WKU News

The Western Kentucky University Board of Regents voted Thursday (May 2) to award Emeritus status to a former dean of the Gordon Ford College of Business. Dr. Jeffrey Katz served as dean of the university’s business college from 2011 until 2018, at which time he was appointed the Endowed Professor of Management. He served in that role until his retirement from WKU at the end of 2021.

WKU President Timothy C. Caboni shared with the Board that Dean Katz was a significant resource as he began his presidency in 2017. “When I first arrived and during my first four years as president, he was invaluable counsel to me,” he said. “I want to thank him for his vision and understanding of how success happens when you put students first.”

The Regents also heard from WKU Director of Forensics Ganer Newman, who just returned to campus with the team after winning the National Forensics Association (NFA) national championship hosted at Central Michigan University. Newman spoke about the team’s successes this season, which include winning the International Forensics Association international championship in Dublin, Ireland. The most recent victory at the NFA national tournament is the team’s 17th NFA national championship. The WKU Forensics team has been the most successful in the nation during the last two decades.

The WKU Regents also approved a number of new academic programs, including:

• Undergraduate certificate in Personal Branding
• Minor in Piano Pedagogy
• Minor in Commercial Music
• Undergraduate certificate in Sport Media and Communication
• Graduate certificate in School of Social Work
• Undergraduate certificate in Artificial Intelligence and Analytics

Additionally, the Board of Regents approved a number of routine personnel actions which took place during the first two months of the calendar year. Among these actions were approving faculty and tenure promotion recommendations as well as salary adjustments and one-time payments for various university employees.

In other business, the WKU Regents:

• Approved the 2023-2024 statement of revenue and expenditures
• Approved employment contracts for the university’s General Counsel and Men’s Basketball Head Coach
• Received a budget update from Susan Howarth, Executive Vice President for Strategy, Operations and Finance
• Received a legislative update from Jennifer Breiwa Smith, Assistant Vice President for Government and External Relations

The Board of Regents will next meet for a special called budget meeting and to host committee meetings on June 7. Tonight, the Regents will gather in Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium to confer degrees at the university’s 195^th Commencement Ceremony. This year, the university will recognize more than 3,000 graduates from across the university’s five academic colleges.

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.