LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As part of its 2019-22 strategic plan, the University of Louisville invested $87 million in the construction of two new residence halls on Belknap campus.
Campus Housing has come a long way since the first residence hall opened in 1943. One new hall opened in 2021, and the second this fall. They will bear the names Belknap Village North and Belknap Village South, Interim President Lori Stewart Gonzalez announced.
Gonzalez noted their proximity to other university facilities, such as the Swain Student Activities Center, the Interfaith Center, Ekstrom Library, numerous classroom buildings and outdoor common areas. The new Center for Engaged Learning, where students can find hands-on job and research opportunities, will open on the bottom floor of Belknap Village South.
“Our new residence halls, which 900 primarily first-year students call home, are indeed part of our campus village,” said Gonzalez.
New certificate programs
University of Louisville Board of Trustees approved the names last week as well as creation of a Public Health Training Graduate Certificate and a Franchise Management Undergraduate Certificate. The Public Health Training Certificate will provide foundational public health knowledge to working professionals who may not be ready to fully commit to a traditional Master of Public Health degree. The Franchise Management Undergraduate Certificate will prepare students to work in franchising, whether that involves becoming a franchisee, working for a franchisee, working for a franchisor or working in the industry.
Both new certificate programs align with growing market interest in their respective fields and will provide stronger connections between the university and leaders in the public health and business franchise sectors, according to Interim Provost Gerry Bradley.
The School of Medicine’s request to rename the Diabetes & Obesity Center to the Center for Cardiometabolic Science was unanimously approved. Diabetes and obesity focus on risk factors and disease while the center’s members also work on fundamental explanation of cardiovascular/cardiometabolic health.
History, art history degrees cease
Bradley notified trustees of two program closures. During a program review, the Kentucky Council for Postsecondary Education identified the bachelor of arts in art history degree program for closure due to low and declining enrollment, low degree conferrals and low student market demand. The art and design faculty are converting the BA (Bachelor of Arts) in art history to an art history track within the BA in art degree program.
The Graduate Certificate in Logistics and Distribution will also close due to low enrollment with no students enrolling in the program since Fall 2016. Consequently, the industrial engineering faculty will transition the certificate to an interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Logistics and Supply Chain Management in partnership with faculty in the College of Business.
University of Louisville’s new Center for Engaged Learning (CEL) will celebrate its grand opening Tuesday, Oct. 18, at 11 a.m. UofL’s newest student resource is located on the first floor of the Belknap Village South residence hall. Paul DeMarco, interim director of the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity, emphasized how the university’s engaged learning opportunities, such as internships, study abroad programs, co-ops and research assistant programs, illustrate how the student experience goes beyond the classroom.
The CEL will work on partnership with UofL’s existing engaged learning resources, such as the University Career Centers, Office of Community Engagement, Office of Study Abroad and International Travel, academic programs and several other units to connect students with engaged learning activities.
—By Chris Wooton, UofL News
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