The newsletter for the WKU community
September 12, 2023
President's Message: Announcing
the WKU Presidential Speaker Series
Dear Colleagues,

Last weekend we welcomed hundreds of our students’ family members and friends to campus for Parent and Family Weekend. Many of our guests stopped me to express appreciation for WKU’s efforts to support the well-being and success of their students. As I reiterated at Faculty and Staff Convocation last month, it doesn’t matter our role at the university. We each have one job – to ensure every student we enroll succeeds and ultimately graduates. I would like to thank all those who led and participated in the weekend’s activities, using this important opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to our Hilltoppers’ families and thank them for the trust they place in us to care for their students.

Engaging families remains critical to our recruitment efforts, and all of us play a part in this endeavor. Your experiences prove invaluable to prospective students and their families as they consider WKU as their destination for college. Your willingness to share insights can make a profound difference in their decision-making process, helping them understand the unparalleled opportunities awaiting them at WKU. Thank you for building and maintaining relationships with our students and their families throughout the entirety of their WKU Experience, beginning with recruitment.

That WKU Experience is defined by engagement both inside and outside the classroom. We strive to create myriad opportunities for students, faculty and staff to engage in ways that are interesting and important to them. To that end, I am delighted to announce the WKU Presidential Speaker Series, a platform to bring leaders, visionaries and innovators to campus to share their experiences and perspectives. Through this series, we will cover a wide range of topics spanning multiple disciplines - generating thought-provoking dialogue, fostering curiosity, supporting intellectual growth and inspiring our Hilltopper community.

Our inaugural Presidential Speaker Series event will take place October 10 at 7 pm CT in Van Meter Auditorium as we welcome Dr. Robert Ballard to campus. (More: Read the WKU News release)
CLIMBING HIGHER
Dr. Mikhail Khenner, WKU mathematics professor, and colleagues have published a 606-page book on Ordinary Differential Equations. Learn More
The Center for Gifted Studies at WKU announced 54 schools from 27 school districts in Kentucky and Tennessee participated in Project Launch Plus, a federal Javits grant, this past school year. Project Launch Plus is a federal grant focusing on talent development for young people with high ability who have had few opportunities to develop their talents and who live within three hours of Bowling Green. Learn More
WKU honors Family of the Year
As part of Parent and Family Weekend, the family of WKU junior Sydney Windhorst of Crestwood, Ky., was recognized Saturday night as WKU’s 2023 Family of the Year. (More: Parent and Family Weekend photos)
Spotlight: Anna Gaddie
WKU senior Anna Gaddie of Hebron has been named the recipient of the annual Lee Robertson Scholarship Fund. Gaddie, who is majoring in Music with a concentration in Vocal Performance, earned the $500 award designated for an upper-class student at WKU who exemplifies the WKU Spirit. The award is presented in honor of Lee Robertson and administered by the WKU Alumni Association.
Rock Your Red Education Day
WKU continues the We Wear Red. We Show Up. campaign with Rock Your Red Education Day, encouraging K-12 students and alumni in the education field to wear WKU apparel or red on Friday.
WKU to host 4th annual financial planning symposium
The 4th Annual FPA MidSouth Financial Planning and Investments Symposium will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday at the Knicely Conference Center. The event, hosted by WKU’s FPA Student Chapter and the Gordon Ford College of Business’s Department of Finance, will feature nationally recognized thought leaders in finance, firm and organizational leaders, academicians, and WKU alums. 
Warren-Brooks Award winner to present lecture Friday
Dr. Tobias Menely, professor of English at UC Davis, will deliver the Warren-Brooks Lecture on Friday at WKU. The lecture, titled Creation Stories: Reproductive Crisis and the ‘Birth/Abortive’ of Science Fiction, will begin at 3:30 p.m. at Cherry Hall, room 125.
Kentucky Museum seeking items for music exhibit
Are you a collector of South Central Kentucky’s music history? The Kentucky Museum is calling on the community to assist with Sonic Landscape, an upcoming exhibition that explores the diverse genres and styles that make our region a site of musical exchange and collaboration.
WKU Week in Photos
Check out the latest WKU Week in Photos for Patriot Day recognition by WKU Military Student Services; Valleypalooza 2023; Majors, Minors & Career Exploration Fair; and more.
Global Learning Fair
WKU Global will host the annual fall Global Learning Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Honors College & International Center.
Athletics
September
13
Wednesday
Continent to Commonwealth

The Kentucky Museum is hosting the Kentucky Arts Council’s traveling exhibit Continent to Commonwealth: Asian/Asian American Kentucky Art through September 23. Museum hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. Learn More
September
15
Friday
WKU Cross Country

WKU Cross Country will host the WKU Invitational at 4 p.m. Friday at Hobson Grove Park. Learn More
September
16
Saturday
Eric D. Yates Memorial Run

The WKU Army ROTC program will host its 13th Eric D. Yates Memorial Run at 9 a.m. Saturday at Chaney’s Dairy Barn, 9191 Nashville Road. Learn More
Western Kentucky University 
1906 College Heights Blvd. 
Bowling Green, KY 42101