Ramsey recounts, recommits to UofL’s success
September 12th, 2007
Faculty, staff and trustees gathered after the State of the University address.
The past year was challenging and successful, but the University of Louisville has more to do, UofL President James Ramsey told students, faculty and staff at his fourth annual State of the University address Sept. 12.
Ramsey highlighted successes of the past year, including reaching all of the goals set in the Challenge for Excellence, UofL’s first strategic plan to meet the state mandate under the 1997 Postsecondary Education Improvement Act to become a premier metropolitan research university by 2020.
The university celebrated reaching all plan goals and making “significant progress” toward attaining the state’s mandate last September, he said.
Among the other successes Ramsey mentioned were:
- Having the best-prepared freshman class in the history of the university.
- Having more students receive Fulbright scholarships than any other university in Kentucky.
- Initiating community partnerships, including development of the downtown area and the Signature Partnership to improve life for residents of West Louisville.
- Continuing to see growth in total research funding even though National Institutes of Health budgets for awarded research grant were cut and attempts of senators to secure earmarks were unsuccessful.
UofL’s story this past year, Ramsey said, is one of better students, student learning and achievement; research that is making a difference in our community, state and world; and unrelenting commitment to improve the quality of life and provide opportunity to everyone in the community.
“It is a story that says to the people of our state, Kentucky cannot grow if Louisville does not grow, and Louisville cannot grow without the leadership of the University of Louisville,” he said.
Ramsey talked about ways in which UofL is demonstrating its accountability to the people of Kentucky, such as in launching Cardinal Covenant, a program that allows students who would not otherwise be able to attend college to do so.
He also listed challenges UofL faces and how the university has or is working to overcome them.
“Last year was successful. Last year was challenging. Last year we honestly faced issues so we would continue to improve, to get better and to meet the mandate given to us,” he said.
“While we have been successful during the first half of our journey, the time to 2020 … will be more difficult,” he said. “Today we do recommit. We will finish the job.”
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