By Madelin Shelton —
The U of L board of trustees conducted a special meeting this morning at 8:30 a.m. to appoint Lori Gonzalez as Interim University President. The decision comes after the university announced Thursday that President Neeli Bendapudi would be leaving U of L to serve as President at Penn State University.
Gonzalez, who has served as executive vice president and university provost (EVPUP) since April of this year, discussed her enthusiasm in a statement to the Cardinal Community. “Since I arrived to Louisville in April to serve as executive vice president and provost, I have come to appreciate even more how special our institution is. Our students pursue their studies with passion and enthusiasm; our faculty invest time and wisdom into sharing their knowledge and dedication to the mission; our staff take great pride in supporting our mission and our students and faculty; and our supporters are passionate about their Cardinal institution.”
Gonzalez also expressed her optimism about where the university is headed. “Our university has tremendous momentum. We thank President Bendapui for her leadership in moving us forward. All strong organizations evolve, as the University of Louisville has done for more than 223 years. We are defined by our Cardinal Principles, by our actions and by our compassion for one another, not by any one individual and certainly not by others.”
Gonzalez joined the university as EVPUP after serving as vice chancellor for academic, faculty and student affairs at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis.
Photo Courtesy // University of Louisville
