Today@WKU News from Western Kentucky University

The newsletter for the WKU community March 25, 2020

WKU donating medical supplies to local hospitals, other healthcare providers As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the state, WKU ramps up efforts to combat the spread by donating large quantities of personal protective equipment (PPE) to local hospitals and healthcare providers. Leaders from the School of Nursing & Allied Health at WKU quickly identified the potential strain on hospital supply chains and began pulling together resources to support where needed.  “Providing our local healthcare providers with additional PPE will allow them to concentrate on providing appropriate care to patients and limit the spread of infection throughout their facilities,” said Nursing Lab Director Eric Browning. The College of Health and Human Services conducted an internal supply drive and pulled together over 4,000 procedural masks, 600+ boxes of gloves, 300+ isolation gowns, 175 shoe covers, and several other safety and personal care items to support Greenview Regional Hospital, Med Center Health and other local community partners. Learn More WKU IN THE NEWS WKU to offer new grading option, extend deadline to drop courses Annual Dance Big Red generates $34,000 for Norton Children’s Hospital Top prospect Harmon commits to WKU More WKU News CLIMBING HIGHER Three WKU students were awarded internships with the U.S. Department of State for summer 2020. Jayden Thomas of Glasgow was awarded a U.S. Foreign Service Internship; Madelynn Einhorn of Oakwood, Ohio, and Zena Pare of Alvaton earned U.S. Department of State Internships. Learn More WKU's COVID-19 Information Page

COVID-19 Campus Update from EVP Susan I. Howarth We want to thank everyone in the greater WKU community for responding so well and cooperatively to the multitude of operational changes implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic. WKU on-campus students are vacating residence halls in an organized and safe manner. Online class offerings have started after our two-week spring break, during which faculty and staff worked diligently and imaginatively to modify course offerings and other services so that students may continue their education this spring term as well as register for summer and fall 2020 classes. WKU is following Governor Beshear’s guidelines to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. During this time, frequent communication is essential. WKU maintains the WKU COVID-19 website ( www.wku.edu/covid19 ) to make information readily available. Additionally, please continue to reach out to us by emailing covid19@wku.edu if you have questions that are not answered on the website. The State of Kentucky also maintains an information site: kycovid19.ky.gov , and the Governor is providing daily televised updates at 4 p.m. (CT). Check out a summary of the status on the operational areas within the Division of Strategy, Operations & Finance from Executive Vice President Susan I. Howarth. Learn More

Spotlight: Brandon Johnson It may have taken longer than a decade, but Brandon Johnson is finally completing his second year at WKU. Learn More

Hilltoppers Who Help As our communities face the COVID-19 pandemic, members of our WKU Family are rising to the challenge to go above and beyond, providing services that truly demonstrate what it means to be a Hilltopper. The WKU Alumni Association is excited to share these stories of hope. Nominate a Hilltopper Who Helps .   Donna Lemaster Bredenberg of Covington is a Family Nurse Practitioner in the Division of Oncology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She works with some of the most vulnerable patients in a pediatric clinic, urgent care and infusion center for children, adults and young adults with cancer. Her already high-stress work environment has dramatically changed in light of the COVID-19 crisis. “We still have to provide the everyday healthcare needs while also preparing for the incoming pandemic needs, all while trying not to get sick ourselves," she said. Learn More Dance Big Red Dance Big Red raised over $34,000 virtually to support our community's tiniest patients by providing new diagnostic services at Norton Children's Outpatient Center-Bowling Green. WKU students participated in the sixth-annual student-led fundraising event held over the weekend utilizing an online Zoom platform. The virtual event allowed the fundraiser to continue as students, sponsors, families and community members practiced social distancing. “In spite of and because of these times of uncertainty, we knew it was so important to fundraise and have the event,” said Julie Sisler, Dance Big Red Co-Chair. “Even with so many road blocks, we were eager to find a way to push forward by offering a virtual event. We didn't want to let the situation distract from our mission.” Learn More

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