Larry Benz was elected chairman of the UofL Board of Trustees during the body’s meeting Thursday on the Belknap Campus.
Benz, who is president and CEO of Confluent Health, a family of physical therapy and related businesses, was among a slate of officers unanimously approved to serve in 2015-16. He succeeds Robert Hughes, a family physician and managing partner of Primary Care Medical Center in Murray, Ky.
Brucie Moore, who is Union County (Ky.) Attorney, was the choice for vice chair. Steve Campbell is treasurer, and Doug Hall is secretary.
Three new members also were welcomed to the board. They are: Larry Hayes, former secretary of the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development; Paul Diaz, executive vice chairman of Kindred Healthcare Inc.’s board of directors; and Student Government Association President Victoria Allen.
In other business:
· The board voted to rename Freedom Park, a property bounded by Cardinal Boulevard and Second and Third streets, the Dr. Charles H. Parrish, Jr. Freedom Park. Parish was UofL’s first African-American faculty member.
· The trustees also voted to approve a number of goals for the 2015-16 academic year, including increasing the number of baccalaureate degrees awarded annually, increasing collaborative partnerships within the community and increasing the number of students studying abroad.
