LOUISVILLE, Ky. — President John Shumaker will preside over the University of Louisville’s commencement for the final time, and university and community leaders will recognize his accomplishments during the ceremony Saturday, May 11, at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center.
More than 1,400 students will march in the universitywide commencement ceremony, which will begin at 1 p.m. in Freedom Hall. Unit convocations will follow the main ceremony at various sites around Louisville.
Shumaker will receive the Minerva Award, which recognizes outstanding service and dedication to the university and to the global community. Louisville Mayor David Armstrong will participate in commencement and will present Shumaker with a gift from the city.
Shumaker will leave U of L for a similar position at the University of Tennessee system in June.
Junior Bridgeman, a 1975 U of L alumnus and current vice chair of the university’s Board of Trustees, will receive the Outstanding Alumnus Award. An All-America basketball player on the 1975 Cardinals team that played in the NCAA Final Four, Bridgeman played 12 years in the National Basketball Association. He is owner and president of Bridgeman Foods Inc., which operates more than 140 Wendy’s restaurants.
Also speaking at the ceremony will be Ruth Huber, Kent School of Social Work professor and winner of the 2002 Trustees Award. The award is presented each year to a faculty member for outstanding efforts toward improving student life at U of L.
Speed Scientific School student Darren Brey will speak on behalf of the student body. He was selected from a list of outstanding students from each of the university’s schools and colleges.
Shumaker and Provost Carol Garrison will serve as hosts at a reception for graduates and their guests. The reception will be from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the South Wing A Atrium.