Student retention, asset management among topics discussed in Faculty Senate

Interim University Provost Gerry Bradley had some encouraging news to share at the Nov. 2, 2022, UofL Faculty Senate meeting, specifically about student graduation and retention rates.

The university's latest data, provided by the Office of Institutional Research and Planning, indicates that the university has reached a six-year graduation rate of 62.2 percent, which is the highest rate the University of Louisville has ever realized. The six-year graduation rate for underrepresented minorities is 57.2 percent (up 3.4 percent over 2021); underprepared students is 45.6 percent (up 0.6 of a percent over 2021); and underfunded students is 52.6 percent (up 1.9 percent over 2021).

Bradley said that for graduation rates to continue to rise, a strong commitment to student retention is key. While student retention rates from the first to second year remain 2.6 percent below pre-COVID-19 numbers, those rates are steadily recovering. Student retention from fall 2021 to fall 2022 was 78.3 percent, which represents an increase of 1.7 percent over the fall 2020 to fall 2021 rate. Retention for underrepresented minorities was 75.2 percent, which is up 0.9 percent over last year.

The Office of the Provost is working with several units to implement successful student engagement practices. Data analytics also plays a significant role in retention efforts, especially with respect to identifying at-risk students in need of intervention. Bradley advised faculty senators to encourage students to take advantage of the university’s academic support services including REACH.

Bradley’s complete Faculty Senate report is available here.

Asset Preservation

Dan Durbin, vice president for finance and administration/CFO, provided an update on how the university will prioritize the $81,886,000 million received from the Kentucky General Assembly as part of the statewide Asset Preservation Program. UofL is one of nine postsecondary education institutions to receive funding from the program. Distributions in the amount of $40,943,000 will be issued to UofL for the fiscal years 2022-23 and 2023-24. The university is required to match 30 percent of the allocation, or about $24,565,800. Matching funds will be raised through a $60 per semester campus modernization tuition fee. Durbin said the fee was discussed and agreed upon through collaboration with the Student Government Association.

According to Durbin, the average age of campus buildings is 55 years old with 14 buildings more than 100 years old. Asset preservation funds will be used to improve HVAC, electrical and plumbing, safety and ADA as well as roofs. Per conditions of the program, funding cannot be used for new construction.

Campus Master Plan

Meg Campbell, assistant vice president of university planning, design and construction, provided an update on the new Campus Master Plan. Campbell said the plan will guide the physical transformation of the three campuses over the next decade, ensuring UofL's physical environment supports its vision to be a great place to learn, work, connect and discover.

A key component to the plan development is gathering feedback from UofL faculty, staff and students about their current campus experience. Campbell encouraged faculty senators to complete an online Campus Master Plan survey available here. The survey will be open until Friday, Nov. 11. See the website for more information about the Campus Master Plan.

Workday

Melissa Schuter, executive director of business operations, gave an update on the transition from the PeopleSoftHR to the WorkdayHR human resources software system. From Friday, Nov. 18, through Saturday, Dec. 31, the UofL community will have read-only access to PeopleSoftHR. The Workday project team will be responsible for centrally performing HR, payroll and position management transactions during this time. By now, employees who perform HR-related operations in their department should have received notice about upcoming training sessions that will prepare them for the transition. For all-campus Workday training times and registration, visit the HRtalks webpage. For information on how WorkdayHR will affect you, see the Workday @UofL website. Email questions to the WorkdayHR Project Team.

Personnel Updates

Brad Andersen has been appointed as interim vice provost for information technology and chief information officer.

Interviews with finalists for vice provost for online strategy and teaching innovation position, interviews are complete, and a decision will be made soon.

Interviews for the position of dean in the Raymond A. Kent School of Social Work and Family Science begin Nov. 16.

Interviews for the College of Arts and Sciences dean begin Nov. 28.

Dean searches for the School of Nursing, College of Business and the School of Public Health and Information Sciences will begin spring 2023.

The College of Education and Human Development dean search will begin fall 2023.

The next Faculty Senate meeting will take place Wednesday, Dec. 7, from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Chao Auditorium in Ekstrom Library on Belknap Campus. The meetings are open to the entire UofL community. See the Faculty Senate website for committee reports, meeting minutes and other senate information. For questions about the Faculty Senate, contact Gretchen Henry. Meeting minutes, committee reports and more information are available on the Faculty Senate webpage.