WKU News

Med Center Health, South Central Kentucky’s largest healthcare provider, will soon become the on-campus health services provider for Western Kentucky University. WKU’s Board of Regents voted Thursday (December 8) to approve a 10-year comprehensive health services contract that will begin on January 1, 2023.

Med Center Health will take over campus health services from Graves Gilbert Clinic, which has operated in the WKU Health Services Building since the university outsourced its on-campus health services operations in 2014. Graves Gilbert Clinic’s contract recently expired, which led the university to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for campus health services in February of this year. The RFP committee unanimously selected Med Center Health based on its ability to meet the needs detailed in the RFP.

Among the services outlined in the contract, Med Center Health will offer on-campus evaluation and treatment of illnesses and injuries; annual wellness visits and in-depth physicals; immunizations; allergy injections; basic radiology; laboratory services; sports medicine services; mental health services; and pain management services. Med Center Health will also provide biometric screenings to employees as part of WKU’s Employee Wellness Program.

Additionally, the Regents approved a one-time payment for a number of university employees. Full-time employees hired on or before July 1, 2022, with an annual salary less than or equal to the university median will receive $950 to assist with financial burdens caused by inflation increases. The total cost to the university is approximately $1 million and will be paid by reducing the university’s cash on hand by one and a half days.

The Board also approved faculty emeritus status for Dr. Doris Sikora, Associate Professor of Applied Human Sciences; Dr. Steven Spencer, Professor of Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport; Dr. Catherine Algeo, Professor of Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences; Dr. Theodore Hovet, Professor of English; and Dr. Glenn LaFantasie, Professor of History. Faculty members receiving emeritus status must have served the university for at least 10 years and have compiled a distinguished record of achievement and service.

The Regents also discussed WKU President Timothy C. Caboni’s annual evaluation. Board Chair Dr. Phillip Bale said that the regents unanimously felt as though President Caboni’s job performance was admirable, despite unprecedented challenges facing higher education nationwide. In a statement distributed at the meeting, Chair Bale said: “Higher education across our nation grapples daily with new and daunting challenges related to rapidly changing demographics, technology, and economics. It is the expressed opinion of WKU’s Board of Regents that President Timothy Caboni has performed at an exceptionally high level in meeting these challenges and positioning Western Kentucky University to thrive and attain those ever-greater heights imagined within our strategic plan.”

President Caboni shared with the regents an award the university recently received for its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. At November’s annual meeting of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), President Caboni, along with Co-Chief Diversity Officers Molly Kerby and Michael Crowe, accepted the Excellence and Innovation Award for DEI Leadership for the ONE WKU Campaign. The award recognizes AASCU member institutions that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The ONE WKU Campaign, launched in 2020, guides the university’s campuswide DEI efforts.

President Caboni spoke about the importance of being recognized for efforts to strengthen and enhance DEI initiatives on campus. “I’m proud that we’ve been recognized for the ONE WKU Campaign. We wanted to make sure we created an opportunity to welcome everyone who comes to campus. I want them to not only find their place, but to feel a true sense of belonging,” he said.

In other business, the Board of Regents:

• Accepted the Auditor’s Report and Financial Statements for the 2022 fiscal year performed by FORVIS, LLP
• Approved a revision to the 2022-2023 operating budget
• Approved a number of routine personnel actions
• Approved a report of budgeted versus actual expenses
• Approved a line of credit with Truist Bank
• Approved a lease agreement with Med Center Health for a portion of the WKU Health Services building
• Approved a lease agreement with New Cingular Wireless for a portion of the Parking Structure 3 rooftop
• Approved addendums to the employment contracts of WKU’s men’s and women’s head basketball coaches

The Board of Regents will next meet on January 20, 2023, for Committee Meetings.

Contact: Jace Lux, (270) 745-4295

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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.