University Governance & Organization

The governance of the University of Louisville is vested in its Board of Trustees, which exercises final jurisdiction over the university in accordance with the statutory authority of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The board consists of 16 “competent citizens of Kentucky,” each of whom is appointed by the Governor of Kentucky and serves a six-year term. In addition, one faculty member, one staff member and one student sit on the board as voting members.

Learn more about university leadership

Gery Bradley was appointed president of the University of Louisville in March 2025.  Members of his leadership team include the Executive Vice President and University Provost Kathryn (Katie) Cardarelli and other vice presidents in areas as diverse as Institutional Advancement, Community Engagement, Athletics, Research and Health Affairs.

Meet the President
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The Redbook

The Redbook is the basic governance document of the University of Louisville. Some universitywide policies and procedures are outlined in The Redbook. Other policies and procedures mentioned in The Redbook are not part of The Redbook but must be consistent with The Redbook. Regarding policies of a particular school, contact the dean's office of that school.
The Redbook

Shared Governance

Shared governance, sometimes also called collegial governance, is an important value at the University of Louisville. It is a set of principles and practices through which faculty and staff members participate in the important decisions regarding the operation of the university. Collegial governance is a system based on the idea that authority and responsibility are shared among colleagues, some of whom are primarily faculty members, administrators, staff and students.
Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate

Represents faculty to the administration and is responsible for eliciting and expressing opinions, suggestions and recommendations from the faculty.
Staff Senate

Staff Senate

Represents staff to the administration and is responsible for eliciting and expressing opinions, suggestions and recommendations from the staff.
Student Government Association

Student Government Association

Represents students to the administration and is responsible for eliciting and expressing opinions, suggestions and recommendations from the students.

Several groups on campus advise the president and university provost on specific issues. An example is the Faculty and Staff For Human Rights.

Beyond its central administrative structure, each of the university’s 12 degree-granting schools has its own set of policies and procedures, each of which must be consistent with The Redbook.