President Caboni

Dear Colleagues,

I hope that you have enjoyed your summer so far, with opportunities for hobbies, travel, quality time with family and friends and perhaps even a few home projects. While summer affords our WKU Family some well-deserved time away, I know our faculty and staff have also used this period to execute numerous summer camps and events, tackle campus improvement projects, prepare for our incoming freshmen, begin recruiting our next class and plan for another successful year on our Hill. Thank you for your ongoing dedication and good work!

While preparing for the fall semester, many of our faculty and staff continue planning diligently for this year’s M.A.S.T.E.R. Plan, which commences on Tuesday, August 15. Transitioning from high school to college represents a significant milestone for our students as they leave home for the first time and immerse themselves in unfamiliar surroundings. M.A.S.T.E.R. Plan helps to make this shift less imposing, providing our Hilltoppers intentional settings to connect with peers, faculty and staff and help learning the ins and outs of college life, our campus and our rich traditions. Thank you, in advance, to all of our M.A.S.T.E.R. Plan Cluster Facilitators and to all those who continue reimagining and elevating this critical program.

To officially kick off the semester, please plan to join me at our annual Faculty and Staff Convocation on Monday, August 14, at 10:00 am in Van Meter Auditorium. Together, we will reflect on the previous year on our Hill and preview the year to come.

Also, I hope that you and your families plan to attend our third annual Topper Fest on Friday, August 18, at 5:30 pm on WKU’s South Lawn. Each faculty and staff member will receive two free drinks with a WKU ID, and food will be available from Aramark as well as community food trucks. The Downtown Band received terrific reviews at our event last year and will provide music once again for the evening, followed by fireworks at dark. New this year, WKU Athletics’ Fan Fest is set to merge with Topper Fest, bringing its traditional breadth of activities to South Lawn on the same night, including ample children’s activities, student athlete autograph sessions and giveaways. You can find out more about Topper Fest and Fan Fest here.

Enjoy the rest of your summer, and I look forward to seeing you on August 14 at Faculty and Staff Convocation.

Best,

Timothy C. Caboni