obstacle, including the formation of the Demographic 25 Committee. This committee will confront the challenge of the projected 2025 demographic cliff by focusing institutional efforts in six areas: academic quality, institutional aid strategies, retention and graduation, academic programs, recruitment and partnerships.

Senators were also joined by M. Rehan Khan, vice president of Information Technology Services and chief information officer, and Katherine Stevenson, executive director of Enterprise Technology Services. Stevenson informed senators that Information Technology Services will start using , a form of multifactor authentication for Microsoft O365 software. Authorization will be a combination user and device identity, location signaling and if necessary, two-factor user verification.

“When we turn this on, what we’re doing is checking the reputation of the IP address that you’re logging on from and your normal login behavior. If we rank that as a high-risk login, we’re simply not going to allow that login to continue. If you were a medium risk login, you would be prompted to do two-factor verification,” Stevenson said.

Conditional Access for Microsoft O365 systems will provide increased security for the university, as well as improving the security of employees’ data and personal information. Conditional Access will go into effect for all staff and faculty Jan. 10, 2022, and will apply to all applications that utilize the Microsoft Single Sign-On system, such as Outlook and SharePoint.

Committee reports and a of the virtual meeting can be found on the . The next Staff Senate meeting will be held on Dec. 13 via Microsoft Teams.

President Bendapudi addressed Staff Senators and highlighted recent accomplishments from members of the UofL community. In September, a surgical team with UofL Health – Jewish Hospital performed the world’s first total artificial heart implantation in a female patient, for example.

“In September, the first artificial heart transplant for a man in the United States was performed at Duke University. A week later, the second artificial heart transplant for a man in the United States was here at the University of Louisville. We followed that up by performing the very first artificial heart transplant for a female patient in the world right here at UofL,” Bendapudi said. “I mention that because going forward, I hope I can share these bragging points with our employees because these are genuine, world-wide accomplishments for the university.”

Bendapudi also addressed Staff Senator’s questions and concerns regarding compensation. She said future annual 1% raises for university employees will be contingent on revenue and student enrollment figures. Student enrollment and retention is the largest contributor to revenue for UofL and also affects state funding. Projections estimate that the number of college students in Kentucky will decrease 15% by the year 2025. For this reason, Bendapudi prompted senators and their constituents to reach out and encourage students on campus.

“The best chance we have of our increasing our revenues – the part of the world that we can control and influence – is student enrollment and retention. It is the biggest contributor to revenue and controls where and when we can provide raises,” Bendapudi said. “I believe that everybody who works at UofL should feel confident that every year they will get a raise. To do that, we’ve got to work on our enrollment and retention.”

Vice President of Human Resources Mary Elizabeth Miles informed senators that will be available Oct. 20 through Nov. 3. Employees wishing to make no changes to their plan will not need to take any actions; however, those with a flexible spending account will need to reenroll to retain their balance.

Kari Aikins, director of Total Rewards for UofL, provided senators with additional information on Open Enrollment. Aikens addressed some of the recent changes made to health care plans, including the transition to Optum Health for HRA and FSA administration and moderate increases to vision and dental plans. Senators and their constituents were encouraged to attend one of the four Open Enrollment Benefit Information Sessions offered by Human Resources via Microsoft Teams. Employees who were unable to attend one of the four sessions may view a or reach out to their designated for additional information.

Committee reports and a of the virtual meeting can be found on the . The next Staff Senate meeting is Nov. 9 via Microsoft Teams.