The newsletter for the WKU community
February 12, 2020
President's Message:
WKU Master Plan 2020-2030
WKU’s 2018-2028 strategic plan,  Climbing to Greater Heights , concentrates our attention and resources on our shared goals. It also ensures that we remain committed to the student focus that has served as the foundation of the WKU experience for more than 113 years. 

A key component of the “Our Community & Beyond” section of the plan, requires us to develop a new WKU Master Plan to guide strategic campus growth and facility upgrades during the next decade.

Work on our new 2020-2030 Master Plan begins this month. In collaboration with Gensler, our design partner, we will assess how our physical spaces advance our institutional mission. Together, we will explore how we create spaces that facilitate engagement with each other, with our students, and with our communities. This planning effort signifies an important moment in our institutional history, where we pause and take the opportunity to rethink how our physical plant shapes interactions across all of our campuses.

Student-centeredness remains paramount to who we are as an institution and will guide this ongoing and iterative process. In the coming weeks and months, individuals from across our campuses and communities will begin developing plans for land use, active learning spaces outside classrooms, transportation, sustainability, and much more.
CLIMBING HIGHER
Two pre-tenure faculty members from the Chemistry Department have been recognized by the Ogden College of Science and Engineering. Dr. Larry Hill (left) is the recipient of the 2019 Pre-Tenure Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. Dr. Yongming Deng (right) is the recipient of the 2019 Pre-Tenure Faculty Award for Excellence in Research. Learn More
WKU announces inaugural Distinguished Educator Awards
Nominations for the WKU College of Education and Behavioral Sciences’ first-ever Distinguished Educator Awards opened today. The awards will celebrate the individual and significant contributions educators make to the teaching profession. From literacy to innovation, WKU will recognize 10 P-12 educators within the university’s service region based on their inspiring solutions in the classroom. “There are never enough opportunities to say ‘thank you’ and recognize the work of our Kentucky teachers,” said Corinne Murphy, Dean of WKU’s College of Education and Behavioral Sciences . “Our goal is to ensure these community mentors and leaders understand WKU’s appreciation for their continued contributions to students.”
Student to present research at business analytics conference
Using data mining tools such as Tableau and RapidMiner, Accounting and Business Data Analytics major Morgan Hayes is helping Lending Club better accomplish its mission of making borrowing money less expensive and making investment more engaging. In a research project that has spanned more than a year, she determined a borrower is more likely to be rejected for a loan if they have been employed less than a year and the amount of the loan increases as annual income increases. These findings will help the company better format its application process to better fit both the applicant as well as the investor. Hayes will present this research at the 2020 INFORMS Business Analytics Conference April 26-28 in Denver, Colo., where she will join more than 1,000 leading professionals in the data analytics field.
Spotlight: Hearts on the Hill
Check out the WKU Alumni Association's Facebook page for stories of couples who met on the Hill.
Help the WKU Food Pantry
Be Star’s Valentine and help the WKU Food Pantry! Come to Potter Hall 408 between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Friday. Bring a non-perishable food item to get a cookie and meet Star, the WKU Counseling Center’s Animal Assisted Therapy Dog. More Ways to Help: WKU Athletics is helping to replenish the WKU Food Pantry’s canned goods stock. Fans bringing two canned goods to Lady Topper Basketball games on Thursday or Saturday will receive one free ticket. The WKU Store also is collecting items for the food pantry this week during its Share the Love Sale .
WKU CPR Training Center
The WKU CPR Training Center is now part of the South Central Kentucky AHEC , housed in the College of Health and Human Services. CPR and First-Aid Training courses are available to both WKU and Bowling Green communities.
Event Parking Advisory
The first floor of Parking Structure 2 will be reserved today for attendees of the College of Business Job Fair and the Camp & Recreation Job Fair.
February
12
Wednesday
Study Abroad Fair

The spring 2020 Study Abroad Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Mahurin Honors College-International Center, room 1011. More Info
February
12
Wednesday
Business College Job Fair

The Gordon Ford College of Business Job Fair will be held from noon to 3 p.m. at Downing Student Union third floor. More Info
February
12
Wednesday
Camp & Recreation Job Fair

The WKU Camp & Recreation Job Fair will be held from noon to 3 p.m. at Diddle Arena's Stansbury Concourse. More Info
Western Kentucky University 
1906 College Heights Blvd. 
Bowling Green, KY 42101