The newsletter for the WKU community |
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Celebration honors Eva and Jim Martens |
WKU held an event Friday to recognize and celebrate Eva and Jim Martens. Longtime supporters of the University, the Martenses most recently made a commitment of more than $5 million to benefit the WKU Alumni Center, Men’s Basketball, Football and the Hilltopper Athletic Foundation through both current support and a provision in their estate plans. In recognition of their gift, the Eva and Jim Martens Alumni Center was named in their honor.
Jim Martens, who was raised in the small town of Bellevue, Mich., was interested in agriculture and was accepted to Michigan State, which was only 40 miles from his hometown. He credits Mr. Donald Hoebeke, his high school Industrial Arts teacher who was a 1947 and 1949 WKU alumnus, for encouraging him to consider WKU.
Two of his former classmates had already followed Mr. Hoebeke’s advice and were freshmen at WKU making plans to go home to Michigan for spring break. Martens hitched a ride south with their parents so he could visit the WKU campus. "During my three-day visit, I met Billy Adams, a Professor in the Department of Agriculture, who really excited me about WKU,” he said. “People were friendly to me for no reason and welcomed me."
Martens originally planned to return to Michigan after graduation, but he just couldn’t leave. “I love Western and I love Bowling Green," he said.
"There are few people who will change your life. For me, that was my mom and dad, Mr. Hoebeke and Billy Adams. The welcoming spirit of Western Kentucky University that I found more than 50 years ago is still alive and well.”
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Congratulations to WKU’s ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) student chapter for the following awards and recognition: Top 5% of all ASCE student chapters (nearly 400 total); 6th Best Student chapter in the nation; Best Student Chapter in ASCE Region 4 (includes 44 schools from Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia); and finalist for the Richard J. Scranton Outstanding Community Service Award. Learn More in SEAS Spring Newsletter
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WKU faculty member receives Fulbright Scholar award |
The U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board are pleased to announce that Dr. Janet Tassell, a professor with WKU's School of Teacher Education, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to Czech Republic. Tassell will research/lecture at Charles University, Prague, and throughout the country, to learn about mathematics teaching approaches of faculty and staff at in Czech Republic universities, schools, and other entities. |
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Spotlight: Heather Neidlinger |
Although she spent her childhood moving around the country in a military family, English major Heather Neidlinger has considered Bowling Green and WKU her home since the '90s. Neidlinger earned her bachelor’s in psychology from WKU in 2016. In recent years, Neidlinger decided to pursue her lifelong passion of English, and returned to the Hill to earn a Literature degree with a minor in creative writing. She is set to graduate in 2023. |
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Nicholas Barth, the spring 2022 Ogden Foundation Scholar, has a passion for inclusion and accessibility. Arriving at WKU in the fall of 2018, Barth aimed to make a difference in the lives of others, especially those with special needs. He spent the past two years building connections in a world disconnected by a global pandemic. |
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Ahmet Kaan Aydin, an Applied Mathematics graduate student from Istanbul, Turkey, is the 2021-22 recipient of WKU’s John D. Minton Graduate Student Award. In his master's research at WKU, Aydin explored the development of a robust sensor design to control vibrations on multi-layer material systems used in industrial and aerospace applications. |
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WKU Greek community presents 2022 awards |
WKU’s Greek community hosted its annual awards convocation on April 24 at E. A. Diddle Arena. Presentations included annual awards for fraternity and sorority members and chapters; Chapter Achievement Awards; Greek Hall of Fame; and Greek Week 2022 results. |
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WKU Film students will showcase their work from the past year at the WKU Film Festival this week. The festival will feature three free events: 3rd year student films, 7 p.m. Thursday at Regal Great Escape Theatre; 2nd year student films, 7 p.m. Friday at Jody Richards Hall Auditorium; and senior thesis films, 8 p.m. Saturday at The Capitol in downtown Bowling Green with red carpet photos at 7 p.m. |
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Check out this week’s installment of WKU Week in Photos by Clinton Lewis, Cristina Betz and Hannah Adams of WKU's Division of Communications and Marketing.
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Registration is open for the WKU Summer String Institute, a concentrated week of study for violin, viola, cello, and bass students ages 4-18. Enrolled students will participate in master classes, group instruction, orchestral study, concerts and musical enrichment July 18-22. |
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WKU in Glasgow Graduand
WKU in Glasgow Graduand Ceremony will begin at 5:30 this evening at TJ Pavilion Community Room, 310 N L Rogers Wells Blvd., Glasgow. Learn More
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Hope on the Hill
Hope on the Hill, a mental health awareness event, will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday on the Downing Student Union lawn. Learn More
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Take Back the Night
Take Back the Night, part of Sexual Assault Prevention Month, will begin at 5 p.m. Thursday at SOKY Marketplace, 636 Center St. Learn More
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Western Kentucky University
1906 College Heights Blvd.
Bowling Green, KY 42101
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