Bendapudi presented senators with updates from her meeting with the Counsel on Postsecondary 成人直播, which oversees all Kentucky higher education institutions. The counsel assesses all colleges and universities on 29 different metrics of progress. Bendapudi was proud to report that since the 2015/2016 academic year, the university has improved on 26 of the 29 measured metrics. Adult learners over the age of 22, diversity of tenure track staff, and student performance in English were among those areas with room for growth.

Bendapudi stated, 鈥淚 want to point out that we were the top-ranking university in the Commonwealth for English but relative to where we were (in 2015/2016), there is room for improvement. We are certainly going to be looking at those three areas moving forward.鈥�

In addition to these accomplishments, UofL was the only institution in the Commonwealth to see an increase in enrollment. The university also reported its highest graduation rate with over 60% of students completing degrees within 6 years. Bendapudi attributed the approximate 2.5% growth in enrollment and the record high graduation rate to the hard work of all faculty and staff.

Senators were also informed about an upcoming event with guest speaker, Simon Sinek. Sinek is a renowned speaker, author, and presenter of the third most watched TED Talk of all time. To celebrate the launch of the new Employee Success Center, President Bendapudi will host a virtual fireside chat with Sinek on Feb. 22 at 1 p.m. Faculty and staff were encouraged to attend and learn more about the new Employee Success Center, which aims to improve workplace culture and employee engagement through leadership training, mentoring and coaching. Employees can register for the free virtual event

Executive Vice President and University Provost Beth Boehm provided updates from the Academic Scenario Planning committee. While decisions have not been finalized, Boehm informed senators that there will most likely be an increase in face-to-face instruction during the fall of 2021. A majority of summer courses will be offered remotely, with the exception of some STEM courses that require in-person instruction.

Boehm addressed questions concerning current faculty travel policies. The university is following policies recommended by the CDC, which at present do not differentiate between vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers. It was reported that some faculty members have received approval for domestic travel, and a small number of faculty members have also been approved for international travel relevant to their research efforts. Boehm further recommended that faculty avoid planning student involved trips with agencies requiring nonrefundable deposits.

Executive Vice President for Research & Innovation Kevin Gardner reported that 2020 was a strong fiscal year with a record number of research awards totaling more than $170 million. He reported a record $9 million from translational research and innovation. Gardner further commended the university鈥檚 world-class contributions in translational research and innovation throughout the past fiscal year.聽

Gardner highlighted the four UofL researchers and innovators recognized for their work at the . Paula Bates, a cancer researcher and serial inventor, was presented with the Innovator of the Year award. Brad Shuck, Theo Edmonds and Laura Weingartner each accepted Trailblazer awards on behalf of their teams for outstanding work in new areas of innovation for the university.聽

Committee reports and a of the virtual meeting can be accessed on the . The next Faculty Senate meeting is scheduled for March 3 via Microsoft Teams.

Growing up, I never thought I would get the chance to travel aboard. Mainly due to my parents being the protective types. They weren鈥檛 even keen on me going to the University of Louisville because they believed an hour away was too far from home. Despite this, I chose UofL. I knew it would offer me opportunities that no other university could provide. So when I learned the International Service Learning Program (ISLP), a program created for UofL students to travel aboard and provide services, I immediately applied to go to Croatia. I saw this as my chance to finally expand my horizons.

When I landed in Croatia, I honestly didn鈥檛 know what to expect. My professor Steve Sohn, a ISLP veteran, did tell me and my peers what to expect in Croatia. One of them being how Croatia is smoking country. From adults to teenagers, smoking cigarettes are practically allowed anywhere at any time. This was difficult for me to imagine until we arrived in the first city called Sisak. It was just as my professor said.

As someone who grew up in a nation where smoking is prohibited in many places and has an age restriction, witnessing such a cultural difference definitely threw me for a loop. However, it didn鈥檛 offend me. The point of ISLP is to learn about another culture, and smoking is a part of Croatia鈥檚 society. Seeing such a difference helped me better understand what it鈥檚 like to live in Croatia.

Along with learning about cultural differences, another part of ISLP is to provide services. My group and I were tasked with developing educational activities to teach to Croatian high school students. At first, I was fearful that it would be difficult for us to connect with the Croatian students. We grew up with different cultural backgrounds. I was scared such a boundary would prevent us from getting along. But I couldn鈥檛 have been more wrong.

The Croatian students completely opened up to us. They asked us about our culture, and they were excited to answer our questions, too. Some of the students even invited us out to explore the town, allowing us to get to know them better.聽 By our last day of teaching, I had become so close with my students that I got emotional when we said our goodbyes. Luckily, we became friends on social media, so the goodbye wasn鈥檛 final.

After our teaching days, my group and I left Sisak to explore the other cities of Croatia including Zadar, Zaton, Nin and Zagreb. Every place we visited was beautiful, but it was my friends who made the experiences unforgettable. It鈥檚 amazing to me how I didn鈥檛 know anyone at the start of this program, and now some of my favorite moments are goofing around with these wonderful people.

ISLP not only introduced me to another country鈥檚 culture, but it also allowed me to form friendships with individuals whom I may have never met on UofL鈥檚 big campus.聽