The newsletter for the WKU community
January 18, 2022
President's Message:
2022 Spring Semester Begins Today
Dear Colleagues,

For those returning from Winter Break, welcome back to the Hill! I hope you found ample opportunities to spend time with loved ones and are ready to begin another semester at WKU.

As we begin a new academic term, reminders of the storms that affected our community at the close of the fall semester remain all around us. Thank you for your tireless efforts and selfless acts during the past five weeks to help our community heal. While we know recovery remains ongoing across our city and will continue for some time, I remain confident that Bowling Green will rebuild stronger than ever before, and I appreciate our Hilltoppers who continue to engage in this important work.

While today we welcome our students back to the Hill and return to our core mission of education and preparation, COVID-19 presents ongoing challenges that we must continue to navigate. The precautions that we employed during the last two years helped to keep our campus community safe, and the WKU COVID-19 Task Force’s protocols for the spring 2022 semester will continue to help protect the health of our WKU Family. I encourage you to review and bookmark our Healthy on the Hill guidelines, which include important procedures on testing, reporting, masking, isolating, quarantining and more. If you have questions or need clarification, please call the WKU COVID Assistance Line at 270-745-2019.
Kentucky Folklife Program receives grant
The Kentucky Folklife Program, part of the Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology at WKU, received a $15,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support the Kentucky Folklife Network.
HEALTHY
ON THE HILL
Check WKU's Healthy on the Hill website for the latest updates, including Spring Semester COVID-19 Update, COVID Cases Dashboard, Vaccine Information and more.
CLIMBING HIGHER
College recognition ceremonies were canceled after the Dec. 11 tornado, but WKU is recognizing 10 Scholars of the College for the fall 2021 semester. Learn More
WKU professor awarded grant
Dr. Monica Galloway Burke, Professor in WKU's Department of Counseling and Student Affairs, was recently awarded a prestigious grant from WorkRise with the goal of driving action toward accelerating economic mobility and advancing equity in the U.S. labor market, particularly for workers in low-wage occupations. Dr. Burke received a grant for a project named “Do Language Restrictions on Obtaining Drivers Licenses Influence Labor Market Outcomes of Immigrants?”
Spotlight: Tina Senesi
Tina Senesi considered several schools before deciding which major and college that were right for her. She’s a busy wife, mother and grandmother, so going back to school wasn’t a simple decision. Then a meeting with an advisor at WKU in Elizabethtown made her decision easy.
3 WKU students recognized in Hearst competitions
Three WKU students finished in the top 10 in the first photojournalism and multimedia competitions of the 2021-2022 Hearst Journalism Awards Program.
View from the Hill
In case you missed them during WKU's winter break, here's a look back at recent View from the Hill segments.
WKU’s Center for Gifted Studies is picking up where Duke left off when it comes to talent identification. WKU’s Amy Bingham has more on the newly launched “TIP Kentucky” in this View from the Hill.
One month after tornadoes tore through Bowling Green, volunteers continue to help pick up the pieces. WKU’s Amy Bingham explains in this View from the Hill. (More: Dec. 16 View from the Hill on relief efforts)
WKU’s newest residence halls, which anchor the First Year Village, had a successful first semester housing participants in Living Learning Communities. WKU’s Amy Bingham takes a look at how the LLC students bonded in this View from the Hill.
A WKU sophomore who overcame childhood kidney cancer is following her dream of becoming a nurse. She’s also using her experience to help raise money for the hospital that played a big part in her health journey. WKU’s Amy Bingham has more in this View from the Hill.
Regents committees to meet
The WKU Board of Regents will conduct committee meetings in the Martin Regents Room of Jody Richards Hall beginning at 9 a.m. Friday.
January 2022 Staff Star Award Recipients
The WKU Staff Senate recognized the Christopher Ware Staff Star Award recipients during its meeting on Jan. 5. The January 2022 recipients are Allison Sircy, WKU Libraries; and Regina Allen, Office of Research and Creative Activity. More: Submit a Staff Star nomination
Winter Weather Communications
Here’s a reminder that WKU provides a number of ways you can find out if classes are delayed, canceled or if a campus is closed.
Tornado Response
The Bowling Green community was hit by devastating tornadoes on Dec. 11. For information and recent campus updates, check out WKU's Tornado Response page.
Athletics
January
18
Tuesday
Planetarium Show

Eyes on the Early Universe: James Webb Space Telescope will be presented at 7 tonight at the Hardin Planetarium. Learn More
January
20
Thursday
Faculty Senate

The WKU Faculty Senate's January meeting will begin at 3:45 p.m. Thursday via Zoom. Learn More
January
23
Sunday
Bridal Expo

The SOKY Bridal Expo will begin at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Knicely Conference Center, WKU South Campus. Learn More
Western Kentucky University 
1906 College Heights Blvd. 
Bowling Green, KY 42101