WKU News

President Timothy C. Caboni (right) presented the Spirit of WKU Award to Dr. Indudeep Chhachhi, Chair of the Finance Department.

Western Kentucky University President Timothy C. Caboni addressed faculty and staff at the University’s annual Convocation Monday (August 14) in Van Meter Auditorium. President Caboni summarized the University’s accomplishments of the 2022-2023 academic year while offering a preview of the 2023-2024 year.

President Caboni highlighted the record gains the university experienced in retaining students. As he shared, in just five years, student retention has increased 6.7 percentage points. Also, during the last five years, retention of underrepresented minority (URM) students has increased 15 percentage points, the largest five-year increase in the University’s history. Additionally, President Caboni noted that retention among low-income students increased over 11 percentage points during the last five years. “I frequently say, it doesn’t matter your role here at the University, you have one job – to ensure every student we enroll succeeds and ultimately graduates,” he said. “The work that we have all done to ensure the success of each of our students is nothing short of remarkable.”  

President Caboni shared that while enrollment numbers for the fall semester are still preliminary, currently total enrollment is up 3.1% over the previous fall semester. “Our consistent retention gains remain key to shielding WKU from the rapid enrollment declines so many higher education institutions continue experiencing,” he said. Additionally, President Caboni shared that the size of the incoming class has increased 3.1%, while graduate student enrollment is up 9.05% from the prior year.

President Caboni championed the effect of the University’s Living Learning Communities (LLCs) on student success. As he noted, first-year students participating in LLCs last fall returned for the spring semester at a rate of 95.7%, which is 6.2 percentage points higher than those students who did not participate in an LLC. He also shared that the number of students participating in an LLC this fall has increased 34% in just two years. “We now have almost a third of our entering class engaged in an LLC,” he stated. Additionally, he noted that the University will emphasize growing its LLC offerings. Doing so will involve completing the First-Year Village, located at the south end of campus in the next several years. To accomplish this, the University will soon begin exploring a replacement strategy for Douglas Keen and Hugh Poland Halls.

A key strategy in moving the University’s retention needle is its work with First Generation Students. Approximately 30% of each incoming WKU class is made up of first generation college students. As President Caboni shared, there are now 85 faculty and staff working with the Alumni Association in the recently established First Gen Alumni Advocates program to directly connect first-generation alumni with first-generation students. The Center for First-generation Student Success recently named WKU as one of 76 new members of the First Scholars Network. To earn this distinction, an institution must demonstrate a commitment to improving experiences and advancing success for first-generation college students.

President Caboni emphasized the University’s commitment to providing opportunities for high school students to take WKU classes while still in high school. Last fall, WKU announced the Early College at WKU in Glasgow program, a partnership between WKU and area school districts that allows students from the seven high schools closest to the Glasgow campus to complete 30 hours of WKU credit before graduating high school. This fall, 73 high school juniors will participate in that program, and during his Convocation speech, President Caboni announced a similar partnership with Warren County Schools, termed the Warren County Early College Program at WKU. As part of the pilot program this fall, 12 students from Warren Central High School will spend half of each school day on campus taking WKU classes. “These students will engage fully with our campus, using Hilltopper transit service, taking meals at Fresh, accessing academic support services and participating in recreational activities,” President Caboni said. “This pilot will expand in coming years to include students from across Warren County.”

He also recapped the success of several WKU student organizations. The WKU Forensics Team won the National Forensics Association National Championship and captured its 31^st consecutive Kentucky Forensics Association state title. WKU Civil Engineering students placed fifth overall in the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Concrete Canoe Competition. And WKU’s School of Media and Communication finished third in the nation in the Hearst Journalism Award Program’s Overall Intercollegiate Competition, its 14^th straight top five national ranking.

President Caboni also discussed the important role of WKU’s 285,000-square-foot Innovation Campus in serving as the epicenter for the region’s growing business ecosystem. He noted that during the last year, the Innovation Campus became the headquarters for the Metals Innovation Initiative, or MI2, a consortium of manufacturers within the metals industry tasked with developing solutions and innovations in what has become one of Kentucky’s largest sectors. Other recent additions to the Innovation Campus are San Francisco-based augmented reality and engagement software company MyXR Inc., who selected Innovation Campus for its new regional headquarters; innovation management service company, Lunae; and Hong Kong start-up beingAI.

President Caboni affirmed the University’s commitment to global study. “We remain committed to creating experiences for our students that transform the way they see and experience the world be encouraging and enabling them to study in places around the globe,” he noted. He shared that following a downturn driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, hundreds of WKU students are once again participating in WKU study abroad opportunities. This year, despite a few countries remaining closed due to the pandemic, 478 WKU students will participate in a study abroad experience, which is just three students less than the 481 student participants in the pre-pandemic academic year 2018-2019. “We know global study can play a key role in a student’s initial connection to their academic program, to their retention and to their ultimate success,” President Caboni stated.

President Caboni highlighted research successes experienced by the University during the last year. He noted that the University’s research and development expenditures for fiscal year 2022 totaled nearly $8 million, an 11% increase over the previous year. WKU faculty and staff received $26 million in grant awards from national agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the U.S. Department of Education, up from $16 million the previous fiscal year. He also championed internal programs, such as the University’s Research and Creative Activity Program (RCAP) and Faculty-Undergraduate Student Engagement (FUSE) grants as factors distinguishing WKU from other institutions in the state due to the unparalleled research opportunities provided to undergraduate students.

President Caboni challenged campus to achieve a new research goal. In the next five years, WKU will grow external research funding expenditures to $40 million and will double the research funding the University receives from the federal government. “I know this is a tall task for our faculty, staff and for both Academic Affairs and our Office of Research,” he stated. “For us to be successful, we will need to increase flexibility in the distribution of faculty effort.”

The president also reflected on recent campus improvements, as well as those on the horizon. In the fall, WKU dedicated The Commons at Helm Library, and President Caboni said he is pleased with the facility’s effect on campus. The Commons serves as the cornerstone of the Hilltop Restoration Project, which will make the north end of campus more accessible and easier to navigate and will also offer unique outdoor spaces for educational and social activities.

In June, the University broke ground on a new building for the Gordon Ford College of Business, currently located primarily in the aging Grise Hall. Scheduled to open in fall 2025, the new building will help prepare the future generations of business professionals, support academic innovation among faculty and staff, sustain the college’s enrollment growth trajectory, enrich the region’s business community, and enhance the overall beauty of campus.

President Caboni shared that in September, the University will dedicate its new Softball/Soccer Complex on Creason Street and will also break ground on a new Hilltopper Fieldhouse in the fall. This facility will provide indoor practice spaces not only for student athletes but also for members of the Big Red Marching Band, E-Sports, and the Forensics Team. It will also include a new state-of-the-art press box above Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium’s Harbaugh Club.

He also lauded the University’s fundraising success, a key component of which is the WKU Opportunity Fund. Established in 2018 with a goal of raising $50 million, today the fund has surpassed $87.3 million, resulting in the creation of 217 new endowed scholarships to support students.

Spirit of WKU

President Caboni also announced the recipient of this year’s Spirit of WKU Award, Dr. Indudeep Chhachhi. President Caboni shared that Dr. Chhachhi, who serves as the Chair of WKU’s Finance Department, was selected because of his enthusiasm for representing WKU, as well as his loyalty to the institution and the principles of the WKU Experience.

Since joining WKU in 1990, Dr. Chhachhi has led and served on many strategic University and college-level committees, including chairing the WKU Budget Council. He currently serves on the WKU Foundation External Investment Advisory Board.

As President Caboni shared, Dr. Chhachhi has established programs to education students and prepare them for a competitive global marketplace through experiential learning, professional development opportunities, internships and more. He directs the Tennessee Valley Authority Investment Challenge for WKU Finance majors who manage a $500,000 portfolio, accompanies students to the annual TD Ameritrade National LINC Conference, and collaborates with organizations such as ARGI Financial Group to bring real-world experience to the classroom. He works with programs such as ISEC, TRIO, and the WKU Office of Student Financial Assistance to educate students about financial literacy and also works with a number of community organizations such as the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce to share financial literacy best practices throughout the Commonwealth.

• More: Read President Caboni's Convocation address

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.