For development purposes, the six acres—which are owned by the university—would be joined to a 33-acre parcel owned by the UofL Foundation. The foundation purchased the 33 acres in 2008 from Kentucky Trailer. Both properties are on the south side of Belknap Campus, located between the J.B. Speed School of Engineering and Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.
In a presentation to board members, UofL President James Ramsey said the idea was to develop the entire 39 acres as one piece of property.
UofL is working with officials to get approval for a 900-acre tax increment financing district that would include parts of Belknap Campus. Approval for the district is a first step toward creating a research park for engineering and applied sciences.
In other business, board members:
- Approved an 18,000-square-foot expansion of the Schnellenberger Football Complex at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. The expansion will include an 11,500-square-foot addition to the weight room and a 4,000-square-foot addition to training facilities, in addition to storage and other facilities. The expansion, which would be paid for by private funds, requires approval of the UofL Athletic Association, the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education and state legislators before work can begin.
- Named College of Business professor Van Clouse as winner of the University of Louisville 2012 Trustees Award. The award is given annually to a professor who makes outstanding contributions to student life. Clouse, the Cobb Family professor of entrepreneurship, was selected in part because of his work with several student teams that have won prestigious national business competitions, said Trustees Award committee chair Phoebe Wood.
- Met Team Mintrus, a group of Speed School of Engineering students competing in Microsoft’s national Imagine Cup Competition. The competition encourages students to use computer design to address global issues. Team Mintrus competed last year with a tower defense game that raises awareness of AIDS. They made changes that Microsoft employees suggested and are competing again among the 100 teams in the U.S. competition. Ten winners will compete internationally.
- Heard a report on an “explosion” in Greek life from Dean of Students Michael Mardis. Mardis said that UofL has 30 Greek organizations, up from 22 in 2006. He also noted that UofL boasts 1,663 students affiliated with the Greek system, compared to 1,012 in 2006.
The next trustees meeting will be May 10.