University of Louisville The University of Louisville is a university in Louisville , Kentucky . When founded in 1798 , it was the first city - owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains . The university is mandated by the Kentucky General Assembly to be a " Preeminent Metropolitan Research University " . U of L enrolls students from 118 of 120 Kentucky counties , all 50 U . S . state s , and 116 countries around the world . The University of Louisville Health Sciences Center participated in the development of a highly effective vaccine against cervical cancer in 2006 , the first fully self - contained artificial heart transplant surgery , the first successful hand transplantation , and the development of the Pap smear test . The University Hospital is also credited with the first civilian ambulance , the nation ' s first accident services , now known as an emergency room ( ER ) , and one of the first blood bank s in the US . Since 1999 , U of L has made the largest gains of any university in National Institutes of Health research ranking , with its NIH funding increasing 277 percent and its rank increasing 30 places . As of 2006 among public U . S . universities , the melanoma clinic ranks third , the neurology research program fourth , and the spinal cord research program 10th in NIH funding . U of L is also known for the success of its athletics programs , several of which are among the best in the country . Since 2000 the Cardinals have made appearances in the men ' s basketball Final Four in 2005 and 2012 , football Bowl Championship Series Orange Bowl in 2007 ( champions ) , the College Baseball World Series , the women ' s basketball Final Four in 2009 ( runner - up ) , and the men ' s soccer national championship game in 2010 . U of L ' s women ' s volleyball program has three - peat ed as champions of the Big East Tournament ( 2008 , 2009 , 2010 ) , and its women ' s track and field program has won Outdoor Big East titles in 2008 , 2009 and 2010 and an Indoor Big East title in 2011 . On January 2 , 2013 the Cardinals beat the Florida Gators 33 - 23 in the Sugar Bowl . Academics and innovations . The University of Louisville offers bachelor ' s degrees in 70 fields of study , masters ' degrees in 78 fields of study , and doctorate degrees in 22 fields of study . The Center for Measuring University Performance at Arizona State University , in its 2009 annual report , ranks U of L in the top public research universities in the United States . The ranking is based on nine different measures : Total Research , Federal Research , Endowment Assets , Annual Giving , National Academy Members , Faculty Awards , Doctorates Granted , Postdoctoral Appointees , and SAT / ACT range . The University ranks in the First Tier by " U . S . News & World Report " . The school ' s admission standards are considered " more selective " by " U . S . News & World Report " . Academically , U of L boasts a College of Business that is ranked among the top 7 percent in the nation , a dental school ranked in the top 10 regularly according to board scores , a law school tied with two other colleges for the 97th ranking in the nation , a top 100 College of Education and Human Development , and nationally respected programs in engineering , social work , and music . The College of Business at the University of Louisville offers a distinctive Ph . D . program with a concentration in Entrepreneurship . The United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship ( USASBE ) has named the college its 2010 National Model PhD Entrepreneurship Program award winner . Its programs in Entrepreneurship are ranked among the best in the world , including a Top 20 ranking in 2006 , 2007 , and 2008 ( # 17 ) by U . S . News & World Report , a Top 10 ranking by Entrepreneur Magazine and the Princeton Review , and a Top 26 ranking from Fortune Small Business . UofL is also the only U . S . college to offer a minor in African American theatre , among only 21 schools in the U . S . to offer a graduate degree in Pan - African studies , and among the first five to require public service in its law school curriculum . The Brandeis Medal is awarded by the law school ' s Louis D . Brandeis Society , and is given in tribute to Brandeis , a former U . S . Supreme Court justice from Louisville and the namesake of the university ' s law school . History . Founding and early years : 1798 – 1845 . The University of Louisville traces its roots back to 1798 when the Kentucky General Assembly chartered a school of higher learning in the newly established town of Louisville and ordered the sale of 6 , 000 acres ( 24 km² ) of South Central Kentucky land to pay for its implementation . On April 3 , 1798 , eight community leaders began local fund raising for the school , then known as the Jefferson Seminary . It opened 15 years later in 1813 and offered college and high school level courses in a variety of subjects . It was headed by Edward Mann Butler from 1813 to 1816 , who later headed the first public school in Kentucky in 1829 and is considered Kentucky ' s first historian . Despite its early success , pressure from newly established public schools and media critiques of it as " elitist " would force its closure in 1829 . Eight years later , in 1837 , the Louisville City council established the Louisville Medical Institute at the urging of renowned physician and medical author Charles Caldwell . After his dismissal from Lexington ' s Transylvania University , Caldwell would lead the LMI into becoming one of the best medical school s west of the Allegheny Mountains . In 1840 , the Louisville Collegiate institute , a rival medical school , was established after an LMI faculty dispute . It opened in 1844 on land near the present day Health science s campus . History as a public municipal university : 1846 – 1969 . In 1846 the Kentucky legislature combined the Louisville Medical Institute , the Louisville Collegiate Institution , and a newly created law school into the University of Louisville , on a campus just east of Downtown Louisville . The LCI folded soon afterwards . The university would experience rapid growth in the 20th century , adding new schools in the liberal arts ( 1907 ) , graduate studies ( 1915 ) , dentistry ( 1918 ) , engineering ( 1925 ) , music ( 1932 ) and social work ( 1936 ) . In 1923 , the school purchased what is today the Belknap Campus , where it moved its liberal arts programs and law school , with the medical school remaining downtown . The school had attempted to purchase a campus donated by the Belknap family in The Highlands area in 1917 ( where Bellarmine University is currently located ) , but a citywide tax increase to pay for it was voted down . The Belknap Campus was named after the family for their efforts . In 1931 , U of L purchased the Louisville Municipal College for Negroes ( est . 1879 and now Simmons College of Kentucky ) , as a compromise plan to desegregation . As a part of U of L , the school had an equal standing with the school ' s other colleges . It was dissolved in 1951 when U of L desegregated . During World War II , Louisville was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V - 12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission . In the second half of the 20th century , schools were opened for business ( 1953 ) , education ( 1968 ) , and justice administration ( 1969 ) . History as a public state university : 1970 – present . Talk of U of L joining the public university system of Kentucky began in the 1960s . As a municipally funded school ( meaning funding only came from the city of Louisville ) , the movement of people to the suburbs of Louisville created budget shortfalls for the school and forced tuition prices to levels unaffordable for most students . At the same time , the school ' s well established medicine and law schools were seen as assets for the state system . Still , there was opposition to U of L becoming public , both from faculty and alumni who feared losing the small , close - knit feel of the campus , and from universities already in the state system who feared funding cuts . After several years of heated debate , the university joined the state system in 1970 , a move largely orchestrated by then Kentucky governor and U of L alumnus Louie Nunn . The first years in the public system were difficult , as enrollment skyrocketed while funding was often insufficient . Several programs were threatened with losing accreditation due to a lack of funding , although schools of nursing ( 1979 ) and urban & public affairs ( 1983 ) were added . John W . Shumaker was named U of L ' s president in 1995 . Shumaker was a very successful fund raiser , and quickly increased the school ' s endowment from $ 183 to $ 550 million . He also developed the REACH program to encourage retention . In 1997 , he hired athletics director Tom Jurich , who restored the athletics program and raised over $ 100 million to raze abandoned factories and old parking lots next to campus and replace them with on - campus athletic facilities , which vastly improved the aesthetics of the Belknap Campus . Academically , U of L moved closer to parity with the state ' s flagship University of Kentucky as retention rates and research funding increased , and average GPAs and ACT scores were much higher for incoming freshman . The school ' s current and 17th president is James R . Ramsey , the former state budget director . Ramsey has continued the endowment and fund raising growth started by Shumaker , but added more emphasis on improving the physical aspects of the Belknap Campus . To this end , he started a million dollar " campus beautification project " which painted six overpasses on the Belknap Campus with a ' U of L theme ' and planted over 500 trees along campus streets , and doubled the number of on - campus housing units . The school ' s federal research funding has also doubled under Ramsey , and three buildings have been built for nanotechnology and medical research . UofL ' s retention rate s have also increased from 30 percent in 1999 to 40 percent in 2006 . UPS tuition reimbursement and Metropolitan College . In addition to their nationwide partial tuition reimbursement programs , UPS ( United Parcel Service ) offers U of L ( along with Jefferson Community and Technical College ) students who work overnight at Worldport , the company ' s worldwide air hub at Louisville International Airport , full tuition reimbursement through a program called Metropolitan College . This program also offers reimbursement for $ 65 . 00 of book costs for each class , and awards bonus checks to students in good standing at the end of each semester and upon reaching certain credit hour milestones . Employees additionally are eligible for full health insurance coverage . Currently over 75 percent of the workers at the air hub are students . Schools and colleges . The university now consists of 12 different schools and colleges ( year founded ) : The campuses . The university has three campuses : Belknap Campus . Acquired in 1923 , the Belknap Campus ( pronounced " Bel - nap " with the K silent ) is the school ' s main campus . It is located three miles ( 5 km ) south of downtown Louisville in the Old Louisville neighborhood . It houses seven of the 12 academic colleges and contains one of the casts of Auguste Rodin ' s " The Thinker " in front of the main administrative building , Grawemeyer Hall . The grounds of the campus were originally used as an orphanage , several of the original buildings used . The Belknap Campus has expanded greatly in recent years , with land housing abandoned factories in the area being purchased and redeveloped . Projects built since 1998 include Papa John ' s Cardinal Stadium and adjacent Trager Center fieldhouse , Owsley B . Frazier Cardinal Park ( which includes Ulmer Stadium for softball , Trager Stadium for field hockey , Cardinal Track and Soccer Stadium , Bass - Rudd Tennis Center , locker rooms , a playground and a cushioned walking path ) , Jim Patterson Stadium for baseball , Ralph R . Wright Natatorium , Owsley Brown Frazier Sports medicine Center , and a lacrosse stadium . With new parking at Papa John ' s Cardinal Stadium , non - resident parking was moved there and the parking lot s near campus were redeveloped with new dormitory buildings , including the Bettie Johnson Apartments , Kurz Hall , Minardi Hall , and . Other points of interest on the Belknap Campus include the Rauch Planetarium , the Covi Gallery of the Hite Art Institute , and the final resting place for former U . S . Supreme Court Justice Louis D . Brandeis under the portico in the Brandeis Law School . Surrounded by , but not part of the campus , are the Speed Art Museum , a private institution that is affiliated with the University of Louisville , and the Confederate Civil War Monument , located at the juncture of 2nd and 3rd streets , which honors Confederate Civil War dead ; this was built there before the school grew to surround the land it stands on , which is owned by Louisville Metro . The Kentucky State Data center , the state ' s official clearing house for census data and estimates , is located next to Bettie Johnson Hall . In 2008 the school purchased two large tracts of land adjacent to the Belknap Campus , to the school ' s northwest and south of the Speed School of Engineering . Construction has already begun on the northwest segment , with housing for 3 , 000 students planned . A historic building at 7th Street and Shipp Avenue will be converted into a parking garage for the new residents . No formal plans have yet been made for the southern segment . Private developers are also planning to build an eight - story student apartment building on recently acquired land on Floyd Street just north of Brandeis Street . Belknap Campus Development projects . University unveils its new master plan for the next 20 years with efforts from UofL Foundation and other affiliate partners . Several important projects are under construction or planned in the near future , including a new student recreation center , soccer stadium , new residence halls and academic buildings could be the landscape of the University of Louisville in 20 years . Furthermore , the reconstruction of the I - 65 ramps to the Belknap Campus , converting the four lanes of Eastern Parkway into a two - lane road with bike lanes and a landscaped median to improve pedestrian access to the Speed School , the moving of several university offices to allow the existing facilities at Arthur Street and Brandeis Avenue to be converted to commercial property and restaurants . The Yum ! Center ( a men ' s basketball and volleyball practice facility ) was completed in the fall of 2007 . A Olympic sports training / rehab center adjacent to Trager Stadium is also under construction . Additionally , Trager Plaza , a small plaza with a fountain , statue , and garden is being built by the Trager Family on the south part of campus . In addition the $ 38 million Student Recreation Center , set to open in the fall of 2013 , will be located on the Fourth Street corridor , along the western border of campus . The Province and The Bellamy are two new student developments built to the west of campus , near the proposed location of the recreation center . Both were built by private developers , and The Province was built in tandem with UofL ' s properties . In the short term university provost Shirley Willihnganz expects the university to continue partnerships with private entities to build student housing , but said the university would like to build more of its own residence halls in the future . For instance , ground was broken in the summer of 2012 and plans are underway for the 390 - acre Belknap Engineering & Applied Sciences Park , the centerpiece of a Signature Tax Increment Financing ( TIF ) district , designed to stimulate economic growth in an area around UofL ’ s Belknap campus . The TIF district covers more than 900 acres stretching from Belknap Campus south to the Watterson Expressway . The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority recently approved the TIF , paving the way for what could be an estimated $ 1 billion over 30 years . The historic TIF project will ultimately leverage the academic and research functions of the University of Louisville into an exceptional economic engine that will result in an influx of high - wage jobs , growing revenue for the region and state . The park will be designed to attract researchers and private businesses that have the opportunity to work directly and collaboratively with UofL , and ultimately create an economic hub that will transform the South and South Central areas of Louisville . International Campus . University of Louisville offers Bachelor ' s Degree and Master ' s Degrees studying completely in Panama City , Panama or by taking the last two years at the University of Louisville ' s main campus www . qlu . ac . pa The university also offers their Professional MBA programs in several other countries including Hong Kong , Singapore and other parts of Asia . Their collaboration partner in Singapore is Aventis School of Management www . aventis . edu . sg Health Sciences Campus . The U of L Health Sciences Center , also called the med campus , is located just east of Downtown Louisville in the Louisville medical park which contains two other major hospitals and several specialty hospitals , and it houses the remaining five colleges . This is the school ' s original campus , being continuously used since 1846 , although none of the original buildings remain . Buildings of note on the HSC include the fourteen story Medical Research Tower and the ten - story University Hospital . Construction is finished for a recently - opened , downtown Louisville Cardiovascular Research Innovation Institute building to be directed by a researcher , Stuart Williams from the University of Arizona ; and an eight story , $ 70 million biomedical research building . Faculty and students also work with neighboring hospitals including Kosair Children ' s Hospital , as well as outreach programs throughout Kentucky , including in Paducah , Campbellsville , and Glasgow . Health Sciences Campus Development projects . The U of L Health Sciences Campus has seen a large amount of new development in the past decade , include the completion of 3 new buildings ( Baxter Research Complex , Cardiovascular Research Tower , and the Jackson Street Medical Plaza ) . Work is ongoing on the Biolab Research Tower , with a January 2009 completion date projected . In 2007 U of L announced plans to create a nine - acre medical research park on the so - called Haymarket property roughly bounded by Market , Preston , Brook , and Jefferson Streets , along I - 65 in Downtown Louisville , now called the Nucleus Research Park , with of research space . Nucleus , Kentucky ’ s Life Science and Innovation Center , was established in 2008 by the University of Louisville Foundation to integrate UofL resources with those of the region to transform Louisville into a major life science research hub . Nucleus is assisting in the development of UofL ’ s Health Science Campus downtown as well as improving the physical and economic health of Kentucky and the region . Nucleus ’ work is integral to the development of the research park currently underway at UofL ’ s Haymarket 30 - block property in downtown Louisville . Nucleus Innovation Park will house multiple facilities in close proximity to expedite collaboration and shared expertise among researchers and companies creating a vibrant technology business district along the city ’ s healthcare / university / riverfront corridor . The project is expected to cost $ 300 million dollars and would be constructed from 2009 to 2017 . A 200 , 000 - square - foot , eight - story , $ 18 million building , is the first in a series of structures , broke ground in July 2011 , and is expected to open in May 2013 . An important project adjacent to the Downtown Health Sciences Campus was the conversion of the Clarksdale Housing Complex into a new mixed income development called Liberty Green . Shelby Campus . The Shelby Campus is located on Shelbyville Road near Hurstbourne Parkway in Eastern Louisville . This campus was originally the home of Kentucky Southern College , a Southern Baptist liberal arts college that operated from 1961 to 1969 . After the college folded , it transferred all its assets and liabilities to U of L . It currently only has three buildings which are used for night classes and seminars , although construction of a $ 34 . 6 - million Center for Predictive Medicine , a Level 3 biosafety facility is in the works . The Shelby Campus is also home for the building which houses the Information Technology Resource Center ( ITRC ) for Homeland security . The ITRC conducts communications and IT research for the U . S . Department of Homeland Security as well as seminars and training in emergency preparedness and response . When completed , the impressive ShelbyHurst Office Campus will have over 1 . 5 million square feet of modern office space managed , developed and leased by NTS Development Co . , in partnership with the UofL Foundation . The first three projects are in full swing . The U of L Shelby campus is undergoing a major renovation , with two new entrances to the campus off Hurstbourne Parkway . The overall goal is to develop of the campus for business , office , technology and research use , now known as the ShelbyHurst Research and Office Park . The university will spend $ 7 . 9 million on the road improvements on the campus . The roadway improvements began in August 2008 , with work on a new four - lane boulevard through the campus , bordered by bike lanes , sidewalks , and will be heavily landscaped . The 600 North Hursbourne – Transformation is evident at the busy northeast corner of ShelbyHurst with the completion of 600 North . The LEED - certified , 125 , 000 - square - foot office building is 80 percent leased and serves as corporate headquarters to Churchill Downs , NTS , Semonin Realtors and Stifel Nicolaus 500 and 700 North Hurstbourne Planning and design is currently underway for 500 and 700 North , ShelbyHurst ’ s newest properties . With construction set to begin later this year , these properties will have between 100 , 000 and 130 , 000 square feet of Louisville ’ s most prestigious office space . ShelbyHurst was designed around a four - lane boulevard through the campus bordered by bike lanes and wide attractive sidewalks . Special attention was given to enhancing green space and improving the life of the surrounding community . The green design of the entire development , combined with the convenience of a new boulevard and modern throughways , will facilitate driving , walking and biking through the campus . Panama campus and other facilities . The University of Louisville also runs a sister campus in Panama City , Panama , which has an MBA program . The full - time program takes around 16 months to complete and enrolls about 200 students . It is currently ranked the 4th best MBA program in Latin America . U of L recently opened another MBA program in Athens , Greece . The school also operates the Moore Observatory in Oldham County , which is used for space viewing . There are also plans to purchase several hundred acres in Oldham County for the school ' s equine program . Libraries . The University of Louisville library system is a member of the Association of Research Libraries , a fraternity of the nation ' s top college libraries . UofL ' s main library branch is the William F . Ekstrom Library , which opened in 1981 . The four story building finished an expansion in March 2006 , which increased its total size to and shelving capacity to over 1 . 3 million books . It is one of only five universities in the U . S . to have a robotic retrieval system , which robotically places books in humidity - free bins . There are five other libraries at the university , with a combined total of more than 400 , 000 volumes of work : The old Kersey Library Building will be converted to an academic building for the J . B . Speed School of Engineering . The Kersey Library collection was fully integrated into Ekstrom Library on January 15 , 2007 . Enrollment statistics . Top five US states ( other than KY ) for enrollment , Fall 2006 . " Note : " * Panama enrollment includes UofL ' s Panama City campus , which offers a full - time MBA program . " Note : " * * Beginning in 1998 , as part of a reciprocity agreement with Indiana University Southeast in New Albany , Indiana , U of L began offering in - state tuition to residents of Clark , Floyd , Harrison , Washington , and Crawford counties in Indiana ( residents of Metro Louisville wishing to attend IUS receive the same benefit ) Residence Halls . The university has 12 University housing options : Bettie Johnson Hall . 401 West Cardinal Blvd . Louisville , KY ( 502 ) 854 – 2417 Billy Minardi Hall . 2040 South 4th Street Louisville , KY ( 502 ) 854 - 9011 Community Park . 2033 South 4th Street Louisville , KY ( 502 ) 854 - 9011 Herman & Heddy Kurz Hall . 1900 South 4th Street Louisville , KY ( 502 ) 854 - 9011 The Province . 600 Ruggles Place Louisville , KY 40208 ( 502 ) 636 – 1688 The Bellamy . 1501 Bellamy Place Louisville , KY 40208 502 . 634 . 5996 . Cardinal Towne . Located on 1830 S 3rd Street is the University of Louisville ' s newest apartment style housing residences . Opening to over 400 students on August 15 , 2011 , the project has been a big success and has started expanding already . With assorted restaurants on the 1st floor such as Qdoba , HomeRun Burger , Comfy Cow , Cheesedongs etc . Louisville Hall . 318 Brandeis Avenue Lousiville , KY 40292 Miller Hall . A freshman only co - ed residence hall located near the Swain Student Activities Center . Mold was found in October 2012 forcing students to relocate . Threlkeld Hall . A co - ed residence hall for honors students . Located right next to the Swain Student Activities Center . Media . U of L ' s student maintained radio station , WLCV , began airing in 1968 and is broadcast on the internet and on a low level AM signal that reaches most of the Belknap Campus . U of L holds a prominent role in the city of Louisville ' s " Public Radio Partnership " which features three NPR stations under one roof , including the school ' s namesake WUOL - FM which broadcasts classical music . The school also holds one - third of the seats on the Partnership ' s board of directors . There is also an independent student - run weekly newspaper , " The Louisville Cardinal " . The newspaper was originally founded in 1926 , and has maintained financial and editorial independence since 1980 . The newspaper is overseen by a board of local media professionals and run by a student editor in chief . Inside U of L ' s Student Activities Center is The Floyd Theatre , a 228 seat movie theater operated by the Student Activities Board . The theater is capable of running both 35 mm prints and DVD projection . The Floyd features a Thursday night film and another on Saturday & Sunday nights . Also , there is a recently instituted monthly Midnight Movie that runs on the last Friday of every month . The theater primarily shows independent and foreign films that get limited or no run in Louisville ' s many commercial theaters . Shows are open to all students , as well as the public . Enrollment statistics . Top five US states ( other than KY ) for enrollment , Fall 2006 . " Note : " * Panama enrollment includes UofL ' s Panama City campus , which offers a full - time MBA program . " Note : " * * Beginning in 1998 , as part of a reciprocity agreement with Indiana University Southeast in New Albany , Indiana , U of L began offering in - state tuition to residents of Clark , Floyd , Harrison , Washington , and Crawford counties in Indiana ( residents of Metro Louisville wishing to attend IUS receive the same benefit ) Athletics . The Louisville Cardinals ( commonly referred to as " the Cards " ) are the student athletes representing the university . There are 13 women ' s and 10 men ' s teams that participate in the Big East Conference . Louisville was invited to the Atlantic Coast Conference on November 28 , 2012 and will begin play in 2014 in the ACC . The Cardinals are well known nationally in men ' s basketball with two national championships and nine Final Four appearances , in addition to being the most profitable NCAA basketball program ( with a net annual revenue of $ 18 . 5 million ) , ranking 5th in NCAA Tournament wins , 9th in winning percentage , and 5th in annual attendance every year since 1984 . The current head coach of the men ' s basketball team is Rick Pitino . In recent years other Cardinal teams have gained national prominence . The women ' s basketball team , led by first team All American Angel McCoughtry , have been to two straight Sweet 16 ' s and have been ranked in the top 10 . In December 2008 the Lady Cardinals broke the Big East paid attendance record when 17 , 000 fans filled Freedom Hall to watch the Cards defeat rival Kentucky . Other U of L teams with recent post season success includes track and field ( two individual national championships ) , volleyball ( consecutive Sweet 16 appearances and a three - peat as Big East Tournament Champions from 2008 – 2010 ) , and baseball ( a College World Series appearance and consecutive Big East conference titles ) . All U of L locally broadcast games airing on the school ' s flagship affiliate WHAS - TV Louisville are televised on every cable provider in Kentucky . Fight song . Notable among a number of songs commonly played and sung at various events such as commencement , convocation , and athletic games is the University of Louisville fight song , " Fight ! U of L ! " Also notable is " All Hail " , a fight song written by current Athletic Pep Band director Al Greener .