LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville is ready to implement its 21st Century Initiative and fight for state funding in the upcoming legislative session, UofL President James Ramsey said today in his 12th annual State of the University address.
“On the financial front, let us note today that the 2016 legislative session of the Kentucky General Assembly is a biennial budget session and represents our best opportunity for an increase in state funding in a decade,” President Ramsey said, noting that state revenues are growing after years of recession and job losses.
The University of the 21st Century Initiative strategic plan identifies niche areas of excellence, promotes multidisciplinary collaboration and streamlines administrative functions. In the coming year, UofL will put the plan into action, he said.
President Ramsey called UofL a leader, citing the university’s ongoing commitment to diversity, sustainability and economic development. In the past year, UofL again improved its graduation rate, he said, and led the state in the number of Fulbright scholars and had the state’s only Truman Scholar.
Other achievements in the past year included exceeding set goals for the number of doctoral degrees awarded and National Science Foundation research expenditures and earning a spot as one of only 52 public universities in the nation to raise more than $1 billion, he said.
President Ramsey called on the university community to “maintain a singular focus on our students and our community.”
Following the address, the university posthumously awarded its Presidential Medal to Drew Hilliard, a 2001 duPont Manual High School and Naval Academy graduate who was treated for cancer at UofL’s James Graham Brown Cancer Center.
The State of the University address is available in its entirety at stateoftheuniversity.com. For additional information, contact John Karman, (502) 852-1108.