WKU Faculty and Staff Convocation - August 11, 2025

WKU President delivers Convocation address

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President Timothy C. Caboni's Convocation Speech

Welcome

Hilltopper family, friends and guests, good morning, and welcome to the beginning of Western Kentucky University’s 119th academic year!

As we prepare to welcome our students back to campus in the coming days, I want to express my appreciation for your dedication and hard work throughout the summer. Your efforts ensure that our students feel a true sense of belonging, engage deeply in the WKU Experience and leave here equipped for success beyond graduation.

This morning, we are honored to be joined by outstanding leaders from across the Commonwealth who serve on our governing board. I ask that you please hold your applause until all names have been read as I recognize the members of the WKU Board of Regents present today:

• Regent Currie Milliken from Bowling Green;
• Regent Gary Broady from Franklin, Kentucky;
• Regent Doris Thomas from Smiths Grove, Kentucky;
• Faculty Regent Shane Spiller from Bowling Green;
• Staff Regent Jennifer Hammonds from Bowling Green; and
• Student Regent Rush Robinson, from Benton, Kentucky

I would also like to extend our gratitude to Regent Sam Kurtz, whose term on the board concluded this summer. We appreciate his time, energy and commitment during his two years as Student Regent and Student Government Association President.

As we thank Sam for his service, we also welcome his successor. Rush Robinson will serve this year as president of WKU’s Student Government Association and as the newest member of the Board of Regents.

Please join me in welcoming all of our regents with us today.

Finally, I’d like to offer a warm welcome to our new faculty and staff members participating in their first Convocation. If you are new this fall or joined us during the past academic year, please stand so we can properly welcome you to the WKU Family. We are so glad you are here!

 

Our Students

Student Achievements

Our students remain at the heart of everything we do, and they continue to distinguish themselves on the national stage, competing for and earning some of the nation's most prestigious scholarships.

For the second consecutive year, WKU was recognized as a top-performing institution for the Boren Awards. Six of our scholars each received $25,000 to pursue immersive language study abroad.

And in the spring, 24 WKU students were awarded Gilman Scholarships for study abroad – once again, more than all other public universities in Kentucky combined.

Charles Uland and Asa Ashley were named Goldwater Scholars in May, two of only five students in Kentucky to earn this honor in the 2024-25 application cycle. Since 1989, 30 WKU undergraduates have received the Goldwater Scholarship, the nation’s premier award supporting undergraduate research careers in science, engineering and mathematics.

Our student-athletes also set a new standard of excellence, both in competition and in the classroom. WKU Athletics captured four Conference USA Championships in 2024-25 – the seventh time in 11 years our teams have won at least four league titles in a single year. Baseball and Women’s Golf each secured their first Conference USA championships and advanced to NCAA tournaments, while Volleyball claimed both the regular season and tournament titles to earn yet another NCAA appearance.

Academically, Hilltopper student-athletes achieved a 3.26 cumulative GPA this spring – the highest in WKU Athletics history. And for the first time ever, all 14 sport programs held a cumulative GPA above 3.0. Our student-athletes are graduating at a 90% rate, also the highest in school history. Additionally, eight WKU student-athletes were named Conference USA Scholar Athletes of the Year – more than any other member school in the conference this year and the most by any institution since 2021.

The WKU Forensics Team continued its tradition of excellence, capturing its 32^nd consecutive Kentucky state championship and earning the National Forensics Association national championship in both individual events and Lincoln Douglas debate this spring.

WKU also finished second nationally in the 2025 Hearst Overall Intercollegiate Competition, marking the 32^nd straight year we’ve ranked among the top eight programs in the nation.

Our concrete canoe team – yes, it is a concrete canoe, and yes, it really floats – finished third in the nation at the American Society of Civil Engineers Student Championship. This marks the fourth consecutive year WKU has placed in the top five at the national competition.

The WKU Big Red Marching Band performed in the 2025 London New Year’s Day Parade, an event that draws more than 500,000 spectators each year and is broadcast on PBS to more than 500 million viewers. Kacy and I were incredibly proud to celebrate the new year alongside our marching band students. It was perhaps the most fitting way to welcome 2025, marking the 100^th anniversary of the WKU Band program.

In addition to this anniversary, two of our academic colleges celebrate significant milestones this year. Both the Potter College of Arts and Letters and the Ogden College of Science and Engineering turn 60. Dean Terrance Brown of Potter and Dean David Brown of Ogden, along with their faculty and staff, have planned a variety of events to honor their colleges’ legacies, and I look forward to celebrating with them and with you throughout the year.

These highlights represent just a snapshot of what our students accomplished last year. Each of us plays a role in supporting their success, and we should all take pride in what we help make possible.

 

We also have reason to be excited about our newest Hilltoppers. Once again, our incoming class looks to be among the most academically talented in our university’s history, bringing with them an impressive overall GPA of 3.47, ranking among the highest incoming class GPAs ever at WKU.

Our newest Hilltoppers represent 33 different states, and 24% will take part in one of our Living Learning Communities , or LLCs.

And again, participation in LLCs has demonstrated a meaningful effect on student retention. Among low-income students, retention rates are 77.8% for those in an LLC, compared to 73.8% for those not participating.

For first-generation students, 78.6% of LLC participants were retained, versus 71.8% of non-LLC peers. Overall, LLC students achieved an 84.6% retention rate, significantly higher than the 78.6% among non-LLC students.

The support structures we have developed help our students progress year to year and clearly make a difference. For several years, I have championed a goal of reaching 80% first-to-second-year retention, and each year we’ve moved closer. But today, I am proud to share that, if our numbers hold, we will have surpassed that goal, achieving an 80.3% retention rate. That is something for us all to celebrate! Supporting our students’ success is our foremost priority as educators and as an institution, and this accomplishment is the result of our shared commitment – something in which we all can take pride.

Philanthropy

I’d like to conclude our recap of last year by highlighting some extraordinary fundraising achievements.

Since 2017, WKU has experienced a remarkable era of philanthropic success – one that truly is unprecedented in our university’s history. The past eight years include the six most generous years of giving we’ve ever recorded, a testament to the continued growth in confidence in the mission and direction of our institution among our alumni, friends and community partners. This momentum continued in full force during this last fiscal year, which marked the single largest fundraising year in WKU’s history, with a total of more than $44.5 million dollars raised.

Our 2025 fiscal year fundraising achievements reflect the diverse priorities of our university. Among the highlights were a generous gift to support men’s basketball; an investment in the future of our nationally recognized Gatton Academy; a major naming gift for the new home of our Gordon Ford College of Business and a gift for the historic creation of WKU’s first endowed deanship. Each of these gifts represents a powerful vote of confidence in our programs, in our people and in our purpose.

As I shared with you during last year’s Convocation, we surpassed our $100 million dollar Opportunity Fund goal – raising more than $102 million dollars. And this incredible effort, made possible in large part through contributions from our faculty and staff, resulted in the creation of 267 new endowed scholarships. Since concluding the Opportunity Fund campaign last year, we have continued to generate vital financial support for our students, adding 57 new scholarship endowments in fiscal year 25.

Philanthropy is more than just dollars raised; it is an investment in the lives we shape, the research we conduct and the future we are building together. These generous gifts strengthen every corner of our university – from academics and athletics to innovation and inspiration – allowing us to dream boldly while furthering our mission. Simply put, philanthropy enables us to turn possibility into progress.

Mahurin Honors College

 

 

Our Hill

Physical Changes to our Hill

Our historic hilltop campus is among the most picturesque in the nation – a source of pride for generations of Hilltoppers. Through strategic investments and a bold vision, we are not only preserving its beauty but also fostering innovation and collaboration.

Six years ago, we committed to revitalizing our hilltop’s collaborative, oval academical village – a vision first set forth by our founding president, Dr. Henry Hardin Cherry. We began with the renovations of The Commons at Helm Library, then last September dedicated Garrett Plaza. Named in honor of our second president, Dr. Paul L. Garrett and his wife, Virginia, the plaza now serves as a central gathering space for our campus community.

To continue the important work on our hilltop, we now turn our attention to WKU’s most iconic building. Since opening its doors in 1937, Cherry Hall stands as a symbol of WKU and Bowling Green. Nearly every WKU student has climbed its marble stairs to attend at least one class, creating a deep personal connection with this historic structure.

Through the years, the growing demand for additional classroom and office space – combined with shifts in architectural trends – led to significant modifications to Cherry Hall. Temporary walls became permanent fixtures; elegant maple floors gave way to adhesive tile; and the original windows were replaced with more modern-looking alternatives. The last major renovation brought especially notable changes to the rear of the building and the main foyer, altering much of Cherry Hall’s original character. In short, the building that stands today looks quite different from the original structure.

But now, thanks to more than $71 million dollars in asset preservation funding from the Kentucky General Assembly, Cherry Hall will undergo its first major renovation in more than 50 years, with a goal of restoring much of the building’s original features while also better meeting the needs of the current and future generations of Hilltoppers.

I want to underscore that, throughout this project’s planning, the design team, along with a group of faculty and staff, focused on how to maintain Cherry Hall’s character and significance to our campus community while also making the upgrades necessary to ensure it can remain our most iconic structure. For example, preserving the marble and well-worn stair treads was non-negotiable. The wood used in renderings is reminiscent of the original maple floors that existed throughout when the building was completed in the 1930s. 

Aside from replacing the windows with a style that more closely matches the original windows and adding a ramp on the side for individuals with mobility challenges, the front of the building will remain exactly the same. And the rear elevation will remove the 1970’s addition and provide an accessible entrance and courtyard.

At a time when the arts and humanities are regularly devalued and de-emphasized, I am grateful to the Kentucky General Assembly for its commitment to preserving Cherry Hall. We take seriously our responsibility to honor the past while also ensuring that this extraordinary building is around for another 90 years. I’m also pleased that its renewed functionality will better support our student success efforts, creating intentional spaces within an academic building that helps to build our community.

As we shared the renderings for the renovated Cherry Hall, we also noted that the Faculty House would no longer be part of its rear landscape due to its deteriorating condition and a significant decline in usage during the past several years.

As it stands today, the Faculty House retains primarily only its exterior walls and roofline as a result of substantial modifications over time that have changed much of the building, from its windows, doors and interior walls to ceilings, floors, lighting and more.

Removing the Faculty House was essential to carrying out the planned renovation of Cherry Hall. However, after hearing from some members of campus and the Bowling Green community – and listening carefully to those concerns and perspectives – we decided to pause the planned demolition of the Faculty House.

And this summer, we commissioned a nationally recognized architectural and design firm, in partnership with a leading structural and engineering consulting firm, to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the Faculty House.

This study revealed numerous issues, including extensive foundational and structural concerns and possible code violations that would require large-scale remediation. Additionally, a separate assessment by an environmental firm this summer identified the presence of asbestos. I want to thank our facilities team for their prompt response in installing the necessary signage to protect the health and safety of our campus community.

Given the seriousness of these findings, it’s clear we must take a set of even more deliberate steps to determine the building’s future. This year, I will appoint a committee to thoroughly review the building’s assessment, to evaluate available options and make recommendations to chart a clear path forward – whether that means demolition, remediation or relocation. If remediation or relocation emerge as viable options, the committee also will be tasked with developing a plan to achieve either of those solutions. I anticipate sharing those plans with you by the end of the academic year, including a plan to raise the significant funding that will be needed.

 

In April, we marked a milestone in the construction of our Hilltopper Fieldhouse as we raised the final beam into place, and we look forward to its opening this fall. This 122,000 square-foot facility will bring together Athletics, Esports, Forensics and the Big Red Marching Band, offering cutting-edge practice, classroom and competition spaces. These distinct programs are among our institution’s most successful, and having them under one roof will foster cross-disciplinary collaboration and enrich the student experience.

 

This fall, we will welcome students to the new home of the Gordon Ford College of Business. Designed to inspire collaboration, innovation and experiential learning, this state-of-the-art facility features flexible classrooms, advanced technology and spaces that mirror real-world professional environments.

On Friday, the Board of Regents approved the naming of this new facility as Amy and David Chandler Hall in recognition of a significant leadership gift from the building’s new namesakes.

Both WKU alumni and leaders in their own respective fields of law and business, Amy and Dave Chandler are longtime supporters of our university. Their philanthropy spans from athletics and academics to support for the Chandler Memorial Chapel and other community initiatives. And now, through this important gift, the Chandlers leave an enduring legacy at their alma mater.

Importantly, more than 30 additional spaces throughout Chandler Hall have been named through philanthropic gifts from alumni and friends. These gifts, which will support all those who use the facility, demonstrate clearly that our community believes in business education at WKU.

I hope you will join me on Friday, September 19th, as we dedicate this remarkable structure, recognize this significant milestone in our institution’s history and as we celebrate the beginning of a new era of business education on the Hill.

 

During the past several months, the Student Technology Center in Jody Richards Hall has undergone a major renovation. With few updates in more than 20 years and a notable decline in use during the past five, our IT team, working with Planning, Design and Construction, led a project to reimagine the space to better serve the needs of our Hilltoppers.

In the coming days, we open The Hub at Jody Richards Hall – a fresh, contemporary and welcoming environment designed to support student success. The space features a mix of settings, from cozy solo study nooks to group meeting and collaboration areas, along with WKU-provided computer workstations and printing access. Be sure to make time this semester to visit the refurbished space and also, perhaps more importantly, be sure to share this great resource with your students.

 

Finally, planning continues on a new facility to replace our Academic Complex. Made possible by a $160 million dollar appropriation from the Kentucky General Assembly – the largest capital project investment in WKU’s history – this facility will transform teaching and learning within the College of Health and Human Services while providing a technology-rich home for WKU’s public media operations. I look forward to sharing more information about this exciting project with you in the coming months.

Housing

In May, the Student Life Foundation, the independent foundation which owns the residence halls located on campus, made several critical announcements related to the housing portfolio at WKU – the decision to bring down Hilltopper Hall due to the high cost of remediation; the temporary closure of Regents and Normal Halls based on the results of an engineering assessment; and modified fall housing assignments resulting from these closures.

While substandard design and construction forced the Student Life Foundation to close campus’s three newest residence halls, the work accomplished during the last several months, in the face of this challenge, has been nothing short of extraordinary.

An appointed Presidential Executive Committee, Housing and Residence Life staff and the Student Life Foundation collaborated in a remarkable fashion to develop a campus residential plan for this academic year – meeting their significant charge with creativity, energy and, most importantly, a commitment to providing a premier living and learning experience for every residential student on our campus.

Because of their thoughtful and strategic planning and implementation efforts, not only were we able to ensure that every Hilltopper seeking residence on our Hill this fall has a room, but for the vast majority, a living space that aligns with their key preferences. And this is important. Because we know the campus living experience plays a crucial role in the WKU Experience and in our students’ overall success.

Additionally, I’m thankful for the renovations that took place across several of our halls this summer – from painting and new flooring to new furniture, renovated common areas, and, yes, even the conversion of the Hyatt Hotel into the new Center Hall!

So while we’ve executed an important short-term strategy to ensure the continuity of operations and our Hilltoppers’ success, our focus has already turned to the future. As difficult and challenging as the current circumstances are, they present an opportunity to accelerate our longstanding conversations about reimagining the residential experience for our students during the next decade.

I’m thankful for the work of the Student Life Foundation since its inception, but given our current challenges, that relationship will need to evolve. Going forward, the housing only partnership model is unlikely to generate the cash flow for us to work through the debt service necessary to deliver the housing that current and future students expect and to remediate the potential and current facility issues facing us.

This requires a complete reconceptualization of housing at WKU, and we believe the best way forward is through a national public-private partnership, or P3.

So, we are working with the Student Life foundation and Brailsford and Dunlavey (B&D), a planning and development advisory firm at the forefront of large-scale, successful college housing projects across the nation, to evaluate the decades-old relationship between the university and the Student Life Foundation; to consider what a P3 relationship might look like; and to select the right partner that can deliver at the scale this will require.

We know we have a lot of work to do, and we know we must be more aggressive in the marketplace in which we're competing.

So to start, we’re considering phased plans that include a renovation of Regents and Normal Halls, a completed First Year Village with the replacement of Hugh Poland and Douglas Keen Halls and the replacement of McCormack, Rodes Harlin and Gilbert Halls in the Valley with a residential village for sophomores and upper-class students.

Several national partners have already expressed interest in collaborating on the future of housing at WKU, and while these exploratory conversations continue, what I commit to you is this: we're going to create and execute an ambitious, long-term plan that upgrades and improves our housing; that creates options; that elevates the standard of living for all our students; that supports our academic mission; and also ensures that we maintain affordability and access.

As we plan for a complete rethinking of the next generation of housing at WKU, we are excited about the competitive advantage we will achieve during the next decade.

Reaffirmation and QEP

WKU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, or SACSCOC, which evaluates institutions that grant higher education credentials to ensure quality and effectiveness.

Our accreditation affirms that we operate with a mission appropriate to higher education; we provide the necessary resources, programs and services to fulfill that mission; that we maintain clear educational objectives. Our accreditation also serves both as a vital benchmark and a valuable opportunity for reflection, allowing us to demonstrate adherence to rigorous standards and provide constructive peer feedback that drives our university's continuous improvement.

While we near the finish line in our reaffirmation process, last week, we submitted our Response Report and Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) update to SACSCOC. Now, the SACSCOC Board of Trustees will review our response before making their final decision in December.

Reaffirmation of accreditation involves many hours of work over manyyears. And while it’s an intensive undertaking, it also is an essential one. I am thankful for the way it challenged us to evaluate both how we serve our students and how we can better prepare them for their futures beyond WKU.

 

Budget Model

Maintaining robust financial health remains essential to advancing our mission, strengthening our community and delivering an exceptional experience for every student who chooses to study on our Hill.

In fiscal year 23, WKU fully transitioned to the Resource Allocation, Management and Planning – or RAMP – Budget Model, and has, since that time, used this decentralized model to drive our university’s budget development process.

During the last three years, we achieved many of the expected outcomes, including increased transparency, stronger alignment with state performance funding metrics, improved accountability and enhanced access to more data for planning, resource allocation and decision making.

In June, our Board of Regents approved the first structurally balanced budget in more than two decades – achieved without relying on one-time carry-forward funds. Perhaps more importantly, we attained a balanced budget in a landscape that requires responsiveness to industry and economic challenges, including inflation, rising employee benefits costs and increasing pressures related to enrollment.

Achieving this realigned budget required both time and deep collaboration across our university. I want to thank all of our faculty and staff for contributing to these efforts, which have positioned WKU on a solid and sustainable financial foundation. I especially want to recognize our Budget Executive Committee for representing the broader voice of our faculty, staff and students, and our deans and vice presidents, for ensuring that our budget aligns with the university’s priorities and financial goals.

While we appreciate the significant improvements made in a short period of time, responsible financial practice necessitates frequent budget model evaluation to ensure our long term fiscal health.

So, this fall, I will appoint a committee of faculty, staff and leadership to examine the model and how it’s operating. I will also ask for them to recommend any tweaks and adjustments to improve how the model functions and supports our efforts.

As we continue our commitment to a transparent and collaborative budgeting process, I appreciate your steadfast work to establish and refine budgeting practices that reflect our commitment to student success and institutional growth. Your input, your dedication and, most importantly, your responsible financial stewardship, are shaping a strong and vibrant future for WKU.

 

Our Community and Beyond

Research

While the federal funding landscape continues to evolve, we are proud of the resilience and determination our faculty demonstrates in pursuing external support for research, service and scholarly endeavors. In times of uncertainty, creativity and persistence become even more essential. I am happy to report that WKU’s expenditures from externally funded projects in Fiscal Year 2025 kept pace with 2024 fiscal year expenditures. Although some traditional sources of funding may be shifting, new opportunities also are emerging.

The Office of Sponsored Programs remains a critical partner in navigating this environment. They are available to help faculty identify alternative paths to external funding and will work closely with those whose intended opportunities might not be viable.

We deeply appreciate the faculty and staff who continue to submit proposals and advance their scholarly goals in the midst of these rapid changes. I want you to hear from me: your work is important and it makes a difference.

In the past year alone, our faculty have secured several exciting new awards – including WKU’s first National Science Foundation CAREER award to Dr. Zachary Suriano. CAREER awards are NSF’s most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.

We also applaud Dr. Austin Griffiths’ continued applied research in service of Kentucky child welfare. His most recent award from the Kentucky Cabinet for Families & Children will benefit the Child Welfare Analytics Collaborative. These projects already are beginning to shape their respective disciplines and generate opportunities for our students and our community. As we celebrate these successes, we also remain focused and committed to cultivating a culture of research and innovation across all of our colleges and disciplines.

I’m enthusiastic about the expanded possibilities created by our new faculty workload policy. By individualizing workloads, we are better positioned to support student success, to maintain instructional excellence and to advance our growing research enterprise. This flexibility allows departments to align faculty responsibilities with individual strengths and professional goals, whether that means dedicating more time to the pursuit of external funding, mentoring student researchers or innovating in the classroom. It also ensures we remain responsive to evolving institutional needs while empowering faculty to shape meaningful careers.

Together, we will continue to elevate our academic mission and strengthen the role of research, scholarship and creative activity across the university.

 

R2 / PhD

WKU is committed to becoming Kentucky’s first Carnegie-classified R2 institution – a long-term goal for the university.

Achieving Carnegie R2 status, defined as “Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity,” would mark a significant milestone for WKU – elevating our national profile, increasing our competitiveness, enhancing our ability to attract external funding, helping us recruit top-tier faculty and graduate students and fostering new partnerships with industry, government agencies and other research institutions.

Additionally, obtaining R2 status aligns with our strategic goals to expand research while advancing student success and community engagement.

Becoming an R2 institution takes time and it takes sustained effort. A university must meet specific criteria, including at least $5 million dollars in federal research and development expenditures as measured by the Higher Education Research and Development survey.

I’m thrilled to share that WKU continues to surpass this benchmark, with recent research expenditures exceeding $10 million dollars. Now, please note, this narrow measure of research expenditures excludes many other sources included in our over $20 million dollars of total institutional project expenditures, representing nearly a $1 million dollar increase from last fiscal year.

 

Another requirement is the awarding of at least 20 research doctorates per year; central to meeting this criterion is our ability to offer PhD programs.

I am proud of the progress during the most recent legislative session, which laid the groundwork for WKU to offer its first PhD program. Senate Bill 77, signed into law this March, provides a path for Kentucky’s public comprehensive universities to offer PhDs and other doctoral programs. This change allows WKU to seek approval from the Council on Postsecondary Education - or CPE - to offer a limited number of PhD programs, further paving the way toward R2 designation. Currently, CPE is developing performance thresholds and crafting submission guidelines. Once their framework is in place, we will begin seeking approval for our initial PhD offering.

Our first proposed PhD is Data Science, to be developed jointly by the Gordon Ford College of Business and the Ogden College of Science and Engineering, with a planned launch in fall of 2027. Data Science is one of the fastest-growing and in-demand fields globally, touching industries ranging from healthcare and finance to logistics and education. Our ability to offer a PhD in Data Science places WKU at the forefront of meeting this demand, preparing scholars not only for industry roles but also for teaching and research leadership.

Additionally, this doctorate will build on the strength of our well-regarded Bachelor of Science in Data Science and create a natural academic pipeline, attracting top-tier students and faculty as we further develop this area of our academic portfolio.

While we pursue a PhD in Data Science, at the same time, we must think even more broadly. So this year, I will create a task force of faculty and leadership to examine what other areas there are for potential PhD programs that are trans institutional; broad enough to contribute to the regional economy and workforce needs; that fit the expertise and talent we already have at WKU; and that align with future funding priorities at the federal and state levels.

As our academic reputation and research capacity continues to expand, we will be equipped better to pursue additional external funding that aligns with our mission to serve as a student-centered, applied research institution.

You may recall 20 years ago, the county judge executive and community partners identified a parcel of land and agreed that, essentially, if they designated and developed that space, companies would come to Bowling Green and Warren County. And they have.

As we’ve worked to develop the Innovation Campus, grow research and create a pathway for PhD programs at WKU, we are at a point to begin thinking about the Innovation Campus as essentially the next Trans Park in Bowling Green. 

Manufacturing investment in our community remains an instrumental component of the success recipe for our region, but we're at a place where we need to think about how we diversify our economy and how we do that in a way that is intentional. Because that’s where we can create an even stronger strategic advantage.

We need to, and we will, during the coming year or two, decide where we want to place our bets – not just as a university, but as a community – and around what those industries are and how we can grow them.

So, today, I’m thrilled to share a remarkable win we accomplished this summer – attracting an entrepreneur and his company to our community.

This company is an industry leader in science and technology commercialization and carries an extensive track record of securing Small Business Innovation Research funding through multiple ventures. It will partner with our faculty and students on research projects, will pursue external funding opportunities, will offer guidance on funding strategies and will assist in developing and commercializing intellectual property opportunities on our campus.

Not only is this a tremendous research accelerant for our university, for our community and for our economy, it will continue elevating our national reputation and our growth toward becoming a Carnegie Research 2 university.

We will continue to deepen our partnerships with city, county and chamber officials to harness the power of technology and talent to build economies; to ignite entrepreneurship; and to reimagine the future of South-Central Kentucky.

 

Strategic Plan

In 2017, shortly after my arrival on campus, we undertook a comprehensive community-engaged strategic planning effort – a true bottom-up approach – to define our roadmap and outline where we wanted to head together as a university. As you know, this effort led to the development of our institution’s strategic plan, Climbing to Greater Heights.

We created a plan that spanned a decade, from 2018 through 2028, to ensure our goals were ambitious – objectives that would require sustained effort and commitment over time rather than quick fixes.

I'm incredibly proud of the tremendous accomplishments we’ve made during the last seven years. To name just a few:

We began the 2024 academic year with a record fall-to-fall retention rate of our first-time, first-year students, coming in at 78.3%, And then, we achieved the highest fall-to-spring retention rate in the university’s history this spring with a return rate of 85.7%. And as I mentioned earlier, I have much hope that this fall's return rate moves us even closer to our 80% goal.

We continue to distinguish ourselves among Kentucky’s comprehensive universities, leading in several key enrollment categories, including full-time, degree-seeking students; full-time enrollment; total fall 2024 enrollment; and the number of students pursuing a bachelor’s degree. This success represents our campus-wide dedication to student achievement.

But when we focus on student outcomes, especially degrees awarded – the clearest indicator of student success – the effectiveness of our faculty and staff’s work becomes even more evident.

During the last seven years, we increased our graduation rate from 50.7% to 57.9% – a 7.2 percentage point increase, and notably, we award more than 33% more undergraduate degrees and credentials than the next closest comprehensive university in the state and also more than one of the Commonwealth’s R1 universities – it's again, a powerful testament to the efficacy of the numerous student success initiatives associated with our strategic plan.

 

Yet much has changed about our world in the last seven years; much has transpired between then and now. We learned so much during the pandemic, and the nature of who we are as an institution, it continues to evolve, including our aspiration to achieve R2 status, to offer PhD programs and to expand our partnerships across the community. And, of course, we see a continuing shift in our student body and what they bring to and expect from our university. 

We are not the same institution that we were in 2017. So, naturally, it’s time to pause, reassess and, when necessary, pivot or add additional areas of focus.

As we approach year eight of our strategic plan, I will appoint an institution-wide Strategic Planning Committee to conduct a thorough review of Climbing to Greater Heights, with a charge to bring to leadership at the end of the spring semester recommendations on what we might alter, what we might add and what we might discontinue. My hope is that with the additional and revised goals and objectives, we will extend Climbing to Greater Heights by three years, concluding in 2031 and coinciding with WKU’s 125th anniversary.

This is another iteration of our strategic plan that moves us into a different realm. I look forward to sharing that plan with you as we continue our work to advance our institution; to elevate our community, state and region; and to transform the lives of our students, one at a time. 

 

 

Spirit of WKU Award

Since joining WKU in 2009, this year’s recipient has advanced through key leadership roles in Student Financial Assistance. One nominator says he demonstrates “unwavering enthusiasm, deep loyalty and a steadfast commitment” to student success and institutional integrity, ensuring compliance and continuous innovation in service delivery. Another affirms that he “approaches every interaction, whether with students or colleagues, with care, humor and thoughtfulness.”

With that, please help me congratulate Bryson Davis!

Letters of support noted that Bryson’s commitment to student success is visible across campus. One supporter described his behind-the-scenes work as “changing the trajectory of many students’ lives” by eliminating financial barriers. He is praised for his ability to approach complex and delicate conversations with both compassion and strategic balance. Bryson has demonstrated consistent commitment to improving processes through institutional collaboration, and his leadership is credited for increasing access, demystifying financial aid and improving retention.

Bryson is described as possessing tireless dedication, often working late into the evening, to support students with the urgency and the care they need.

Beyond direct service to students, Bryson serves on various committees and workgroups aimed at enhancing the WKU Experience. He fosters institutional trust and empowers his staff with consistent support and mentorship. His leadership has strengthened communication and cultivated staff growth, often in quiet but powerful ways. Bryson’s integrity, collaborative spirit and relentless dedication make him a model campus leader and a living example of WKU’s mission.

So, today, we are proud to recognize Bryson as a true embodiment of the Spirit of WKU. Colleagues, please join me in congratulating our 2025 Spirit of WKU award recipient, Bryson Davis!

 

Closing

 

WKU President Timothy C. Caboni

 

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President Caboni's Convocation Speech - August 11, 2025

 

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Award announced during Convocation:

Spirit of WKU Award

Bryson Davis