The highlight of the week, the president’s State of the University address, is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 17, at Comstock Concert Hall in the School of Music at 2:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. A reception will follow.
“We’ve had another exceptional year at the University of Louisville,” Ramsey said. “The State of the University gives us a chance to reflect on our successes and our challenges and to lay out a vision for the coming year.”
State of the University week will begin Monday, Sept. 15, with a free, public presentation by Kevin Cosby, president of Simmons College, on the history and vision of that school. The 11 a.m. presentation in the Chao Auditorium will coincide with a two-week exhibit of historical photos of Simmons in the Chao lobby.
Activities will continue Tuesday, Sept. 16, with a breakfast reception for new faculty at 8 a.m.in the Abell Administration Center on the Health Sciences Campus. The reception is open to faculty hired after Sept. 13, 2013, as well as their deans and department chairs.
The university will honor outstanding teaching, service and research at the annual Celebration of Faculty Excellence Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the Brown and Williamson Club at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. Winners of the President’s Distinguished Faculty Awards and Exemplary Multicultural Teaching Award, new endowed chairs and professors, new university scholars and distinguished university scholars, the 2013 Community Engagement Award faculty winner, the Paul Weber Departmental Excellence in Teaching Award winners and faculty whose creative work has resulted in new patents and licenses will be cited for their honors.
Activities will pick up again on Thursday, Sept. 18, with the opening of the flyover bridge into the Belknap Engineering and Applied Sciences Research Park. The opening will be at 11:45 a.m. at Third and Iowa streets.
Events will conclude Thursday evening with The Spectacular.
The Spectacular will begin at 6 p.m. with a campus-wide buffet dinner on the Natural Sciences Lawn that will feature picnic-style fare, a popcorn bar, mocktails (non-alcoholic cocktails) and flavored sodas. The event also will feature family-friendly activities, such as inflatables and midway games.
Activities will continue with concerts on the steps of Grawemeyer Hall. The UofL Orchestra, Black Diamond Choir and the Cardinal Singers, one of the world’s top-ranked choral groups, will perform from 7:30 p.m. to about 8:30 p.m.
As the sun sets, the curtain will rise on the highlight of the evening – a 3D presentation utilizing sound and video projected directly onto Grawemeyer Hall. The presentation will tell the story of the university including its history, significant people and events, athletic accomplishments and campaign success while entertaining the audience with music, lights and stunning visual effects.
“Our faculty, staff, alumni and donors helped us achieve a remarkable goal, one that many people said was impossible,” Ramsey said. “We want to celebrate this achievement with an event that is fitting for such an amazing accomplishment.”
The Swope Automotive Group is the primary sponsor of The Spectacular.
For a full list of State of the University activities, including a preview of The Spectacular, go to: www.stateoftheuniversity.com.