At the board’s annual retreat and July meeting—held July 8-9 at Fort Knox—presenters explained how UofL is stepping up services for student veterans.
The number of student veterans at UofL is expected to reach 850 by fall 2010, a substantial increase from an estimated 550 veterans on campus just two years ago. To serve this growing population, the university opened the Office of Military and Veteran Student services on the Belknap Campus in January. The new office helps veterans navigate the higher education process including admissions, financial aid, transfer credits and course selection and offers assistance with services outside of the university.
Joseph Dablow, who heads up the new office, told board members that UofL has been designated as a military friendly university – a designation earned by only 15% of U.S. colleges.
UofL has been affiliated with the Fort Knox post for more than 35 years and is one of six universities approved to offer courses at the site. Blake Haselton, interim dean for the College of Education and Human Development, walked board members through course offerings available both at the post and online.
In other business during the retreat, board members received an update on goals achieved during the 2009-2010 academic year and the compensation committee evaluated the performance of university president James Ramsey.
Vice President of University Advancement Keith Inman introduced consultant Jennifer McDonough who gave board members a presentation on a comprehensive fundraising campaign. The $750 million campaign includes raising money for academic initiatives, student scholarships, infrastructure improvements, research programs and more.
The campaign will be officially unveiled this fall.
During their Fort Knox visit, board members toured the post, including the recently opened Human Resource Center of Excellence, the largest office building in the state with nearly 900,000 square feet.
Board members will not meet again until September.