The newsletter for the WKU community
April 16, 2024
#WKUGrad: 2024 Commencement May 2
Western Kentucky University will celebrate about 3,000 graduates and recognize top scholars during 2024 Commencement on May 2 at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium.

WKU will confer 2,984 degrees and certificates to spring and summer 2024 graduates -- 77 associate, 1,987 bachelor’s, 503 master’s, 55 doctoral and 14 specialist degrees, and 274 undergraduate certificates and 74 graduate certificates.

Commencement will begin at 6:30 p.m. with Topper Walk along the Avenue of Champions from the Charles Hardcastle Kentucky Building to the stadium. The ceremony will begin once students have been seated on Feix Field. During the ceremony, each college will acknowledge its graduates, and President Timothy C. Caboni will present the graduates to the Board of Regents for the conferral of degrees. (More: Commencement website)

The ceremony will include remarks from President Caboni; recognition of Mariia Novoselia, a journalism major from Odesa, Ukraine, as the Ogden Foundation Scholar (top undergraduate award) and Matthew Bowers, a biology graduate student from Kenhorst, Pennsylvania, as the John D. Minton Award recipient (top graduate award); and the commissioning of WKU ROTC cadets.
CLIMBING HIGHER
Congratulations to the Education LLC team for winning the second annual Living Learning Communities (LLC) Field Day on April 10. Other teams included Nursing LLC, SEAS LLC, Business LLC, CHHS LLC, and Psychology LLC. Learn More
WKU senior Katrina Fjeld awarded Fulbright grant
Katrina Fjeld of Bowling Green, a graduating senior in International Affairs and Arabic, has been awarded a Fulbright US Student Program grantee for 2024-25. Fjeld has been awarded an English Teaching Assistantship for Jordan. 
Spotlight: Spirit Masters
Thirty-three WKU students have been selected as Spirit Masters for 2024-25.
Renshaw Early Childhood Center earns national award
The Renshaw Early Childhood Center (RECC), known as the Big Red School, announced its recent accolade from the American Council on Rural Special Education (ACRES). The center has been honored with a national award in the category of Exemplary Special Education Programs: Infant and Early Education.
Change & Impact founder visiting WKU this afternoon
NBA veteran and Change & Impact Founder Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will visit the WKU Communications Sciences & Disorders Department today as a part of the Change & Impact Stuttering Advocacy Tour. Kidd-Gilchrist will meet with faculty and students at 3:15 in the Downing Student Union Nite Class.
Baker Scholars recognized
The Jerry E. Baker Foundation and the College Heights Foundation recently recognized the newest group of Baker Scholars – the 237 WKU students who received the Jerry E. Baker Student Scholarship for 2023-2024.
President Caboni headlines Hardin County Chamber event
President Timothy C. Caboni was the keynote speaker at the April Hardin County Chamber lunch Wednesday, sponsored by WKU in Elizabethtown-Fort Knox. More: WKU Regional Campus news
Homeschool youth benefit from programs offered at WKU
Homeschool children and youth in the Bowling Green community are benefiting from a unique opportunity at WKU to enhance their physical and health education. Aimed at children aged 2 to 17, these weekly programs offer a diverse range of activities tailored to different age groups.
English Department to host Foundations conference
The Department of English will hold its annual Foundations conference from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in Cherry Hall, room 125.
Milan Rericha to present Clarinet Masterclass at WKU
The Department of Music will host a Clarinet Masterclass by Milan Rericha at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Ivan Wilson Fine Arts Center Recital Hall. Rericha, a prize winner at many international competitions, is a professor at Musikhochschule in Lugano, Switzerland, and guest professor at Janacek Academy of performing arts in Brno. Admission is free.
Mystic Arts Faire returns to Kentucky Museum Saturday
Join the Kentucky Museum and The Mystic Arts Association to celebrate the unusual from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the 2024 Spring Art Market, a free family event that entertains and inspires. Over 30 vendors will offer unique gifts and demonstrations throughout the day. The event will include workshops, performances and more inside the museum and on the lawn.
Course Evaluations
Here's a reminder from the Office of Institutional Research: WKU students are asked to visit wku.evaluationkit.com to complete course evaluations. Students completing all course evaluations by April 25 will receive early access to grades on TopNet.
WKU Week in Photos
Check out the latest WKU Week in Photos for a look at the final Chai Chat of the semester, the Jerry E. Baker Scholars reception, the Gordon Ford College of Business Dean for the Day event, and more.
Athletics
April
16
Tuesday
Greek Week

Greek Week activities continue today with a blood drive at the Preston Center and tonight with Greek Week Jeopardy at Downing Student Union Auditorium. Learn More
April
17
Wednesday
Education Summit

The College of Education and Behavioral Sciences will host its second annual WKU Teacher Apprenticeship Summit from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Knicely Conference Center. Learn More
April
18
Thursday
Beam Raising Ceremony

A Beam Raising Ceremony for the new Gordon Ford College of Business building will begin at 2 p.m. Thursday. Attendees will have an opportunity to sign the beam at 1:30 p.m. at the construction site on Normal Street. Learn More
April
18
Thursday
Faculty Senate

WKU Faculty Senate will meet at 3:45 p.m. Thursday at Downing Student Union, room 2081. Learn More
Western Kentucky University 
1906 College Heights Blvd. 
Bowling Green, KY 42101