University of Louisville
2323 S. Brook St.
Louisville, KY 40208
Internship and co-op opportunities rise despite global pandemic
By IDAYA GAGER -
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on health guidelines, business operation procedures and how students are able to receive their education. But for UofL students, the pandemic hasn’t dampened one vital area of the college experience – experiential learning opportunities.
According to the University Career Center, internships, co-op and experiential learning listings for 2019-2020 increased by 72% over the previous year. The bulk of the listings increased prior to the pandemic, but while COVID-19 stalled the workforce, it didn’t stop Cardinals from seeking and finding outside-the-classroom opportunities – even if they looked a little different.
Stuart Esrock, faculty-in-residence at the University Career Center, and Bill Fletcher, director of the University Career Center, acknowledge the increase in experiential learning opportunities during a global pandemic is surprising, but they say it makes sense from an economic perspective.
Listings of internships and co-op opportunities initially took a dive in March and April, when stay-at-home orders were issued, but the center began to see a slight increase in June. “Some of that increase in June was really because we began to see an increase in the economy overall,” Esrock said.
The increase is good news for students. UofL strongly encourages adding a real-world component to the undergraduate experience. Participating in internships and co-ops helps students build a skill set that extends past a classroom setting, network with future colleagues and business contacts, discover what they are passionate about and what they dislike, and earn work experience while still completing an undergraduate degree
Fletcher and Esrock said experiential learning offers a well-rounded educational experience, but most importantly, sets UofL students apart in the competitive job market. That’s even more crucial as the pandemic continues to affect the workforce. As Fletcher believes it will take longer than expected to recover economically from the pandemic, he stressed the importance of gaining work experience where available.
He added that the University Career Center has adapted its services to make sure students are prepared for a new sense of workplace normalcy, when everything from interviews to hiring is being done virtually.
The center has a plethora of resources to prepare students for the virtual workplace. It has virtual interview etiquette tips, mock interviews, appointments with a career coach, resume review, and other resources to help students figure out what career path they are interested in pursuing.
“We want to give students a realistic view of what’s going on in the world right now, about the job market, but we don’t want them to give up hope,” Esrock said.
UofL’s contribution to Louisville’s ‘equitable economic recovery’ featured in Forbes
The City of Louisville was recently in the spotlight for a Forbes article about “equitable economic recovery.” What that means exactly is the ability to meet the demands of various industries and the educational and training opportunities available to employees in all stages of their careers.
This idea of equitable economic recovery is critical right now, especially. The story cites data that shows from February through August 2020, the number of workers who lost their jobs permanently due to COVID-19 rose by 2.1 million to 3.4 million — an over 60% increase.
The author identified Louisville as a benchmark city for equitable recovery, looking at Humana’s role specifically, and a partnership the company has with other community organizations, including the University of Louisville. As one of the city’s largest employers, Humana and the health insurance sector at large have been less impacted by the pandemic than other industries. Conversely, the company represents a sector of the economy that is still growing and, therefore, building in-demand skills.
Technology is Louisville’s fastest-growing job sector, Humana SVP Roger Cude told the publication, which is driving local business leaders to increasingly adopt a “digital-first mindset.”
“But like other communities, Louisville-area businesses are struggling to find qualified applicants for those jobs,” he said, adding that the pandemic is “creating new and unexpected challenges and accelerating the imperative for businesses to evolve.”
Simply put, there is a greater need than ever for digital and analytical skills. This is where FutureLou comes in. The coalition entails private, public and academic leaders in the region, including the University of Louisville. These players are combining resources to “create a future-ready local workforce through training and development in high-demand data science skills and capabilities,” Cude explained.
Notably, that training is free for Louisville residents.
“The goal of the FutureLou initiative is to provide a pathway for displaced or underemployed workers to upskill into industry-aligned careers that provide stability and resilience during this period of disruption. By providing both financial support and job search guidance, we’re reducing the barriers to reskilling for digital jobs and helping Louisville residents earn credentials that will have high demand now and for the future,” Cude said.
The program is a partnership between Microsoft and Louisville Metro Government, in tandem with the General Assembly, Kentuckiana Works and a virtual “micro-campus” team.
Also as part of this effort, UofL’s Center for Digital Transformation website became a strategic partner in Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer’s 30-day Data Upskilling Challenge Initiative earlier this year. The program encouraged residents to access free online, self-paced, data skills training through a COVID-19-related effort by the city’s Future of Work Initiative, also powered by Microsoft.
This isn’t the only “future-proofing” effort UofL is involved in to advance the city of Louisville and its equitable recovery.
Last year, the university teamed up with The Humana Foundation and Interapt to bring a paid, immersive training program that teaches high-demand IT skills to the underemployed and unemployed in the community. The program, called “Louisville Skills,” provided individuals with the opportunity to build the technical, business and life skills necessary to work in fast-paced, high-tech environment, preparing them to launch promising careers in the tech industry.
Interapt’s training program has been called “a national model of creating next-generation opportunity.” The Louisville Skills program marks the first time Interapt partnered with a major university.
Also last year, UofL became part of a new Artificial Intelligence Innovation Consortium, an alliance that also includes Amazon Web Services, GE Appliances, Amgen, V-Soft Consulting and other companies. This alliance is the first-of-its-kind for the city.
In February, UofL received a nearly $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to build a program that prepares students for the ever-evolving, technology-enabled “jobs of tomorrow.” The UofL Modern Apprenticeship Pathways to Success (MAPS) program is funded through the DoL’s “Apprenticeships: Closing the Skills Gap” initiative. UofL was one of just 28 public-private partnerships funded under this federal program in its most recent round, and is the only one in Kentucky.
Finally, last year, UofL and IBM announced a partnership that includes the establishment of an IBM Skills Academy focused on digital learning and technology skills. Like Interapt’s initiative, this skills academy is the first of its kind that IBM has developed with a higher education institution.
Specifically, the academy will provide curriculum and educational tools concentrated on eight fast-growing technology areas: artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, cybersecurity, cloud computing, internet of things, quantum computing, data science and design thinking.
It is estimated that over 120 million jobs will be affected within the next three years by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, that number may even be higher and upskilling through these areas is more important.
These examples are just the tip of the iceberg of what UofL is focused on, or plans to focus on in the near term. One of UofL’s identified “Grand Challenges,” for example, is “engineering our future economy.” This means, in part, honing our research to focus on developing and harnessing technological advancements for the digital and robotic transformation of the workforce.
As President Neeli Bendapudi said when the IBM partnership was announced: “It is important for us to be nimble with this, to be truly transformative, to say, ‘We see what’s coming, how can we be proactive?’”
UofL receives new funding to support innovative health programs for Kentucky high school students
High school students across Kentucky will benefit from new funding for the Kentucky Wellbeing Challenge (KWC), operated by the University of Louisville’s Center for Creative Placehealing.
The Bezos Family Foundation has given $30,000, and the C.E. and S. Foundation has provided $15,000 to support the KWC’s health and wellbeing innovation programming for high schoolers throughout the state.
KWC aims to get students excited about public health careers, while they collaborate to solve some of Kentucky’s most pressing barriers to wellbeing. Using STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) tools, KWC focuses on both technical skills, such as research and digital programming, along with human skills, such as emotional intelligence and complex problem solving.
Theo Edmonds, director of CCP, said, “We hope that KWC will enhance connections, enable action and nurture creativity in young people, moving them toward careers in the health sciences across the state of Kentucky.”
CCP will begin with a small prototype phase in Spring 2021 with partners from Jefferson County Public Schools and Breathitt County Schools. Some of the learning modules are being created with national partners like the Aspen Institute, while others will be delivered through regional partnerships. The program also will include enhancements for students and teachers to improve their own personal wellbeing. The digital, fully online platform will launch in the 2021-22 academic year.
“The style of leadership that the Kentucky Wellbeing Challenge seeks is thoughtful and catalytic. By pairing student contribution with true community need, the program is poised to drive important youth-led change across the state of Kentucky and help improve community health and wellbeing,” said Chris Plutte, managing director, Bezos Family Foundation.
The KWC is part of the Center for Creative Placehealing’s efforts to cultivate a talent pipeline of next-generation public health entrepreneurs, and is one of several initiatives supported by the NSF-funded Center for Health Organization Transformation based in the School of Public Health & Information Sciences.
School of Nursing faculty help administer first group of COVID-19 vaccinations to eligible Kentuckians
- STORY BY SCHOOL OF NURSING -
Kentucky joins states across the United States administering its first COVID-19 vaccinations. The vaccination is being offered to health care workers and medical first responders. A mass vaccination site opened on Jan. 4 at Broadbent Arena in Louisville.
At least 15 School of Nursing faculty members are helping provide the manpower for this vaccination initiative and using it as an educational opportunity for students, who will begin volunteering on Jan. 18. Nursing students will help with check in as well as administer vaccinations under faculty supervision.
Each shift will include students primarily from the Master's Entry into Professional Nursing and undergraduate global public health programs.
The School of Nursing is scheduled to volunteer through February and will offer staffing for as long as the immunizations are being offered.
UofL engineering students help K-4 kids learn STEM concepts at home
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Would you like to help your child make their own lava lamp? How about extract strawberry DNA?
These are projects kids age 5-11 can do – with a little help from an adult – while learning science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) concepts with a video series by students in the J.B. Speed School of Engineering at the University of Louisville. Episodes are designed to introduce basic STEM concepts and engineering disciplines to young students through hands-on activities using materials usually found around the house.
Students in the Outreach Team at Speed School of Engineering created the Engineering Starts at Home videos to ignite a love of science in elementary-age students through fun, educational activities. The step-by-step projects show how to extract strawberry DNA, make homemade lava lamps and create home-made gak and others. The students also discuss the STEM concepts experienced in the activities, such as density, polymers and buoyancy.
“Traditionally, our team makes weekly visits to our three partnership schools, hosts field trips on campus, and participates in a variety of events during the semester, but the Fall 2020 semester and now Spring 2021 semester needed to look different for everyone’s safety,” said Annie Fitzpatrick Jones, outreach team coordinator for Speed School of Engineering. “We knew that families might be stuck at home looking for different ways to engage with one another and thought this series might help.”
Most of the videos are about 4 minutes long and require some adult supervision with materials.
Engineering Starts at Home videos are available on the school’s YouTube Channel.
UofL students and faculty helping with city’s COVID-19 vaccination effort
Medical, nursing and public health students and faculty have joined to assist in mass vaccinations against COVID-19 at the ongoing Broadbent Arena drive-thru event on the grounds of the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center.
Some UofL faculty have served on the Mayor’s task force for the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness project. Other faculty and students are helping with check-in and screenings, administering vaccines, assisting with volunteer supervision and training, and observing individuals post-vaccine to ensure they have no adverse reactions.
“I’m helping because I have a commitment to service,” said Master’s Entry into Professional Nursing student Matt Livers. “I believe we have an opportunity to turn the tide on this pandemic and I would much rather be doing something than waiting for something to happen.”
Livers says this experience will help him gain extra experience in giving vaccines, along with serving as a resource for those who have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine. Educating the public, he says, is key to community acceptance and willingness to become vaccinated.
This isn’t the first time nursing and other health professions students and faculty have provided help for a drive-thru vaccination clinic in Louisville. In 2009, thousands of doses of the H1N1 “swine” flu vaccine were administered by UofL faculty and students at Cardinal Stadium.
Health professions students and faculty will help staff the COVID-19 vaccination drive-thru event through February, or as long as the city’s health department continues the effort. The health department’s mass vaccination site is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and is offering the Moderna vaccine by appointment only. It is first focused on the Tier 1a group, as mandated by the federal government. Frequently asked questions and answers about the mass vaccination site can be found here.
UofL med students aim to reduce health disparities, engage others in community project series
STORY BY UOFL SCHOOL OF MEDICINE NEWS
Amid the turmoil of 2020, Onu Udoh, a second-year student in the University of Louisville School of Medicine, decided it was time to take action to reduce the health disparities that plague underserved communities across Louisville.
So he founded GROW502: A Health Disparities Series to highlight these disparities and begin to make changes. Two other medical students and an undergraduate student from UofL joined him to lead the project, which will include anyone from across the university and the community to who would like to participate in the project’s education, engagement and advocacy events.
First-year medical students Lisa Anakwenze and Zoha Mian, along with Chidum Okeke, a senior UofL undergraduate student and Udoh outlined a multimodal approach to transforming the 2017 Louisville Health Equity Report into a living representation of the current state of health in Louisville. Through art, new media and virtual workshops, the group will educate community members, students, staff, faculty and health care professionals about health disparities revealed in the report, while simultaneously empowering them to enact change.
Beginning the week of Feb 8, students across the university are invited to join project leaders and community members in weekly activities focused on education, community engagement, advocacy and edutainment focused on ways to reduce health inequity.
Education panels will be led by Udoh and medical interest groups in ob/gyn, pediatrics, nutrition, neurology and psychiatry.
Anakwenze is leading community engagement by working with community partners such as Feed the West - Change Today, Change tomorrow, Family Health Centers, Louisville Lead Prevention Program, the Kentucky State Health Department and Healthy Babies to provide direct avenues to make a change within the Louisville Metro area.
Mian will lead weekly advocacy workshops to bring local policymakers together with students to advocate for a brighter tomorrow.
Okeke’s team will work to package and market the project, using the power of creative media to present unique perspectives on health disparities in Louisville. With edutainment ranging from infographics to videos to cartoons, the marketing team will create an engaging virtual environment to increase community awareness of the disparities that exist, with the goal of reducing their effects.
“Overall, the mission of this project is to plant seeds of information and inspiration in our local community that will lead to a long-term reduction in Louisville’s health disparities,” Udoh said. “Our role is to support the sustainable growth of our community as we GROW a better tomorrow.”
Students, professionals and community members are encouraged to participate in the events by signing up through EventBrite. The activities, both live and virtual, and a schedule of events will be published on the group’s website www.grow502.org.
Over 220 UofL Cardinals participate in Valentine’s Day service project
University of Louisville student-athletes got creative this year to spread love throughout the community for Valentine’s Day. More than 220 student-athletes from 10 different teams participated in a form of service for Valentine’s Day, creating handmade cards, virtual cards and personalized videos for RaiseRED, Norton’s Hospital, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Louisville Boy’s and Girl’s Club and Seven Counties Services.
“We’re so happy to be able to give back to the community because we’re grateful every day for their support,” said senior rower Madison Meister. “It was awesome seeing the team come together to make over 700 valentines.”
Many of the handmade cards, virtual cards, and videos will be sent to kids within Louisville from their respective organizations.
“I really enjoyed making the handmade valentines. It was something fun and creative to do, and it was made even better by the thought of it putting a smile on loads of children’s faces,” said sophomore field hockey player Emilia Kaczmarczyk.
The 2021 NCAA Team Works Competition is currently in action. The competition is held among schools who utilize the Helper Helper community service app, which includes about 100 Division I schools. The University of Louisville was ranked second among Division I universities in the third week update. The challenge runs until April 1.
UofL was named the winner of the 2019-20 NCAA Team Works Award Competition for outstanding community service. In May 2020, UofL athletics was recognized for generating more hours of community service during the 2019-20 academic year than any other power five school.
UofL medical students encourage youth affected by violence to become future healers
High rates of violence have plagued Louisville in recent years, escalating sharply in 2020. Students in the UofL School of Medicine are working to combat patterns of violence with action.
Students in the UofL Student National Medical Association are working with Christopher 2X Game Changers and UofL faculty in creating the Future Healers Program to help Louisville youth affected by violence in their neighborhoods navigate the trauma of violence and inspire them to build a better future for themselves and their communities.
Karen Udoh, UofL SNMA president and a second-year medical student, spearheaded the White Coats for Black Lives rally on the Health Sciences Center Campus in June 2020. But she and fellow SNMA members wanted to do more than demonstrate to fight violence in the community.
“It’s not enough for us to be here in our white coats saying that we care and then go back to our offices and not do anything about it,” Udoh said. “That’s how we came to work with the UofL Department of Surgery, the Trauma Institute and the Christopher 2X Game Changers to create the Future Healers Program. We want to show these youth that we care about the environment they are in, we want to invest in them and change these issues.”
Udoh, Briana Coleman, Jenci Hawthorne and Satya Alluri worked with Department of Surgery faculty members Keith Miller and Christopher Jones to develop educational sessions to teach preschool and middle school students about general anatomy and surgery. The Future Healers Program is aimed to inspire youth in the neighborhoods most affected by violence to pursue lives of healing as health care professionals.
“We felt like this is our realm – medicine – so let’s inspire people. It’s a simple way we can at least show our youth, this is something you can aspire to be. You have a choice, you have options,” Udoh said.
In mid-February, the SNMA team conducted a pilot session of the Future Healers Program with approximately 50 preschool and middle school children at the Chestnut Street YMCA. The students conducted 45-minute interactive, virtual sessions that included pre-recorded videos with the faculty members, a mindfulness activity and hands-on activities for the kids. A “doctor’s bag” with masks, gloves and modelling clay for creating their own anatomy models was provided to each of the children.
“Seeing the children shape clay into stomachs and small intestines was such a joy. Together we crafted a space for intellectual curiosity and trust,” Hawthorne said. “Our goal is to create a trusting relationship with the youth that we hope can become our future healers. We want them to know that we see them and that we are here for them. We want them to see us as allies who love them and who care about them.”
With additional support from medical student, staff or trainee volunteers, sponsors, School of Medicine faculty members and Christopher 2X Game Changers, the UofL students plan to conduct future regularly scheduled sessions with the youth and to expand the program to more young people in the community.
“At the School of Medicine, we have a goal to create and train physicians who are culturally aware, culturally responsive and social-justice minded. We not only want to train the best doctors, but doctors who are willing to roll up their sleeves and get out into the community,” said Dwayne Compton, associate dean for community engagement and diversity in the School of Medicine and a faculty adviser for SNMA. “These students have created a program that will have a profound impact in our community.”
Earlier this week, Udoh and the SNMA joined Christopher 2X, UofL Health and the UofL Hospital Trauma Institute to present the first Kelsie Small Future Healer Award. The award honors the life of Kelsie Small, a nursing student at Northern Kentucky University who was shot and killed in Louisville in May 2020. Christopher 2X Game Changers will present the award annually to honor a skilled, compassionate health care worker. The first Future Healer Award was presented to Small’s mother, Delisa Love.
To support the SNMA Future Healers Program as a volunteer or through sponsorship, contact karen.udoh@louisville.edu or faculty liaison christopher.jones.1@louisville.edu.
UofL College of Business joins OneWest accelerator to help minority business owners succeed
The Plan Room, a new business accelerator created by OneWest to assist minority-owned construction companies in developing their businesses, is receiving support for its mission from the University of Louisville College of Business.
The Plan Room, specifically designed as a resource for racial minority contractors and construction business owners to help them grow their businesses, launched with a virtual workshop in February based on curriculum recommendations from UofL College of Business leaders.
“We met with OneWest leadership and developed a focus group to assess the needs of the business community and then developed a curriculum plan,” said Robert Garrett, director of the UofL Forcht Center for Entrepreneurship and chair of Management and Entrepreneurship, who coordinated the effort. “We then identified six areas for workshops to help participants learn specific skills.”
Those skill areas include: landing great projects, developing project management skills, effective networking, management skills and financial management and technology skills specific to the construction industry. Early users of The Plan Room also received access to the College of Business’ Project Management Certificate. UofL faculty will develop the curriculum for project management and management skills.
“We are fortunate to have the partnership and expertise of the UofL College of Business as we develop the curriculum for The Plan Room,” said Evon J. Smith, president and CEO of OneWest, a community development corporation committed to elevating the city through commercial development growth in west Louisville. “Their executive education team jumped right in to get to the essential knowledge and skills related to this industry. This approach is so important, and the UofL team gets it – you have to start from what the clients want, not from an assumption based on any one group’s perspective.”
Garrett said the project is the kind of opportunity the college is eager to engage in to empower the local business community.
“We want to be valuable partners with the community by supporting minority enterprises and helping all constituents of the population be successful. It is our opportunity to be a good neighbor,” Garrett said. “I am genuinely excited to be participating in this project. The Plan Room is very professionally run by committed and passionate people.”
Todd Mooradian, dean of the UofL College of Business, hopes the college will share its strengths in more of these types of projects in the community.
“We hope this is the first of many collaborations between the College of Business and OneWest for the purpose of economic development and wealth creation in our city, with a special commitment to ameliorating legacy disadvantages and improving access for everyone,” Mooradian said. “This effort targets the construction industry, but the college’s core competencies revolve around teaching business skills across sectors, and our mission compels us to invest in using those strengths to improve social and economic justice.”
Emily Vitale, director of business development for OneWest, said the needs assessment and curriculum plan developed by the UofL group were important assets to guide The Plan Room’s activities.
“Thanks to the UofL data collection process, we know the specific areas of competency to focus on with our Minority Business Enterprise construction accelerator programs at The Plan Room – from building and managing the business and projects, to growing and implementing the technology skills that are so prevalent in the construction industry today,” Vitale said.
The first workshop, held Feb. 27, focused on teaching entrepreneurs how to create, discover and take advantage of business opportunities, and the second workshop is in development. Although the workshop was held virtually, The Plan Room soon will inhabit a physical space where it will support business owners through education, training, mentorship and networking opportunities.
Along with the workshop series, The Plan Room provides the business owners with services ranging from procurement and bid opportunities to technical assistance, and aims to help business owners connect with minority-owned firms, mentors and professional service providers who understand the construction industry. Additional support for The Plan Room is provided by Louisville Central Community Center, KPFF Consulting Engineers and the 7PM Group.
UofL Health – Urgent Care Plus expands to west Louisville
UofL Health – Urgent Care Plus will open a new location in West Louisville’s Parkland neighborhood. The location, at 2746 Virginia Ave., will be staffed with both primary care and urgent care providers. Area residents will be able to access a range of services from routine exams and preventive care to urgent care for minor injuries, illnesses, plus more.
“Plus” leverages the unique academic and community-based health services to expanded care, including occupational medicine, Department of Transportation physicals and drug testing.
“The location is new, but the neighbors here are familiar faces,” said Tom Miller, CEO of UofL Health. “Over the last six years, UofL Health has taken care of more residents in west Louisville than any other hospital system, combined. We also have nearly 700 of our own employees, and their families, living in this area. This Urgent Care Plus benefits this Medically Underserved Area and brings the Power of U closer to their homes.”
In January, UofL Health kicked off a major expansion of its Urgent Care Plus, announcing plans to open five locations to increase access to affordable care and convenient hours across the community. The west Louisville site will be the fifth to open, following a $500,000 renovations and equipment investment.
“Accessible health care is an essential element of a healthy community,” said Neeli Bendapudi, UofL President and chair of UofL Health board of directors. “By expanding into west Louisville, UofL Health is living its commitment to better serve our entire community.”
Dr. Tamea Evans, UofL Physicians – Primary Care Associates, will lead the medical team at the new location.
“Taking care of patients is my profession, but breaking down barriers to improve health equity is my passion,” Evans said. “The location, and hours, of this Urgent Care Plus practice is essential to making quality care easy to access.”
Dr. Evans will be joined by Dr. Jamaal Richie, UofL Family Medicine Resident, who grew up two blocks from Virginia Avenue.
“I am excited about this opportunity to serve, and I am even more excited for those we will serve. Better access to care will save lives and change lives for generations to come,” Richie said.
The west Louisville’s Urgent Care Plus will also include a dedicated telemedicine suite where patients can access UofL Health specialty care services such as neurology, psychiatry, and cardiology. A grand opening date is still being determined, but it is expected to open in early July.
UofL Health – Urgent Care Plus locations:
- Cedar Grove – 1707 Cedar Grove Road, Suite 10, Shepherdsville, KY 40165
- Dupont/St. Matthews – 908 Dupont Road, Louisville, KY 40207
- Hurstbourne – 9409 Shelbyville Rd, Louisville, KY 40222 (opening in April)
- Medical Center Northeast – 2401 Terra Crossing Blvd, Louisville, KY 40245
Six UofL student-athletes recognized for community service
University of Louisville athletes Kaylee Wheeler, Katlyn Harbsmeier, Makenzie Kelley, Sam Minrath, Meghan Schneider, and Jenna Servi were named as the Cardinals’ recipients of the 2020-2021 ACC Top 6 for Service Award.
Each year the Atlantic Coast Conference honors six University of Louisville student-athletes that have shown a commitment to service throughout the school year with the Top 6 for Service award.
Wheeler, a junior on the women’s swim and dive team, collected the majority of her hours over the past year through her work with CrossRoads Missons, University of Louisville research, and Southeast Christian Church. She worked to manufacture medical masks with CrossRoads Mission, served as an undergraduate research assistant with University of Louisville research, and was a disabilities ministry volunteer for Southeast Christian Church. Wheeler has dedicated a total of 234 hours to the Louisville community.
Servi, a sophomore on the softball team, has been an avid volunteer for the Kentucky Humane Society. She has fostered dogs over the past year and participated in events for the shelter. She has also volunteered with Feed the West, Air Force Reserve, and Blessings in a Backpack. Servi has dedicated a total of 200 hours to the Louisville community.
Schneider, a senior on the field hockey team, has done a great deal of volunteer work with the American Red Cross. She has consistently served as an ambassador for the American Red Cross and was an active volunteer for the San Diego Food Bank over the summer. Schneider has dedicated a total of 106 hours to the Louisville community.
Minrath, a junior on the field hockey team, has a diverse community service portfolio. She has spent many hours donating her blood plasma and platelets for COVID ICU patients to the American Red Cross. She also ran the Cardinal Cupboard on campus, served as a facilitator for One Love programming, and was a note taker for the University of Louisville Disability Resource Center. Minrath has dedicated a total of 78 hours to the Louisville community.
Harbsmeier, a sophomore on the Ladybirds dance team has participated in a wide variety of service opportunities over the past year. She has worked with the American Heart Association, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Kentuckiana Stroke Association, the Louisville Urban League, and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Harbsmeier has dedicated a total of 68 hours to the Louisville community.
Kelley, a sophomore on the Ladybirds dance team, is being recognized with the Top 6 for Service award for the second year in a row. Kelley participates in many different service opportunities that impact the youth of Louisville. Makenzie has served as a Backpack Buddy, a Card Pal, an elementary math helper, and participated in many Read Across America week opportunities. Kelley has dedicated a total of 67 hours to the Louisville community.
UofL student-athletes place second in NCAA community service challenge
The University of Louisville Athletics Department finished second among all Division I institutions in the 2021 NCAA Team Works Service Challenge. This was the seventh annual NCAA Team Works Service Challenge, with all Division I, II, and III schools participating.
“Community engagement is a critical component of the student-athlete experience at the University of Louisville. Giving back to our community through different social initiatives, mentoring youth, supporting underserved groups and so much more, allows student-athletes to connect to the city of Louisville in wonderful ways,” said Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Leadership and Development Alyssa Murphy. “Even through the pandemic, the priority to stay engaged was even more important. Shifting the “how”, student-athletes used social media and virtual meeting platforms to be “face to face” with children enrolled in online school, supported causes of social change and advocacy during a critical time in Louisville, hosted a voter registration drive, cleaned historical parks and cemeteries in the city, wrote letters to youth groups and continued partnerships with pen pals, fostered new school partnerships and so much more.”
The NCAA Team Works Service Challenge was launched by NCAA Team Works and Helper Helper to recognize student-athletes who give back to their communities. NCAA Team Works coordinates community service efforts at NCAA championships, and Helper Helper is a volunteer management and tracking platform used by many institutions. The final standings are based on the number of service hours completed and participation of student-athletes. The Cardinals placed second this year, after winning the challenge in 2019-2020.
“UofL student-athletes were a constant presence throughout the Greater Louisville community as they created meaningful, impactful and socially distanced community service opportunities during a most challenging year with Covid-19 restrictions in place. Alyssa Murphy and her staff members were equally as committed to adjusting to the new normal of virtual and some designated in person activities as well. Kudos to all ” said Senior Associate Athletic Director Student Services & Diversity Marvin Mitchell.
The competition is typically held during the fall semester, but was held during the spring this year. It ran from January 15 through April 1. Cardinal student-athletes totaled 1,405 hours of service throughout the duration of competition, and had 94% of student-athletes participate in a service opportunity during this time period.
“In my time being a part of Louisville athletics, it is clear that giving back to the community is a major priority. The city of Louisville is a special place and we, student athletes, feel the love from the city. Especially during a year of so much struggle and uncertainty, we are glad we could bring some smiles and joy to those less fortunate,” said softball player and SAAC President Celene Funke.
Football player Evan Conley expressed his pride in community service work done by the student-athletes. “I’m so proud to be a part of a group of students that care as much about the community as much as we do here at UofL Louisville has been through a lot over the last year, but the love between the city and our Cards will always be strong,” he said. “I know all our student athletes are excited to be able to get back into the community even more and continue giving back.”
Field Hockey and Women’s Soccer led the department throughout the competition, averaging seven hours per student-athlete from January 15 to April 1. Seventeen teams had 100% participation among their student-athletes.
“I’m so proud to be a part of Louisville Athletics. Our group of student athletes care so much for the city of Louisville and every diverse part of the community,” lacrosse player Sarah Blalock said. “Louisville and the rest of the world has faced many struggles and uncertainty over this past year, but we still made it our priority to give back and be involved in our community. I know the rest of Louisville Athletics is excited to continue to find ways to give back to those less fortunate.”
UofL to help lead in development of 911 alternative response model for Louisville
During a time when local and national attention is focused on calls for changes in policing, collaborators from the University of Louisville, Spalding University, Seven Counties Services and the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, have initiated planning for a community-centered alternative response model for Louisville 911 calls best served by mental health and social services professionals rather than traditional police engagement.
Diversion Options: Voice and Empowerment (DOVE) Delegates is a research and development partnership that will design an alternative response model that meets Louisville’s unique needs, based substantially on input from the city’s residents and those directly impacted.
The need for an alternative response model derives from community concerns about instances in which law enforcement officers engage with individuals experiencing behavioral health crises.
Susan Buchino, an assistant professor in the School of Public Health and Information Sciences (SPHIS) and assistant director of the Commonwealth Institute of Kentucky (CIK), will co-lead UofL’s research effort with Tony Zipple, an executive-in-residence at SPHIS.
“We have the opportunity to create a program that reduces the criminalization of intellectual and behavioral health conditions by using community-care practices and linking people to appropriate health and social services,” Buchino said.
Those involved in the project will assess best practices from other cities, analyze local data and organize community forums. Although similar models have been highlighted nationally, Louisville’s DOVE Delegates planning process is intentional about learning from the work of others while ensuring the model fits the context and climate of Louisville. DOVE Delegates will seek input of invested community members, as well as city leaders, behavioral health and social service providers, and representatives from advocacy organizations.
The Spalding University School of Social Work will concentrate on organizing focus groups of Louisville residents to learn about their experiences and to integrate their input into planning and decision-making. A community survey launched this month with focus groups to be held throughout the city. School of Social Work Chair Shannon Cambron will lead Spalding’s involvement, and Louisville social worker and community organizer Khalilah Collins will serve as a project manager on the forums, which aim to elevate the voices of those whose lives may have been negatively impacted by current systems and practices.
Experts from Seven Counties Services will contribute insight from the perspective of a mental health services provider, focusing on behavioral health crisis response.
The work of UofL, Seven Counties and Spalding will be combined into a progress report that will be presented this summer to Louisville Metro Government, which is providing support to the DOVE Delegates through funds focused on reimagining public safety, including forfeiture monies from the Louisville Metro Police Department.
Recommendations will be made for implementation of a pilot program in the city’s 2022 fiscal year. The goal of implementing such a model is to create a positive health and economic impact on the community.
The Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities is supporting DOVE Delegates through a federal Transformation Transfer Initiative Jail Diversion grant from the National Association of State Mental Health Project Directors.
Key to its community engagement, DOVE Delegates has seated a 20-person accountability/advisory board made up of representatives from around the city and from a range of professional and personal backgrounds. The board was formed to ensure accountability and transparency to the community, and it will provide recommendations and insight into the planning and development process while supporting outreach and engagement efforts of the project.
UofL nursing student helping to increase healthy food access in Perry County
Paige Newquist, a UofL School of Nursing graduate student, is on a mission to increase access to healthy foods in Perry County, Kentucky.
Paige Newquist, a UofL School of Nursing graduate student, is on a mission to increase access to healthy foods in Perry County, Kentucky.
Newquist and Nikki Enlow, a graphic design student at Hazard Community College, have launched a public health information campaign as part of the Healthiest Cities & Counties Challenge. The project is overseen by UofL Professor Frances Hardin-Fanning and is sponsored by Aetna Foundation, the American Public Health Association and the National Association of Counties.
Newquist, a research scholar, also works at UofL Hospital as a physical therapy technician and has been an active member of the UofL COVID vaccination team. She will graduate in May 2022 with plans to work in orthopedic nursing in Louisville. She uses her skills from her undergraduate research courses to review scientific evidence about the health impact of foods, which is guiding her work with the Perry County program.
As part of the educational campaign, Newquist shares spotlight information on different fruits and vegetables each week on the Perry County Facebook page; for example, “Garlic can be made into an extract and it has been effective in lowering blood pressure in people with uncontrolled hypertension … Garlic can help improve our artery’s flexibility, which results in lowered blood pressure, improved heart health, improved aerobic fitness and a decreased risk for cardiovascular disease.”
The Healthiest Cities & Counties Challenge is a grant-funded project aimed at increasing access to foods that support healthy eating patterns. Perry County, located in Eastern Kentucky, has an adult obesity rate of 47% – 12 percentage points higher than the 35% average for Kentucky. Seventy-four percent of adults who live in Perry County are overweight, and just 10% get their recommended fruit and vegetable intake. The Aetna Foundation issued the grant to Perry County in July 2020.
UofL’s School of Nursing also leads the Food & Faith Coalition, a partnership with either other organizations. In addition to increasing access, the coalition aims to increase food security screenings, grow retailers’ donations to nonprofit food programs and improve the interconnected work of 16 county organizations that provide food to community members.
Read more about Newquist’s work with this project on the UofL School of Nursing website here.
UofL student research aimed at helping river towns drive tourism, development
University of Louisville student researchers are helping river towns use recreation to drive tourism and economic development.
As part of an honors class, a group of undergraduate students studied — through interviews, research and first-hand experience — how towns like New Albany, Clarksville and Jeffersonville, Indiana, benefit from and can better promote kayaking, concerts and other riverside activities.
They worked with the U.S. National Park Service – Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program to conduct river town reviews. The program’s team effort approach to looking with “fresh eyes on enhancing tourism and outdoor recreation” helped these communities explore how they can further realize the benefits of the Ohio River and the development of the 270-mile Ohio River Recreation Trail from Portsmouth, Ohio, to West Point, Kentucky.
“I think the main takeaway is that there is so much potential for the Ohio River and the communities that surround it,” said Forest Clevenger, a political science major who worked on the project. “By focusing on recreation, it not only reinvigorates the economies of these communities, but it makes it so that conservation (of rivers) is an economic asset and something that is supported.”
The results of the students’ research, including observations, models, maps and photos from their trips to the Ohio River Greenway, currently are on display at the main branch of the Louisville Free Public Library. The exhibit, “River of Life: Cities and Towns Along the Mighty Ohio,” is expected to run through the summer.
“The students’ work in this exhibit uses photos and explorations to understand past initiatives that encouraged river recreation,” said David Wicks, who taught the class and also is director of River City Paddle Sports. “They put a lot of work into this and it really shows. Their work could help shed new light on the role of rivers – how they shape and grow our towns.”
The exhibit also spawned an offshoot project called “Ripple Effects: Exploring Water in Louisville.” That project began with a photo contest that asked kids in grades K-12 to capture their feelings about water on film. The goal is to learn more about youth attitudes toward water — what it means to them, its role in their everyday lives and how they engage with it.
Mary Brydon-Miller, professor in the UofL College of Education and Human Development, will prepare a summary of the main themes that come out of the entries to present as part of an upcoming National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forum on extreme rainfall and community resilience.
“The important thing is the engagement of youth across the Louisville metro area in thinking about the importance of water in our community,” she said. “And asking kids to tell that story in a creative way will tell us a lot about how they see water’s role in their lives.”
Winners of the photo contest will be announced at Louisville Waterfront Park on June 21 and featured in another exhibit at LFPL this fall as part of the Louisville Photo Biennial.
More information on the exhibit, including sponsor listing, is available on the library website, as well as more information on the photo contest.
UofL’s LinkedIn Learning partnership boosts professional development opportunities
In late March of 2021, the University of Louisville’s Employee Success Center announced an exciting new partnership with an industry leader in online training courses: LinkedIn Learning. This partnership grants all current staff, faculty and students unlimited access to a vast online library of professional development content at no cost.
LinkedIn Learning is an award-winning virtual training resource with a digital library of over 16,000 courses covering a wide range of technical, business, software and creative topics. These expert-led courses are designed to refine and develop professional skills, teach new software and explore other areas for those exploring career growth and personal development.
With LinkedIn Learning, users can development several in-demand skills to achieve both personal and professional goals on their own schedule. Courses range from less than five minutes to several hours long and can be accessed on any electronic device, anywhere.
In addition to individual courses, LinkedIn Learning also compiles playlists of resources that are focused on larger topics known as learning paths. After completing a learning path, users can share this accomplishment on their LinkedIn profiles. This allows users to easily share their new skills and qualifications with their entire professional network.
The team at the Employee Success Center also works to compile relevant resources on LinkedIn Learning for university students and employees. These learning paths, such as the return to campus and remote/hybrid support resources announced in UofL Today on June 23, are thoughtfully curated to address the current and specific needs of those within the university community.
Popular courses available on LinkedIn Learning include Inclusive Leadership, Using Microsoft Teams and Outlook Together: Maximizing Productivity and Managing Stress for Positive Change. LinkedIn Learning also provides learning paths designed to develop and improve skills with the Adobe Creative Suite, which is available at no cost to all current employees and students through UofL’s partnership with Adobe.
As part of the 2019-2022 Strategic Plan [PDF], the University of Louisville is committed to the continued professional and personal development of all faculty and staff. Providing free e-learning opportunities to all faculty and staff, such as the LinkedIn Learning Partnership, is one way that UofL is devoted to making the university a great place to work.
To get started with the free services offered through the LinkedIn Learning partnership, log in through the UofL LinkedIn Learning webpage. The online library is also available through the LinkedIn Learning app for IOS and Android. Video tutorials, FAQs and LinkedIn Learning app login instructions can be found on the Employee Success Center’s webpage.