WKU in the News

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Here is a selection of recent news stories about WKU:

February 2-14, 2019

Daily News

• 'The Future is Now': WKU's Idea Festival draws hundreds of students to campus: When Keiko Nishijima looks back on her memories of attending the Idea Festival at WKU as a high school student, she remembers the creativity and inspiration it helped spark.
• 'Cool' product: WKU students create wearable technology that heats and cools: Young entrepreneurs Liam Seymour and Jacob Haskamp of Bowling Green have a really cool product. Or maybe it’s totally hot. It sort of depends on the season.
• Workshops geared to helping business start-ups: With an eye toward helping local entrepreneurs beat those odds, WKU's Small Business Development Center on Nashville Road is offering two free workshops this month.
• WKU retention aided by policy change: WKU has been touting recent gains in retaining students through efforts like streamlining advising and retooling financial aid.
• WKU to make key hires in coming months: WKU will make important administrative hires in the coming months as it continues advancing long-term building projects, a review of its academic programs and new budgeting practices.
• WKU considering partnership with QatarDebate for language education: When Kassidy Orrender first came to WKU, she never planned to study Arabic.

WNKY-TV

• Pension reform bill could affect WKU employees: A new bill filed in the Kentucky House of Representatives could bring changes to retirement benefits for employees at WKU.
• WKU celebrates Black History Month with artist talk: To celebrate Black History Month, WKU held its Black History Month artist talk Wednesday.
• Students with ties to WKU create own tech company: Most college students at the age of 20 to 21 are busy taking classes and figuring out what they want to do after they graduate.
• Middle school and high school students participate in annual Idea Festival: Some 750 middle and high school students were at WKU on Wednesday for Idea Festival. Students from 17 school districts from Kentucky and Tennessee participated in the annual festival.
• Campus Beat – Madalynn Alt, WKU feature baton twirler: One student at WKU has been named one of 12 finalists for a international social media award challenge.
• WKU Habitat for Humanity chapter participates in special build for disabled veteran: Habitat for Humanity is an organization that builds affordable housing for those in need.
• Spencer’s Coffee House hosts special WKU art exhibition: The pictures that currently adorn the walls aren’t from professional artists, though. They were made by students of WKU’s Printmaking Club.

WBKO-TV

• Hundreds of students gather for sixth annual IdeaFestival Bowling Green: Over 750 middle and high schoolers from 17 different school districts across Kentucky and Tennessee, congregated at WKU Wednesday.
• Remembering the National Corvette Museum sinkhole: Dr. Leslie North, Associate Professor of Geography at WKU says it wasn't what she expected.
• WKU film students are now certified "level one" stunt fighters: WKU film students are now certified "level one" stunt fighters.

WKU Public Radio

• Author Julia Cooke Explores Lives of Young Adults in Cuba: Cooke will be in Bowling Green on March 14th to discuss her book as part of WKU's International Year of Cuba. WKU is hosting a book club so that "The Other Side of Paradise" can be read together and discussed.
• Everyday Life in Cuba On Display In Art Exhibit at WKU: An exhibition of Cuban artwork is now on display at WKU called “The Island of My Love: The Faces and Stories of Cuba.”

Owensboro Times

• Mother, son find ‘The Tassel is Worth the Hassle’: On the surface, Triston and Kerrie Druen appear to be typical college students. They are both doing their best to balance life with their course load and are concerned about the questions on an assignment that is due in their next class.

January 26-February 1, 2019

WKU Public Radio

• WKU President Caboni Says Entrepreneurs Are Key to Future Growth of the Region: The president of WKU said one of the priorities for the future growth of the region is to encourage a community of entrepreneurs.

Daily News

• WKU president talks economic development, college affordability with Rotary Club: College affordability and economic development were just a few of the topics WKU President Timothy C. Caboni discussed with the Bowling Green Rotary Club on Wednesday during the group’s weekly meeting.

WBKO-TV

• Climbing to Greater Heights at WKU: WKU President Timothy C. Caboni spoke at the Bowling Green Rotary Club meeting Wednesday afternoon to discuss the university's 10-year strategic plan called "Climbing to Greater Heights."

WNKY-TV

• WKU President gives update to Bowling Green Rotary Club on future initiatives: Students at WKU may have had the day off Wednesday due to cold temperatures. The university’s President, on the other hand, was given a warm welcome at the Bowling Green Rotary Club meeting.
• Throwback Thursday – Augenstein Alumni Center Museum: This week we’re at the Augenstein Alumni Center at the WKU campus in Bowling Green.
• Gatton Academy student recognized as national science scholar: A Gatton Academy for math and science student, Sydney Wheeler, was named a 2019 Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholar.
• Campus Beat – ‘Face of a Scholar’ Scholarship: Scholarships are a vital part of higher education in our country.

Madisonville Messenger

• Black History Month celebration Saturday:For the second year, Zion Temple A.M.E. Zion Church will kick off Black History Month with a program Saturday featuring a guest speaker, music and more. The guest speaker will be Martha J. Sales, executive director of the WKU Intercultural Student Engagement Center.

The Owensboro Times

• Two families trace education careers back for generations: But the family legacy originated with Josephine Shocklee Baird. Josephine began teaching at 19 years old in a one room schoolhouse. To earn her degree, she travelled by train from Livermore to WKU.

Elizabethtown News-Enterprise

• Murals of the Holocaust to be on display at ECTC: A new initiative coming to Eliza­bethtown through CKCF’s Marvin and Joyce Benjamin Fund is Never Again: Murals of the Holocaust, a project of WKU’s Center for Gifted Studies.

KyForward

• Institute for Rural Health receives $20,000 grant from Delta Dental of Kentucky Foundation: The Institute for Rural Health, part of WKU’s College of Health and Human Services, has received a $20,000 grant from Delta Dental of Kentucky’s Foundation.

January 15-25, 2019

Daily News

• WKU makes progress on retaining students: When the spring semester began at WKU this week, more first-year students returned to the Hill for their second semester than in 2017.

WNKY-TV

• Local businesses impacted by students returning: WKU students are returning for another semester on the hill, and local businesses are already ringing up more sales as the students make their way back.
• Campus Beat – Mental health resources on campus: Mental health awareness has become much more prevalent in recent years, especially at colleges and universities across the country. Betsy Pierce, who works in the Counseling Center at WKU, discusses the resources available to WKU students, and what you can do to help someone you may know who is dealing with a mental health issue.
• Kentucky Museum receives grant that will fund new exhibit: The Kentucky Museum has received yet another grant, this one known as the Kentucky Local Trust Fund, which will be used to create a new exhibit that will be introduced next year.

Fox 56, Lexington

• Couple transforms rundown motel into luxury inn and café: There's new life in an old motel just outside Beattyville. The former eyesore in now eye-catching. You can get fresh-roasted coffee here, delicious danishes and chocolates made from the bean. In late 2017, WKU graduate Dustin Cornett opened The Chocolat Inn and Cafe, providing luxury accommodations in an area known for campgrounds and cabins.

Henderson Gleaner

• New source of weather data online in Tri-county area: Gathering weather information in Kentucky keeps getting more local, and Webster County is the latest place to get special equipment that helps with that mission.

WBKO-TV

• 2018 one of wettest years for Kentucky: According to the Kentucky Mesonet at WKU, 2018 was one of the wettest years on record for Kentucky.

January 3-14, 2019

Elizabethtown News-Enterprise

• E’town woman vies for Miss Kentucky title: Tara Curry, 22, a full-time student at WKU who hasn’t competed in a pageant since she was 6 years old, will represent Elizabethtown on Jan. 26 in Miss Kentucky USA in Lexington.

Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer

• Badges of Honor: OHS principal overcame many obstacles to become a role model: While some people try to hide the past, John DeLacey looks for opportunities to share his with students and staff at Owensboro High School, where he works as principal. As a kid, his road to success was paved with obstacles -- just like the ones many OHS students face. While in college, he worked up to 50 hours a week during summers to pay for tuition and books. During the academic year, he worked two jobs and drove from Owensboro to WKU three days a week because he couldn't afford to live on campus.
• Embry retires, Gaynor gets promoted at Independence Bank in Hancock County: Rick Embry retired as president of Independence Bank's Hancock County operations at the end of December. And Wade Gaynor has been named to the post, the bank said in a news release. He received a bachelor of science degree in business administration from WKU.

Daily News

• 'Innovative' approach helps upstart Eezy make its mark: Eezy, winner last year of a Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce Business Innovation Award, has been making Google happy since its launch by Shawn Rubel three years ago in a tiny office in the WKU Small Business Accelerator.

USA Today

• Older workers are driving job growth as boomers remain in workforce longer: Baby boomers should be hanging it up and kicking back. Instead, they’re still driving U.S. job growth. “Many seniors are having a hard time making ends meet and find they have to work when they had not planned to,” says Dean Baker, cofounder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. That wasn’t the issue for Gregory Siegelman, 61, who was laid off from his job as a marketing vice president in 2014. Although he couldn’t land another marketing position, he realized he had lost his passion for the field and could afford to retire. But he was bored. “I knew I had more juice left in me,” he says, and so he sought a job teaching marketing at area colleges. He was repeatedly turned down until he finally snared a full-time job teaching marketing at WKU that began in fall 2017.

December 13, 2018-January 2, 2019

Daily News

• College Heights Foundation to move into historic home owned by Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice: The College Heights Foundation at WKU has found a new home thanks to a gift from a prominent WKU alumnus and his wife.
• WKU unveils new recruitment tool for school districts: A new tool WKU unveiled Tuesday promises to help fill school principal vacancies by offering information and access to candidates on the cutting edge of school leadership.
• Workforce Development Board to launch new work, tuition program for students: A scholarship program slated to launch next year means the South Central Workforce Development Board is extending its services beyond just removing employment barriers.
• WKU bike share program eyes expansion downtown: After a fleet of bikes arrived this month on WKU’s campus as part of a new way for students and staff to get around, the program is eyeing expansion into downtown Bowling Green.

WKU Public Radio

• WKU Professor Among 36 Incoming Kentucky State Legislators: A new class of state lawmakers is headed to Frankfort for the 2019 Kentucky General Assembly.
• WKU Public Broadcasting Launches Fellowship for Autistic College Students: WKU Public Broadcasting is launching a unique work study initiative aimed at WKU college students on the Autism Spectrum.

The Owensboro Times

• Owensboro native creates ‘Bingocize,’ spreads across world: Crandall, now an Associate Professor of Exercise Science and the Director for Applied Science in Health & Aging at WKU in the School of Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport, created Bingocize®.

Elizabethtown News-Enterprise

• Upon graduation from WKU, Harned receives commission: Hunter Wayne Harned, 22, was a Decem­ber 2018 graduate of WKU receiving bachelor of science degrees in business management and military leadership.

Glasgow Daily Times

• WKU-Glasgow hosts Fall 2018 Graduand Ceremony: Students who are about to graduate from WKU-Glasgow were honored during the Fall 2018 Graduand Ceremony on Thursday evening at WKU-Glasgow.

Lane Report

• WKU in Glasgow launches new student business accelerator: A WKU Student Business Accelerator in Glasgow slated to launch spring 2019 will be a free opportunity for students to explore starting their own businesses.

December 7-12, 2018

WKU Public Radio

• 'Bingocize' Created by WKU Professor Approved to Help Address Major Problem of Aging: A program called ‘Bingocize’ created by WKU Associate Professor of Exercise Science Jason Crandall has received approval from the National Council on Aging for use in helping older adults prevent falls.

WNKY-TV

• WKU Professor to perform in Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular: While WKU students are busy studying for, and taking, their final exams, one WKU professor from the Department of Music is spending the Christmas season in The Big Apple, and he’s not taking an early vacation.
• Kentucky Museum will offer free regular admission for three years: One of Bowling Green’s longest standing attractions is receiving an early Christmas gift.
• VeoRide bikes arrive at WKU: A new method for WKU students to get around the Hill arrived, with the school officially bringing in a new fleet of VeoRide bicycles for students to use.
• WKU Police Department establishes scholarship from growing facial hair: Across the country, it’s common for police departments to have policies in place regarding whether or not their officers may have facial hair while in uniform.

WBKO-TV

• WKU music professor performing at Radio City Music Hall: A WKU Music Professor is performing in New York City for the 2018 Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular.
• Face of Scholar Scholarship awarded at WKU: Often times when we think of police officers we think clean shaved, prim and proper.

Daily News

• WKU working to address teacher shortage: Of 65 new teachers graduating from WKU this weekend, only six are math teachers.
• WKU engineering students contribute to radio telescope project: When engineering students set out to design a new radio telescope at WKU this year, they initially thought everything would come together seamlessly.

Glasgow Daily Times

• WKU senior drawn to career as book illustrator and visual storyteller: Like most youngsters, Emilie Gill learned to read thanks to picture books. And, like most youngsters, she moved on to chapter books, young adult novels and more.

Ky Forward

• Graduating WKU senior drawn to career as book illustrator, visual storyteller: Like most youngsters, Emilie Gill learned to read thanks to picture books. And, like most youngsters, she moved on to chapter books, young adult novels and more.
• Carpenter Foundation grant allows WKU’s Kentucky Museum to provide free admission for three years: The Kentucky Museum has received a grant from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation that will allow the Museum to offer free admission to the public for three years.

December 1-6, 2018

Daily News

• Expert: changes needed to make autistic students more successful in college: An autism expert highlighted what colleges can do to assist students with autism during a speech Wednesday at WKU.

WBKO-TV

• WKU Police: Face of a Scholar Scholarship: Most police departments do not allow their officers to have facial hair, except a mustache is typically okay.
• WKU receives more than $118k as a result of Giving Tuesday: WKU saw a big increase in donations and gifts for the 2018 Giving Tuesday event.
• HOMETOWN HERO: Dr. Carl Kell: From the Wendy’s 10k Classic, to the Med Center Health 10k Classic, the one thing that’s always been consistent is Dr. Carl Kell.

WNKY-TV

• Preparing for Winter Weather: Elsewhere in Bowling Green, WKU has its own place in place to keep students safe this time of year.
• Looking back at Bush’s visit to WKU in 1984: Back in 1984, then Vice President George H.W. Bush made a campaign stop in Bowling Green.
• Giving Tuesday brings in $118,000 for WKU: Last week, the world celebrated “Giving Tuesday,” a day dedicated to making charitable gifts and donations to organizations in need, and that includes colleges and universities.
• Christmas in Kentucky kicks off Christmas season in Bowling Green: South central Kentucky celebrated the first weekend in December at the Kentucky Museum on Saturday.

KY Forward

• WKU student among 30 nationwide to earn Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellowship: Deven Richardson of Bowling Green has been selected as a 2019 Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellow. He is one of 30 fellows selected nationwide and the first WKU student to earn this honor.

November 16-30, 2018

Daily News

• WKU gifted ed advocate joins Prichard Committee board: Low-income, black and Hispanic students are underrepresented among Kentucky’s advanced students, a disparity longtime gifted education advocate Julia Link Roberts wants to help close as a new board member of Kentucky’s Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence.
• College Graffiti store closing after 30 years: College Graffiti, the Alpha dog of Greek apparel and accessories for WKU fraternities and sororities since before most of today’s students were born, is fast approaching its Omega.
• Aspiring health care professionals to benefit from new WKU scholarship: High school graduates in and around McLean County striving for a health care career can benefit from a new WKU scholarship thanks to a quarter-million dollar gift.
• WKU to benefit from statewide partnership: WKU expects to benefit from a new partnership among the state’s public universities that will help bring new ideas and innovations to the marketplace.
• Glasgow native speaks at library about Seminole architecture: After graduating from WKU, Carrie Dilley went to the University of Florida, where she received her master’s degree in architectural studies, and has long been interested in conventional structures that tend to get overlooked in academic studies.
• Healthy holidays require 'mindfulness': "It's hard to fight those traditional foods, but trying to be mindful is important,” said Brandi Breden, a dietitian at WKU.
• WKU enrollment report shows steady international student decline: WKU’s fall enrollment report shows sharp drops for both in-state students and international students, the latter of which WKU is trying to recapture by stepping up and diversifying its international recruitment.

WKU Public Radio

• For One WKU Instructor, Thanksgiving Is an Opportunity to Share Holiday with International Students: A WKU instructor is preparing a Thanksgiving Day meal for more than 200 international students, and their families and friends.
• Preparing Cuban Meal Helps Prepare Students For Real World: On a Thursday morning earlier this month, a hungry group gathered in the hall of the Academic Complex building at WKU.
• 70 Years of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Dr. Sam McFarland, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at WKU, said the declaration continues to serve as an aspirational document 70 years later. 

WNKY-TV

• Hilltopper Creamery gives students a chance to create dairy delights: Thanks to a recently started program, WKU students are churning up attention to something unfamiliar to most. The art of cheese-making at the Hilltopper Creamery.
• Thanksgiving dinner for international students: Today many international college students are spending Thanksgiving in Bowling Green.
• WKU Sisterhood awards $55,000 in grants: After holding its annual meeting on Nov. 16, the WKU Sisterhood has awarded grants to four projects totaling $55,000 for programs and initiatives in the university community.

WBKO-TV

• WKU hosts Thanksgiving dinner for international students: On Sunday WKU international students got the chance to have a traditional Thanksgiving meal, some of them for the first time.

Lane Report

• WKU offering fully online work force administration degree: Students with an associate of applied science degree can earn an affordable professional bachelor’s degree in work force administration from WKU in as little as 15 months.
• Petroleum Experts donate MOVE software worth $2.18M to WKU: Petroleum Experts Inc. has donated the equivalent of $2.18 million in MOVE software to WKU’s Department of Geography and Geology.

Ky Forward

• George and CJ Nichols named 2018 WKU Philanthropists of the Year: George and CJ Nichols have been named the 2018 WKU Philanthropists of the Year.

Insider Louisville

• Vinyl revival boosts Crosley Brands revenue: When Bo LeMastus joined Crosley in 1983, he did not plan to stick around. He wanted to merely fulfill an internship requirement for his business degree from WKU, where he had enrolled two years earlier.

November 10-15, 2018

Daily News

• Comedic author dazzles WKU students: Relaxed and waggish, New York Times best-selling author Andrew Shaffer met with several dozen students, professors and others Tuesday at WKU to discuss his latest novel about a Washington power couple.
• Simpson County superintendent to lead Kentucky Association of School Superintendents: A 1986 graduate of WKU, Flynn holds a bachelor’s degree in science, with a major in biology and minor in chemistry.
• Anti-Vietnam War protestor who made history to visit WKU: Mary Beth Tinker, who became a plaintiff in the landmark free speech Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines, will share her story with WKU students.
• Firm selected to study local transit systems: A Pittsburgh-based engineering and consulting firm has been awarded a $125,000 contract to study the city of Bowling Green’s GO bg Transit system and WKU’s Topper Transit bus system, with hopes of making the two public transit systems more efficient and possibly even merging the two.

Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer

• Calhoun couple create WKU scholarship for area students: Hugh Wilhite has always wanted to do something for WKU because of how much the school gave to him, so the retired Calhoun doctor and his wife, Debby, have established a scholarship for students earning health care-related degrees.

Glasgow Daily Times

• WKU Glasgow launches student business accelerator: WKU’s Glasgow campus now has space set aside as a WKU Student Business Accelerator.

WNKY-TV

• WKU announces $15,000 scholarship for military-affiliated students: Following the Veterans Day celebrations and a number of festivities to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of ROTC at WKU, the College Heights Foundation announced a $15,000 scholarship gift from the Wells Fargo Foundation through support from the Ridley Group of Wells Fargo Advisors.
• CNN political commentator speaks at WKU: A CNN political commentator lectured at WKU Tuesday afternoon.
• WKU observes veterans with wreath-laying ceremony: On Friday morning, WKU chose to observe Veteran’s Day, which is on Sunday, with a special wreath-laying ceremony at the Guthrie Bell Tower to honor all the servicemen and servicewomen who serve, or have served, the United States of America.

WBKO-TV

• WKU celebrates Veterans and 100 years of the ROTC Program: Veterans Day will officially be celebrated on November 11, but a celebration took place at the Hill on Friday.
• New scholarship established at WKU for students in healthcare-related disciplines: A new scholarship has been established at WKU to benefit students in healthcare-related disciplines.

WKU Public Radio

• WKU Veterans Day Ceremony Unveils New Panel for Guthrie Bell Tower: WKU held its annual Veterans Day ceremony Friday morning, and unveiled a new panel of granite etchings to be added to the Guthrie Bell Bell Tower in the middle of campus.

November 2-9, 2018

WNKY-TV

• WKU's Preston Center set for a third phase of renovations: The Preston Health and Activities Center at WKU was constructed back in 1992.
• WKU students participate in groundbreaking study: Two WKU meteorology students lent their hands in an unforgettable, groundbreaking project this past summer.
• WKU celebrates International Education Week: Throughout the next few days, WKU is celebrating International Education Week on the hill with nearly 20 co-curricular events and enhanced courses.
• Gordon Ford College of Business offers professional clothing: For most college students, finances are often tight.

WKU Public Radio

• WKU's Minton Hall Closing Due to Mold, with Students Moved Elsewhere on Campus: Hundreds of WKU students are being moved out of their residence hall because of mold.

Elizabethtown News-Enterprise

• FAKH finds ideal candidate: Jamie Sizemore has been selected as the new executive director of Feeding America, Ken­tucky’s Heartland. An Eliza­beth­town resident, Edmon­son County native and graduate of WKU, she begins her latest leadership role Dec. 3 in preparation for the Jan. 2 retirement of Gary Miles as the hunger relief and support organization’s current leader.

October 27-November 1, 2018

Daily News

• Upcoming documentary will highlight health risks of asbestos: WKU graduate Bryan Lemon said he encountered some of the strongest people he’s ever known while making “Dirty Laundry,” a documentary about people affected by mesothelioma.
• $250,000 gift will support WKU's Center for Leadership Excellence: A $250,000 gift to WKU’s Center for Leadership Excellence will support the center’s outreach efforts and the development of a new generation of leaders on the Hill.
• Writing celebration honors late professor, WKU poet laureate: WKU student Casey Child remembers his late poetry professor Mary Ellen Miller as the teacher who’d endlessly mark up his work and didn’t shy away from tough love.
• WKU residence hall revamp moves forward: Plans to build two new high-end residence halls at WKU moved forward Friday after the university’s Board of Regents approved a land swap that will make the project possible.
• WKU moving ahead on new budget approach: WKU is revisiting its approach to budgeting in hopes of replacing it with a system that is less top-down and more transparent.

WKU Public Radio

• What's Fake News Got to Do With Folklore? WKU Professor Explores Connections in New Article: Some researchers from WKU are taking a unique perspective on the phenomenon known as “fake news.”
• Barren County Husband and Wife Team Create New Leadership Fund at WKU: A Glasgow couple is creating a new fund to benefit the WKU Center for Leadership Excellence.

WNKY-TV

• 'First Year Village' to become reality on WKU campus in fall 2020: Future WKU students have something to look forward to! Two new residence halls are set to break ground in the upcoming months. 
• WKU, MTSU team up for 9th annual blood drive: On the football field, every time WKU and Middle Tennessee State square off, it's known as the 100 Miles of Hate rivalry.
• WKU community garden lets students grow food and plant new relationships: Most college students go to the grocery store to buy the food they need to cook their meals. Others likely make their way to student dining facilities for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. For some international students, though, growing their own food is part of their culture, and it's something they wouldn't be able to do without a community garden on the WKU campus.
• Glasgow native crowned WKU Homecoming Queen: Homecoming festivities would not be complete without the crowning of this year's queen, and this year, a south-central Kentucky native took home the honors.

Glasgow Daily Times

• WKU recognizes top volunteers: WKU recognized its top volunteers Oct. 25 at the 18th annual Summit Awards.

October 20-26, 2018

Science Friday

• Welcome To The Bone Room: Even before its death, this yellow stingray was like a ghost. The ocean dweller haunting the waters of North Carolina down to Florida and the Bahamas and Caribbean, would glide across the seafloor or vanish into the sand with its mottled tan skin—sneaking up on nearby prey. But its disappearing act also works on humans. When a swimmer wading in shallow waters accidentally steps on a hidden yellow stingray, the creature defensively swings a venomous barb, or spine, on the top of its tail and stings the leg. It’s an intricate movement—one that WKU biology faculty member Steve Huskey goes all the way to the bone to understand.

Lane Report

• McCarthy Strategic Solutions adds community relations and higher ed professional: Robbin Morrison Taylor, VP of public affairs at WKU, will join McCarthy Strategic Solutions beginning Dec. 1, according to John McCarthy, founder and managing partner of McCarthy Strategic Solutions.
• Louisville Public Media hires culture editor: Louisville Public Media has hired Ashlee Clark Thompson as culture editor. She is a graduate of WKU and currently pursuing her master of fine arts degree at Spalding University.

Daily News

• WKU's head of public affairs stepping down: Robbin Taylor, vice president of public affairs at WKU, is leaving her job to work for a Frankfort-based lobbying firm.
• WKU moves forward with residence hall upgrades: WKU is moving ahead with a project to transform Bemis Lawrence Hall and Barnes-Campbell Hall by 2021.
• WKU faculty wary of academic program review: WKU is weighing the fate of more than 300 academic programs this year through a process that has some faculty concerned it could lead to further budget cuts.

WNKY-TV

• WKU Vice President of Public Affairs announces exit: A longtime staff member at WKU has announced she's leaving her post.
• WKU Food Pantry helps students, faculty in need: As you drive or walk down Regents Avenue on the campus of WKU, you'll pass by several houses on either side of the street that look nothing more than just that - houses.

WBKO-TV

• Vice President of Public Affairs at WKU leaving after 18 years: After almost two decades of working at WKU, Robbin Taylor is closing a chapter to start a new one.
• Bikes for new program demonstrated at WKU: WKU students had the opportunity Wednesday to take a look at a new bike sharing program coming to campus.

WKU Public Radio

• WKU Poet Laureate Receives Posthumous Honor: This year's Celebration of Writing at WKU will honor the legacy of its late organizer, Mary Ellen Miller.

Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer

• Whitesville Solar company starting to grow: When the Kentucky House of Representatives began debating House Bill 227 last winter, it spurred demand for solar energy. And that let Clint Merritt quit his job at a Beaver Dam automotive plant and devote full time to his Driven Solar company. A Whitesville native, Merritt graduated from WKU with a degree in electrical engineering.

October 12-19, 2018

Lane Report

• WKU student revving up a business while living his lessons as he learns them: When Atlanta born and raised Robert Bowden III was in high school looking around the country for a college with a major in entrepreneurship, the only one he found was WKU.

WNKY-TV

• WKU Office of Scholar Development celebrates 10 years: The 2018-19 academic year marks the tenth year since the Office of Scholar Development at WKU was created.
• Stickwork Project at WKU nears completion: The Stickwork Project that's been taking place over the last two weeks on the front lawn of the Kentucky Museum is finally coming to a finish this week, and on Friday there will be a reception to celebrate the completion of the project.
• Keeping students safe on the hill and online at "Stay Safe WKU": WKU hosted an event called, “Stay Safe WKU” in hopes to make students more aware of their safety.
• WKU Libraries offers charitable alternative to paying fines: At some point in our lives, most of us have probably received a fine from our local library for an overdue book.
• Throwback Thursday: Hauntings at Potter Hall at WKU: Over the past couple of years, we’ve brought you stories of hauntings and ghosts around WKU’s campus in Bowling Green.

Daily News

• WKU writing celebration will honor late professor: After her death in June, this year’s Celebration of Writing at WKU will honor the legacy of Mary Ellen Miller, WKU’s poet laureate and longest-serving faculty member.
• WKU, Daily News hosting legislative forum, debate: The Bowling Green Daily News and WKU's Department of Political Science will sponsor a state legislative candidate debate and forum Tuesday.
• Balancing love, work as Kentucky politicians: Kentucky Treasurer Allison Ball visited WKU on Wednesday to discuss her career, marriage and life advice with students, professors and alumni along with her husband, Asa Swan, the chief of staff for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

WBKO-TV

• Stickwork at WKU nearing project completion: What started at the beginning of the month as stick gathering has now molded and shaped into something much larger.

WKU Public Radio

• Community Conversation at WKU Highlights Robert Penn Warren's Greatest Work: The group Kentucky Humanities is winding down its statewide reading initiative with a final community conversation next week at WKU.
• Logan County Native Named Tourism Chief in Bowling Green: When Sherry Murphy takes the helm, it will be a homecoming of sorts.  Murphy is a Logan County native and graduate of WKU.

Entertainment Cheat Sheet

• Was The Movie 'Halloween' Based On True Events?: When Carpenter was a student at WKU he took a psychology class. He recounts a time his class took a field trip that changed his life forever.

Omaha.com

• 15 things you might not know about the 'Halloween' movies: He credited the score to the Bowling Green Philharmonic Orchestra, a reference to his alma mater, WKU. It’s easily one of the most iconic horror scores.

Glasgow Daily Times

• Ellis to be part of panel discussing role of journalism in democracy: Kentucky Humanities will present Democracy & the Informed Citizen, the fifth and final in a series of statewide community discussions on the importance of journalism in maintaining democracy, on Oct. 23 at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium at Jody Richards Hall on the campus of WKU.

October 6-11, 2018

Daily News

• WKU community art project lets creativity blossom: Patrick Dougherty, known around the world for his large-scale sculptures woven with tree branches, has always shied away from being called an artist.
• Container World founders ready to end decades-long business careers: In an office filled with computer parts, photos, memorabilia of the Ramseys' beloved WKU Hilltoppers and a host of artifacts from their businesses, the couple talked about the evolution of their enterprises that have ebbed and flowed to keep pace with business trends.
• Blacksmiths gather for third annual Hammer-In: It’s a low-tech, hands-on craft, but that is metalworking’s appeal for many of the blacksmiths who gathered Saturday for the third annual Hammer-In at WKU.

WNKY-TV

• Reaching the finish line: WKU Professor's involvement in 10K nears 40-year end: Making a commitment to something for nearly 40 years is never an easy task. It takes a true passion to be devoted to one thing for that long of time, and it's something Dr. Carl Kell is all too familiar with.
• One student at WKU volunteers to set an example for others: Reed Mattison is a photojournalism major at WKU.
• Ending the stigma of mental health issues: "We need to be paying attention every day to our own struggles, people around us, and the mental health issues that affect us," said WKU Counselor Betsy Pierce.

WBKO-TV

• Staying safe on campus: Minor changes to your daily routine can help you stay safe on and off campus.

WKU Public Radio

• Sculptor Patrick Dougherty Guides Volunteers in Stick Sculpture Project at Kentucky Museum at WKU: A community art project in Kentucky involves tramping around in the woods and cutting down young trees to create a large-scale sculpture made from sticks. The WKU project is led by a sculptor whose studio is the outdoors.
• Going to College in Fall of 2019? You Have to Get Your FAFSA Filled Out: An event this weekend at WKU will help students and their families fill out and electronically sign the document.

WDRB-TV Louisville

• WKU student from Shepherdsville to appear on 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?': A WKU student is making a play for some major cash this week.

Elizabethtown News-Enterprise

• Local Gatton Academy seniors named National Merit semifinalists: Twenty-one seniors from The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky have been recognized as semifinalists in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Competition, marking the most students recognized in one school year in the school’s history.

Esquire

• The Untold Story of the Real Person Who Inspired Halloween's Michael Myers: The original film's director and co-writer John Carpenter (who also co-wrote 1981's Halloween II with his writing and producing partner Debra Hill) says a creepy encounter he had while attending WKU served as inspiration for the fictional serial killer.

New York Times

• ‘Halloween’ at 40: Their ‘Horrible Idea’ Became a Horror Classic: Also contributing to the film’s impact was its eerily effective score, composed by Mr. Carpenter and credited to the Bowling Green Philharmonic Orchestra. (The director had attended WKU in Bowling Green, Ky.)

September 28-October 5, 2018

Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer

• WKU grads create scholarship for Owensboro, Henderson grads: A couple who are WKU graduates have established a scholarship for Henderson County and Owensboro high schools that will be awarded for the first time in the spring of 2019 for the 2019-20 school year.

Glasgow Daily Times

• GWC, WKU participate in federal partnership program: A partnership between Glasgow Water Co. and WKU is the first in Kentucky to be part of a program implemented by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 to help communities connect with certain kinds of resources.

WBKO-TV

• Attorney General visits WKU; helps raise domestic violence awareness: For the third year in a row, Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear took the podium in Centennial Mall to speak on several topics.
• Volunteers pull off leaves in continuation of Stickwork at WKU project: Stickwork at WKU continued on Tuesday, with volunteers gathering limbs off campus, while others worked outside the Kentucky Museum.
• WKU swears in new police officer, only female police officer on the force: WKU's police department swore in a new officer on Monday morning.
• Journalist receives courageous reporting award: A reporter from Mexico received an award for courageous reporting at WKU on Thursday.

Daily News

• Hardin Planetarium fundraising amid cuts: In October 1967, the Hardin Planetarium was state of the art. Today, it is not, according to Richard Gelderman, director of the planetarium and professor of astronomy and physics at WKU. That’s why he’s initiating a journey toward a fundraising goal of $150,000 this weekend with a benefit event for the planetarium.
• BRIGHT Coalition seeks input for 2-year community health plan: Once the feedback has been gathered, BRIGHT will work together with WKU to determine the largest issues based on the the surveys so the coalition knows what to address in its 2019-20 health plan.
• WKU to host blacksmiths with Hammer-In: Some of Kentucky’s best knife makers, gunsmiths and metalworkers will come together at WKU this weekend for its third annual Hammer-In.
• WKU gears up for bike share program: WKU is gearing up to launch a bike share program next month that will allow students to glide down the Hill on bikes branded with WKU logos and colors.

WNKY-TV

• Patrick Dougherty starts construction on "Stickwork" at WKU: Earlier this week on the WKU campus, an art project called "Stickwork" began on the front lawn of the Kentucky Museum. With the harvesting phase of the project complete, construction of Patrick Dougherty's latest sculpture is finally underway.
• WKU Army ROTC program celebrating 100th anniversary: One hundred years is a long time. A lot can, and does, change during the course of the period of time.
• WKU partners with bike-sharing program: The campus of WKU will have new wheels for students and staff to cruise around campus.
• WKU Police swears in new female officer Melissa Bailey: In today's society, there are fewer female officers than male in uniform.
• Award-winning artist to create sculptures out of sticks at WKU: Volunteers are gathering supplies for award-winning artist Patrick Dougherty to create large-scale sculptures that are made from intertwined tree saplings.
• Barren River Area Safe Space Group and WKU Counseling Center hold domestic violence awareness event: October is the official start of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and several groups at WKU joined together for a kickoff event for that cause.

September 19-27, 2018

Daily News

• Sensory sanctuary: WKU to offer game day calming room for children with autism: As the mother of a child with autism, Amy Hardin has learned there are some community events that her family can’t fully enjoy. That’s why Hardin is working with WKU’s Alumni Association on Saturday to offer a sensory calming room during the football game against Marshall.
• New transit study to involve WKU, GO bg Transit: Less than three years after contracting with a consultant to study Bowling Green's GO bg Transit public transit system, the Bowling Green-Warren County Metropolitan Planning Organization is ready to solicit bids on a new study that will include an examination of WKU's Topper Transit system.
• 10 questions with ... Sara Volpi: Current job title: Literary outreach coordinator for WKU Libraries and Southern Kentucky Book Fest/YAS Book Con coordinator.
• High schools host workshops for FAFSA help: Students can also get help applying for financial aid at WKU’s Educational Opportunity Centers program.
• WKU faculty ponder later classes due to student sleep patterns: Citing sleep-deprived college students, a proposal under review by WKU faculty recommends later class start times to help boost student success.
• WKU students weigh Kavanaugh's confirmation: WKU junior Caitlyn Couvillion attended a presentation Wednesday on U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, hoping to get a better grip on a nomination process now imperiled by a sexual assault allegation.
• WKU students urge classmates to go vote: With Election Day fast approaching, WKU students are urging their classmates to register to vote so they can support candidates seeking state and local offices and make their voices heard.
• Gaither Vocal Band to perform with Orchestra Kentucky: Reed said the concert will also feature a special appearance from Larnelle Harris, a WKU graduate and a Grammy-winning gospel singer who was once a member of the Gaither Vocal Band.

WDRB-TV Louisville

• Louisville native wins MasterChef: Louisville native Gerron Hurt is America's new MasterChef. Hurt is a Fern Creek High School and WKU graduate.

Tennessean

• Nashville's Gerron Hurt wins 'MasterChef' with southern-inspired dishes: The Fern Creek High School and WKU graduate brought home the "MasterChef" win with a menu inspired by the south.

WHAS-TV Louisville

• Louisville native wins Season 9 of 'MasterChef': Gerron Hurt was the only chef from Kentucky in this season's competition, representing Louisville's Newburg neighborhood, Fern Creek High School and WKU.

WNKY-TV

• The Eric D. Yates Memorial Run takes place for the ninth consecutive year: The ninth annual Eric D. Yates Memorial Run happened Wednesday. it's a 5-K meant to honor the life and sacrifice made by former WKU Army ROTC member Eric Yates.

Glasgow Daily Times

• WKU to host parent and family weekend: WKU’s annual Parent & Family Weekend begins on Sept. 28 and continues with a full day of activities on Sept. 29.

September 14-18, 2018

Daily News

• Gift creates journalism fellowship at Daily News: A new journalism fellowship named after a former Daily News reporter and city editor will help aspiring journalists at WKU chase their own dreams.
• Independent film series to begin with 'Hillbilly': Tony Harkins, a history professor at WKU who is interviewed in “Hillbilly,” said the film seeks to examine and challenge persistent media portrayals that paint rural people as backwards and isolated.
• Faith, health care communities come together to help needy: A partnership involving Commonwealth Health Corp.’s Community Clinic, WKU, The Foundry Christian Community Center and State Street United Methodist Church will soon be providing much-needed health care screenings and other services to residents of Bowling Green’s west end.
• Latest census data show local growth, challenges: WKU sociology professor Jerry Daday said the key to improving measures such as poverty is not to focus just on unemployment numbers, but on the quality of the jobs available.

WBKO-TV

• Record number of Gatton Academy students named National Merit semifinalists: A record number of Gatton Academy students are semifinalists in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Competition.

WNKY-TV

• Rand Paul to host event next week at WKU: Kentucky Senator Rand Paul will be hosting an event at WKU next week.

September 8-13, 2018

WKU Public Radio

• WKU Opens New Center on Aging that Combines Many Areas of Expertise: WKU is launching a new center focusing on the health and wellness of the growing demographic of older adults in the state and the nation. The new Bowling Green facility opens Sept. 11.

Courier-Journal

• Here's how Kentucky universities fared in new Best Colleges rankings: U.S. News & World Report just released its 2019 Best Colleges rankings, which compare Kentucky universities to other schools across the nation using a variety of metrics and are a popular reference point for prospective students.

Daily News

• WKU opens Center for Applied Science in Health and Aging: By 2035, there will be more people age 65 and older than children in the United States.
• WKU fraternity supports USO with water balloon fight: Last year, when WKU’s chapter of Phi Gamma Delta held its first water balloon fight for charity, fraternity brother Seth Cook remembers the balloons raining down for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Cage the Elephant performs live at WKU: Cage the Elephant lead singer Matt Shultz twisted and bounced across the stage at WKUon Saturday as hundreds of students and fans sang along to hit songs by the Grammy Award-winning rock band from Bowling Green.
• Local schools lead innovative efforts in teacher training: Through a partnership between Warren County Public Schools and WKU, teacher mentors can receive a stipend for their commitment and a free course from WKU.
• WKU dedicates new mobile weather classroom: WKU unveiled a new Mobile Weather Classroom on Friday equipped with an on-the-go weather station that meteorology students can use to make forecasts in the field.

US News & World Report

• Mexican Journalist to Receive Award at WKU: Mexican journalist Marcela Turati will be in Kentucky this month to accept an award for courageous international reporting.

WNKY-TV

• WKU opens new research facility: A new research center at WKU's College of Health and Human Services officially opened its doors Tuesday.
• Don McGuire, last surviving member of The Hilltoppers, dies: Don McGuire, the last surviving member of The Hilltoppers, has died in his home state of Kentucky. He was 86.
• Former WKU professor, Civil Rights Advocate passes away: A former WKU professor and Civil Rights movement activist has passed away after a long battle with heart disease.
• WKU kicks off football season with Cage the Elephant concert: Over the weekend, Grammy® award-winning rock band - and Bowling Green natives – Cage the Elephant hosted a free concert for WKU students and football ticket holders.

WBKO-TV

• Last surviving member of "The Hilltoppers" music group passes away: Don McGuire, the last surviving member of the popular singing group "The Hilltoppers" has passed away.
• WKU celebrates first home game with free Cage The Elephant concert: WKU celebrated their first home game of the season with a free Cage The Elephant concert.
• WKU Meteorology Program unveils new mobile classroom: WKU's meteorology program, in partnership with the WKU Environmental Health and Safety and Emergency Management, unveiled a new mobile weather classroom Friday afternoon.

Glasgow Daily Times

• WKU honors more than 200 donors for consecutive years of giving and legacy gifts: At a brunch held Sept. 8 at the Augenstein Alumni Center, more than 200 donors were recognized for their years of consecutive giving and legacy gifts.
• Chinese teacher leaves home behind to teach local students: In his first year teaching Mandarin Chinese at PCE, one of his students placed first in the Mandarin Chinese Bridge competition at WKU.

KY Forward

• CommerceLex’s Kentucky Regional Tour going to Bowling Green area October 29-30: Central Kentucky leaders will connect with students at the Gatton Academy on the campus of WKU, one of the top high schools in the nation, and explore the downtown area.

The Morehead News

• Commentary: The story of Rowan told in pictures: Last October, 48 photojournalism students from around the world converged on our county with the prestigious WKU Mountain Workshops to visually document what we are and what we do. Those 48 were just the tip of the iceberg. When we add faculty and coaches of award-winning photography departments, experienced writers and designers the number topped 120.

DuBois (PA) Courier Express

• George Nichols III named president and CEO of the American College of Financial Services: George Nichols III, who twice has been named among the “Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America” by Savoy magazine, soon will lead The American College of Financial Services.

September 5-7, 2018

Daily News

• WKU's education college dean builds ties with school district leaders: Corinne Murphy, the new dean of WKU’s College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, vowed Wednesday to make WKU more meaningful to regional school district leaders.
• Cage the Elephant to perform on WKU's South Lawn: Fans of Bowling Green-formed rock band Cage the Elephant hoping for a homecoming will get their wish Saturday with a show at WKU.
• WKU kicks off International Year of Cuba: WKU kicked off its International Year of Cuba on Tuesday as two history professors peeled back the curtain and offered students a glimpse into the country’s past and present.

WNKY-TV

• Throwback Thursday: Grise Hall at WKU: College students are officially back to school, so we’re in Bowling Green on campus at WKU this week.
• Hungry, Hungry Hilltoppers: Dietitians key to helping student-athletes succeed: Nutrition in collegiate athletics has evolved.

WEHT-TV Evansville

• Miss Kentucky to serve as spokesperson for Kentucky Proud: Daviess County native and Miss Kentucky 2018, Katie Bouchard, is heading to the Miss America competition with a new job. Bouchard will serve as the official spokesperson for Kentucky Proud, as part of a decades-long partnership between the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) and the Miss Kentucky Organization. She’s the daughter of Michael and Amy Bouchard and a graduate of WKU.

August 24-September 4, 2018

Daily News

• County schools begin new teacher mentorship program: The program is the result of a partnership between WKU and the district. Mentors receive a stipend from the district and a free course from WKU.
• African American Museum seeks to expand hours with fundraising gala: When Maxine Ray remembers Jonesville, a historically black community that once thrived where part of WKU now stands, she imagines a neighborhood where folks looked out for one another.
• Four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist visits WKU: WKU students got a glimpse into natural disasters, political revolution and the endurance of the human spirit Wednesday as Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Carol Guzy shared images spanning three decades of her storied career.
• WKU kicks of project recognizing 50th anniversary of 1968: Most college students today feel no connection to 1968, a year that included the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and the deadly Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War, among other historic events.
• WKU president enters second year with confidence: After a year of budget cuts and staffing reductions, WKU Timothy Caboni is setting a brighter tone in his second year on the job.
• WKU president champions pay raises, academic efforts: After rounds of budget and job cuts, WKU employees will see more money in their paychecks starting early next year, and students will see several new academic initiatives, such as an online bachelor’s degree program geared toward adult learners throughout Kentucky.
• Cage the Elephant to perform at WKU: Bowling Green-based rock band Cage the Elephant will perform at WKU on Sept. 8 as part of events surrounding the Hilltoppers’ first home football game of the season, it was announced Friday.

WNKY-TV

• Images from Women Photojournalists of Washington on display at WKU: Jody Richards Hall on the campus of WKU has a new photojournalism display.
• Family of John Asher announces scholarship at WKU: The family of Churchill Downs spokesman, John Asher, has announced they are creating a scholarship in his name at his alma mater, WKU.

WKU Public Radio

• Reflections from 1968: Exhibit at WKU Spotlights Role of Tumultuous Year in U.S. History: The WKU School of Journalism and Broadcasting is commemorating the 50th anniversary of one of the most tumultuous years in recent U.S. history—1968.
• Following Year of Changes, WKU Ready to Move Forward: WKU President Timothy Caboni says the first year of his tenure wasn’t what he envisioned as financial challenges forced the school to make difficult decisions through reorganizations and layoffs.

WBKO-TV

• WKU students and traffic return to Bowling Green: Classes are back in session at WKU, bringing thousands of students back to Bowling Green, along with the traffic that comes with it.