LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In February, the president of the University of Louisville, James R. Ramsey, traveled to Florida to meet with donors and alumni.

Dr. Ramsey is an economist, and he led off on the dismal side of the ledger, from the challenges facing the economy to dwindling government financing for higher education, including a sharp drop in aid from the State of Kentucky.

But about halfway through his PowerPoint presentation, Dr. Ramsey declared that for all the gloom, things were not so bad at Louisville. Average test scores for incoming freshmen were way up, as was the university’s graduation rate. The research budget had quintupled since 1998.

Louisville’s athletic department was on a roll, too, what with a recent invitation to join the Atlantic Coast Conference, the football team’s victory in the Sugar Bowl and its coach’s decision not to pursue job opportunities with rival universities.