The newsletter for the WKU community
July 22, 2020
Office of Sustainability receives $30,000 grant to support food pantry, garden
The WKU Office of Sustainability received a grant of $30,000 from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund to support the community food pantry and garden to assist members of the WKU community facing food insecurity.
 
The Office of Sustainability has hosted a food pantry since 2011, providing food and toiletries to WKU students, faculty and staff. In response to increasing food insecurities in the region linked to widespread unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the food pantry services were expanded to all community members in the region.
 
Dr. Leslie A. North, Associate Professor of Environmental Geography and Director of Sustainability at WKU, said the food pantry is distributing more food than ever before at a rate much faster than ever experienced.

“In seven weeks, the food pantry has received more visitors than we may normally receive in six months,” said Dr. North. “Our pantry survey, which is completed by each visitor, revealed that nearly 100% of our current visitors are utilizing our service because they are now facing unemployment or reduced hours of work.”
 
The WKU Office of Sustainability welcomes all individuals, and proof of need is not required. Since March 20, the food pantry has received 320 visitors and served a total of 624 individuals, based on pantry surveys. “Extending support to the entire community is something we’ve wanted to do,” said Dr. North.
Big Red Restart Information & Updates
CLIMBING HIGHER
Congratulations to Dr. Bill Pfohl, WKU Department of Psychology Professor Emeritus, who has been awarded the Jack Bardon Distinguished Service Award by the American Psychological Association’s Division 16 (School Psychology). Learn More
The WKU Alumni Association welcomed eight members of the Executive Committee at the summer WKU Alumni Association Board meeting on July 18. Learn More

The WKU Alumni Association National Board of Directors recently recognized Board members who completed their terms of service in July 2020. Learn More
27 students recognized by Gilman Scholarship program
Twenty-seven WKU students were recognized by the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship for study abroad in the March 2020 application cycle. Twenty-six WKU students — more than any other university in Kentucky — were offered scholarships totaling $95,000, and an additional student was designated an alternate. They were selected from nearly 7,000 applications for this cycle.
Report notes WKU's commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion
WKU earned the second highest score among the state’s public, 4-year institutions on the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education’s (CPE) latest report on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Adopted in 2016, the Kentucky Public Postsecondary Education Policy for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion calls on campuses to create an environment aimed at producing culturally competent graduates and promoting academic success for all students.
16 selected to serve on Diversity & Inclusion Council
The WKU Alumni Association Board of Directors recently appointed 16 individuals to serve as founding members of the newly established Diversity & Inclusion Council.
WKU launching Certificate in Game Design this fall
This fall, WKU is proud to launch a new Certificate in Game Design. The first academic credential on campus in Gaming, the certificate creates a pathway for students to forge a career in this exciting and growing $150 billion industry.
Spotlight: Mike Nichols
WKU Art Professor Mike Nichols’ paintings and classes explore contemporary applications of buon fresco painting. While fresco has a long history as an architectural feature, contemporary use of the medium is barely existent due to reasons that include its physical demands and technical difficulty. Nichols creates frescoes that push the boundaries of the medium in ways that acknowledge its history yet offer a point of access for contemporary viewers.
Kentucky Museum receives grants for upcoming exhibit
The Kentucky Museum has received grants from the Quilters Guild of Dallas and the Kentucky Humanities Council to support production of Whitework: Women Stitching Identity , an exhibition for 2021 that will explore the significance of early white embellished bedcovers and textiles that have been largely ignored, undervalued, and misinterpreted.
Electrical engineering student focuses on product testing
Landon Owens, a senior electrical engineering major from Bowling Green, is interning at HeathCo this summer. His main focus is on product testing for the company. “When we’re manufacturing a new product, we go through several early iterations and refine the product to meet our standards as well as our contractor’s standard,” Owens said. “This can be anything from making sure the color is uniform across an entire 20 sample batch to making sure that the product won't trip someone's breaker if it gets wet.”
Student attributes his success to homeschool experience
Being an underdog can give one the benefit of having to outwork everyone else, therefore honing the strong work ethic one needs to succeed. Such is the case with Joseph Fragnoli. He was homeschooled from the fourth grade through high school, maintaining a 4.0 GPA throughout high school and college. He attributes much of his collegiate success to this experience; giving him ‘self-starter’ skills that benefited him greatly at WKU.
Daily Parking Option
Only coming to campus occasionally and don’t need an annual permit? The Park Mobile Permit (PM) provides a pay-as-you-go parking option.
Virtual Coaches' Institute
WKU’s Forensics Team hosted a virtual Coaches’ Institute last week with nearly 50 high school coaches from 17 states learning from the WKU team’s coaching staff.
2 alumni share experiences of teaching English in Spain
WKU alumni Blake Pawley and Trevor Hoffman started their global learning experiences when they studied abroad during college, but their desire to pursue international experiences didn’t end with graduation. In October 2019, Pawley and Hoffman moved to Madrid, Spain, to start jobs teaching English in public schools. Living and working in Spain presented opportunities for Pawley and Hoffman to grow in different areas.“I kept repeating that I was truly living on a prayer when I arrived in October,” Pawley said.
View from the Hill
In just a few weeks students will begin returning to WKU for the Fall semester. Housing and Residence Life staff have implemented numerous changes to make the move-in process as safe as possible, as WKU’s Amy Bingham explains in this week’s View from the Hill .
WKU Construction Webcams
Check out webcam images as work continues on The WKU Commons at Helm Library and the First Year Village.
Athletics
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