Meeting the Challenge

MEETING THE CHALLENGE A status report on the University of Louisville’s Challenge for Excellence COMMONWEALTH JEFFERSON COUNTY FEDERAL DELEGATION OF KENTUCKY DELEGATION Sen. Jim Bunning Gov. Paul E. Patton SENATORS Sen. Mitch McConnell Lindy Casebier Rep. Anne Northup MEETING Julie Denton UNIVERSITY OF THE CHALLENGE Ernie Harris LOUISVILLE BOARD KENTUCKY COUNCIL David K. Karem A status report on the OF TRUSTEES ON POSTSECONDARY Marshall Long University of Louisville’s EDUCATION Marie K. Abrams Gerald A. Neal Challenge for Excellence Ulysses L. Bridgeman Jr., Larry Saunders Norma B. Adams vice chair Dan Seum Walter A. Baker Fall 2001 Carlton J. Brown Tim Shaughnessy Steve Barger Linda Wallbaum Cauble Ellizabeth Tori Peggy Bertelsman Kevin D. Cogan Gordon K. Davies, TABLE OF CONTENTS Richard C. Feldhoff REPRESENTATIVES president Owsley Brown Frazier Paul Bather Richard D. Freed A message from the president ....................................1 Nathaniel E. Green, Kevin Bratcher Ronald Greenberg secretary Scott Brinkman John R. Hall Meeting the Challenge..................................................2 Grant M. Helman Thomas J. Burch Hilda G. Legg Milton M. Livingston Denver Butler Shirley Menendez Five key questions Jessica S. Loving, chair Larry Clark Charlie Owen William P. Mulloy Sr. Perry Clark Christopher Pace Are more Kentuckians ready for Darryl T. Owens Ron Crimm postsecondary education?.....................................8 Joan N. Taylor J. Chester Porter, Bob M. DeWeese Lois Combs Weinberg treasurer Are more students enrolling?..............................10 Tim Feeley Charles Whitehead Joyce Hagen Schifano Bob Heleringer Gene Wilhoit Are more students advancing Martha Annette Schnatter Dennis Horlander through the system?.............................................12 Melissa Long Shuter Joni L. Jenkins Sandra Metts Snowden Are we preparing Kentuckians Mary Lou Marzian Elizabeth H. Worland for life and work?...................................................14 Reginald Meeks Mary A. Yarmuth Are Kentucky’s communities Charles Miller and economy benefiting? ....................................16 Steve Riggs Tom Riner Jim Wayne A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT The Commonwealth of Kentucky has a vision for the state and its colleges and universities. This vision, expressed through House Bill I in 1997 and energized through the state’s Research Challenge Trust Fund, has set the University of Louisville on course to become a nationally recognized metropolitan research university by the year 2020. U of L is committed to making the state’s vision a reality through the Challenge for Excellence, a 10-year blueprint for the future initiated in 1998. The Challenge is the heart of a strategic plan that already has led to record public and private support, significant growth in nationally recognized research, increased interest in the university from highly qualified students, and new economic and community service initiatives benefiting citizens throughout the state. This status report on the Challenge outlines our progress in addressing House Bill I and the state’s vision for postsecondary higher education reform. We also take this opportunity to respond to five thoughtful and important questions posed by the Council on Postsecondary Education, the coordinating body for Kentucky’s public colleges and universities: ◆ Are more Kentuckians ready for postsecondary education? ◆ Are more students enrolling? ◆ Are more students advancing through the system? ◆ Are we preparing Kentuckians for life and work? ◆ Are Kentucky’s communities and economy benefiting? I hope this report gives you a sense of the gains we’ve achieved as well as the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. We offer a little history, some interesting facts and a look at where we’ve been, where we are and where we’re going. On behalf of the University of Louisville’s trustees, faculty, staff and students, I extend our thanks to Gov. Paul E. Patton, Kentucky’s legislators, our federal delegation, the Council on Postsecondary Education, U of L graduates, and the university’s donors and partners for your support. We’re only beginning to show what can happen with a vision, a strategic plan and great friends who believe in the university. Sincerely, John W. Shumaker President 1 The University of Louisville, THE RESPONSE ◆ Next, it must establish “Our vision for the according to the legislature’s measurable, challenging goals charge, would become “a tied to each characteristic in House Bill I was just one of University of Louisville premier, nationally recognized order to engage and stretch several factors signaling change metropolitan research university” the university and its at the university. President as part of a “seamless, integrated supporters. is clear. Shumaker had initiated a system of postsecondary campus-wide discussion about ◆ Finally, it must organize education strategically planned We shall strive to become the university’s future even existing and new resources and adequately funded to before the state passed the around these goals in order enhance economic development a preeminent metropolitan higher education reform bill. to stay focused and build on and quality of life.” Greater Louisville Inc., existing and developing research university, This unprecedented challenge to Louisville’s chamber of strengths. the 200-year-old university was commerce, also had recently In the months following the nationally recognized THE CHALLENGE met with enthusiasm—and some issued the Boyle report passage of House Bill I, the skepticism. Could the university suggesting that U of L develop university community—faculty, set itself on a course to national prominent research programs in staff, students, trustees, friends, for our success in advancing In 1997, Kentucky legislators prominence and maintain its areas closely connected to the community leaders and others— took a historic step to advance urban roots? Could it stay local economy. tackled these steps as it worked the intellectual, social, higher education throughout the focused on a goal more than The president understood that on a 10-year plan to put the commonwealth. With the passage two decades away? And, most U of L would need to take three university on course to reach the and economic development of House Bill I, which outlined importantly, could the university major steps to unite the visions state’s goal of achieving national Kentucky’s agenda to reform the turn the state’s progressive of the state, the city and the status by the year 2020. of our community state’s postsecondary education vision into a strategic plan campus community into a system by the year 2020, each leading to meaningful change? This plan, introduced in January of the state’s colleges and strategic plan for its future. 1998, was called the Challenge and its citizens.” U of L President John Shumaker universities now had a clearly ◆ First, U of L would need to for Excellence. knew that the answers to these defined mission for the future. define the characteristics questions would be found only of a national metropolitan The University of Louisville’s with the help and commitment of research university in order to Challenge for Excellence, 1998 the entire university community. build a shared understanding of its mission. JULY. The Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Foundation makes a $2 million commitment to help build a SEPTEMBER. Success biomedical research facility at U of L. magazine ranks the U of L MAY. The passage College of Business and of House Bill I marks the JULY. Gov. Paul E. Patton creates a Public Administration among beginning of Research Challenge Trust Fund that the 25 Best Business postsecondary provides “jump-start” funding to help Schools for Kentucky’s research universities lay ONES education reform Entrepreneurs. the groundwork to develop their T in Kentucky. research capacity. 1997 APRIL. Legislators enact AUGUST. Greater House Bill 572 to establish Louisville Inc. issues the the Kentucky Innovation Boyle report, which Commission, which projects the role U of L can MILE S promotes research, play in the community’s innovation and technology- economic development. related business development. 2 THE CHALLENGE ◆ Increase federal funding In addition, the university The Challenge further to more than $40 million would achieve national identified more than 50 FOR EXCELLENCE annually and increase total recognition through selective existing, developing and sponsored funding to investment in research and emerging academic programs The blueprint for the $80 million per year academic programs meeting that would be targeted for university’s future known as ◆ Increase its endowment several criteria. investment. They fell into a the Challenge for Excellence from $255 million to number of categories: included a list of visionary Each program must: $500 million ◆ Medicine, health sciences goals. It stated that by 2008 ◆ Have clear potential to ◆ Increase significantly the and related fields U of L would: attain national eminence number of business start- ◆ Logistics and distribution ◆ Achieve a Carnegie ups that develop from ◆ Enhance educational ◆ Entrepreneurship and classification reflecting the university research activity quality in undergraduate, university’s research and graduate and professional economic development ◆ Increase the number of graduate education programs ◆ Environmental studies patents and licenses based mission upon university research ◆ Promote economic ◆ Education ◆ Have a national development ◆ Attain

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