WKU News

The Western Kentucky University Board of Regents voted to award Provost Emerita status to Dr. Cheryl Stevens at its quarterly meeting on Thursday, May 5. Stevens served as Acting Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at WKU from April 2019 until her sabbatical leave on July 1, 2021. Prior to her role as Acting Provost, she served as the Dean of the Ogden College of Science and Engineering for seven years.

The Regents also approved a graduate certificate in Supply Chain Management that will be offered through the Gordon Ford College of Business. Dr. Christopher Shook, Dean of the Gordon Ford College of Business, said the certificate will address current job market needs and will assist regional partners in developing a talent pipeline. “This degree is highly needed by local industries. It is a key part of our strategy moving forward,” he told the Regents.

The Board approved a new facility for WKU’s Softball and Soccer programs. Currently, neither program has onsite locker rooms or indoor training facilities. Among the training areas, the facility will house batting cages. The project will be funded by exit fees paid to WKU by departing members of Conference USA as well as funds generated by the Hilltopper Athletic Foundation. No expenses will be paid from state funds.

Susan Howarth, WKU’s Executive Vice President for Strategy, Operations, and Finance, and Provost Bud Fischer provided an update about WKU’s recent compensation analysis. They explained that phase one of the study was to identify and address compensation for employees who are below the minimum range of their salary band, with a minimum increase of $1,000 and a maximum of $10,000.

In other business, the Board of Regents:

• Approved Faculty Emeritus status for Dr. James Gary (Engineering and Applied Sciences) and Staff Emeritus status for Dr. Ladonna Hunton (Associate Vice President)
• Approved a number of routine personnel actions which have passed through administrative channels and were implemented by Human Resources between 01/01/2022 and 03/20/2022
• Approved a philanthropic naming request for Robert “RB” and Bobbye Belwood Brown Turf at the ROTC Physical Training Field

The Board of Regents will next meet June 10, 2022, to conduct committee meetings as well as a special called budget meeting.    

Contact: Jace Lux, (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.