The newsletter for the WKU community |
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President's Message:
Biennial Budget Update
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Dear Colleagues:
Last night the Kentucky Senate and House of Representatives adjourned for the ten-day veto period. Among their final actions, the General Assembly passed the executive branch biennial budget. The budget includes significant investments in higher education for the first time in more than a decade, and I am pleased to share some highlights with you:
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WKU will receive $74,400,000 to construct a new Gordon Ford College of Business building—the first capital project allocation WKU has received from the General Assembly since funding for Ogden College Hall in 2014.
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The budget provides $34,040,000 in each year of the biennium to address deferred maintenance on campus, with a commitment by the University to match at 15 percent.
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The higher education performance funding pool will increase by $97,307,100 each year for the next two years.
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In the first year of the budget, our pension subsidy for the Kentucky Employee Retirement System (KERS) is funded at 100 percent and at 90 percent in the second year.
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LifeWorks at WKU will receive $2,800,000 from the State Fiscal Recovery Fund of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
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The General Assembly set aside a total of $10,000,000 for the Bucks for Brains initiative at comprehensive universities; university-specific allocations are forthcoming.
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The budget adds $1,000,000 to the Kentucky Mesonet, bringing total state funding to $1,750,000 each year.
For more information, you can view the full budget report here.
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The WKU Center for Environmental and Workplace Health, in the College of Health and Human Services, has been working with the Green River Firefighters Association (GRFA) in northwestern Kentucky to create a model for partnerships with rural firefighters to conduct community-based participatory research. Learn More
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WKU senior reflects on research, other opportunities |
Madelynn Einhorn is a senior from Oakwood, Ohio, double majoring in Political Science and Economics with a certificate in Geographic Information Systems. She initially came to WKU because she was recruited for the WKU Forensics team and has continued to build on that experience. |
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WKU student's research connects to inclusion in dance |
“I knew from a very young age that I loved dance, and I couldn’t imagine my life without it. Once I found out that you could major in dance in college it was pretty much set that I was going to do just that,” said Louisville senior Jaclyn Schiess, who now researches ways for a more inclusive population of people to enjoy dance. “I chose WKU because even prior to being on the Hill, I could feel that the professors cared about myself and what my journey through college would be,” Schiess said. |
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Autumn Stolle, a Music major with a concentration in Vocal Performance, is portraying the eldest March sister, Meg, in this weekend’s production of Little Women: The Broadway Musical. The musical adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s novel, a collaboration between WKU Departments of Music and Theatre & Dance, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Van Meter Hall.
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Gender & Women's Studies hosts Dr. Jane Olmsted |
Last week, the Gender & Women’s Studies department hosted former WKU professor Dr. Jane Olmsted, who read from her recently published memoir, The Tree You Come Home To. The event was co-sponsored by the English Department, Social Work Department and the Message in a Bottle Creative writing club.
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Hilltopper Hunt: Egging Out Hunger for KVB will raise support and food donations for the Kentucky Veterans Brigade. The campus egg hunt will begin at 4 p.m. Friday on the WKU South Lawn.
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The eighth annual Dance Big Red, a student-led fundraising event to support Norton Children's Hospital, will be held from 6 p.m. to midnight Friday at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium.
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Spoken word artist Hannah L. Drake to visit WKU Tuesday |
Author, poet, speaker and activist Hannah L. Drake will be performing her spoken word poetry at 3 p.m. Tuesday (April 5) in the Jody Richards Hall Auditorium. “We are very excited to bring Hannah Drake to our campus to share with students, faculty, and community members. Her work speaks to the most critical social justice issues of our time,” says Dr. Donielle Lovell, Diversity & Community Studies and Citizenship & Social Justice Program Coordinator. |
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Students share poetry at Literary Open Mic Night |
The WKU English M.F.A. program hosted a Literary Open Mic Night on March 24. All majors, including both undergraduate and graduate students, were welcome to read their poems, flash fiction, and other creative pieces they wanted to share. |
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WKU’s Opportunity Fund allows individual student needs to be met quickly, as was the case with tornado relief efforts in December. Gift cards were distributed to help a number of displaced students get back on their feet. WKU's Amy Bingham has one student’s story in this week’s View from the Hill.
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Gaines Family Lecture Series
WKU’s School of Media, as part of The John B. Gaines Family Lecture Series, will host a photo exhibit opening at 5:30 p.m. today at the Jody Richards Hall Gallery followed by a panel discussion at 6:30 in the JRH Auditorium. Learn More
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Virtual Q&A Session
The Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics Student Chapter of WKU will host Math – What Are You Gonna Do With That? by Joe Callendar at 3:30 p.m. Friday. Learn More
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Little Women
WKU's Department of Theatre & Dance and Department of Music will present Little Women: The Broadway Musical this weekend at Van Meter Hall. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday with a matinee at 2 p.m. Sunday. Learn More
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Western Kentucky University
1906 College Heights Blvd.
Bowling Green, KY 42101
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