Professor Elaine Wise was recently honored with the Trustee’s Award for 2005. Her nominators described her as the consummate scholar, teacher, mentor, friend, advisor and colleague--a dynamic and dedicated role model and student advocate who has enriched the lives of students for nearly four decades. Dr. Blaine Hudson, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, notes that her most important contribution to the classroom is her deep humanity and love of knowledge. Prof. Wise is a member of the Department of English and is Chair of the Division of Humanities. She also serves as the Faculty Athletics Representative for the University. In her capacities as mentor to student-athletes, advisor to student organizations, and classroom teacher, she seeks to inspire students to excel academically here, to dedicate themselves to life-long learning, and to become leaders in the community. Prof. Wise also received the University Distinguished Teaching Award for 1990 and the Carnegie Foundation Kentucky Teacher of the Year Award for 1995.

Dear Parents of Our First Year Students:

First, I want you to know that you have entrusted your son or daughter to one of the finest families in the nation: the University of Louisville family. The faculty, staff, and administration of U of L are deeply committed to the nurture of student potential to think critically, to discover new knowledge, to test and debate ideas, to experience diverse cultures, and to grow into productive and conscientious citizens of the world..

I frequently compare our university to a flower garden. It is our job as gardeners to plant the seeds in productive soil, to apply our expertise so that our buds will flourish, and to recognize that gardens that produce a variety of different flowers will be most beautiful.

Each of your children comes to us as a unique individual. We will respect that. However, we will also introduce new bodies of knowledge that will challenge him or her to grow beyond his or her frame of reference as a high school graduate. University faculty are both teachers and scholars. This means that we are expected to be experts in our particular fields by conducting research that is cutting edge. We share this expertise with our students. Too, we expect much more of them than perhaps they anticipate. The amount of work and depth of study is sometimes a surprise. So, we enlist your help.

They will need more study time periods. Please support them when they cannot do all of the activities with you that they did before. As parents, you are now a part of the U of L community. Help us grow this beautiful garden!