The newsletter for the WKU community -- February 4, 2026 | |
President's Message: Recruitment and Yield Work Continues
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Dear Colleagues,
Recruitment and yield remain campus-wide, year-round responsibilities, essential to sustaining our momentum, supporting responsible resource planning and ensuring a high-quality experience for current and future Hilltoppers.
National workforce trends underscore our important work. By 2031, less than one-third of jobs filled nationally will go to individuals with only a high school diploma or less – a four-percentage point shift toward jobs requiring some college coursework compared to 2021. The work we do every day helps prepare our Hilltoppers for this future.
We begin the spring semester with strong application interest for fall 2026 and now turn our attention to converting that interest into enrollment through meaningful yield conversations focused on outcomes, readiness for future careers and the long-term value of a WKU degree. Compared to this time last year, we are seeing growth across our primary and secondary markets, with year-over-year increases in applications from Kentucky and our bordering states. The distinction between WKU and other public universities in the Commonwealth is increasingly clear, and as we continue to celebrate record-breaking retention and graduation rates and our standing as the top producer of undergraduate degrees and credentials among Kentucky’s comprehensive institutions, we are well positioned to share with admitted students what makes the WKU Experience both special and relevant.
| | South Central Kentucky Area Health Education Center has been awarded $40,000 in grant funding from The E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation to expand its healthcare pathway programs for both middle and high school students across South Central Kentucky. Learn More | |
Online programs earn national rankings
Several WKU Online programs are earning national attention once again, with multiple programs recognized in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Online Programs rankings. WKU’s online bachelor’s program ranked 77th nationally.
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11 WKU students earn Gilman Scholarships
Eleven WKU students earned the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship for study abroad in the October 2025 application cycle.
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A Week When Data Comes to Life at WKU
During Love Data Week 2026, WKU Libraries invites the campus community to ask an important question: Where’s the data?
| | | February 2026 Staff Star Award Recipients | | The WKU Staff Senate recognized the Christopher Ware Staff Star Award recipients during its meeting this morning. The February 2026 recipients are Megan Bailey, Mahurin Honors College; I-Tsai Pan, Chinese Flagship Program; and Jack Quinn, Academic Program Marketing. The Staff Senate's next meeting will begin at 10 a.m. March 4 at Downing Student Union, room 2081. More: Submit a Staff Star nomination. | |
Save the Date: Tim and Sarah Ford Fieldhouse Dedication & Ribbon Cutting
Join us for the Tim and Sarah Ford Fieldhouse Building Dedication & Ribbon Cutting on Tuesday, March 24 at 10 a.m.
| | | Kayla Altman (’12, ’18) of Owensboro, Ky., is a first-generation college graduate who spent her time on the Hill growing personally and professionally. Today she credits her varied career journey and her opportunities at WKU with her success as a teacher and small business owner. | | Allie Pardue (’19, ’24) of Bowling Green, Ky., is a second-generation WKU alumna working on the Hill and raising a tiny Hilltopper with her husband, Kyle (’16). Her family tradition of Hilltopper Spirit and her time in Alpha Xi Delta shaped her focus on community and giving back. | | Tim Hudnall (’83, ’85) of Knoxville, Tenn., has recently received the Advanced Care Practitioner Award for his work in radiology at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. His time as a first-generation college student on the Hill helped shape his journey. | | Cheryl Phipps (’66) is a first-generation college graduate who spent more than 35 years in the field of social services. Her WKU experience helped shaped her career and the passions she still pursues. | | Lyn Dawsyn Steenbergen (’20, ’23) of Louisville, Ky., comes from a strong Hilltopper legacy that shaped her love for WKU and her experiences on the Hill. | | Josh Poynter (’08) of Bowling Green, Ky., is a first-generation college graduate that found a home in Ogden College of Science & Engineering. Now, he and his wife co-own a business together. | |
WKU Hearts on the Hill
Did you find your heart on the Hill? We want to share your love story with the WKU alumni family.
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WKU Mock Trial teams go to competition
Throughout the early portion of the 2025-2026 school year, WKU's Mock Trial program built and supported two separate competitive teams.
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CEC launches autism training partnership
WKU’s Suzanne Vitale Clinical Education Complex recently launched a multi-phase international partnership with the NIA Neurodiversity Academy Association in Romania to support the development of Campus Lumya, the country’s first integrated center dedicated to autistic teenagers and adults.
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WKU remains #1 in Kentucky for veterans
WKU has once again been recognized as the best college in Kentucky for military-affiliated students, earning a top fifty ranking on the 2025 Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges rankings.
| | | | | "My experience at WKU really prepared me for a Ph.D.,” said Alyssa Swift of Morgantown. She graduated from WKU in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychological Sciences and in 2024 with a Master of Science in Psychology. Now, she’s in her second year at Pennsylvania State University working with Dr. Kristin Buss to obtain her Doctorate in Developmental Psychology. | | |
Spring 2026 Global Learning Fair today
The Spring 2026 Global Learning Fair continues until 2 p.m. today at the Honors College & International Center multipurpose room.
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Under 40 at the Top honorees announced
WKU Young Alumni Council leadership has announced the newest cohort of its Under 40 at the Top recognition, presented by the Hull and Martin Wealth Management Group of Stifel.
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Accounting graduate receives award
WKU Alumna Kyndra Winters of Princeton has been named the recipient of the Jefferson Outstanding Graduating Senior Award.
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Professor leads at the Tournament of Roses
The WKU Ogden College of Science and Engineering congratulates Mr. Roger Dennis on his role in assisting students with the Cal Poly parade float, “Jungle Jumpstart,” at the 2026 Tournament of Roses.
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2026 Staff Excellence Awards
Nominations are being accepted through February 9 for the 2026 Staff Excellence Awards. Categories include Customer Service Award, Teamwork Award, Student Support Award, Unsung Hero Award, Part-Time Award and WKU Affiliate Award-Sodexo and Aramark.
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Career Insider Newsletter
WKU Advising & Career Development Center recently distributed the January edition of the Career Insider Newsletter, which includes resources to support student career development this spring.
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Fall 2025 Dean's/President's List
WKU has released the Dean's/President's List for fall 2025.
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The Dance Project February 12-15
WKU Dance students will present original choreography in The Dance Project 2026 at 7:30 p.m. February 12-14 and 2 p.m. February 15 at the Russell H. Miller Theatre in the Ivan Wilson Fine Arts Center. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students.
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Student Scholar Showcase portal open
Students are invited to submit abstracts for the 56th Annual Student Scholar Showcase, set for April 11. The submission portal is now open, and the deadline for abstracts is March 2.
| | | Snow days on the Hill! Check out last week's snow photos from Cristina Betz, WKU Communications & Marketing. | WKU Innovation Campus Events | Check out the latest newsletter from the WKU Innovation Campus for information on upcoming events and more. | | | |
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Plays in a Day
WKU Student Chapter of Alpha Psi Omega will host Plays in a Day on Saturday at 6 p.m. in Gordon Wilson Hall Lab Theatre. A festival that celebrates and initiates ultimate creativity, the event produces several 10-minute plays written, directed and performed by students, all within a 24-hour time span. Learn More
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Winter Super Saturdays
The Center for Gifted Studies will host Winter Super Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to noon Saturday; classes continue on February 14 and February 21. Learn More
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WKU Preview Day
WKU Admissions will host WKU Preview Day, an open house event for prospective students, at 8:30 a.m. February 16 at Diddle Arena. Learn More
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