Board Praises Ramsey, Who Again Turns Down Bonus

University of Louisville President James Ramsey has once again turned down his normal bonus in a show of support to university staff.At its annual retreat Wednesday, the Board of Trustees unanimously praised Ramsey's accomplishments and honored his request that he not receive any additional compensation beyond the $700 raise given to school faculty and staff. Ramsey made a similar request last year.The board also wants to extend Ramsey's contract beyond 2012, although there’s been no agreement reached. Vice-Chair Salem George says such an extension would give Ramsey time to make further improvements to the school."He's going to continue to improve the ACT scores of all the entering freshmen," says George. "He's going to improve the graduation rate, he's going to improve the doctorial degrees that are going to be awarded and we're improving the living conditions on campus."Dr. George says the board is satisified with the steps Ramsey took in the wake of the criminal investigation into former College of Education Dean Robert Felner.