The families of 13 children received life-changing pieces of assistive technology on Tuesday during another joyful Kosair Charities enTECH Day of Celebration at Spalding University.
There was no shortage of smiles as Kosair Charities President Keith Inman handed out the assistive technology devices to the children and their families, most of whom would not have been able to purchase the equipment on their own or through their health insurance.
The devices included Apple iPads and Pencils, an interactive printer, a swing, eye gaze applications, and switch toys. They will provide therapeutic, educational and sensory benefits and will help the children with communication, speech and play.
Keith Inman presents an assistive technology gift to a young enTECH client.
“Ninety-eight years ago, Kosair Charities was created for one reason, and that was to help children overcome obstacles and reach their full potential,” Inman said. “I am loving the laughter I hear today, because this is what it is all about it. That is what happens here at enTECH. Miracles happen here. … I want to thank Spalding for all you do. It’s easy to love this place. This is the best day of my year.”
“Having enTECH here at Spalding truly lives out our mission, and it allows us therapists to students from our (occupational therapy doctorate) program as well as the children that we serve thrive and meet the goals they have to engage in life to its fullest,” Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy Chair Dr. Sara Story said. “We’re excited for this Christmas in July opportunity and to have our therapists be able to come alongside these families and fulfill our mission.”
The Kosair Charities enTECH Day of Celebration was the latest memorable occasion in a 25-year philanthropic partnership between Kosair Charities and Spalding. Kosair Charities has supported a range of capital projects and academic programs and initiatives at Spalding that will positively impact children and pediatric healthcare.
Spalding OT Chair Dr. Sara Story, left, and the enTECH therapy staff at the enTECH Day of Celebration.
Kosair Charities announced Wednesday that it has awarded a grant of $2 million to Spalding University in support of its new School of Physical Therapy and the ongoing project to transform a campus building into a state-of-the-art health professions academic center that will house the Doctor of Physical Therapy program. That building will now bear Kosair Charities’ name.
The 21,500-square-foot building located at 961 S. Third St. will be named the Kosair Charities School of Physical Therapy and Center for Interprofessional Education, Spalding announced. The technology-rich facility will be the site of the laboratory courses for Spalding’s new DPT program, which will admit its first cohort in Fall 2022. The building will also feature spaces for student study and collaboration.
The major grant, which was announced a press conference Wednesday, continues a 25-year philanthropic relationship between Kosair Charities and Spalding in support of academic programs and facilities – particularly in healthcare – that are designed to make a positive impact on the lives of children and families.
Consistent with the mission of Kosair Charities, the School of Physical Therapy will feature programming and partnerships that emphasize a commitment to pediatric physical therapy while seeking to help fill a regional need for physical therapists. Among the highlights:
Planned post-professional residency and fellowship in pediatric PT that are unique to Kentucky, led by faculty who are board-certified in pediatric physical therapy.
Mentoring opportunities in teaching, provided by veteran faculty, for interested physical therapists, including ones in post-doctoral pediatric neurorecovery fellowships.
Opportunities for physical therapy program graduates to become board-certified pediatric physical therapists.
“Kosair Charities’ history and mission has long been interwoven into the fabric of Spalding University, with our first grant in 1996. We are thrilled to announce a grant totaling $2 million to support the newly named Kosair Charities School of Physical Therapy and Center for Interprofessional Education at Spalding University,” said Keith Inman, President of Kosair Charities. “A portion of these funds will allow the creation of Kentucky’s first residency and fellowship programs in pediatric physical therapy. Kosair Charities is proud to be a part of this milestone moment for our state and community.”
Spalding’s DPT program has already been approved by the university’s regional accrediting body – the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) – and is seeking to become the fourth DPT program in Kentucky to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). Student applications are open now for Fall 2022, with more information available at spalding.edu/physicaltherapy.
Construction on the Kosair Charities School of Physical Therapy and Center for Interprofessional Education is scheduled to be completed by late 2021.
Rendering of the facade of the Kosair Charities School of Physical Therapy and Center for Interprofessional Education at Spalding University, 961 S. Third St.
“We are grateful and honored to receive this grant from Kosair Charities in support of the new School of Physical Therapy and the construction of a state-of-the-art building that will enhance teaching and learning while also supporting a campus-wide culture of interprofessional education and collaboration,” Spalding President Tori Murden McClure said. “The service-minded missions of Spalding and Kosair Charities align so well, and the long, strong relationship Spalding has had with Kosair Charities is so valuable to us. We are extremely proud to have another building on our campus bear the name of Kosair Charities, whose impact on our community and the lives of children cannot be overstated.
“We hope and expect that a great deal of the students who come to our PT school will stay in Louisville after graduation to practice here, including many who will pursue a pediatric specialty. Our new PT school will also create mentoring opportunities for pediatric PTs to become professors, enhancing pediatric PT education in our region for years to come.”
BUILDING DETAILS
The purchase and renovation of the building – which was acquired by Spalding in 2019 and is well-known in Louisville as the former longtime home of the V.V. Cooke Chevrolet dealership – represent one of the largest capital projects in Spalding history, totaling about $7 million. The newly renovated building expands a Spalding health professions corridor along South Third Street that already includes the Kosair Charities College of Health and Natural Sciences Building, 901 S. Third (home of the occupational therapy, athletic training and natural sciences programs), and the Republic Bank Academic Center, 981 S. Third (nursing and social work).
The building will feature three skills labs for on-site laboratory instruction as well as an anatomy education center with an anatomy wet lab and accompanying dry lab featuring models and technology for virtual anatomy instruction.
Rendering of an interior of the Kosair Charities School of Physical Therapy and Center for Interprofessional Education at Spalding University, 961 S. Third St.
An atrium with natural light coming through the tall windows along Third Street will provide collaborative and lounge space for students. Another student lounge will be upstairs.
Schaefer Construction is the general contractor for the project. Schmidt Associates is the architecture partner. Spalding continues to raises funds to cover capital costs.
“We cannot thank Kosair Charities enough for their support of this first-class healthcare academic center in downtown Louisville,” Spalding Chief Advancement Officer Caroline Heine said. “Kosair Charities continues to help Spalding carry out its mission of meeting the needs of the times by preparing compassionate, skilled therapists and healthcare professionals, and we hope others will follow their lead in supporting this important work.”
CENTER FOR INTERPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
The location of the building between other health science centers on campus, along with its technology resources, makes it an ideal location to be the future center of Spalding’s initiative to expand interprofessional education (IPE) across its academic healthcare disciplines.
The new anatomy labs are expected to be used by students and faculty from science programs across the university, and Spalding expects to use the new building to host collaborative IPE student experiential learning activities.
“In real healthcare settings, physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurses, social workers and mental health professionals work side by side every day,” McClure said. “At Spalding, we are committed to introducing our students to those interprofessional experiences as a part of our teaching, with a common thread of emphasizing compassion, equity and justice in healthcare.”
An atrium will offer student collaborative and study spaces and lots of natural light along Third Street in the School of Physical Therapy Building. / All renderings courtesy of Schmidt Associates
Spalding University has once again received a grant of more than $1 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to support advanced-level psychology and social work students who provide behavioral health services in integrated primary care settings in medically underserved areas of Louisville.
The $1,048,827 grant, which comes via the federal Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) program, will fund stipends over four years to Spalding students pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology (PsyD) or a master’s degree in social work (MSW). It continues BHWET support that Spalding has received since 2017 through the university’s Interdisciplinary Behavioral Health Scholars Program. The stipends assist in the recruitment and retention of future behavioral health professionals who do their training work in medically underserved areas.
Over the four-year cycle, a total of 36 Spalding PsyD and MSW students will provide assessments, counseling, addiction therapy and a range of other services at five Louisville health and wellness sites that also provide primary medical care. In addition to providing in-person services, the program aims to train students in and familiarize patients with the use of telehealth.
The practicum and fieldwork sites partnering with Spalding are Family Health Centers’ Iroquois, Portland and Southwest branches; the Shawnee Christian Healthcare Center; and the Smoketown Family Wellness Center. These sites also provide pediatric services and support at-risk youth, which is a focus of the Spalding program. The sites are located in parts of the community that have a shortage of behavioral health providers.
School of Professional Psychology Professor Dr. Steve Katsikas, who will continue to direct the project on behalf of Spalding, said the university’s HRSA BHWET grant “represents an incredible investment in the future workforce that will have immediate and long-term benefits to Louisville and surrounding areas.”
“The majority of health conditions that impact people have a behavioral component, including smoking, diabetes, asthma, substance misuse, COPD, obesity and chronic pain,” Katsikas said. “Professionals working as a part of an integrated team can help prevent or address these and other concerns in a setting that is accessible and familiar to patients. We are thrilled to be able to support these students in their training and bring healing and help to our community.”
School of Professional Psychology Chair Dr. Brenda Nash said integrated primary care (IPC) settings are projected to be a “major avenue of practice for psychologists in the near future.” The training opportunities provided by the BHWET-supported project will make Spalding PsyD students more competitive for IPC internships and, ultimately, those emerging jobs, she said.
Spalding PsyD students selected for the program will receive $25,000 annual stipends, and MSW students will receive $10,000 stipends.
“The fact that we are able to train students in this model and provide grant-funded stipends to them is huge as it helps cut down students’ debt load as they are learning marketable skills,” Nash said. “We do everything we can to find opportunities and partnerships to help reduce students’ debt. We are thrilled and honored to have received the HRSA Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training grant for the second cycle in a row. It shows our commitment to training and supporting students, and it shows the confidence that HRSA has in us to train the next generation of psychologists.”
School of Social Work Chair Dr. Shannon Cambron called the grant “a game-changer for both our Master of Social Work students and the community they serve.”
“Students are given the opportunity to prepare for the work they’re called to in an interdisciplinary setting where they can holistically consider the needs and strengths of the client,” she said. “The tuition support means they graduate with far less financial burden, which opens more broadly their avenues of service to the community. This grant and those who participate in it are living examples of Spalding’s mission to meet the needs of the times. It’s an exciting reflection of what truly being a diverse community of learners can mean for the student, the university and the community.”
The HRSA grant also supports a faculty clinical coordinator and student supervisors. Dr. Sarah Shelton from the School of Professional Psychology will continue to serve as the clinical coordinator and PsyD supervisor. School of Social Work Assistant Professor Glynita Bell is the MSW supervisor.
Note: This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $1,048,827 with 0 percentage financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.
Spalding University is set to build on its proud tradition of healthcare education in downtown Louisville with the launch of a Doctor of Physical Therapy program in the fall of 2022, along with the full-scale renovation of the campus building that will house it.
The entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program will be delivered in a hybrid, low-residency format of online lecture courses and in-person laboratory experiences, which will be held one week each month in the state-of-the-art facility that is currently being transformed on South Third Street.
The purchase and renovation of the 21,500-square-foot building at 961 S. Third – which was acquired by Spalding in 2019 and is well-known in Louisville as the former longtime home of the V.V. Cooke Chevrolet dealership – represent one of the largest capital projects in Spalding history, totaling about $7 million, while demonstrating the university’s commitment to investing in projects and activity downtown.
Construction is scheduled for completion in late 2021, enhancing a prominent section of Third Street and helping expand a Spalding health science corridor along Third that includes the Republic Bank Academic Center (home of nursing and social work programs) and the Kosair Charities College of Health and Natural Sciences Building (occupational therapy, athletic training, natural sciences).
The new Spalding School of Physical Therapy will offer an entry-level DPT track for aspiring physical therapists as well as an online post-professional track for practicing PTs who want to earn a doctorate.
In addition, to help fill a regional need for physical therapists with specialty training and board certification in pediatric physical therapy, the new Spalding School of Physical Therapy plans to create a post-doctoral residency and fellowship in pediatric PT. The School of Physical Therapy is planning partnerships with pediatric clinicians to provide mentoring opportunities for practitioners who want to teach in a DPT program.
View from 2020 of 961 S. Third St., future home of the Spalding School of Physical Therapy
“Spalding’s mission is to meet the needs of the times, and for decades Spalding has been meeting a critical need in our community by preparing compassionate, skilled healthcare professionals and front-line workers,” Spalding President Tori Murden McClure said. “Spalding has pondered creating a physical therapy program for a decade, and over that time, the need and demand for physical therapists, including those skilled in working with children, have only increased. Our physical therapy program will help meet that need, and seeing this program become a reality is a proud achievement in the century-long history of our downtown campus.
“The transformed building on Third Street will be a beautiful addition to the south end of campus, a tremendous resource to our students and the latest example of our unwavering commitment to a thriving downtown Louisville.”
The DPT program has already been approved by the university’s regional accrediting body – the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) – and is seeking to become only the fourth DPT program in Kentucky to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).
Spalding has appointed Dr. Elisa Zuber, who has more than 35 years of experience in physical therapy education with an expertise in developing new programs, to be the inaugural Chair of the new School of Physical Therapy as well as Director of the DPT program.
Zuber has been a faculty member, director of clinical education and program director at several PT and PT assistant programs. She also spent 11 years as Associate Director of the Department of Accreditation for the American Physical Therapy Association. She is a 2021 Fellow of Louisville’s Healthcare Enterprises Network.
“This program has been designed with the student in mind and caters both to students coming straight from college and nontraditional students who are already in PT practice,” Zuber said. “We have assembled a veteran faculty, and we are excited to begin forging partnerships with clinical sites regionally and nationally that will provide rich learning experiences for our students.”
Other program highlights:
The low-residency format of the entry-level track, in which students participate in online lecture courses for the majority of the semester and come to campus monthly for in-person lab experiences, means that out-of-town students will not need to move to Louisville to attend PT school. Students can continue to live anywhere in the country while traveling to Louisville each month for in-person labs.
The post-professional track of the DPT is fully online.
A bachelor’s degree is not required to enter the Spalding DPT program. Undergraduate students without a bachelor’s will spend their first year in the program working toward credits that will be applied to earning the degree of Bachelor of Science in Health Science from Spalding.
Spalding expects to enroll about 40 students each fall in the entry-level track of the DPT and about 10 per year for the post-professional track.
“Physical therapy continues to be a growing field, and Spalding’s DPT program will be an appealing option for students locally, including our own undergraduates, and nationally, given our campus’ ideal location in the heart of Louisville and near all the city’s major healthcare centers,” Spalding Provost Dr. John Burden said. “We continue to add excellent, experienced faculty, including multiple instructors who are board-certified in pediatric physical therapy. The positive impact this program will have on our community will be significant.”
The renovated building will feature a variety of lab spaces. // Courtesy of Schmidt Associates
More building details:
The renovated, two-story building at 961 S. Third St. will be the home of the School of Physical Therapy and its faculty. The building will feature three skills labs for on-site laboratory instruction as well as an anatomy education center with an anatomy wet lab and accompanying dry lab featuring models and technology for virtual anatomy instruction.
An atrium with natural light coming through the tall windows along Third Street will provide collaborative and lounge space for students. Another student lounge will be upstairs.
Schaefer Construction is the general contractor for the project. Schmidt Associates is the architecture partner.
Spalding is currently fundraising to cover the costs of work on the building, which has not been named. The Gheens Foundation has contributed a lead gift of $200,000. Those interested in supporting Spalding may contact [email protected] or visit https://alumni.spalding.edu/give/.
“This forward-thinking, technology-rich facility will be a gem for physical therapy and overall healthcare education in downtown Louisville for years to come, and this project is evidence of how committed Spalding is to helping prepare compassionate, skilled therapists and healthcare professionals to go out in the world and help those in need,” Chief Advancement Officer Caroline Heine said. “We are grateful for those who are providing financial support for this project, and we welcome others to come forward and support this important work.”
Added Spalding Dean of Graduate Education Dr. Kurt Jefferson: “This learning space will foster interdisciplinary and interprofessional collaboration among students and faculty across our health science and health professions programs and will be a site of innovation and inspiration. Consistent with the Spalding mission, we will instill in our students a commitment to diversity, justice and equity and the need to care for underserved populations.”
An atrium will offer student lounge and study spaces and lots of natural light along Third Street. // Courtesy of Schmidt Associates
Spalding University’s efforts to enhance its already strong commitment to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion were bolstered recently with a $200,000 grant from the James Graham Brown Foundation.
Spalding’s grant will go toward the development of a comprehensive campus plan for diversity and inclusion initiatives and to support the work of the downtown private university’s recently created Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI).
Specifically, the James Graham Brown Foundation’s grant will support Spalding in conducting an independent campus climate survey to identify the university’s JEDI gaps, then operationalizing the survey’s findings in order to increase JEDI best practices across campus.
Spalding’s new Chief Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Dr. Steven Kniffley, serves in a broad role of working with administrators, faculty and staff in assessing and enhancing the university’s teaching, hiring and campus programs through a diversity and inclusion lens. He also serves as a point person for Spalding in developing community partnerships related to diversity and inclusion.
“I am grateful and humbled by the James Graham Brown Foundation’s willingness to invest in Spalding University’s commitment to creating a culture of inclusion for students, faculty, staff and the greater community,” said Kniffley, a clinical psychologist who is a professor and scholar on matters of race and racial trauma. “This investment will allow Spalding to expand its capacity to (1) support faculty in the use of culturally responsive teaching practices, (2) create programming and policies that affirm the intersecting identities of Spalding staff, and (3) develop initiatives that will foster the ‘whole’ student and promote a community of diverse learners committed to social change.”
The James Graham Brown Foundation recently awarded a total of $7.185 million in grants to nine Kentucky organizations, including Spalding and three other universities, to support the foundation’s strategic focus area of education and workforce.
JGBF has also supported Spalding’s justice and equity work in the past, having contributed a $500,000 matching grant in 2015 for the development of educational programs focused on restorative justice.
“The foundation’s postsecondary funding prioritizes programs focused on achieving equitable student outcomes because we believe that equitable educational attainment will increase economic and social mobility for Kentuckians,” said Mason Rummel, President and CEO of the James Graham Brown Foundation. “Fostering a sense of inclusion and belonging on campuses is critical to student success, and we support Spalding’s efforts to identify ways to do just that.”
In recent years, Spalding has developed and implemented the following programs and initiatives that align with the university’s mission and are designed to advance justice, equity, diversity and inclusion on campus and beyond:
Spalding’s Doctor of Social Work program launched in 2020 with a focus on helping prepare social workers from diverse backgrounds to hold organizational leadership positions, join college and university faculties, and participate in advanced clinical practice. (RELATED: 2020 press release about the new program)
Spalding has hosted summits for Jefferson County Public Schools employees on the use of restorative practices in schools.
A group of Spalding faculty and staff leaders, called the Equity Collective, meet regularly to discuss justice, equity, diversity and inclusion issues across campus and to recommend policies and programs that support students.
The pandemic may have forced it to take place over a video conference instead of in person, but the physical distance didn’t prevent Thursday’s Kosair Charities and enTECH Virtual Day of Celebration from living up to its name in the joyful, celebratory spirit of the holiday season.
Leaders from Spalding University and Kosair Charities joined the online call to meet the families that are receiving gifts of assistive technology for their children who face physical challenges and cognitive differences.
The gifts, to be distributed in the coming weeks through enTECH and its Kosair Charities Financial Assistance Program, will provide the children with therapeutic, educational and sensory benefits and help them with communication, speech, mobility and play.
The gifts included Apple iPads with the latest assistive-technology apps and accessories, switch toys, floatation devices that help with bathing, and communication and writing tools. The devices and apps are often not covered by insurance and can very expensive if purchased out of pocket.
Brittany Farris was thankful that her 23-month-old daughter, Leah, would being receiving a series of specialized switch toys to help her play.
“Most toys that are typical for a child her age, she just cannot play with,” Brittany Farris said. “It’s been one of those things where we’re like, ‘How can we get her switch toys?’ Insurance does not want to pay for play things for children sometimes. So it’s been quite difficult to get some of these items, and we’re just truly so appreciative of each and every item. And I promise we will utilize them and really appreciate what you guys are doing.”
Shamenda Harper Livingston said her sixth-grade son Kinjay would benefit from the LAMP Words for Life communications app he’d be receiving, adding that he has been thriving as an honor-roll student at Johnson Traditional Middle School. Additionally, Kinjay’s new Apple Pencil “will really help him make his letters and writing a little better and more legible,” his mom said.
The Kosair Charities Enabling Technologies of Kentuckiana assistive technology resource center – or enTECH, for short – is a division of Spalding’s Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy and is located on Spalding’s campus at 812 S. Second St. in the former Kosair Shrine Temple. It is one of five state-designated assistive technology resource centers in Kentucky, and it offers a range of therapy services. Kosair Charities is a major supporter of its programs and facilities.
“This partnership with Spalding is so important because Spalding is not afraid to think big and bold, and that’s what we need in this world: big and bold thinking,” Kosair Charities President Keith Inman said. “So this is going to be a partnership that’s going to last a long, long time.
“… We’re just honored that we we have the ability to do the little piece that we can do because what you do at Spalding and enTECH, top to bottom, that’s hard work. For 97 years, we have had one goal, and that’s to help children overcome some significant obstacles to reach their full potential. And nowhere is this more evident than on this call.”
Spalding President Tori Murden McClure said that in a year in which the pandemic had limited the joy of so much, Thursday’s virtual celebration with Kosair Charities and enTECH was a return to fun.
“This event (is an occasion in which) we give really important technology and mobility tools to the young ones in a setting where you’re just thrilled to see them, and see the families and the joy and the relief and the fun,” McClure said. “And so I just want to, say, I really love our Kosair Charities partners, and I love enTECH.”
Watch the video of the full Kosair Charities and enTECH Day of Celebration below:
Spalding University has been providing higher education in downtown Louisville for 100 years. Thursday is a day to support the institution for the work it plans to do in the years to come.
Spalding will kick off Founders’ Day Weekend – and a yearlong celebration of Spalding’s 100th year downtown – with its annual Giving Day, a 24-hour fundraiser extending from 12:01 a.m. Thursday to midnight. Funds raised will support students and programs.
The Spalding community and the public can make a donation at https://givespalding.givingfuel.com/2020-spalding-giving-day . Most of the contributions on Giving Day go toward Spalding’s Blue and Gold Fund, which has the most need and which supports projects around campus that enhance the student experience.
As it celebrates its 100th year downtown, Spalding has set the goal of receiving 100 individual gifts on Giving Day.
“Spalding’s Annual Giving Day focuses on the impact that gifts to Spalding make on the lives of students,” Chief Advancement Officer Caroline Heine said. “The dollars raised on Giving Day support tuition assistance, academic programs, student support services and other areas that directly affect the experience of Spalding’s diverse, inclusive community of learners. It’s important to know that any gift in any amount makes a difference. We are grateful for our alumni, friends, faculty and staff whose generosity empowers the next generation of leaders, innovators and difference makers.”
Spalding University will begin the celebration of its 100th year as an institution located in downtown Louisville with its annual Founders’ Day Weekend, Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 1-4.
Spalding’s location is a source of pride for the university made all the more significant in light of the ongoing demonstrations in the name of racial and social justice.
Founders’ Day Weekend will include a slate of free, public virtual activities, including Spalding’s annual 24-hour Giving Day fundraiser on Thursday Oct. 1; a series of free, public “Alumni College” mini-workshops led by Spalding faculty; and a Sunday Mass conducted by the Most Rev. Joseph E. Kurtz, Archbishop of Louisville, at the Spalding Mansion Chapel.
There will also be reunions for the five- and 10-year anniversaries of every graduating class since 1950.
The Alumni College mini-workshops are new to Founders’ Day this year. Free and open to the public, the hour-long virtual sessions feature Spalding faculty from a range of academic disciplines discussing historical and current-affairs topics related to race, politics, health care, Kentucky literature and design thinking.
The Founders’ Day Weekend events will begin a 12-month celebration of Spalding’s 100th year downtown. Through Founders’ Day 2021, the University will share alumni and history stories on Spalding’s website and organize community service projects and special events, in accordance with public health guidelines during the pandemic.
“Spalding’s mission statement says we are a diverse community of learners dedicated to meeting the needs of the times,” Spalding President Tori Murden McClure said. “Set on a path by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, we are proud to have been in downtown Louisville for 100 years, and we will be here for the next 100, meeting the needs of the times, educating future leaders and promoting peace and justice.
“We welcome the public to join us over Founders’ Day Weekend in celebrating Spalding’s rich history and commitment to the future of our neighborhood.”
About Spalding’s history
Spalding is a private, Catholic institution that was founded in 1814 as Nazareth Academy by Mother Catherine Spalding and the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in Nelson County, Kentucky.
In the fall of 1920, the Sisters established the downtown Louisville campus under the name Nazareth College – Kentucky’s first four-year Catholic college for women – at the Tompkins-Buchanan-Rankin Mansion at 851 S. Fourth St.
In 1973, the university, then called Spalding College, was incorporated as an independent, urban, coeducational institution in the Catholic tradition for students of all traditions. It assumed its current name of Spalding University in 1984 in recognition of the range of academic programs it offered.
In 2011, Spalding was certified as the world’s first Compassionate University by the Compassionate Action Network.
Spalding’s campus has expanded to nearly 25 acres, with buildings and green spaces located primarily along South Second, South Third, South Fourth, West Kentucky and West Breckinridge streets. The campus also includes a seven-acre athletic fields complex that opened in 2019 west of the primary campus, between South Eighth and South Ninth streets.
Founders’ Day Weekend activities
Here is a rundown of the public virtual Founders’ Day Weekend activities, including Alumni College sessions:
THURSDAY, OCT. 1 • All Day – Spalding’s Annual Giving Day: Spalding will hold its fifth annual all-day fundraiser – 24 hours focused on generating donations from within Spalding’s community of faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the university. Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Thursday and going through midnight, donations can easily be made online at https://givespalding.givingfuel.com/2020-spalding-giving-day.
The Spalding University School of Social Work has been awarded a federal grant totaling more than $1.28 million over five years to provide scholarships to disadvantaged students in its Master of Social Work (MSW) program, with a focus on students who aspire to provide behavioral health care in primary care settings or in medically underserved communities. A clinical priority of the grant will be combating the opioid crisis.
The new grant continues funding that Spalding has received since 2012 from the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students Program.
Beginning with the 2020-21 academic year, the HRSA grant will fund scholarships that cover approximately half-tuition for a projected 117 Spalding MSW students over five years, supporting the University’s efforts to recruit and retain an increasing number of future health professionals who come from disadvantaged backgrounds or who identify as underrepresented minorities.
In particular, the scholarships will help support master’s students seeking careers that address Kentucky’s shortage of mental health and opioid use disorder service providers. The School of Social Work plans to increase academic content in its master’s program related to opioid use and expand practicum placements that focus on substance use treatment.
HRSA, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has awarded Spalding $229,950 for the 2020-21 academic year, while recommending that the funding increases in future years to $251,850 in 2021-22, $262,800 in both ’22-23 and ’23-24, and $273,750 in ’24-25.
“The award of over a million dollars through the HRSA grant allows us to offer significant support to our MSW students and reflects both the caliber of the program and our ongoing commitment to prepare our graduates to practice in underserved communities,” School of Social Work Chair Dr. Shannon Cambron said. “We are dedicated to ensuring access to an exemplary educational experience that ultimately leads to exemplary social workers. This award and the scholarships it funds help us open the door wide to individuals committed to changing the world.”
Cambron said Associate Professor Dr. Kevin Borders, a former School of Social Work Chair, will direct Spalding’s handling of the grant funds, and she thanked him for his leadership.
The program outcomes and student diversity of the Spalding School of Social Work align with HRSA’s Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students Program.
From 2016-19, 67.3 percent of full-time students enrolled in Spalding’s MSW program were from disadvantaged backgrounds, and 45.6 percent of full-time students identified as underrepresented minorities. Additionally, 25.3 percent of graduates from those years are now practicing in primary care, and 34.6 percent are now practicing in medically underserved communities.
Informational Notice: This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $1,281,150 with 13 percentage financed with nongovernmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
Spalding University has named Caroline Roberts Heine, an experienced leader in project management, fundraising, and marketing and communications for nonprofit organizations, as its next Chief Advancement Officer. Heine, who started officially on Nov. 1, will oversee all fundraising operations for Spalding as well as alumni relations and grant-seeking.
Since 2016, Heine has been an independent consultant working extensively with foundations and nonprofits in Louisville, including Metro United Way, 55,000 Degrees, the Community Foundation of Louisville and the Jefferson County Public Education Foundation.
From 2011-2016, Heine co-founded and directed the nonprofit Seed Capital Kentucky, which was the organizational backbone for the West Louisville FoodPort project. Heine envisioned and implemented all aspects of that public-private-nonprofit venture, which sought to invest $35 million to redevelop a 24-acre property in West Louisville into a state-of-the-art landmark that would spur economic activity in the area. That property is now the focus of the Louisville Urban League’s effort to develop a Sports and Learning Complex.
At Spalding, Heine will direct an Office of Advancement team focused on building greater alumni engagement, deepening existing and developing new community partnerships, and increasing philanthropic support for all of the university’s initiatives.
“I am thrilled to join the Spalding community as Chief Advancement Officer and to lead the Advancement team’s efforts to bolster awareness of and support for this diverse community of learners,” Heine said. “Spalding is an incredible asset to Louisville and our region more broadly, and it is an honor to promote the great work that is happening here. The campus community has been enormously welcoming. I’m proud to be a Golden Eagle!”
Among Heine’s many community engagement activities, she is the current treasurer and a member of the board of directors for Coalition of the Homeless and is a founding and current board member of the Louisville Chapter of the Awesome Foundation. She also serves on the advisory committee for the Peterson Dumesnil House 150th Anniversary Advisory Council. Previously, she served for eight years as a policy board member for the Greater Louisville Project.
Heine earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Butler University in Indianapolis and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“I am extremely excited to welcome Caroline Heine to Spalding as our new Chief Advancement Officer,” Spalding President Tori Murden McClure said. “She has had a distinguished career devoted to advancing causes and projects that promote social justice, and that’s what we strive to do every day at Spalding. Her executive experience in a range of settings, including her extensive work with nonprofits and education-related organizations, will be a tremendous asset. Caroline seems to be such a perfect fit for Spalding that it feels almost like a surprise that she hasn’t worked here already. We are thrilled to have her.”
