President Caboni

Colleagues,

As we begin our second week of the fall semester, thank you for providing a warm Hilltopper welcome to our students during the past couple weeks and for your continued efforts to help them acclimate to campus.

Whether you assisted students moving into their residence halls, served as a M.A.S.T.E.R. Plan cluster facilitator, helped students navigate campus as a Topper Directions volunteer, took time to engage with students during Topper Fest or otherwise worked to make the transition to the new semester a little smoother, thank you for your efforts. We, again, have demonstrated the special Hilltopper Spirit that makes our WKU Experience unlike any other. Unless they know they belong, our students cannot be successful; and the welcoming spirit of our faculty and staff ensures that, from the first day of the semester, our students know they belong. 

Central to our commitment to ensuring that every individual who comes to our campus recognizes they are an essential part of our community is our dedication to free speech and expression. Pressure on colleges and universities to weigh in on all manner of global issues continues to increase. WKU deliberately avoids engaging in matters that are not central to our primary mission of educating students, generating knowledge and sharing it. Our position of maintaining institutional neutrality allows us to create a space where the free exchange of ideas can thrive without constraint from official institutional opinions or statements from leadership, even if those ideas are different from our own, offensive or even reprehensible.

It is crucial that we continue to demonstrate to the broader community that WKU upholds the ideals of free speech, academic freedom and inquiry. Not only is this the right thing to do, but as a public university, WKU is legally compelled to adhere to Kentucky's Campus Free Speech Protection Act. So that our community is clear on our responsibilities, we have created a campus free speech website. This site codifies existing practices and clarifies the university's role in protecting and responding to freedom of speech issues. I encourage each of you to visit https://www.wku.edu/freespeech/ to familiarize yourself with these concepts and responsibilities. Once again, we have the opportunity to show everyone that WKU is a place that champions free speech, academic freedom and inquiry.

Looking ahead to the coming weeks, I would like to call your attention to two approaching events. First, as I shared during Faculty and Staff Convocation, we have completed the restoration of our Hilltop and returned the top of the Hill to President Cherry’s original vision of an oval academical village. The central hub of our Hilltop is Garrett Plaza, named after our second president, Dr. Paul Garrett, and his wife, Virginia. Please plan to join me near the fountain on the Hilltop on Thursday, September 5 at 10:00 a.m. as we gather to celebrate the Garrett family and formally dedicate Garrett Plaza.

Additionally, we will again engage in friendly competition with MTSU as we participate in the 100 Miles of Hope Blood Drive taking place from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. September 9-11 in the Preston Center. Last year, WKU was victorious over our rivals to the south, and, more importantly, our donations helped the Red Cross save lives. Visit https://www.wku.edu/blood-drive/ to learn more and make an appointment.

Thank you for a successful start to the fall semester. I am excited about all that we will accomplish together this academic year.  

Go Tops!

Best,

Timothy C. Caboni