University of Louisville Alumni Association President Kelly Hodges and UofL's Mark Hebert
University of Louisville Alumni Association President Kelly Hodges and UofL's Mark Hebert

“I think there’s a lot positive going on right now.” That’s the view of University of Louisville Alumni board chairman Kelly Hodges.

Hodges is a 1993 and 2001 graduate who oversees volunteer efforts to connect UofL’s 138,000 alumni, more than two thirds of whom still live in the Louisville area. He said most graduates recognize their alma mater has had its share of struggles the past two years but Hodges said they’re getting excited about the new president and new athletics director.

“The enthusiasm around Neeli (Bendapudi) coming in, specifically, has been outstanding,” Hodges said. “And I think the thing Vince (Tyra) and his staff seem to be doing is they are very interested in working together with not just alumni but on campus, in general, with the deans and things that I think are very important.”

Hodges is constantly encouraging alumni to visit the Belknap campus to check out the ongoing construction and see the transformational changes that have happened since they graduated.  

He also says the Alumni Association board is working on a plan to get more graduates active on campus. “We would love to have more mentoring going on with current students and we’d love to have more ways for the working Louisville community to connect with the student body,” Hodges said.

You can listen to the full interview with Hodges here.     

 

SHARE
Mark Hebert
Following a 28-year career as a radio and television reporter, Mark Hebert joined the University of Louisville as the Director of Media Relations in 2009, serving as the main spokesperson. In 2015, Mark was named Director of Programming and Production. He’s now producing and hosting a radio show about “all things UofL”, overseeing the university’s video and TV productions and promoting UofL’s research operation. Mark is best known for his 22 years as the political and investigative reporter for WHAS-TV in Louisville where he won numerous awards for breaking stories, exposing corruption and objectively covering Kentucky politics. In 2014, Mark was inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame.