Trustees act on appointment, hiring of deans

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville Board of Trustees today voted to extend the appointment of School of Nursing Dean Marcia Hern.

The board’s action follows a committee’s five-year review of Hern’s performance concluding that the dean is an “effective, transformational and transparent leader who motivates people and promotes diversity, who is meticulous with details and who does not fear dealing with hard issues.”

The trustees also approved hiring Craig H. Blakely as the new dean of the School of Public Health and Information Sciences, effective April 1. He is currently the dean of the School of Rural Public Health at Texas A&M, College Station, Texas.

Board members also gave the go-ahead for repairs on four hail-damaged roofs on the Belknap campus and an elevator in the Medical Dental Research Building on the Health Sciences Campus. The five repairs will cost more than $200,000 each.

The roofs are among 69 that were damaged in the April, 2012, hail storm. The total cost to repair or replace the roofs is expected to be about $8.2 million and will be covered by insurance.

The board also approved a resolution honoring the Louisville Cardinals men’s football team for its victory in the 2013 Allstate Sugar Bowl and the academic performance of the team’s members.

The next UofL Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for March 7.