WKU in the News

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Here is a selection of recent news stories about WKU:

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.