The newsletter for the WKU community
February 24, 2022
Ribbon cutting held for First Year Village
WKU dedicated its two newest residence halls and its First Year Village at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday.  

The new First Year Village encompasses residence halls at the south end of campus where focused, first-year programming takes place. The $48 million living learning complex features two new pod-style residence halls, which house the majority of WKU’s Living Learning Communities (LLCs).   

“Today, while we celebrate two newly constructed residence halls and our comprehensive First Year Village, we must remember that while attractive and exciting to our students, the significance does not lie in new construction. It lies in our Living Learning Communities, or what we call LLCs, that reside within this village,” WKU President Timothy C. Caboni said.

In a WKU LLC, students with similar academic or social interests live together on a residence hall floor and participate in activities tailored to their specific majors or interests. LLCs are designed to help students foster social and academic connections and to engage with WKU faculty, staff, and administrators. In addition to living together in residence halls, the students attend shared classes.  
Provost's Message:
Faculty Accomplishments
Western Kentucky University owes its excellence in teaching and research/creative scholarship to the exceptionally talented group of faculty who call WKU their academic home. Faculty members play a major role at creating an intellectually vibrant WKU community that creates a campus atmosphere that centers around sharing knowledge that directly effects student success and which positively impact local and regional communities. However, we are also a large community which at times makes it difficult for all of us to know the influence that faculty across campus are having on WKU and the broader communities. To this end, I would like to begin having some of the Provost’s Monday Messages highlight just some of the incredible accomplishments of faculty at WKU.
HEALTHY
ON THE HILL
Check WKU's Healthy on the Hill website for the latest updates, including COVID Cases Dashboard, Vaccine Information and more.
CLIMBING HIGHER
Whitney Heard, a graduate student in the biology program, is the winner of the second WKU 3MT® Competition. Heard’s research seeks to find creative solutions to antibiotic resistance. Learn More
WKU selected for program to increase diversity in geosciences
WKU’s Department of Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences is one of 15 new partners selected for a national program through the American Geophysical Union (AGU) to increase diversity in the geosciences. The AGU Bridge Program seeks to increase diversity in the geosciences by providing students from historically marginalized populations who are looking to pursue a master’s degree or Ph.D. with a network of peers, mentors and advisers to support and serve them before, during and after graduate school.
Spotlight: STEAM Day Exhibit
At 1 p.m. Saturday, WKU’s Ivan Wilson Fine Arts Center Gallery will open an exhibit inspired by youth from Jonesville Academy who participated in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) Day activities earlier this month.
Campus involvement shapes student's WKU experience
Treasure Wales, a first-generation student from Louisville earning a degree in Social Work with a minor in African American Studies, applies what she learns at WKU to her current leadership roles on campus.
Diverse campus culture drew transfer student to WKU
Tony Thomas Jr.'s college journey did not start at WKU. However, when Thomas began exploring new college options, WKU's diversity within its campus culture drew him to The Hill.
Army veteran returns to WKU to pursue Nursing degree
Jaylen Pate, a Cloverport native and first-generation college student, majors in Nursing at WKU. An Army veteran, Pate discovered he’s color-blind while serving as a combat medic and realized something else too – his love for patient care.
Anthropology major reflects on opportunities at WKU
Ryann Gillespie, a senior Anthropology major from Memphis, Tennessee, believes that growing up between San Antonio, Texas, and Memphis, two cities with a high Hispanic population, impacted her decision to study Anthropology at WKU.
WKU Mathematics Symposium
The 41st Annual Mathematics Symposium at WKU will be held from 3 to 9:15 p.m. Friday at Ogden College Hall and Snell Hall. Featured speaker is Dr. Chris Bemis, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of X Cubed Capital Management.
Basketball Event Parking
Lady Topper Basketball will host Middle Tennessee on Saturday afternoon. Check out this reminder about event parking.
View from the Hill
First generation college students get a huge boost from TRiO, an organization that started with three programs in 1965 as part of the higher education act. A WKU student who grew up in a Thailand refugee camp explains how TRiO has been a big part of her success in this week’s View from the Hill.
  • TRiO Day: Saturday is National TRiO Day and WKU is marking the occasion by hosting an open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at TRiO offices in Jones-Jaggers Hall.
Athletics
February
25
Friday
Celebration of the Arts

The opening reception for the US Bank Celebration of the Arts exhibition will begin at 6 p.m. Friday at the Kentucky Museum. Learn More
February
25
Friday
Theatre Production

The WKU Department of Theatre and Dance production of Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl will open at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Gordon Wilson Hall Lab Theatre. Learn More
February
27
Sunday
Choral Concert

WKU Choral Activities will present All You Need is Love at 4 p.m. Sunday at Van Meter Hall. Learn More
Western Kentucky University 
1906 College Heights Blvd. 
Bowling Green, KY 42101