The University of Louisville’s new tagline says, “It’s happening here.” More and more the emphasis is being placed on the here.

Just eight years ago only 1,800 students, about 9 percent of UofL’s full-time students, lived on Belknap Campus. But with the popularity of new student housing in the northwest portion of Belknap—namely Bettie Johnson Hall, Herman and Heddy Kurz Hall, Billy Minardi Hall and Community Park—that number has climbed steadily to include about 20 percent of full-time students.

The university is working to increase that to 28 percent in the next six years with major developments along the Cardinal Boulevard corridor, which runs along the northern edge of campus separating UofL from Old Louisville.

It all amounts to a major culture shift, one that is making student life a richer experience and changing UofL’s status as a commuter campus.

Says Provost Shirley Willihnganz, “It intrigues me when people keep saying, ‘You’re an urban university, but you’re a commuter campus.’ That has dramatically changed over the past few years.”

It is a change that the university encourages and nurtures, according to Willihnganz, because “students stay in college when they make connections.” Those connections can be to faculty members, to students, to advisers or staff persons.

“One of the very best ways to make that connection is by living on campus,” she says, “because then their primary tie is to the campus community.”

Statistics show that students who live on campus graduate at higher rates. UofL’s new strategic plan calls for increasing the university’s graduation rate from its current 44 percent to 60 percent by 2020.

“Having people live on campus and be a part of the campus community is one of the best things we can do to make that happen,” Willihnganz says.

UofL senior Paul Westbrook (shown in photos to the left) has enjoyed a front row seat to the changes on Belknap. The business management major has lived in his two-room suite at Bettie Johnson Hall since freshman year.

“I really like it,” he says. “It’s gotten me used to living on my own and being independent. It sort of forces you to grow up a little faster.”

The Oldham County native was encouraged to live in a residence hall by his parents, who wanted him, his brother and two sisters to “have the full college experience,” he says.

“It’s easier to get involved when you’re here on campus. There are a lot of organizations you can get involved with that meet at night. If you live here, it’s just easier to go to those because you don’t have to drive back to campus.”

Westbrook adds, “With gas prices the way they are, it feels pretty ridiculous to drive anywhere.”

He also is quick to mention the appeal of the new student housing facilities, which are more like apartments than traditional dorms. Westbrook’s place at Bettie Johnson Hall includes a kitchenette and living area that looks out on a center courtyard with a pool. The other room is the bedroom.

“These facilities are bigger, nicer and you have more freedom,” he says. “I think students like that a lot better than the restrictive dorms of the past.”

Buoyed by the success of these new facilities, UofL administrators were frustrated when then-Gov. Ernie Fletcher vetoed the renovation of older, on-campus residence halls. So they advertised in late 2006 for developers’ proposals for housing providing 1,500 additional beds to meet anticipated student needs in the coming years.

“The idea was to figure out a way to say to developers, ‘You develop around the campus and work with us to develop an affiliation agreement so that we will treat this as if it is university housing,’ ” says Larry Owsley, UofL’s vice president of business affairs. “So students living there will feel like they are on campus although they are not officially on campus. They’re in a university-affiliated residence.”

With the cuts in state budget, the university is not able to build these developments on its own right now, Willihnganz adds. “But that really can’t stop us. We’ve got to get smarter. We’ve got to get more creative. We’ve got to find really good friends and partners.

“These partnerships are part of what’s allowing us to move forward and make sure that all the dreams we have for how our campus should be are going to happen regardless of what’s going on with the state budget.”

College Town

Several developers stepped forward, including Edwards Cos. of Columbus, Ohio.

On a sunny morning in July, amid land movers and other heavy machinery, company and university officials announced their collaboration on The Province. This new student housing development occupies a 43-acre site northwest of campus where American Standard, a plumbing fixture manufacturer, formerly operated.

When complete in fall 2010, The Province will include 522 one- to four-bedroom apartments, a clubhouse, swimming pool, volleyball court and sun deck.

“We’re taking an abandoned industrial site and transforming it into student residences that are probably not at all like the places that we lived when we were in college,” Willihnganz says. “This will be the site of our first ‘College Town’ neighborhood, a beautiful, vibrant extension of our campus.”

The first phase of the project calls for building 366 apartments by fall 2009. A pedestrian walkway leading to the back of Kurz Hall will allow students to cross the train tracks.

Edwards Communities will own, manage and maintain the apartments, while UofL officials will ensure that students who live there receive food service, transportation and the other amenities enjoyed by their counterparts in campus residence halls.

“Our Student Affairs staff will be intimately involved in the well being of the students who live here,” Willihnganz says, “so that all of our residence programs will be part of what goes on here. These will be very much a part of our campus housing program.”

The project is a milestone in UofL’s efforts to grow and expand in a way that improves campus life for its students, says President James Ramsey.

“Despite state budget cuts, we must move forward to offer the best possible accommodations and services for our students,” he says.

It’s also a way the university can help revitalize surrounding neighborhoods, Willihnganz adds. The university hopes developments like The Province will open the door to other developers being interested in the area, creating a positive extension into the Park Hill area over to the California neighborhood.

“This can be a significant move toward improving this entire neighborhood.”

Rudy Spencer, president of the UofL Student Government Association, says students are looking for places on campus to meet, relax, play video games and, of course, sleep.

“And residence halls serve as a beacon for a vibrant campus community,” he adds. “With this development, we will continue to develop an engaged student body that is aware and involved in all the opportunities that UofL provides to students.”

Culture Change

Evidence of UofL’s transformation from a commuter campus to a more residential one can be seen in the freshman class.

Jenny Sawyer, executive director of Admissions, says, “In the ’90s, we hovered around 20 to 25 percent of our entering freshmen living on campus. This fall, 65 percent of our entering freshmen will live on campus.

“That is a culture change. That’s more than just more beds.”

And it’s made the work of the university’s Student Affairs department more important than ever, notes Tom Jackson Jr., that unit’s vice president.

“We have more and more students getting involved in activities on campus,” he says. “Recreational sports, clubs, organizations, Greek life … They are all thriving. There are more students than ever who are involved in all the things a university has to offer. So a club of 10 might be a club of 12. A club of 20 might be a club of 30.

“We’re starting more chapters in certain groups and hiring more people to manage those.”

As more students live on or near campus, adjusting to a student’s daily routine is vital. “They need a 24-hour day,” Jackson says. “We in Student Affairs have to be more deliberate to meet that schedule, which means our dining facilities have to be open later into the evening to accommodate the influx of students. Some of our buildings have to be open longer and at different times.”

But most importantly, he says, UofL’s improved ratio of residential and commuter students can lead to more traditions. He wants Student Affairs to motivate and engage the students to do that.

“The opportunity is here. Students are saying, ‘This is the place I want to be.’ And that’s the most important thing.”