LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville Cardinal Athletic Fund has launched The Cardinal Trust, an annual fundraising campaign to increase support in student-athletes academic experience now and into the future.
The comprehensive campaign targets three critical areas of support:
Red & Black Scholar Rewards
Increased Summer School access
Degree Completion Program funding
“This campaign is a very exciting one for me because every dollar raised will go directly towards helping our student-athletes complete their degrees,” Director of Athletics Josh Heird said. “A University of Louisville degree is something our student-athletes will take with them for the rest of their lives - we have a responsibility to ensure everyone who wears a Cardinal jersey leaves here with a degree in their hand. Whether it’s increased funding for summer school, degree completion, or providing funding to award our student-athletes for their academic success, this funding is critical to the success of our student-athletes.”
The Red and Black Scholar Awards is a financial academic reward given to student-athletes annually. Louisville’s student-athletes will be eligible to receive the maximum allowable reward under new NCAA legislation -- to be split between the fall and spring semesters. Individual awards will be based upon retention and eligibility, full-time enrollment status, completion of life skills components; remain in good standing with University Student Code of Conduct and Athletic Department Student-Athlete Code of Conduct; and have active roster status for their respective sports.
“Our student-athletes are driven to succeed – on field, on court and in the classroom. It’s no surprise that many of them are looking to accelerate earning their degree, and that means taking advantage of summer school options to augment regular classes. Summer school tuition is an additional cost outside of their scholarships, and we want to be able to provide that opportunity to all our student-athletes that are seeking this option,” Associate Athletic Director, Senior Women Administrator, Amy Calabrese said.
The second area of the initiative will support enhanced summer school access. Additional funding is needed to assist student-athletes who have a desire to participate in summer hours to accelerate their degree completion, as this cost falls outside of their scholarships. Over half of UofL student-athletes have a desire to participate in summer school, however, currently the department can fund a third of those requests.
Lastly, established in the 1990’s, the Degree Completion Program gives eligible former student-athletes the opportunity to return to the University to complete their degree. As many student-athletes leave early for a career in professional sports or other circumstances, this program funds the tuition needed to complete their requirements to graduate. Former NFL All-Pro Elvis Dumervil, former Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Deion Branch and UofL Men’s Basketball Coach Kenny Payne are three prominent examples of former Louisville student-athletes who have taken advantage of this opportunity.
“I’m grateful I was able to come back and earn my college degree,” Branch said. “It was something that meant a lot to my family and I, and it allowed me the opportunity to work with student-athletes at my alma mater in my current role.”
Interested donors can support The Cardinal Trust and enhance all academic initiatives by making a gift today to The Cardinal Trust at GoCards.com/Trust. For additional questions, contact the Cardinal Athletic Fund at (502) 880-8921 or CAF@louisville.edu.
