WKU News

The Western Kentucky University Board of Regents welcomed two new members during its third quarterly meeting of the calendar year Friday (August 11). Regent C. J. Nichols of Haverford, Pennsylvania, and Student Regent Sam Kurtz of Bowling Green took the Oath of Office administered by Board Chair W. Currie Milliken. Nichols replaces George Nichols III and Kurtz replaces Cole Bornefeld, whose terms both ended June 30. 

The Regents approved undergraduate certificates in Strategies for Trauma Informed Approaches to Improving Resilience, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), and Professional and Technical Writing. The certificate in Strategies for Trauma Informed Approaches to Improving Resilience will equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to work with individuals, families and communities experiencing trauma in a wide range of professions. The certificate in TESOL will be the first offered by any public university in Kentucky and will prepare students to teach English to speakers of other languages domestically or abroad. The certificate in Professional and Technical Writing teaches students to write persuasively, edit and publish professional texts, research projects and consult with clients, and use online writing technologies for professional purposes. 

The Board also awarded faculty emeritus status to Accounting Professor Dr. Steve Wells. To receive emeritus status, a faculty member must have served the university for at least 10 years and have had a distinguished record of achievement and service. 

In other business, the Board of Regents: 

• Approved the suspension of three academic programs, due to redundancy with other programs, low or declining interest, or the loss of faculty needed to maintain the program. 
• Approved a number of personnel actions which have proceeded through administrative channels and have been executed by Human Resources between March 1, 2023, and April 30, 2023. 
• Approved the University’s Internal Audit Work Plan for the year 2024. 
• Approved a 10-year banking services contract with J. P. Morgan Chase. 
• Approved an addendum to the University’s transit management agreement with RATPDev. 
• Approved addendums to the employment contracts of WKU’s Head Women’s Soccer Coach; Head Track Coach; Head Women’s Golf Coach; Head Women’s Tennis Coach; and Head Men’s Golf Coach. 
• Approved the philanthropic naming of the Wendell and Jan Strode Locker Room in the WKU Softball-Soccer Indoor Facility located on Creason Street in recognition of the generosity of Wendell and Jan Strode. 
• Approved the Code of Editorial Integrity Policy for Public Media. 

The Board of Regents will next meet on October 20, 2023 to conduct Committee Meetings. 

Contact: Jace Lux at 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.