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.

Dr. Neeli Bendapudi was named President of the University in April 2018.  Members of her leadership team include the Executive Vice President and University Provost Lori Gonzalez and other Executive Vice Presidents and Vice Presidents in areas as diverse as Institutional Advancement, Community Engagement, Athletics, Research, and Health Affairs.

The Redbook is the basic governance document of the University of Louisville. The Redbook covers: Organization and Operation of the Board of Trustees and the Board of Overseers; Organization and Operation of the University Administration; Organization and Governance of the Academic Programs; Faculty Personnel Policies; Staff Organization and Personnel Policies; Student Governance and Student Affairs Administration; and Revision of The Redbook.  Some University-wide 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.

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.

The Faculty Senate, Staff Senate and Student Government Association represent their respective constituencies to the administration.  They are responsible for eliciting and expressing opinions, suggestions and recommendations from these constituencies.  To learn more, click on the name of each organization.

Several groups on campus advise the President and University Provost on specific issues.  Examples are the Commission on Diversity and Racial Equality (CODRE), the Commission on the Status of Women (COSW), and 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.