Colleagues,
As the semester continues, I want to take a moment to celebrate the important work
taking place across our regional campuses in Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, Owensboro, Glasgow
and Somerset. These campuses extend the WKU spirit into communities across Kentucky,
expanding access to higher education and creating opportunities that transform lives.
Through the dedication of our faculty and staff and the determination of our students,
our regional campuses continue to strengthen our region.
I am encouraged by continued enrollment growth at WKU in Glasgow and WKU in Owensboro,
with both campuses reaching their highest on-campus enrollment in more than seven
years. WKU in Elizabethtown-Ft. Knox has also demonstrated stability in face-to-face
enrollment, maintaining the same enrollment level from fall 2022 through fall 2026.
These results reflect the enduring importance of providing students with accessible,
high-quality educational opportunities close to home.
We are building on this momentum through our Signature Regional Programs initiative,
which allows students to complete high-demand degrees at their local campus. This
past year, we expanded our portfolio of offerings by adding the Human Resource Management
concentration at all regional locations. We also established memoranda of understanding
with the Robbins Center at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College and the University
Center of Southern Kentucky at Somerset Community College, making WKU their exclusive
partner for offering this program on their campuses. We continue to explore additional
Signature Regional Programs that align with the associate of applied science transfer
pathways and respond to educational and workforce needs.
Our Early College program at WKU in Glasgow continues to demonstrate the difference
that early access and intentional academic pathways can make. This year, the program
added Behavioral Sciences as its sixth career track, with majors in Social Work, Psychology
and Psychological Sciences, joining the existing tracks in Agriculture, Business,
Crime and Legal Studies, Education and Nursing.
The program’s outcomes are equally encouraging. More than half of on-campus Early
College students who graduate continue their education at WKU, a matriculation rate
that remains significantly above that of traditional dual-credit students. Among the
2026 graduating class, 95 percent of Early College participants chose to pursue higher
education or military service after graduation. This result also compares favorably
with Kentucky’s reported average dual-credit matriculation rate of 71 percent, underscoring
the value of creating clear pathways from high school to college and future careers.
Our regional campuses also remain important centers of community engagement. In 2025,
WKU in Glasgow welcomed more than 2,500 visitors for community events, while WKU in
Owensboro welcomed more than 2,600. These gatherings demonstrate the important role
our campuses play beyond the classroom, serving as places where educational institutions
and their communities come together to learn, connect and grow.
Looking ahead, I want to remind you of two upcoming opportunities to celebrate and
engage with our WKU and Bowling Green communities.
Tomorrow, country music artist Tyler Hubbard will perform a free pregame concert at 4:30 p.m.
on South Lawn, ahead of our Hilltoppers’ home football game against Delaware at 6:00
p.m. I encourage you to join us for an evening together on our Hill. More details can
be found here.
Then, on Tuesday, November 3, we will welcome internationally recognized innovation expert
and bestselling author Jeremy Utley for our fourth annual Presidential Speaker Series. His keynote, Making AI More Human, will begin at 7:00 p.m. in Van Meter Auditorium. During his presentation, Utley will
explore how people can unlock greater value from generative artificial intelligence
by changing the way they think about and interact with these tools. His perspective
offers a compelling framework for understanding how AI can complement human ingenuity rather than replace it, making this presentation especially relevant for students, educators, professionals
and community members. The event is free and open to the public, with doors opening
at 6:15 p.m.
Additionally, Utley has generously offered to mail event attendees a FREE copy of his upcoming book, The Human Advantage: What AI Can’t Do Without You, once released on November 10, 2026. Details about how to receive a free copy of his
book will be provided during the event to all who are in attendance.
Finally, many of you joined me last week as we broke ground on The Southern Gateway,
the first phase of our Elevate WKU housing transformation initiative. If you haven’t
yet seen it, I encourage you to check out the fly through video of our newest housing
facility at www.wku/elevate.
Thank you for everything you do to advance WKU’s mission and ensure that our students
thrive, both on our Hill and across our Commonwealth.
Go Tops!
Best,
Timothy C. Caboni
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