The University of Louisville this year continued the vital work of enlightening minds and changing lives that has been our hallmark for more than two centuries. From challenges tackled to achievements celebrated, there is much to be proud of and thankful for as we reflect on 2017. So, here’s a Lettermanesque round-up of a few of our many accomplishments:
ESPN GameDay
The excitement of football season got kicked up a notch when ESPN’s College GameDay broadcast live from The Oval in September. We ensured our campus was camera ready, highlighted our history and even engineered a bust of host Lee Corso, putting Cardinal pride and progress on full display for a national audience.
Confidence restored
We attacked our issues head on and in the public eye, conquered a budget shortfall and, by focusing on the future, proved the adage “tough times don’t last, tough people do.”
University of Louisville Hospital
On July 1, UofL’s University Medical Center took over management of University of Louisville Hospital and the James Graham Brown Cancer Center following four years of a joint operating agreement with KentuckyOne Health. High-quality staff was retained and increased, and other improvements are well underway, making UofL a continued leader in teaching the next generation of caregivers and providing unsurpassed patient care.
Research breakthroughs
UofL continued its growth as a premier metropolitan research university with life-changing discoveries and impacts including helping a paralyzed man stand six years after a complete spinal cord injury, using one of our largest-ever federal grants to revolutionize the treatment of heart disease, measuring the power of trees as a public health strategy, exploring the effects of environmental pollutants on cardiometabolic disease and liver disease, and using music to unite young and old.
Community Service
The bunch of do-gooders that are UofL’s students, faculty and staff gave children reasons to smile, kicked off a youth violence prevention campaign, hosted a camp for kids with hearing loss, helped Hurricane Harvey victims, spent spring break serving others and more. Our signature partnership program celebrated a decade of community impact and shared its community engagement leadership with others in the higher education sector.
Fundraising records
It was a record year for fundraising, with our largest-ever Day of Giving, the launch of a new crowdfunding platform and a banner year for the raiseRED dance marathon supporting pediatric cancer research.
More graduates, more diversity
More than 3,000 students earned their diplomas this spring, making the graduating class of 2017 one UofL’s largest. Our freshman class is the most diverse in our school’s history, and the number of students coming from around the globe to study at UofL is on the rise.
More opportunities
UofL expanded its academic offerings in 2017, including a new degree program in sustainability, the first of its kind in Kentucky, and a new major and minor in music and new media. We added new certificates in engineering and health law, launched an online winter session and introduced a new minor in Chinese Language, providing even more ways for students to explore their career options and determine how they can make a difference in the world.
Student successes
Student successes are commonplace here at UofL. This year, our rocket team took top honors at the NASA Student Launch challenge, our Quiz Bowl team held onto its national ranking, entrepreneurship teams received accolades for a new fitness app and a way to keep track of easily misplaced items, and our baseball team went to the College World Series (while also keeping their studies at the forefront).
More student successes
Our students were so outstanding this year, it bears repeating. This means student success also is number one on our countdown. UofL students again proved they’re among the best in the nation. Kentucky’s only Truman Scholar this year hails from UofL, and there were six Fulbright Scholars (including one awarded in September) bringing our Fulbrights total to 110 since 2003, more than all other Kentucky public universities combined.
Check out the Cardinal Countdown video:
