Michael Mardis couldn’t be happier that the University of Louisville will be moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference in the near future. But he’s not about to start celebrating just yet.

“We’re still in the Big East Conference so it wouldn’t be appropriate to be cutting any ribbons,” he said. “The Big East has been very good for UofL, and we will be supportive of the conference until the time comes to make the move officially.”Michael Mardis

Mardis is the Dean of Students at UofL, charged with overseeing the day to day activities of the student body. This includes student conduct, student leadership, student service,
student care support, the disability resource center, and serving as an advisor to student government.

He’s a three-time degree holder from UofL, with a Bachelor’s in sports administration, a Master’s in education, and a PhD in leadership and organization. He has his finger on the pulse of the 22,000 students there, including the 5,000 of them in residential housing on or near campus.

“The students are absolutely thrilled to be moving to the ACC,” he said. “The ACC is one of America’s great athletic conferences and we’re going to love being there.

“The new conference affiliation will be ideal for student athletes because all the schools are located in the same time zone, and we won’t be flying back and forth across the country.”

Having attended UofL and served as dean since 2007, Mardis has witnessed firsthand much of the growth that has occurred over the past two decades. “It has been phenomenal,” he said. ”

UofL has grown from 230 student organizations to more than 400 in the past decade and from 23 Greek organizations to 30 during the same period. Freshman classes are doing well on their entrance exams and retention and graduation rates continue to improve.

The school has invested $9 million into food services and that a $37.5 million student recreation center will open in the fall. More housing and retail space are on the way,  greatly enhancing the overall campus experience.

“Our entry into the ACC validates all the things Jim Ramsey and Tom Jurich have been doing to improve the school in academics and athletics,” he said. “Being an ACC will enable us to be more competitive in recruiting in both areas while enabling us to take advantage of vast research opportunities.

“Our profile as an institution is one of university on a continuing upward trajectory.  We are all judged in some respect by the company we keep — and the ACC is pretty good company.”

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By Charlie Springer

Charlie Springer is a former Louisville editor and sportswriter, a public affairs consultant, a UofL grad and longtime fan.