President Caboni

Dear Colleagues,

As we welcomed students back to campus during the past two weeks, I hope you are renewed and invigorated by their return.

While we know the value of postsecondary education and the lifelong benefits of a college degree, we must convey to prospective students and their families why the WKU Experience is worthy of their investment. Of Kentucky seniors graduating last year, only 47 percent pursued an educational experience beyond high school, down from 57 percent only a few years ago.

WKU remains committed to educating students broadly, exposing them to new ideas and experiences, honing their critical thinking skills and teaching them to express themselves clearly and persuasively. We also must commit ourselves to continual academic innovation and renewal, creating new programs that respond to student interests, meet the needs of our region, and address the grand challenges facing our world. We have much to celebrate on this front, with several new programs enjoying healthy enrollments and generating additional interest in studying with us.

For example, we first offered the Bachelor of Science in Environmental, Sustainability and Geographic Studies during the fall 2020 semester. Just two years later, during the fall 2022 semester, 78 students enrolled. Our Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Production, first introduced in fall 2020, had 51 students enrolled last fall. The Master of Education in Instructional Leadership for aspiring school principals accepted its first students in the fall of 2021. One year later, program enrollment stood at 32 students. And perhaps most notably, the Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies, which began enrolling students last spring, welcomed 22 students in the fall of 2022.

These examples, and many others across our institution, serve as important reminders that our willingness to evolve and change, coupled with our commitment to offering high-quality and high-demand programs, will both attract and retain students. I appreciate your intentional and strategic work to ensure our course and degree offerings are relevant and vibrant.

Thank you for your work in shaping an educational experience that remains lifechanging and transformative. I look forward to celebrating our continued successes and new innovations in the years ahead.

Go Tops!

Best,

Timothy C. Caboni