The newsletter for the WKU community
March 28, 2024
President's Message: Thank You for Exhibiting the Strength & Spirit of WKU
Dear WKU Faculty, Staff and Students,

Earlier this week I encouraged our campus to consider a range of options in response to the controversy surrounding last night’s speaker. Beginning yesterday morning and concluding long after Kyle Rittenhouse left campus, our students, faculty and staff embraced the opportunity to make their voices heard in a respectful, peaceful and safe manner. From a daylong sit-in, protests and meaningful conversations over ice cream to presenting challenging questions without disruption during the presentation, the WKU Community demonstrated to the many watching us - from around our state and nation - how free speech and expression should unfold on a college campus. I could not be prouder of the way our campus community conducted itself and upheld its responsibility to abide by Kentucky’s Campus Free Speech Protection Act – all without silencing anyone.

The WKU Experience prepares our students not only for their careers but for their lives – which we hope will include being civic leaders and agents of change across our globe. We also know that the WKU Experience encompasses both what we teach inside and outside the classroom.
CLIMBING HIGHER
The Department of Folk Studies & Anthropology and the Department of Sociology & Criminology will join together to create the new Department of Sociology, Criminology, Anthropology, & Folk Studies (SCAFS). The main academic focus of SCAFS will be on societal, cultural, and justice studies, with a heavy emphasis on community engagement and service. Learn More
Gatton student selected for MIT Research Science Institute
Gatton Academy junior Emma Hyman was selected out of 2,500 applicants to join this summer’s cohort of 100 students at the Research Science Institute (RSI), collaboratively sponsored by Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Center for Excellence in Education.
Spotlight: Brittany Bergonzi
An exploration of the campus informational fair during her first week as a first-year student on campus in the fall of 2011 led Brittany Moster Bergonzi to a Hilltopper experience like no other.
2 WKU students offered Critical Language Scholarships
WKU students Lilian Branch and Samuel Engel have been offered 2024 Critical Language Scholarships, a program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Two other students, Emma Harris and Meghan Pierce, have been designated alternates.
Museum launches SpiritFunder campaign for music exhibit
The Kentucky Museum invites the public to grab backstage passes to Sonic Landscape. Begun with seed money from the Bowling Green Convention & Visitors Bureau, Sonic Landscape is a multimedia-rich exhibit showcasing our region’s diverse musical heritage from the early 1900s to today.
Sexual Assault Prevention Month events begin Monday
April is Sexual Assault Prevention Month, and the WKU campus community will kick off activities from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday (April 1) at the Downing Student Union Courtyard (rain location: DSU first floor).
English Department hosts Bowling Green High students
WKU hosted its first English Day at Cherry Hall on March 1 and invited students from Bowling Green High School who were interested in studying anything related to English, including, creative writing, professional writing, literature, and more.
Take Our Kids to Work Day
Registration is open for Take Our Kids to Work Day on April 25. The WKU Department of Human Resources invites all WKU employees with either children or grandchildren currently enrolled in grades 2-12 to participate in this free event. Registration is limited and spots fill up fast.
Athletics
March
28
Thursday
WKU Faculty Senate

WKU Faculty Senate will meet at 3:45 p.m. today at Downing Student Union, room 2081. Learn More
March
30
Saturday
Choose WKU

WKU Admissions will host Choose WKU on Saturday. The Academic College Preview Day for admitted students will begin at 8 a.m. at Diddle Arena. Learn More
April
2
Tuesday
Head for The Hill

WKU Admissions will host Head for The Hill on Tuesday. The open house event for prospective students and their families will begin at 8 a.m. at Diddle Arena. Learn More
Western Kentucky University 
1906 College Heights Blvd. 
Bowling Green, KY 42101