Committed to Our Community

From community service projects where students volunteer more than 150,000 hours per year to free dental care provided by School of Dentistry students to hundreds of families in remote areas of Kentucky, UofL is dedicated to creating a better Commonwealth in which to live and work.

Bridging the Education Gap

The Signature Partnership is emblematic of UofL’s community-focused approach. Together with Jefferson County Public Schools, Louisville Metro Government, Metro United Way, the Urban League, faith-based organizations and community residents, the Partnership is designed to eliminate or reduce disparities for residents of West Louisville. The Signature Partnership aims to improve the educational, health, economic and social status of individuals and families who live in Louisville’s urban core. The Partnership deals with a wide range of life issues, including reducing infant mortality rates, improving student literacy, increasing math and science skills, developing employment opportunities and providing safe environments.

Recently, the Signature Partnership was awarded a $2.5 million i3 Innovation Grant from the U.S. Department of Education in partnership with the Council for Opportunity in Education and the General Electric Foundation. This grant will fund a five-year program aimed at helping Louisville students at Shawnee and Moore High Schools prepare for college.

Providing Legal Counsel for the Disadvantaged

The Brandeis School of Law’s Law Clinic partnership with the Legal Aid Society provides pro bono legal advice to those in need. As a hands-on training opportunity for future attorneys, this extraordinary program provides much-needed support to the citizens of the community. The Clinic provides law students the opportunity to work with clients who are victims of domestic violence in Jefferson Family Court or clients who have forcible detainer (eviction) cases before Jefferson District Court.

Easing Challenges of At-Risk Children

The College of Education and Human Development has partnered with the Family Scholar House to create the Early Learning Campus Childhood Development Center (ELC), a facility focusing on homeless and at-risk children. As a living laboratory, the ELC is a proving ground for University of Louisville Education majors learning how to incorporate their areas of expertise with the needs of young children. The center, adjacent to our main campus, uses current research in its design, curriculum and approach, while also generating research that is instrumental in raising the bar for quality education for children everywhere.