Barberie ('21) named student academic vice president
McConnell Scholar Ben Barberie ('21)
McConnell Scholar Ben Barberie ('21), the incoming academic vice president for student government, has planned an ambitious student-centered agenda to help create "an affordable student experience for all" at the University of Louisville.
Barberie will assume the role remotely beginning May 9.
He said the global pandemic has and will continue to impact the university. "My hope is the university will emerge stronger than ever, better prepared for the future of higher education through smart policy decisions that focus on student success and equitable outcomes," he said.
Among his major projects for the 2020-2021 academic year are working to eliminate the A-minus from the grading system, creating an Income Share Program to offer students a competitive alternative to high-interest loans, implementing an open-source and free general education textbook library, expanding work study programs and trying to secure a polling location on campus.
Barberie, a native of Lexington, Ky., is pursuing dual degrees in political science and economics at UofL where he serves in several leadership positions. He is an economic health ambassador with the Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, the finance director of the raiseRED Dance Marathon and the housing chairman for the UofL Sigma Chi Fraternity.
Two other McConnell Scholars were also elected to student government positions. Bella Beilman ('22) will serve as president of the College of Business, and Jakob Sherrard ('23) was elected senator of the College of Arts and Sciences.