UofL Alumni board chair: 'The time to reconnect is now'

“I think there’s a lot positive going on right now.” That’s the view of University of Louisville Alumni board chairman Kelly Hodges.

Hodges is a 1993 and 2001 graduate who oversees volunteer efforts to connect UofL's 138,000 alumni, more than two thirds of whom still live in the Louisville area. He said most graduates recognize their alma mater has had its share of struggles the past two years but Hodges said they’re getting excited about the new president and new athletics director.

“The enthusiasm around Neeli (Bendapudi) coming in, specifically, has been outstanding,” Hodges said. “And I think the thing Vince (Tyra) and his staff seem to be doing is they are very interested in working together with not just alumni but on campus, in general, with the deans and things that I think are very important.”

Hodges is constantly encouraging alumni to visit the Belknap campus to check out the ongoing construction and see the transformational changes that have happened since they graduated.  

He also says the Alumni Association board is working on a plan to get more graduates active on campus. “We would love to have more mentoring going on with current students and we’d love to have more ways for the working Louisville community to connect with the student body,” Hodges said.

You can listen to the full interview with Hodges here.