WKU News

Western Kentucky University will celebrate more than 2,800 graduates and recognize top scholars during 2023 Commencement on May 4 at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium.

WKU will confer degrees and certificates to 2,832 spring and summer 2023 graduates -- 77 associate, 1,890 bachelor’s, 518 master’s, 58 doctoral and 12 specialist degrees, and 176 undergraduate certificates and 101 graduate certificates.

Commencement will begin at 6:30 p.m. with Topper Walk along the Avenue of Champions from the Charles Hardcastle Kentucky Building to the stadium. The ceremony will begin once students have been seated on Feix Field. During the ceremony, each college will acknowledge its graduates, and President Timothy C. Caboni will present the graduates to the Board of Regents for the conferral of degrees. 

The ceremony will include remarks from President Caboni; recognition of honor graduates and award winners – Bridget Beavin of Louisville as the Ogden Foundation Scholar (top undergraduate award) and Lindsey Powell of Versailles as the John D. Minton Award recipient (top graduate award); and the commissioning of WKU ROTC cadets.

The ceremony will be broadcast by WKU PBS and will be streamed on WKU’s YouTube and Facebook pages.

The Commencement celebration will conclude with The Big Red Bash on the South Lawn, featuring the Music City Sound, a celebratory toast, food vendors and fireworks.

Commencement information is available online at https://www.wku.edu/commencement/ More: Event parking information; parking map

College Recognition Ceremonies

On May 5 at Diddle Arena, WKU’s five academic colleges will host recognition ceremonies to celebrate the accomplishments of their graduates who will walk the line and shake hands with President Caboni.

The ceremony schedule is: Gordon Ford College of Business, 8 a.m.; Potter College of Arts & Letters, 10:30 a.m.; Ogden College of Science and Engineering, 1 p.m.; College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, 3:30 p.m.; and College of Health and Human Services, 6:30 p.m.

WKU is expecting heavy traffic throughout the day. To accommodate traffic flow for graduates and guests, WKU Parking & Transportation is providing parking recommendations for each ceremony, including shuttle service to Diddle Arena, at https://www.wku.edu/commencement/directions.php as well as live updates at https://www.wku.edu/eventparking. More: Event parking information; parking map   

Regional campus celebrations

WKU Regional Campuses will acknowledge their graduates during pre-Commencement events in Glasgow, Owensboro and Elizabethtown before their members of the Class of 2023 come to Bowling Green to participate in Topper Walk, Commencement and College Recognition Ceremonies.

• WKU in Glasgow Graduand, 5:30 p.m. Monday (April 24) at TJ Pavilion Community Room, 310 N L Rogers Wells Blvd., Glasgow. Graduates may submit information for the Regional Campus Graduate Spotlight.
• WKU in Owensboro Graduate Recognition Ceremony, 5 p.m. May 2 at Blandford Hall, 4800 New Hartford Road, Owensboro. Graduates may submit information for the Regional Campus Graduate Spotlight.
• WKU in Elizabethtown/Fort Knox Celebrating YOU Ceremony, 5:30 p.m. ET May 3 at Regional Postsecondary Center Auditorium, Room 212, 600 College Street Road, Elizabethtown. Graduates may submit information for the Regional Campus Graduate Spotlight.

Other recognition events

• Global Graduate Gala, 4:30 p.m. May 1 at Honors College-International Center
• Lavender Recognition Ceremony, 7 p.m. May 2 at Eva and Jim Martens Alumni Center
• WKU ROTC Commissioning, 2 p.m. May 4 at Diddle Arena
• ISEC Graduation Celebration, 2 p.m. May 4 at Downing Student Union Auditorium
• Mahurin Honors College Graduation, 10 a.m. May 5 at Knicely Conference Center for College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, College of Health and Human Services, and Ogden College of Science and Engineering graduates
• Mahurin Honors College Graduation, 2 p.m. May 5 at Knicely Conference Center for Gordon Ford College of Business and Potter College of Arts & Letters graduates

Gatton Academy graduation

The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science will recognize 90 students from 45 counties in the Class of 2023, its 16th graduating class. The ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. May 6 at Van Meter Hall. The speaker will be Kentucky Senate President Pro Tempore David P. Givens.

Contact: Communications and Marketing, (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.