WKU News

Dr. Josh Durkee, University Meteorologist and Vice Chair of WKU’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Atmospheric Sciences (EEAS), is one of 10 Conference USA Faculty Achievement Award winners.

Conference USA announced its 2024 Faculty Achievement Award winners highlighting outstanding faculty members and their dedication to teaching, commitment to advance their respective fields of study through research and devotion to making a difference through service in their campus communities. The awards program was established by the league’s presidents and chancellors to recognize exceptional contributions in teaching, research and service. Each of the 10 recipients will automatically become the institutional nominee for the CUSA Professor of the Year, which will be voted on by the institution’s provosts.

Dr. Durkee, who also serves as Director of the WKU Disaster Science Operations Center, is widely considered an academic visionary who has challenged decades of traditional modes of teaching and learning, expanding his field of expertise into various academic and private sectors. He has been appointed as the University Meteorologist by WKU, which is a position supported by the American Meteorological Society. Dr. Durkee has developed innovative weather monitoring and analysis methods that have led private industries to change operations and practices, as evidenced by the bourbon industry in Kentucky, which has considered alternative distilling methods due to various weather conditions, and Amazon invited Dr. Durkee to consult on weather monitoring strategies, resulting in one of the world’s most valued companies to overhaul its approach. Dr. Durkee’s long-term vision has been to expand teaching beyond the classroom, leading him to create the nationally awarded WKU Storm Chase field program and introduce service meteorology to students through WSWX. He has built and fostered professional partnerships to create new courses and opportunities to provide onsite support at major events including, the Special Olympics USA Games, the Chicago Marathon, NASCAR, on-campus concerts and more. He also personally secured scholarships (for example, Jessie Ball duPont Fund, AT&T FirstNet) to provide equitable opportunities for underserved students. Additionally, he has transformed underutilized spaces on campus into bustling student centers so students can participate meaningfully during professional logistics and planning meetings. Per an external academic review, the WKU Meteorology Program is the “crown jewel of meteorology programs in the country.”

The 2024 award recipients represent distinct fields of study including astrophysics, geography, accounting, kinesiology, art, entomology, conflict management, chemistry/biochemistry and earth, environmental and atmospheric sciences. They have published prominent academic articles, received numerous scholarly awards and presented as subject matter experts throughout the country.

• More: Read more about the CUSA Faculty Achievement Award winners