That was the reaction of Louisville Metro Mayor Greg Fischer as he wrapped up a two-hour tour of the University of Louisville’s Belknap and Health Sciences campuses June 6. Fischer and members of his top staff had UofL’s biggest promoter as their tour guide — UofL President James Ramsey.
A group of 15 people from the mayor’s office and UofL boarded a university shuttle bus and rode through the campuses with Ramsey pointing out university buildings — many of them new or renovated — and explaining their history and function.
The tour also included stops at the
- Cardiovascular Innovation Institute, where Laman Gray and other researchers described and showed UofL’s groundbreaking research in heart assist devices
- Province, a university-affiliated student housing complex, where the group saw the clubhouse, pool, sand volleyball court, video gaming rooms and other amenities
- Shumaker Research building, where Marc Crain and Kevin Walsh took the group through UofL’s clean room.
Ramsey said he appreciated Fischer and his staff taking time out of their busy schedules to get a look at the $1.2 billion in economic development at UofL over the past eight years and the way those improvements are changing the face of Louisville.
Fischer, who is a long-time member of the UofL Board of Overseers and now chairman of the board of UofL’s Nucleus project, said he doesn’t believe most people realize the expanse of UofL’s impact on the community.
“Every great city has a great university and we’ve got that here in Louisville with the University of Louisville,” Fischer said. “When we’re selling the city of Louisville to the rest of the world, we’re selling UofL because their research, academics and economic development are making our city a world-class city.”
