The newsletter for the WKU community
October 28, 2019
President's Message: Progress on Strategic Plan Metrics
In fall 2017, we began our work to develop a new strategic plan for WKU. We charted a new course and created our plan,  Climbing to Greater Heights , the ten-year roadmap for our university.
 
The plan focuses on three areas: our Hill, our Students, and our Community and Beyond. You will remember, we finalized the document during the summer of 2018 and released the completed version to the WKU community at fall convocation that year. Last spring, we formed the Strategic Plan Implementation and Executive Committees to guide and systematically evaluate our efforts. Work quickly began to develop the metrics by which we will measure our institutional progress.
 
I’m pleased to share with you WKU’s top fifteen strategic plan metrics so that you can see the progress we have made since beginning implementation. Bruce Schulte, Associate Vice President for Strategy, Performance and Accountability, has met with the leadership of our governance groups across campus to discuss these metrics and will continue sharing these with these groups throughout the fall semester. ( More from WKU News: WKU announces progress on strategic plan metrics )
 
You can visit  https://www.wku.edu/strategicplan/  to view the metrics, including the 2017/18 baseline, five and ten-year targets, and our 2018/19 progress. We should celebrate the positive movement achieved, during a short period of time, in fourteen of the twenty-one numbers we’re tracking. We have made great gains, and I hope these select measures help to crystalize the work ahead.
CLIMBING HIGHER
The Kentucky Museum has reported continued growth during the first quarter of the 2019-20 academic year. Compared to the same period (July-September) in 2018, the Museum has experienced 63% increase in visits by the general public; 59% increase in visits by WKU faculty, staff and students; and 54% increase in membership support. The Museum has also opened four new exhibitions -- Facing the Freshman Year, Out of the Box, Basketry Now: 10th Anniversary Exhibition and the ZSEIFS Retrospective . Learn More
WKU Sisterhood awards $62,960 in grants to fund six projects
The WKU Sisterhood awarded $62,960 in grants to fund six University projects at its annual meeting on Oct. 25. The 2019 total represents the highest amount of funding awarded and the most projects supported in one year in the history of the WKU Sisterhood. The group is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2019.
CASHA director visits Poland
Dr. Jason Crandall, director of WKU's Center for Applied Science in Health & Aging (CASHA), recently served as a Visiting Professor with the University of Wroclaw, a public research university in Poland, where he shared information on the Bingocize program.
View more from Alexander Ansley on the HearStrong Facebook page.
Spotlight: Alexander Ansley
WKU student Alexander Ansley received the annual student athlete scholarship from HearStrong and the NFL Players Association’s PAF on Thursday night in Nashville. “It is important for individuals to seek treatment for their hearing loss because there is nothing better than being able to hear and understand your peers, family, and the world around you,” he says.
JET Program meeting Thursday
The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program Coordinator from the Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville will be holding an information session from 4 to 5 p.m. Thursday in HCIC 1011. An initiative created by the Japanese government, the JET Program invites participants to live in Japan for several years and to serve as either an Assistant Language Teacher or as an interpreter for the government.
October
28
Monday
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

The Kentucky Mesonet at WKU will celebrate its new Operations Center with a ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. at WKU's Center for Research and Development, 2413 Nashville Road.
October
29
Tuesday
Trunk or Treat

WKU Student Activities will host Trunk or Treat at 5 p.m. on the WKU South Lawn.
October
29
Tuesday
Planetarium Show

The Hardin Planetarium's presentation of Our Star will continue at 7 p.m. at the planetarium. More Info
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