As The Louisville Cardinal celebrates its 100th anniversary, alumni and supporters are launching a monthlong fundraiser to help ensure the University of Louisville’s independent student newspaper has a future as well as a past.
The campaign, which runs Oct. 1 through Nov. 2, has a goal of raising $4,000 to help support the paper’s operations. Contributions can be made at give.louisville.edu/TheCardinal or using the QR code at lcag.site/qr.
“Everyone who’s ever worked for The Cardinal was deeply influenced by it, both personally and professionally,” said George Taylor Jr., an alumnus who helped form the Louisville Cardinal Alumni Group in February. “We look back fondly on those formative years, and we want student journalists today and in the future to have the same positive experience we did. That’s why we’re holding this fundraiser — to help ensure that future and hopefully make it a little brighter.”
The campaign comes after a difficult decade for The Cardinal.
“The Cardinal has survived a lot of turbulence in the past 10 years. We truly thought we would go out of business,” The Cardinal’s adviser Ralph Merkel said in an interview about the upcoming Oct. 23 anniversary event. “But we pivoted to digital only and continue to grow and thrive online. The Cardinal is so important to the University and its students because it tells stories from the student perspective, which can often be lost.”
The newspaper faced a financial crisis in 2017 when UofL announced it was withdrawing financial support. Alumni and community members rallied around the publication, and The Cardinal ultimately retained enough university support to continue operating. The paper stopped publishing a weekly print edition in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic and has since operated as a digital publication at www.louisvillecardinal.com.
That will change, at least for one issue, on Oct. 23. The Cardinal will publish a special centennial edition — its first print edition since 2020 — as part of the university’s celebration of the newspaper’s 100th anniversary.
Donors who contribute at least $25 during the fundraiser will be recognized on the Louisville Cardinal Alumni Group’s website. Recognition levels are Platinum for contributions of $100 or more, Gold for $50 and Silver for $25.
Taylor said supporting The Cardinal also means supporting the next generation of journalists.
“Anyone who reads the news knows that journalism has never been more necessary and more important than it is right now,” he said. “It’s under attack from some quarters, and that’s why anything we can do to help preserve and sustain it is so important.”
An update on the fundraising campaign will be announced during UofL’s Oct. 23 centennial celebration. The free event is open to the public and will be held from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Room W116/117 of UofL’s Student Activities Center. Light refreshments and nonalcoholic beverages will be provided.
Copies of The Cardinal’s special 100th anniversary print edition will be distributed at the event.
Following the university celebration, the Louisville Cardinal Alumni Group will host a gathering from 9:00 p.m. to midnight at Clifton Tavern, formerly Hilltop Tavern, 1800 Frankfort Ave, 40206.
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