Those are the moments when the University of Louisville’s “” steps in.

The university opened the permanent, on-campus resource earlier this year to ensure no student’s career path is blocked by a lack of access to professional clothing. Managed by the  (SSC) and located in the , the no-cost shop offers suits, shirts, pants, dresses, skirts, ties, shoes, belts and bags in a variety of styles and sizes – all completely free to any current UofL student.

An official ribbon cutting was held Feb. 5. said the university has a “shared responsibility to remove barriers so every student regardless of background or circumstances can fully pursue their goals.”

“This space exists because our students were honest with us about what they needed to be confident,” she said. “The university believes success is more than course work. It’s about success. It’s about confidence. It’s about access.”

As students prepare for spring career fairs, the SSC aims to ensure they walk into interviews focused on their skills, not their clothes. The clothing resource is open Tuesday through Thursday from noon to 3 p.m. and is staffed by SSC student workers.

How it began

The closet represents an expansion of student support that grew out of a series of “pop-up” events. Charice Patterson in the said she saw the need as far back as 2020.

“I’ve always thought it would be nice to see a professional clothing closet on campus,” Patterson said. “And then we had a student employee in the Career Center who really took on the project to turn this wish list idea into reality.”

Natalie Hicks, a student in the , helped plan the original pop-ups. Hicks believes the resource fills a critical need for students balancing professional expectations with financial hurdles.

“Growing up first generation and low income, we can be overlooked and outsourcing for resources,” Hicks said. “In the business school, there is a lot of expectations on appearance, and it can be inaccessible for low-income students.”

The first pop-up event was so successful they “gave away almost everything,” eventually requiring three times the amount of donations to meet student demand for the second one. That response led to a collaboration between the Career Center and the SSC to establish a permanent home.

The power of partnership

Hire Attire now falls under the wider umbrella of services related to accessibility offered by the SSC. SSC Manager Josie Raymond helped lead the effort to get the resource established permanently.

“It’s been really fun to watch students come in, try on their first-ever suit and walk out feeling really confident,” Raymond said.

Other on-campus partners included the , which helped convert the previous storage space into a boutique-like atmosphere, and the which offers casual wear and gives the more professional pieces to Hire Attire.��

Community partners have donated attire and hosted donation drives, including C. E.& S. Foundation, DXL Big + Tall, Dress for Success Louisville, Omni Louisville and Portland Avenue Community Trust.

Supported by campus partners, local organizations and a growing network of donors, Hire Attire reflects what can happen when a community comes together for its students. It’s more than a clothing resource; it’s a collective investment in redefining student success.

For more information, .��

The three-story, 4,700-square-foot center at Brodschi Hall features a study room, lounge and meeting space, a lactation room and offices for five full-time staff. There is also flexible office space for support staff to assist military-connected students from the center, kitchenettes and ADA-compliant restrooms with a shower.

Outside, there is a 20-foot flagpole flying the American flag and a Prisoner of War/Missing in Action flag and an ADA-compliant picnic bench.

The Center for Military-Connected Students was renovated using $600,000 in state funds. The Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs is using the center as a model for other state institutions, and the center has hosted visits from institutions as far away as California.

“This ribbon-cutting marks the achievement of a long-term goal of creating a dedicated and welcoming space to serve these students, who make up more than 10 percent of UofL’s student population,” said Kim Schatzel, president of UofL. “I want to thank Gov. Andy Beshear, state Rep. Kevin Bratcher and the rest of the legislature for providing the funding to enable this project. But even while we celebrate this achievement, we remain committed to continually improving how we serve this important population.”

The next phase of the renovation includes a dedicated space for UofL’s chapter of the Student Veterans of America, an additional study room and lending library in the basement. The basement will also feature a TV, pool table and foosball table for students.

Among the center’s key functions include identifying and tracking military-connected students, policy advocacy, advising use of and processing Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) education benefits, and Military Tuition Assistance processing and residency coding. It also performs undergraduate admissions actions for currently serving members, veterans and dependents using VA education benefits, and advocacy and assistance for graduate admissions.

The center, which moved into Brodschi Hall in October, was formed in 2022 by merging the Office of Military and Veteran Student Services (formerly part of Undergraduate Admissions) and the university’s Fort Knox campus (formerly part of the College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development).

Directed by U.S. Air Force veteran Kyle Hurwitz, the center was cited as a factor in UofL earning the 2023 “Gold” designation from Military Friendly. Of the more than 1,800 participating institutions, UofL was among one of only 33 Carnegie Designated Tier 1 Research institutions in the nation to earn this designation. This recognition highlights the institution’s “commitment, effort and success in creating sustainable and meaningful benefits for the military community.”

Through the center and this new space, the university will increase military-connected student persistence and success rates, as well as enhance their higher education experience through innovation, accessibility, connection and appreciation,” Hurwitz said. “We hope it will be the national model for empowering and supporting military-connected student success.”

Its goal is to improve UofL’s ability to address the academic, financial, physical and social needs of students who are active-duty service members, in the National Guard and the Reserves, are veterans or dependents or who are Army Reserve Officer Training Corps or Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets.

There are currently 2,356 military-connected students enrolled at UofL.

View pictures from the ribbon cutting ceremony of .��

Of approximately 1,800 participating institutions, UofL was one of 29 Carnegie Designated Tier 1 Research institutions to earn “Gold” designation. According to Military Friendly®, “Gold” designated institutions are selected for their “leading practices, outcomes, and effective programs” when it comes to military-connected students. “Gold” designated institutions succeed in the “areas that matter most in helping veterans make the transition from the military to school and then to satisfying careers in the civilian sector.”

“Our military-connected students, who sacrifice for all of us, deserve our very best,” UofL President Kim Schatzel said. “Earning this designation is validation of the ongoing work of many people across our campuses to serve the military-connected population and our continuing efforts to make the university a great place to learn. We remain committed to continually improving how we serve the more than 2,000 military-connected students at UofL.”

A key reason UofL earned “Gold” designation was creation of the new Center for Military-Connected Students, set to open this summer in Brodschi Hall. Through this center, the institution is improving how it addresses the academic, financial, physical and social needs of its military-connected students.

Funded by a bipartisan-supported $600,000 allocation from the Kentucky Legislature, renovations began in late February. The nearly 5,000 square-foot facility will have office space for full-time staff, flexible office space for support staff from student services areas, a student lounge, study space and kitchen, a wellness/lactation room and two new ADA-compliant restrooms. “Brodschi Hall will be the one-stop shop where military-connected students can connect with campus and community resources and where they can connect with each other,” said center director Kyle Hurwitz.

Construction is being carried out by UofL’s Physical Plant with mechanical, electrical and plumbing work engineered by Kerr-Greulich Engineers Inc. Architect for the project is SNDBX Design Collaborative and interior design is by UofL’s University Planning, Design and Construction.

Also a factor in UofL’s “Gold” designation is the Salute to Service Scholarship for veteran and dependent students. Awarded for the first time in Fall 2022 the scholarship awards four $2,500 scholarships in fall and spring terms, and two $2,500 scholarships for summer terms to veteran or dependent students. The scholarship was made possible by a generous donation from the UPS Foundation as well support from the H.E.R.O Run/Walk/Ruck 5K, a local charity event started in 2022 by a UofL employee and his spouse who work for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Freshman music therapy major Bethany Whitney is the youngest daughter of a deceased U.S. Navy veteran and was one of the first two recipients of the Salute to Service Scholarship. She graduated with honors and a 4.0 weighted GPA from Hume-Fogg High School in Nashville. “The scholarship relieves so much financial anxiety on my family, and it feels like my dad is providing for us even after passing,” Whitney said.

Another of the first recipients of the Salute to Service scholarship was Air Force veteran and senior business finance major Roman Lytovchennko. During his four-year enlistment, Roman earned his associate’s degree from the Community College of the Air Force and was among 15% of all Airmen to earn a Below the Zone promotion to Senior Airman. The scholarship is assisting him to purchase a Certified Financial Planner Capstone Course as well as to cover the costs of the CFP license exam.

Another way the institution is serving its military-connected students is through a collaboration between the Center for Military-Connected Students, the University Career Center and Office of Adult Learning. These units worked together to introduce a voluntary training program for faculty and staff who wish to learn more about the military-connected student experience.

“Red Bird” training creates allies who know about the issues and concerns, unique perspectives, strengths and challenges of military-connected students. “Red Bird” trained individuals assist military-connected students and serve as resources to other faculty, staff or students who have questions about military-connected student issues. The first training session was held in February and almost 40 faculty and staff members were trained. A second training session will take place in April.

According to the most recently available data from the Department of Defense’s Tuition Assistance Decide Tool, UofL has more students using military tuition assistance than the other 14 institutions in the Atlantic Coast Conference combined. Among the reasons for this high enrollment are a reduced tuition rate of $250 per credit hour for active-duty and qualifying members of the National Guard and Reserves applying to most graduate programs as well as to all undergraduate programs. Additionally, the institution waives application fees and offers priority course registration for currently serving members of the U.S. military and veterans.

The J.B. Speed School of Engineering recently began offering the reduced tuition rate of $250 per credit hour for their graduate programs, including the Master of Engineering in Engineering Management. A complete list of military tuition assistance programs can be found at

Volk said he and his co-founders were moved to action as they discussed how to contribute to the advancement of minorities after the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

“We identified gaps in Black achievement and Black professional success and saw that Black students often lacked personal and family connections in industry to help give job referrals and expose them to the type of professional opportunities that lead to the best careers. We wanted to cut the degrees of separation between the Black community,” Volk said.��

The Eckford Program is trying to connect Black students to competitive jobs and internships through mentoring. By doing so, the organization hopes to give Black professionals the ability to directly diversify their industry and give students the industry connections they need to become more competitive for opportunities, Volk said.��

The program is named for Elizabeth Eckford. In 1957, she opened the door for a new generation of black students as part of the Little Rock 9, a group of black students who enrolled at a previously all-white high school in Arkansas. Volk is working with some former classmates on the project including Andre Battle at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Elvin Irisamye at IU-Bloomington, and Anas Gondal at Duke University.��

Already, the program has generated a digital presence with a website, Instagram page and LinkedIn account.

“Currently our focus is on increasing awareness about our organization, and our members have been reaching out to potential mentors and campus organizations around the country who would be able to assist us making students aware of our organization and the opportunities we seek to provide,” Volk said.��

And Volk said they have met with some initial success.

“We’ve had the amazing opportunity to connect with more than a few universities and engage their Black communities, most notably here at UofL and at Indiana University. In addition, we’ve garnered industry support in a wide range of places and aim to gain a few more partners in equity here in Louisville,” he said.��

Volk said the program focused on virtual communication because of the coronavirus pandemic. In so doing, it provides an added benefit, he said, by allowing students to connect with professionals they may have not had access to previously because of location.��

“The Black student community hasn’t had the same luxury in having easy access connections in the professional world. We aim to cut degrees of separation so that a first-gen Louisville Black business student can gain a world-class Black professional mentor working in New York or Chicago. This has all become possible because of technology, and specifically developments in telecommunication from this period of coronavirus lockdown,” Volk said.��

Volk came to UofL initially planning pre-med studies and a career helping others. While he has changed his major, his longer-term plan to benefit the community remains.

“I hope to utilize my education to help uplift others in any way possible, and I think that the Eckford Program will help give me hands on experience in learning to use the strength of community to empower people to fundamentally change inequities in existing structures,” he said.��

More information about the Eckford Virtual Mentorship Program is available via its ,���ǰ���.

Story written by Stuart Esrock, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Communication, and faculty-in-residence at the University Career Center.��