WKU News

The WKU Board of Regents on Friday (May 7) approved several land changes.

Following an executive session, the Board approved:

• Accepting ownership and transfer of title for 2339 Nashville Road from the WKU Real Estate Corp. WKU leased the land from the REC for parking at South Campus.
• Accepting ownership and transfer of title for 1409 High St. from the REC. It will be used to add 109 spaces to a commuter parking lot.
• Exchanging 513 Regents Ave. for 1564 Normal St., which is owned by the REC. The land on Regents is adjacent to the Cliff Todd Center while the Normal Street property will be used to expand parking for The Commons at Helm Library, set to open this fall.
• Leasing 1537 and 1541 Chestnut Street from the REC.
• Leasing with the intention of selling 1818 Nashville Road to The Hive. The Hive currently leases the property and has asked to extend the lease-purchase agreement for three years.

The Board also approved the honorific naming for the Barbara and Kelly Burch Institute for Transformative Practices in Higher Education. The move adds the name of former provost Barbara Burch, who died in 2020, to the institute she founded in her daughter’s name.

In other business, the Board:

• Approved four academic programs: undergraduate certificates in Digital Advertising, Strategic Communications and Esports Management and a graduate certificate in Gifted Education and Talent Development.
• Approved emeritus appointments for Larry Byrd (Chemistry) and Jonathan Jeffrey (Library Special Collections).
• Approved the dissolution of the Department of Philosophy and Religion. The action came at the request of the faculty in the department and has been endorsed by Dean Larry Snyder of the Potter College of Arts & Letters and Provost Cheryl Stevens. All tenured faculty in the department have been accepted into the departments of History or Political Science.
• Approved the 2022-2028 Six-Year Capital Plan.

Contact: Bob Skipper, (270) 745-4295