Mitchell and Wise Represent Louisville as ACC UNITE Award Nominees
February 02, 2026 | Community & Culture
Marvin Mitchell and Elaine Wise nominated for ACC UNITE Award
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville's Marvin Mitchell and Elaine Wise were selected as nominees for the 2025 ACC UNITE Award which recognizes individuals who have had a significant impact in the area of unity. The UNITE Award is an initiative of the ACC's UNITE Committee and is supported by all 18 member institutions.
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The duo will be honored at the Cardinals' women's basketball game against Duke Thursday evening.
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Marvin Mitchell
With more than 30 years of work experience in athletic administration, Mitchell has been a UofL department administrator for the last 25 and was promoted to Deputy Athletics Director August 2022. In this role, Mitchell serves as a member of the departments' executive leadership team and has touchpoints with all aspects of athletics, with primary responsibilities of serving as the sport administrator for men's and women's cross country/track & field programs along with oversight supervision of academic services, student development and student services departments.Â
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In previous years, Mitchell served in various roles for the department including Senior Associate Athletic Director, Associate Athletic Director and Assistant Athletic Director of Academic and Student Services. He was the school's ever first Associate Athletic Director in the area of academics when he was promoted in July 2000.
Under Mitchell's leadership, academic success for student-athletes has flourished and more than half of all student-athletes are consistently named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll for maintaining a 3.0 grade point average or higher each semester. Graduation rates for student-athletes have improved to all-time highs. New advising protocols, learning specialists, increased number of academic counselors, technical support programs, laptop computer access, tutorial services, objective-based study halls and student retention programs are among the significant advancements since his arrival.Â
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His work with various constituent groups on the UofL campus has been both effective and beneficial to the betterment of both athletics and the broader campus community. In 2022 Mitchell was named the university's inaugural recipient of the George Howe Staff Leadership Award. His dedication to advancing and supporting student and staff programming and initiatives was highlighted by countless individuals during the nomination process.  He has been an instrumental and influential staff member who has consistently built relationships and partnerships integral to the success of the entire university community throughout his tenure. Â
Professor Elaine Wise
A member of the UofL family for over fifty years, served as Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) from 1998-2018. As the University's liaison between academics and athletics, she was responsible for certification of student-athlete eligibility to the NCAA and four conferences, culminating in the ACC. In that capacity, she chaired the University of Louisville Athletics Association Board's Committee on Academic Performance and was named the Provost's Liaison for Athletics. She also served on the NCAA Division I Academic Cabinet and the ACC FAR Council.
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During her tenure as FAR, Wise adopted UofL's patron goddess Minerva/Athena as the model for U of L's student-athletes. While speaking to each team at its first team meeting and other occasions about the "Athena Attitude," she encouraged all athletes, especially the women's teams, to adopt Athena a model of wisdom, endurance, and prowess. The ancient Athena coin she passed around at team meetings and coach's exams was a symbol of her dedication to athletic and academic excellence. Her impact on the rise of women's sports includes service on the Title IX committee of the ULAA Board. In return, she was honored with the 2015 UofL National Women and Girls in Sports Day award and the 2020 Mentor of the Year Award.
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To encourage career development and campus partnerships, she developed the annual Red and Black Banquet for Scholar Athletes and their faculty mentors, encouraging faculty to take pride in student-athletes. She initiated and presented a monthly FAR report to the Faculty Senate, spotlighting the academic achievements of teams and individual athletes and created "A Scoop on the NCAA"Â workshops for faculty and staff. In meetings with head coaches each year, she administered a quiz on UofL history, academic resources, and community service and gave a pep talk on their role in promoting academic excellence and lifelong learning.
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The duo will be honored at the Cardinals' women's basketball game against Duke Thursday evening.
Â
Marvin Mitchell
With more than 30 years of work experience in athletic administration, Mitchell has been a UofL department administrator for the last 25 and was promoted to Deputy Athletics Director August 2022. In this role, Mitchell serves as a member of the departments' executive leadership team and has touchpoints with all aspects of athletics, with primary responsibilities of serving as the sport administrator for men's and women's cross country/track & field programs along with oversight supervision of academic services, student development and student services departments.Â
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In previous years, Mitchell served in various roles for the department including Senior Associate Athletic Director, Associate Athletic Director and Assistant Athletic Director of Academic and Student Services. He was the school's ever first Associate Athletic Director in the area of academics when he was promoted in July 2000.
Under Mitchell's leadership, academic success for student-athletes has flourished and more than half of all student-athletes are consistently named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll for maintaining a 3.0 grade point average or higher each semester. Graduation rates for student-athletes have improved to all-time highs. New advising protocols, learning specialists, increased number of academic counselors, technical support programs, laptop computer access, tutorial services, objective-based study halls and student retention programs are among the significant advancements since his arrival.Â
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His work with various constituent groups on the UofL campus has been both effective and beneficial to the betterment of both athletics and the broader campus community. In 2022 Mitchell was named the university's inaugural recipient of the George Howe Staff Leadership Award. His dedication to advancing and supporting student and staff programming and initiatives was highlighted by countless individuals during the nomination process.  He has been an instrumental and influential staff member who has consistently built relationships and partnerships integral to the success of the entire university community throughout his tenure. Â
Professor Elaine Wise
A member of the UofL family for over fifty years, served as Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) from 1998-2018. As the University's liaison between academics and athletics, she was responsible for certification of student-athlete eligibility to the NCAA and four conferences, culminating in the ACC. In that capacity, she chaired the University of Louisville Athletics Association Board's Committee on Academic Performance and was named the Provost's Liaison for Athletics. She also served on the NCAA Division I Academic Cabinet and the ACC FAR Council.
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During her tenure as FAR, Wise adopted UofL's patron goddess Minerva/Athena as the model for U of L's student-athletes. While speaking to each team at its first team meeting and other occasions about the "Athena Attitude," she encouraged all athletes, especially the women's teams, to adopt Athena a model of wisdom, endurance, and prowess. The ancient Athena coin she passed around at team meetings and coach's exams was a symbol of her dedication to athletic and academic excellence. Her impact on the rise of women's sports includes service on the Title IX committee of the ULAA Board. In return, she was honored with the 2015 UofL National Women and Girls in Sports Day award and the 2020 Mentor of the Year Award.
Â
To encourage career development and campus partnerships, she developed the annual Red and Black Banquet for Scholar Athletes and their faculty mentors, encouraging faculty to take pride in student-athletes. She initiated and presented a monthly FAR report to the Faculty Senate, spotlighting the academic achievements of teams and individual athletes and created "A Scoop on the NCAA"Â workshops for faculty and staff. In meetings with head coaches each year, she administered a quiz on UofL history, academic resources, and community service and gave a pep talk on their role in promoting academic excellence and lifelong learning.
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