Celebrating the Challenge
By Kevin Rayburn
The Challenge for Excellence was not on Brent Hurst's radar when he enrolled at the University of Louisville in 2001.
"I really didn't know about it," says the award-winning student who recently earned a degree in industrial engineering from the J.B. Speed School of Engineering.
What he did know, though, was that U of L was improving its research programs-central to the Challenge-and that was important to Hurst as he considered where he would go to school.
The Challenge is a 10-year strategic plan encompassing 11 major goals that U of L implemented in 1998 to become a preeminent nationally recognized metropolitan research university. At press time, the university has met or exceeded 10 of the 11 goals. The last will be achieved soon.
"I did know what the university was trying to accomplish by bringing in more research funds and top-caliber faculty and building more high-tech facilities," Hurst says. "Having all those things available helps students get involved and furthers their research opportunities."
Recruiting higher caliber students such as Hurst was another objective of the Challenge as part of its broad goals to improve the undergraduate program and increase the number of doctoral graduates. While at U of L, Hurst, who graduated with a 4.0 grade-point average, has won national honors for his fraternity leadership and community volunteerism. He now studies in the School of Dentistry.
As a result of U of L's efforts to recruit better students, its 2006 freshmen class has an average ACT score of 24.2, which is nearly three points higher than the average ACT score of 21.5 held by entering freshman in 1999.
In a recent speech to new U of L students, President James Ramsey put it plainly: "You are the best academically prepared entering class in our history."
Hurst exemplifies another objective inherent in the Challenge goals: stressing interdisciplinary research that blurs the old lines that used to separate the sciences.
In recent years, for instance, Speed School, the School of Medicine, the College of Arts and Sciences and others frequently team up faculty to work on complex human health issues and more.
"All science is multidisciplinary now," says George Pack, chemistry department chair. "Old departmental boundaries are falling."
Hurst, for instance, blends engineering, business and dentistry in his studies, planning to apply his multidisciplinary studies to the challenge of dental and facial reconstruction.
Along with having the opportunity to pursue multidisciplinary studies, Hurst praises other changes and improvements at U of L.
"A lot of exciting things are happening here," he says. "All of the changes on campus are making it a nicer place. U of L is taking the right strides."
Origins of the Challenge
In 1996 Greater Louisville Inc., the economic development organization for the region, issued it's The Boyle Report recommending ways the Louisville area could improve economic development by growing the healthcare and other sectors.
The report stated that Louisville needed a top research university "to unleash the potential of economic growth in all sectors of the economy."
Although research had grown at U of L since the 1980s, its efforts weren't keeping pace with other universities-and efforts to increase patents, licenses and business startups based on university-led research were virtually nonexistent.
Leaders, including U of L's then-president John Shumaker, saw that opportunities were being missed.
Following Kentucky's legislative mandate (House Bill 1) in 1997 that U of L become a preeminent metropolitan research university, the university developed the Challenge as its strategic plan for the years 1998 to 2008.
"It was a courageous decision for U of L to embrace change, and it was Dr. Shumaker who came up with the plan," says Ramsey, who at the time was a key architect of the Postsecondary Education Improvement Act that led to the Challenge.
Soon thereafter, the state made available "Bucks for Brains" funds (officially, the Research Challenge Trust Fund), which U of L used to recruit talented researchers to conduct cutting-edge studies.
That helped U of L far surpass its original goal of having 75 endowed chairs and professorships in key fields. From 1999 to today, the number of such posts grew from 54 to 122.
One of the first goals met came in 2000 when U of L achieved classification as a Carnegie Research I University. That status meant U of L was offering a wide range of academic and research programs at all degree levels, from baccalaureate to doctoral.
Makers Mark President Bill Samuels remembers the early days of the Challenge. Samuels was on U of L's board of trustees when the plan was unveiled and was board chairman in its third year of implementation.
"The Challenge for Excellence was a great success; the timing was right," Samuels says. "Shumaker was perfect, and he had a good team. The endowment grew by about 150 percent in about the first three years. Putting the state's Bucks for Brains dollars into research really kept the resources focused so they could do some good."
As a result, total annual funding for sponsored research increased from $42 million in 1999 to $178 million today.
To meet Challenge research goals, Nancy Martin, senior vice president for research, aggressively improved efficiency in grants management and industry contracting efforts and strengthened the human studies program and research integrity guidelines.
"There has been an amazing change in the research environment at U of L during the past 10 years," Martin says. "Over the last four years, for example, we were the fastest growing recipient of National Institutes of Health funding. This year we met the goal of graduating at least 140 doctoral students annually, and we've boosted undergraduate research support.
"All of this indicates a healthy research enterprise."
Another marked improvement was in turning university research findings into marketable technologies.
"Preeminent metropolitan research universities drive economic development through providing an educated workforce as well as turning research innovations into commercially useful technologies," Martin explains.
"We implemented technology transfer-friendly policies and created the Office of Technology Transfer to help us meet our Challenge goals to increase the number of patents, licenses and business startups based on university research. We have protected university intellectual property through the issuance of 46 patents."
Business startups based on university-licensed technologies grew, from zero in 1998 to 15 in 2006.
But money, brains and administrative savvy aren't enough to boost research. Martin says the hundreds of millions of dollars spent during the decade to improve U of L's infrastructure, especially the addition of new high-tech research buildings on the Belknap and Health Sciences Center campuses, have been key to the efforts.
Martin stresses giving credit for the Challenge successes to many people.
"All of this happened thanks to the collective effort of university leadership, faculty, alumni, staff, students, supporters, friends, federal and state legislators and others. And it has been a real privilege to be a part of it."
'The 11'
There was a time not too long ago when U of L's reputation for innovative medical education and research was widely known-but only within the select sphere of the medical profession.
However, recent breakthroughs have raised U of L's public profile as an institution conducting studies on par with traditional research powerhouses.
U of L's development of a cervical cancer vaccine, pioneering studies of heart-preconditioning to prevent heart attack and the world's first successful hand transplant are just a few efforts that have raised awareness of the university nationally and internationally.
In many cases, U of L researchers collaborate with their peers at top institutions such as the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, Duke, M.I.T. and more.
The Challenge for Excellence's success in recruiting top researchers has been key in this upsurge of cutting-edge work.
The following list of the Challenge's 11 goals and how they were met provide a taste of the changes that have vaulted U of L to greater status as an academic and research institution.
GOAL: Achieve classification as a Carnegie Research I university
In 2000 U of L was reclassified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, joining a list of eminent U.S. research and doctoral institutions including Harvard, Cornell, Yale, Johns Hopkins and Stanford universities.
Schools in the classification must offer a wide range of baccalaureate program and show a commitment to graduate education through the doctoral degree. The step was seen as a significant milestone in U of L's growth as a research university.
Carnegie no longer uses this classification system. However, U of L continues to exceed the qualifications that were in place when the goal was set.
GOAL: Have a national reputation for its quality undergraduate program
In recent years, U of L has been recognized in several ways. A Wall Street Journal survey named U of L one of the top 30 "feeder schools" to the nation's most elite graduate schools. Consumers Digest named U of L a "Best Buy."
The university's honors program has grown from 278 students in 1999 to 818 in 2005. In recent years, U of L students have received a record number of prestigious national awards such as the Fulbright, Goldwater and Rotary scholarships.
GOAL: Have at least 20 nationally recognized research and graduate/professional programs
The University of Louisville has many nationally recognized programs. The following programs have been reviewed by the Office of the Provost and certified for inclusion on this list. Many others are under review and may be added later.
- African American Theatre Program
- Birth Defects Program
- Cardiac Assist Devices
- Center for Health Hazards Preparedness
- College of Education and Human Development
- Computer Engineering and Computer Science
- Entrepreneurship program
- Industrial Engineering Graduate Program
- James Graham Brown Cancer Center (Developmental Therapeutics and Metabolomics)
- Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center
- Metropolitan College
- Molecular Cardiology
- Nanotechnology and MEMS Research
- Neuroscience and Cognition
- Pan-African Studies Program
- Pediatric Pharmacology Research
- Pediatric Sleep Medicine
- School of Music Ensemble Program
- Simulation and Standardized Patient Program
- Spinal Cord Injury Research
- Stroke Program
- Transplant Immunology
- University Libraries
GOAL: Attain designation as a National Institutes of Health Cancer Center
U of L has completed its application and plans to apply for this designation for its James Graham Brown Cancer Center within the next year. Such a designation will help the university offer the latest cancer treatments, receive extra research funding and become a stronger catalyst for economic development in the region.
The cancer center already is achieving national attention for its efforts. Cancer center researchers have isolated embryonic-like stem cells, which may alter stem cell research, and have helped develop the world's first vaccine against cervical cancer. A five-year fund-raising campaign for the cancer center, "Finding Answers to Cancer," surpassed its $40 million goal in just 18 months and will continue through the end of 2008. More than 4,800 people, corporations and foundations have contributed.
GOAL: Have 75 endowed chairs and professorships in key fields
U of L has increased the number of its endowed chairs and professorships from 54 in 1999 to 122 today, far exceeding its original goal. Kentucky's "Bucks for Brains" program, which has provided state funds to match private donations, has effectively doubled the impact of private investment supporting research in strategically defined areas. The program has enabled the university to recruit and retain world-renowned faculty members to work alongside its existing outstanding faculty.
GOAL: Graduate at least 140 doctoral students per year
U of L graduated 78 doctoral students in 1999. In 2006, it graduated 144.
GOAL: Increase federal research funding to more than $40 million annually and increase total sponsored funding to $80 million per year
Since 1999, the university has upped its federal research funding from $14.8 million to $74.5 million today and has increased its sponsored funding from $42.1 million to $178 million. Sponsored funding includes federal and non-federal funds and funds for clinical trials. U of L's NIH funding growth is the fastest in the nation among research universities.
GOAL: Increase endowment from $255 million to $500 million
In 1999, U of L's endowment was $255 million. Today it is $675.8 million, one of the largest public university endowments in the nation.
GOAL: Increase significantly the number of business start-ups that develop from university research activity
U of L has become much more successful at transferring the results of university research into commercial enterprise. While the university could claim no business start-ups in 1999, it is now responsible for starting 18. The success continues. Recently, Kentucky's Economic Development Finance Authority gave $750,000 to help MetaCyte, a business incubator operated by U of L, Jewish Hospital and Norton HealthCare, create and launch new life-sciences companies.
GOAL: Increase the number of patents and licenses based upon university research
In 1999, U of L held 15 patents and 11 licenses. Today it holds 46 patents and 55 licenses.
GOAL: Be recognized as a national leader for linking its resources to the needs of its community
U of L offers its expertise to the community in ways too numerous to count. It has received national praise for several innovative partnerships, including Metropolitan College and Partnership for a Green City. This year U of L is announcing its Signature Partnership, a program in which the university is providing substantial and wide-ranging support in health, education, social work and economic development to some of Louisville's most depressed neighborhoods.
You Won't Recognize This Place
Approach U of L from any of its boundaries nowadays and you might notice the trimmings have changed-for the better.
The Challenge for Excellence's push to improve research, academics and student life has meant a corresponding physical transformation of U of L's campuses.
Colorful banners, improved lighting for safety and aesthetics, streets and overpasses painted in Cardinal colors, and new plantings and landscaping are just a few things you notice right away.
Get onto campus, and the changes are even more dramatic.
Someone familiar with Belknap Campus when the Challenge began in 1998 might become disoriented faced with the plethora of major new buildings.
Major construction improvements to campus since the inception of the Challenge include:
BELKNAP CAMPUS
- Community Park, a diverse residence hall complex that opened this fall
- William F. Ekstrom Library Expansion, a 42,500-square-foot addition that includes robotic storage and book retrieval and followed on the heels of the libraries' acquisition of its 2-millionth volume
- Belknap Research Building, a 106,000-square-foot facility bringing together researchers from different disciplines to work on high-tech projects in nanotechnology and more; the state's largest "clean room" is a building highlight
- Conversion of the old Algood factory property on Floyd Street between the southeast corner of Belknap and Papa John's Cardinal Stadium into parks and intramural fields
- Completion of the multi-sport Cardinal Park on Belknap's eastern edge.
- Conversion of decaying Parkway Field on the south end of campus into a well-lit and manicured multi-use sports field for students
- Jim Patterson Stadium, new home field for the U of L baseball team
- Conversion of the old American Air Filter building on Central Avenue into the Central Station complex, occupied by U of L medical clinics and other tenants
- Trager Indoor Practice Facility for football training, north of the stadium
- Eastern Parkway corridor safety plan recently unveiled to narrow the road from four lanes to two on Belknap and make other improvements to signals, lights, sidewalks and more to enhance student safety
- Ralph Wright Natatorium, a 41,000-foot swimming facility
- Conversion of the Reynolds Building on Third Street at Eastern Parkway into upscale loft condominiums
- Opening of the new Gheens Science Center and Rauch Planetarium
Improvements undertaken by the university's neighbors include the widening of Central Avenue, addition of retail space, renovation of Churchill Downs, renovations to the Speed Art Museum and others
HEALTH SCIENCE CAMPUS
- The Baxter Biomedical Research I and Baxter Biomedical Research II; a third biomedical facility is under construction
- Renovations to the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, including addition of a Tomotherapy Hi-Art System that provides 3-D views of tumors and is one of only a handful of such systems available nationwide
- Slated opening in 2007 of the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute
- Opening of MedCenter One, Two and Three to incubate high-tech medical companies, in collaboration with other health and community partners
- Renovations to the Kentucky Lions Eye Center, home of U of L's Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
- Renovations to several floors of the Medical-Dental Research building
For more information on recent campus improvements, see previous stories on "Good Growth," (U of L, Fall 2004) and "Beautifying Belknap"(U of L, Fall 2005).
To see these stories online, access past issues of U of L magazine online and click "past issues" at: http://www.louisville.edu/ur/ucomm/mags/
'U of L' Never Looked So Delicious
U of L students, faculty and staff came to the Oval on Belknap Campus on Sept. 15 to celebrate the closing days of the Challenge for Excellence.
The mood reflected the bright, sunny weather as more than 3,000 members of the university community took a break to attend the picnic lunch, complete with music from the Cardinal Marching Band, a group cheer led by the university's national championship cheerleading squad and door prizes that included six iPods.
The picnic was highlighted by "Spell U of L-in Pizza," a friendly competition among three 11-member teams of faculty, staff and students to see which could be the first to fill an 11-yard-long U of L monogram with Papa John's pizza.
Each team received a kit containing pizza cutters, gloves, ponchos, wet wipes and garbage bags to use in filling one-third of the logo. The team that filled its section first was declared winner. Dale Ramsay, U of L's intramurals and recreational sports director, officiated while WHAS Radio sportscaster Paul Rogers did a live play-by-play.
The faculty team emerged victorious, with staff and students lagging behind by several minutes.
But the celebratory atmosphere of the event made everyone feel like winners. In fact, some might say those triumphant vibrations drifted south to Papa John's Cardinal Stadium the next day and helped the football team whip perennial national power Miami 31-7 for what some say is the program's biggest win in history.
The university started the 2006-07 school year by celebrating the Challenge for Excellence. That celebration ended on Oct. 11 (after this magazine was sent to press) when Ramsey announced the development of U of L's bold new strategic plan during his annual "State of the University Address." To read the speech, visit http://www.louisville.edu/president/stateoftheuniversity/
