WKU News

Welcome to Today@WKU, the daily newsletter from WKU Public Affairs, for July 17, 2018.

WKU Professor Kristina Arnold with “Neuron Cloud” during a show at Artfields in Lake City, S.C. Read more from the WKU Research Foundation about how Arnold and Yvonne Petkus use visual art to address global issues. 

WKU News

• How two professors use visual arts to probe, question pervasive global issues: Exploring human suffering and resilience in war-torn Bosnia and Herzegovina. Examining public health concepts and their larger societal conventions, including aging, disease and genetics. There is, in fact, a common thread between the two: visual art. The concepts are the primary focus for two professors at WKU, respectively: Yvonne Petkus and newly announced head of the Department of Art, Kristina Arnold. Both Petkus and Arnold turn to art — painting for Petkus and painting, mixed media and sculpture for Arnold — to add creative context to issues or questions that are often hard to discuss, let alone visualize.
• View from the Hill: WKU student's project making a difference: You’re never too young to make a difference. That’s what a WKU student thought when a popular movie inspired her to help others when she was in elementary school. WKU's Amy Bingham has the story in the View from the Hill. More: Gatton Academy research on aging and perception
• Follow the Bike4Alz riders: WKU students are on the last leg of the sixth Bike4Alz cross country ride to raise money for Alzheimer’s research. For updates on social media, follow Bike4Alz on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. More: Bike4Alz Support Vehicle Fundraiser
• Study Away summer programs: For updates on WKU Study Away summer programs, follow Study Away on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
• Faculty-Led Study Abroad summer programs: For updates on WKU Faculty-Led Study Abroad summer programs, follow Faculty-Led Study Abroad on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
• Study Abroad summer programs: For updates on WKU Study Abroad summer programs, follow Study Abroad on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
• WKU Public Radio Weekday Newscast Schedule: Tune into WKU Public Radio for national and international news from NPR, and local newscasts every half hour during Morning Edition (4-9 a.m. Central), and All Things Considered (3-6 p.m. Central), as well as local news features and interviews produced by the WKU news staff. WKU's Public Radio can be heard on WKYU-FM (88.9) in Bowling Green/Glasgow; WDCL-FM (89.7) in Somerset/Campbellsville; WKPB-FM (88.9) in Henderson/Owensboro; WKUE-FM (90.9) in Elizabethtown/Bardstown; and online at http://www.wkyufm.org/

Follow WKU News: Subscribe to our daily email newsletter; follow WKU News on Twitter @wkunews or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/WKUNews.

WKU Sports

• Football: “Bowling Green Has Been the Best Thing That Happened to Me”: WKU Football linebacker Eli Brown addressed the media for the first time as a Hilltopper on Monday afternoon. The Warren East High School graduate discussed a variety of topics, beginning with the process of transferring from the University of Kentucky. "The decision came from doing what's best for me and my family," he said. "Coming home, I'll have the support of my stepmother and my father and basically to me it's the best thing that could have happened."
• Volleyball: WKU Collects 12th-Straight AVCA Team Academic Award: For the 12th-consecutive season, WKU Volleyball has been recognized as a recipient of the AVCA Team Academic Award, the association announced Monday. With a cumulative GPA of 3.61, the Lady Toppers have earned the Team Academic Award for the 16th time since 1999.
• Men’s basketball: Hilltoppers Announce 2018-19 Conference USA Schedule: Home games against four of the top six finishers in Conference USA last season and a home-and-home series with defending league champion Marshall highlight the league play portion of the 2018-19 WKU Hilltopper Basketball schedule, as announced Monday by WKU. More:  Johnson Signs Pro Contract with Italy's Cagliari Dinamo Academy
• Football: Countdown to Kickoff – 100 Days of Hilltopper History: WKU Football will kick off its 100th season on August 31, and each day this summer, WKU Athletics is treating fans to unique and interesting history of Hilltopper Football, from never-before-seen photos to game tickets and programs and everything in between.

More: For updates on WKU Athletics, follow @WKUSports on Twitter or WKU Athletics on Facebook.

WKU in the News

• Study: New college students benefit from taking full load of classes: Students starting school at a Kentucky college or university this year should take at least 15 credit hours a semester for the best chance at graduating on time with less debt. That’s the finding of a new report from the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. Students who take 15 hours in their first semester are nearly twice as likely to graduate on time, the report said. “If you’re taking 30 hours a year, you’re on track to graduate in four years,” said Doug McElroy, WKU’s associate vice president for academic enrichment and effectiveness.

More: Check out WKU in the News page.

WKU Alumni

• J. Mike Fields helps strengthen bodies and inspire minds through his business: Mike Fields of Bowling Green fell in love with the idea of helping others at a very young age by listening to motivational cassette tapes. “I started listening to Tony Robbins, a life coach, when I was 12,” stated Fields. “He coached Bill Clinton and various other high-profile people. His story is inspiring. He was a janitor at 18 and then three years later he became a multimillionaire by helping motivate people. From there, I realized that’s what I wanted to do.” When studying Exercise Science at WKU, Fields learned a lot about himself. More Alumni News: Lifetime Member Amy Hardin offers homegrown children’s camp that fosters inclusion
• Upcoming WKU Alumni events: Homecoming 2018 has been set for Oct. 27 with kickoff at 6:30 p.m.; additional details TBA. For a listing of Alumni events, visit the Alumni website and click on the Events Calendar. Or contact the WKU Alumni Association at 888-958-2586. For a list of Alumni news, visit the Alumni News page. More: WKU SpiritFunder; Topper Travelers – Castles of the Rhine 2019

More: Visit the WKU Alumni website.

WKU Admissions

• #ClimbWithUs: The WKU Office of Admissions helps future Hilltoppers as they start their journey on The Hill. You can reach us by calling 270-745-2551, emailing admission@wku.edu or connecting with us on social media. Schedule a tour. Visit https://www.wku.edu/admissions/counselors/ or call 270-745-2551 to get in touch with your WKU Admissions Counselor. Students can reserve their TOP date and take their placement exams at www.wku.edu/top
• Useful links for prospective/admitted students: Campus tours; Let’s Talk, Topper; Admissions Timeline; Topper Orientation Program; Scholarships; Housing; MASTER Plan

More: Visit the WKU Admissions website; Information for Prospective Students

What’s Happening At-WKU

Ongoing/continuing events

• Exhibits at Kentucky Museum: A Culture Carried: Bosnians in Bowling Green (through May 11, 2019); Kaleidoscope: Kentucky Museum Quilts (through Dec. 15); plus other gallery and on-campus exhibits. (Museum hours/visitor information) Contact Kentucky Museum, (270) 745-2592.
• Exhibits at Downing Museum: The Story of Joe Downing: Select Works From the Collection. Downing Museum, 4801 Morgantown Road. Contact Jack LeSieur, (270) 842-7415.
• WKU Summer Office Hours. May 14-Aug. 10. 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Friday.
• Summer Start. Through Aug. 9. Contact Summer Start, (270) 745-4254.

Tuesday, July 17

• 8 a.m.: 32^nd Summer Conference on Topology and its Applications. Snell Hall and Ogden College Hall. Through July 20. Contact Paige Spear, (270) 745-4695.
• 9 a.m.: WKU Baseball Youth Camp 2. Nick Denes Field. Through July 19. Contact Tommy Winterstein, (270) 745-2493.
• 7 p.m.: Hardin Planetarium Show: Phantom of the Universe: The Hunt for Dark Matter. Hardin Planetarium. Contact Planetarium, (270) 745-4044.
• 7:30 p.m.: Lecture: A Random Walk Through Physics to the Nobel Prize by Michael Kosterlitz, recipient of 2016 Nobel Prize Physics. Part of 32^nd Summer Conference on Topology and its Applications. Ogden College Hall. Contact Paige Spear, (270) 745-4695.

Wednesday, July 18

• 8 a.m.: 32^nd Summer Conference on Topology and its Applications. Snell Hall and Ogden College Hall. Through July 20. Contact Paige Spear, (270) 745-4695.
• 9 a.m.: WKU Baseball Youth Camp 2. Nick Denes Field. Through July 19. Contact Tommy Winterstein, (270) 745-2493.

For upcoming events: Visit the What's Happening at WKU page, Events@WKU page or WKU’s online events calendar

About Today@WKU

• Today@WKU is a service of WKU Public Affairs. For more from WKU News, become a WKU Facebook fan, follow us on Twitter, visit the WKU News page, or check out What's Happening @WKU, “View from the Hill” segments, more News from Around Campus, WKU on You Tube or WKU webcams. Email us at wkunews@wku.edu