New president tells University of Louisville faculty ‘our journey is not changing at all’

LOUISVILLE — After a week as president of the University of Louisville, Gerry Bradley on Wednesday fielded questions from faculty members about his surprise installment and his plans going forward, including how he will handle a new state ban on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) on Kentucky’s public campuses. 

Bradley, along with Board of Trustees Chair Diane Medley and Faculty Senate Chair Eugene Mueller, answered questions during the UofL Faculty Senate’s Wednesday meeting about the events leading up to the sudden departure of former President Kim Schatzel. 

Last week, the board named Bradley as president and accepted Schatzel’s resignation in a special-called meeting. By doing so, the board decided to forgo a national search to name the next president. 

“Our journey is not changing at all,” Bradley told the faculty. “The same strong leadership team that’s been in place and has been built over the last several years is still here and we are still aligned and functioning (toward) the same goals.” 

Medley, the board chair, told reporters last week that “the goals” of Schatzel and the board had changed. She further clarified her comment while addressing the faculty representatives. 

“I didn’t mean different policy. It was just a different direction of choices of career, position, etc.,” Medley said. 

She added that the board knew “it was a fairly quick process, but we had multiple meetings. There were several meetings that were as a group with some discussions because we took it so seriously.” 

In recent years, DEI initiatives have been a Republican target. Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has amped up anti-DEI pressure on government and educational institutions. Trump has issued executive orders against such programs in the federal government. The U.S. Justice Department has launched investigations into allegations that universities, including the University of Kentucky, have violated civil rights laws by promoting diversity among faculty. Kentucky Republicans passed a law in the state legislature — House Bill 4 — last week to prohibit DEI programs at the state’s public universities.

“We’re going to comply with the law, but there’s a lot of unknowns in there and contradictory language that’s still unclear to a lot of folks because we do not have a regulatory body around House Bill 4,” Bradley said. 

Bradley said UofL would be reviewing the law with all general counsels of Kentucky public universities and the office of Attorney General Russell Coleman to “determine what exactly are the provisions of this bill and what are the carve outs and where is the crossing the line.”

Bradley was asked if he would have accepted an interim position. He said that would largely be a question for the board, but said from his perspective the university is facing “so many challenges right now,” such as securing government funding, that taking a year or two under an interim president to conduct a presidential search would have put the university at a disadvantage.

Bradley was poised to leave Louisville, having accepted the University of Cincinnati’s offer to become its executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. The day before Bradley was named Louisville president, the University of Cincinnati announced that Bradley had changed his mind and “is pursuing other opportunities.” 

The Redbook, UofL’s governing document, says the board “shall consult with a faculty committee” to appoint a new president, which did not happen because of the lack of search. State law gives the Board of Trustees the power to appoint a president; it also says the board must “enforce obedience” to the bylaws. Mueller, who represents the faculty on the Board of Trustees, said toward the end of the meeting the board received legal advice that “Kentucky state statute trumps Redbook” and gives the board the authority to appoint a president. 

Mueller told senators he was aware of “shock and dismay” over the presidential appointment process and he shared those feelings. Mueller, however, did underscore that the board was limited in what it could publicly say about the Schatzel’s departure. 

“I know there’s some sense that my fellow trustees and I are hiding behind the legal requirement that we can’t talk. That is not how I view it all. I view it as shackles. I think it would be much easier for all of us if we could tell everything that happened and explain why we did what we did.” 

Mueller did address some rumors that Schatzel’s departure had to do with supporting or opposing DEI limits from politicians. He said no legislation was discussed during conversations about the change in president. 

Toward the end of the discussion, Marc Murphy, a law professor who is not part of the Faculty Senate, pressed the speakers to give clearer answers about the reasons for Schaztel’s departure, as the situation has gained the attention, not only of the campus but also politicians in Frankfort, including Gov. Andy Beshear, who told reporters he thinks universities should hire presidents through national searches.

“Before we can move forward, we have to have our feet on the ground looking backward,” Murphy said. “No one knows what happened. You haven’t answered a single question about what happened and you’ve relied on the fact that you’re not allowed to.”

Mueller told Murphy he did “wish I could tell you.” 

“You are not the university counsel,” Mueller said. “You’re not the one issuing … legal advice to us.” 

Before being named president, Bradley was UofL’s executive vice president and university provost for three years. He joined UofL as dean of the School of Dentistry in 2016.

Bradley, the 20th president of the university, said he plans to continue following its strategic plan and begin work on the next guiding plan. 

Schatzel was UofL’s president for about two years. 

This story has been updated to add clarity about how state law affects the university’s governance.