He was president from 2002 until 2016 and helped turn Louisville from a commuter school to a more campus-oriented university with a strong focus on research.

[2] Ramsey twice was Kentucky's budget director under Democratic governor Paul Patton from 1995 to 1998[3] and again from 1999 to 2002[4] and worked as the state government's chief economist.

It also moved to invest in and develop real estate as a way to offset stagnant state funding", according to Kate Howard from Louisville Public Media.

[5] In October 2015, Ramsey and his wife hosted a Halloween luncheon at the university presidents' mansion, at which he and his staff dressed as stereotypical Mexicans, wearing sombreros and large fake mustaches.

The suit stated that Ramsey, his chief of staff Kathleen Smith, and others, knowingly caused the foundation to spend endowment funds that should have been invested and diverted it to speculative ventures (such as loans that had little realistic chance of repayment), gifts, and excessive compensation for themselves.