WKU News

Greetings WKU Campus Community!

Welcome to spring semester 2021!

This February marks the 95th anniversary of Black History Month - our annual celebration of achievements by African Americans. Black History Month (originally Negro History Week) was first launched in1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a prominent African American, Harvard-trained historian and the son of former slaves. The second week of February was chosen to celebrate the history of African Americans because it coincided with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln. Frederick Douglass escaped slavery and went on the become a social justice advocate, abolitionist, and Civil Rights leader. Abraham Lincoln, of course, signed the Emancipation Proclamation and was credited with ending slavery in 1863 (USA Today). The week-long celebration was expanded to a month in 1976, by President Gerald R. Ford who urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” Since then, each American president has issued African American History Month proclamations (Wikipedia.org). The theme of Black History Month 2021, "The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity," was chosen by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Our campus community will be celebrating the history and identity of African Americans all month. For more information about events and activities sponsored by the WKU Intercultural Student Engagement Center (ISEC), please see attached calendar or contact Martha Sales (martha.sales@wku.edu). Now, more than ever, it is important for our campus to celebrate Black History Month in order to remember and recognize the contributions of African Americans in our country, in our communities, and on our campus.

Spring Programming

In addition to Black History Month events, there are several WKU DEI programs offered this spring:

• NEW SERIES: “Can We Talk?” - Conversations about Whiteness, White identity, and White privilege. Dr. Peggy Crowe & Dr. Karl Laves invite participants to engage in a discussion about what WE can do to make our campus community a more welcoming and inclusive space for students and colleagues alike. Please see attached flyer for more details. For registration, visit this ZOOM LINK.
• We will be offering three Deliberative Dialogues this semester. Please watch for additional details and information. For registration and dialogue descriptions, click HERE: 
  • The Thin Blue Line: Privilege and Law Enforcement, Feb 26, 1:00-3:00pm
  • Blood is Thicker Than_____?: Conversations from The Hill to The Home, March 26, 1:00-3:00pm
  • Stonewalling Our Legacy: LGBTQ+ Community - Safety, Security, and Policies, April 16, 1:00-3:00pm
• There will be opportunities to participate in Book & Media Groups again. Registration links and group descriptions will be sent separately via campus email.
• Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning (CITL) Workshops: CITL will offer several pedagogical inclusivity workshops this spring. More information and registration links will be sent via email as soon as dates and times are confirmed, but here is a sneak-peak/save-the-date look at two upcoming sessions:
  • (In)visible (Dis)abilities with Kimberly Green & Nick Fortune
    Friday, March 5, 1:00-3:00pm
  • Taking a Closer Look: Identifying and Illuminating Diversity and Inclusion in Your Course Syllabi with Gayle Mallinger & Fabián Álvarez, Friday, March 12, 2:00-4:00pm

Hiring and Search Committees

With your help, we made a lot of progress toward building a culture inclusivity through equitable hiring practices last fall. To that end, Human Resources, Equal Employment Opportunities, and Academic Affairs offered three faculty search committee “best practices” training sessions. We would also like to encourage everyone involved in hiring searches and/or processes to create an account on the Higher Education recruitment Consortium (HERC) website. WKU is a HERC member, so your account is free – you can JOIN HERE. 

Finally, we sincerely appreciate all the kind words, incredible level of interest and participation, and overwhelming support we have received this past year. Creating an equitable and inclusive campus environment takes a lot of time, work, and commitment; it takes us ALL! #WeAreOneWKU

Molly & Michael

Co-Chief Diversity Officer for Academic Affairs, Molly Kerby, PhD, MPH

Co-Chief Diversity Officer for Enrollment & Student Experience, Michael P. Crowe, Jr