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MAKING THE CASE
There is every reason to believe in ourselves and in each other as we recognize this watershed moment and the transformation that is taking place. We at Bellarmine are building on a strong foundation of success in realizing our dreams.
That foundation is evident in Bellarmine’s young history, which is divided into three phases of growth.
The first phase, 1950-1968, was its foundation and beginning as a Catholic liberal arts college for men.
The second, 1968-1989, was its growth into a larger, co-educational school; its legal establishment as an independent institution with a self perpetuating Board of Trustees; and a curriculum diversified into undergraduate and graduate programs in liberal arts, business, and nursing and teacher education.
The third phase, 1990-2005, saw significant improvements and remarkable growth, with the transition of Bellarmine College to Bellarmine University, increasing enrollment, academic programming, facilities and revenue – and 13 consecutive years as one of the U.S. News & World Report’s best universities, Southern Region, Tier One.
This was the foundation on which we began Bellarmine’s fourth phase of growth, the most transformational in our history – imagi-ning, believing and creating Bellarmine University as the Premier Independent Catholic University in the South, and thereby the Leading Private University in the Commonwealth and Region.
Economic leaders see clearly that the states that thrive economically are the states that are strong in both the private and public sectors of higher education.
States that are strong in only one of these sectors generally are not successful in economic development. Neither sector, by itself, is sufficient for a state’s economic development needs.
Indiana has Indiana University AND the University of Notre Dame; Tennessee has the University of Tennessee AND Vanderbilt University; Ohio has Ohio State AND Case Western Reserve University; North Carolina has the University of North Carolina AND Duke University; Illinois has the University of Illinois AND the University of Chicago; Missouri has the University of Missouri AND Washington University; Georgia has the University of Georgia AND Emory University.
And the list goes on.
Kentucky and the South remain open territory for the development of a Premier Independent Catholic University – and Bellarmine University is best positioned to provide the distinguished, innovative and high quality leadership required to be the Leading Private University in the Commonwealth and Region.
It is located in the 16th largest city in the nation, and the largest in the Commonwealth. For 14 years and counting, Bellarmine has been recognized nationally as the top Masters I university in our region, and in the top tier of comprehensive universities in the South, and we are listed in the Princeton Review as being one of the top 366 colleges and universities in the nation. Our location, achievements and resources make clear that Bellarmine is the university of choice to lead the region’s economic development in the private university sector.
Bellarmine is the institution in the right place, at the right time, with the right vision, to become this area’s Notre Dame, its Vanderbilt, its Emory – to the great benefit of the Louisville region.