WKU News

During its final quarterly meeting of the year on Friday (Dec. 10), the Western Kentucky University Board of Regents approved emeritus status for a number of WKU faculty members in each of the university’s academic colleges. To be eligible to receive emeritus status, a faculty member must be recommended by tenured faculty, department chairs/directors, or college deans, have served the university for at least 10 years, and have a distinguished record of achievement and service.

The Regents also approved a number of faculty and staff personnel actions. The personnel actions took place between May 20, 2021, and September 26, 2021, and include position reclassifications and salary adjustments. The Regents’ Finance and Budget Committee previously approved the personnel actions during the Committee meetings in October.

Provost Robert “Bud” Fischer shared information about WKU’s new First Generation Faculty and Staff Initiative. Through a combination of symposiums, panels, discussions and other programming, the goal of the initiative is to identify first generation faculty and staff at WKU who can serve as supporters of first generation WKU students. Fischer noted that this initiative is especially important to him because he was a first-generation student himself. “I didn’t even know my way around campus until I showed up on my first day,” Fischer said. The faculty and staff support network will serve as mentors and will assist in meeting the needs of WKU’s first generation college students. More than 31 percent of WKU students are first generation students.

Regents Chair Dr. Phillip Bale discussed the Board’s annual evaluation of WKU President Timothy C. Caboni. Dr. Bale addressed the difficult circumstances President Caboni has faced since his term began in July 2017. Among these challenges, Bale listed declining student enrollment nationwide, reductions in financial support, increasing competition, and an increase in public apathy toward higher education, all which have been compounded by a global pandemic. Bale expressed confidence in President Caboni’s leadership through these challenges. “While many American colleges and universities face uncertain futures, the Western Kentucky University Board of Regents believes that under President Caboni’s leadership, our university is now better positioned to harness our available resources, utilize our collective imaginations, and create an environment that fosters student success and well-being in a higher education world full of transformation.”

President Caboni also updated the Board on the university’s fall to spring retention, specifically among those WKU students participating in the university’s Living, Learning Communities (LLCs). “There is an eight percentage point difference in fall to spring registration between those who are participating in an LLC compared to those who are not. This is an early indicator of what this type of support is providing for our students.”

Additionally, the Board approved the renewal of a $10,000,000 line of credit from Truist Bank. The line of credit will only be used in the event the timing of revenue collection does not match expense payment timing.

In other business during the quarterly meeting, the Board:

• Approved the university’s 2021-2022 fiscal year Audit Plan.
• Approved the university’s Budget vs. Actual Report.
• Accepted the Auditor’s Report and Financial Statements for the year.
• Approved a revision to the 2021-2022 Operating Budget.
• Approved an addendum to WKU’s Head Baseball Coach’s employment contract.
• Approved the leasing of 1566 Normal Street by National Pan-Hellenic Council member organizations for offices, member events, and communal gathering space.

The WKU Board of Regents will next meet January 21, 2022, for Committee Meetings.

Contact: Jace Lux at (270) 745-4295.

- WKU -

Western Kentucky University prides itself on positioning its students, faculty and staff for long term success. As a student-centered, applied research university, WKU helps students expand on classroom learning by integrating education with real-world applications in the communities we serve. Our hilltop campus is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was recently named by Reader’s Digest as one of the nicest towns in America, just an hour’s drive from Nashville, Tennessee.