About President Timothy C. Caboni

Timothy C. Caboni, a 1994 Western Kentucky University graduate, returned to the Hill on July 1, 2017, as WKU’s

10th president. Shortly after assuming the president role, President Caboni launched a comprehensive strategic

planning process aimed at developing a roadmap for the University’s next decade of growth. Thus, WKU’s 2018-

2028 strategic plan, Climbing to Greater Heights, was finalized in summer 2018, and its implementation is well

underway.

 

President Caboni quickly generated a renewed institutional focus on student-centeredness, applied research,

recruitment, retention and growing partnerships within WKU’s 27-county service region and beyond. Of

particular importance to President Caboni is WKU’s responsibility to advance the City of Bowling Green, the

Commonwealth of Kentucky and the world by inspiring innovation, elevating communities and transforming

lives.

 

A number of key initiatives have launched during President Caboni’s tenure at WKU, including the Summer

Scholars program, the Intercultural Student Engagement Center Academy, the Burch Institute, the First Year

Village and associated Living Learning Communities, the First Gen program, the Commons at Helm Library, the

Opportunity Fund, the Innovation Campus, centralized advising, a revised institutional scholarship program, a

comprehensive academic program review and revised admissions standards. The intentional groundwork laid

through the strategic plan and these initiatives, supported by collective university-wide efforts under President

Caboni’s leadership, has generated significant positive momentum and record- breaking successes at WKU.

 

Since his arrival in 2017, President Caboni has overseen campus improvement projects totaling nearly $655

million. In 2018, he dedicated Ogden College Hall, which houses most of WKU’s science disciplines. He

championed the construction of WKU’s First Year Village, which opened in fall 2021 and is home to many of the

university’s Living Learning Communities (LLCs). Additionally, the Commons at Helm Library opened its doors

to the campus community in the spring 2022 semester. This unique, modern multipurpose facility transformed

a traditional campus library into an intellectual hub where students, faculty and staff gather to share ideas and

engage in active learning.

 

In summer 2023, the university broke ground on a state-of-the-art home for the Gordon Ford College of

Business and in the fall of that year opened its new Soccer/Softball Complex, forever changing the operations of

the university’s women’s soccer and softball teams. Also in fall 2023, WKU broke ground on its new Hilltopper

Fieldhouse, opening in fall 2025, which will provide space for the institution’s award-winning forensics team, Big

Red Marching Band, e-sports team and Athletics. President Caboni recently announced a significant investment

in Cherry Hall to facilitate needed preservation work as well as a reimagining of campus’s most iconic structure.

The Hilltop Restoration Project, including the newly-dedicated Garrett Plaza, was completed in summer 2024,

making the area more accessible, providing outdoor space for the community to gather and returning the top

of the Hill to founding President Henry Hardin Cherry’s original vision. Finally, the university will soon break

ground on a replacement for its Academic Complex, made possible by a $160 million appropriation from the

Kentucky General Assembly, the largest capital project appropriation in WKU’s history. The Academic Complex

currently serves as the home of the College of Health and Human Services and WKU Public Media.

 

At the start of his third year on the Hill, President Caboni announced bold changes to the University’s scholarship

program, increasing institutional aid by $5.2 million. The revamped freshman scholarship model, coupled with

aggressive affordability marketing and outreach, has led to more than 90% of the incoming class receiving merit

awards to help fund their education (rising from 39% in 2019).

 

Throughout his presidency, President Caboni’s emphasis on hands-on student learning has been on full display.

He regularly participated in the Leadership and Communication Living Learning Community, engaging with

students through thoughtful and meaningful interactions. He was honored as the 2024-2025 Administrator of

the Year by the Kentucky Music Educators Association (KMEA) in recognition of his work with WKU’s music

programs – especially the Big Red Marching Band, the largest collegiate marching band in the Commonwealth.

 

From the 2016-17 academic year to the 2023-24 academic year, overall student retention increased 8.4 percentage

points (69.9% to 78.3%). Retention of Underrepresented Minority (URM) students increased 13.4 percentage

points (57.8% to 71.2%) during that time, and low-income student retention increased 13.2 percentage points

(60.2% to 73.4%). The 2023-24 academic year saw the highest retention rates in WKU history for all students

(78.3%) as well as for low-income students (73.4%).

 

Western Kentucky University’s fall 2024 first-time, first-year class returned the following spring in record fashion.

Overall, almost 91% of first-time, first-year students who were enrolled at WKU for the fall 2024 semester

returned in spring 2025, a 4.7 percentage point increase since the 2017-18 academic year. Fall-to-spring retention

of first-time, first-year students has increased nearly five percentage points since 2019. Additionally, since 2019,

the university has experienced fall-to-spring retention increase of approximately four percentage points among

first-time, first-year students who identify as the first in their family to attend college. With President Caboni at

the helm, more students are choosing WKU because it’s been made more attractive and more accessible than ever

before; more students stay and complete their degrees because of the growth and enhancement of its targeted

student-support structure; and more graduates are choosing to remain in Kentucky because of the growing

partnerships in the University’s 27-county service region and beyond.

 

President Caboni has overseen the transformation of the university’s 285,000-square-foot Center for Research

and Development into an Innovation Campus – an environment where students, staff and faculty connect

with entrepreneurs, industry leaders and business resources to create jobs, develop talent pipelines and propel

the region’s economy. Numerous local, national and global companies, such as Kentucky to the World, Logan

Aluminum, Holley Performance Products, Stupp Fiber, Lunae and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have

since established a presence at the University’s Innovation Campus, and WKU students are benefitting from the

opportunity to research, create and learn alongside industry leaders.

 

Under President Caboni’s leadership, the university has also experienced significant fundraising success. Shortly

after arriving at WKU in 2017, he announced the creation of the WKU Opportunity Fund, an effort to support

WKU students experiencing financial difficulties. The fund surpassed its initial goal of $50 million, and in 2021,

President Caboni announced an even more ambitious $100 million goal. Ultimately, the Opportunity Fund grew

to $102.4 million and led to the creation of 267 endowed scholarships.

 

During his presidency, WKU Athletics has experienced remarkable success. Since his arrival on campus,

Hilltopper programs have captured 23 Conference USA (CUSA) team championships across eight sports and 20

individual titles from five additional programs. Academically, WKU student-athletes have excelled as well, setting

department records for the number of honorees on the CUSA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and recipients of the

Commissioner’s Academic Medal. In fall 2024, they achieved a program-best 3.24 cumulative GPA.

 

President Caboni also played a pivotal role in guiding CUSA through a critical period of realignment while

serving as Chair of the CUSA Board of Directors from October 2021 to May 2024—the longest tenure in league

history. During this time, he helped stabilize the conference, laying the foundation for long-term success and a

return to 12 full-time members by July 1, 2025. He also led negotiations for a new multimedia rights agreement

focused on accessibility, strategic scheduling, national exposure (both linear and digital), and increased revenue.

 

Before becoming Chair, President Caboni joined the CUSA Executive Committee in 2019 and was named Vice

Chair in June 2021. His national influence extended to his service on the College Football Playoff Board of

Managers, where he contributed to the expansion of the playoff from four to 12 teams.

 

President Caboni, who holds a PhD in higher education leadership and policy from Vanderbilt University, served

as the vice chancellor for Public Affairs at the University of Kansas for six years. Prior to that he was associate dean

of the Peabody College of Education & Human Development at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

 

As the vice chancellor at KU, Dr. Caboni led public affairs for KU’s four campuses and the KU Medical Center. He

served as the principal spokesman and coordinated the communication activities of the University with those of

the KU Alumni Association, KU Endowment and Kansas Athletics, Inc. Dr. Caboni oversaw the communications,

marketing and advocacy efforts of the University and coordinated KU’s legislative agenda at all government

levels, championing issues that include research funding, higher education policy and health care. He was also

responsible for the operations of Kansas Public Radio and was associate professor of educational leadership and

policy in the School of Education.

 

Dr. Caboni was an active member of the Lawrence, Kansas, community, serving on the board of the Lawrence

Chamber of Commerce and the Joint Economic Development Commission of Lawrence and Douglas County as

well as the boards of the Lawrence Art Center and the Lied Center for the Performing Arts.

 

As associate dean at Vanderbilt, Dr. Caboni oversaw the Peabody College’s 21 professional graduate degree

programs and graduate and professional financial aid for the college, and he led outreach, partnership and program

development efforts for the college as well as communications and admissions. His leadership contributed to

the school’s rise to No. 1 in the U.S. News & World Report rankings of graduate schools of education for three

consecutive years.

 

President Caboni is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, and received a bachelor’s degree in speech communication

and rhetoric from Louisiana State University. He earned a master’s degree in corporate and organizational

communication from WKU. His higher education professional experience includes alumni relations, fundraising,

prospect research, teaching, academic administration, communications, marketing and government relations.

He has published nearly 30 articles and one book. His current research is focused on use of data-based decisionmaking in higher education fundraising.

 

President Caboni is married to Kacy Schmidt Caboni, who was director of development and team leader for the

School of Business with the Kansas University Endowment. She was instrumental in the construction of Capitol

Federal Hall, the new home of the KU business school, funded entirely through private philanthropy. In addition

to serving as WKU’s First Lady, Kacy is director of principal gifts and special initiatives in the WKU Division of

Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement.

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President Timothy C. Caboni