University of Louisville Magazine

FALL 2013

The University of Louisville Alumni Magazine: for alumni, faculty, staff, students and anyone that is a UofL Cardinal fan.

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F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T State of the University ON THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY of the State of the University ceremony, President James Ramsey issued a call to celebrate a great year while looking to the future and the dynamic changes that will be necessary for UofL to remain a leader in education, research, health care and community engagement in the 21st Century. Ramsey delivered his address to faculty, staff and students Sept. 11 in Comstock Hall at the School of Music and it was streamed live on louisville.edu. The talk was the culmination of a week of festivities. In his speech, Ramsey laid out the tough realities currently facing public higher education institutions across the country: increased demands on university resources at a time of funding cuts; academic and athletic problems which have shaken the nation's confidence in universities; and growing competition from alternative education delivery systems, including for-profit schools. Ramsey said those realities are why UofL is engaging in its 21st Century University Initiative. One of the initiative's main goals, he told the audience, is to come up with innovative, multidisciplinary concentrations in which to target resources and enhance scholarship, teaching and research. Other key goals include developing updated budgeting and business models that meet current and future needs, deciding education delivery models that will position the university to serve students' changing needs, breaking down the "silos" inside the university and developing a campus culture that's less risk averse. "We have a road map," Ramsey said. "We know what needs to be done. It is a path that we know will be tough, but look at the alternatives." In calling for the campus community to continue to embrace the 21st Century University Initiative, Ramsey sounded an optimistic tone: "Let's not underestimate what we, the University of Louisville, have done and the power that we have as a campus community." He cited 2013 athletic and academic successes, recounted UofL's leadership role in diversity issues, minority and female hiring, community partnerships and passage of Kentucky's higher education reforms, and asked: "If we do not lead, who will?" FA L L UO F L M A G A Z I N E | 5

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