The College of Health and Human Services is the fastest growing college at WKU, with student enrollment increasing by more than 44 percent since its inception in 2002. The disciplines in the College have their roots in outreach to the community—that is, our programs provide opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to be engaged in communities in which we reside. With a strong tradition of improving the health of rural populations, the College attributes its growth to maintaining nationally accredited and recognized programs, and innovating quickly to meet identified opportunities.
The newest college at WKU, CHHS was established by the Board of Regents in August 2002 to bring together all health and human services programs under one administrative unit. The mission of CHHS is to provide diverse educational opportunities which lead to excellence
in health and human services for a global community. CHHS consists of seven academic units representing an array of disciplines and offering degrees at the associate, baccalaureate, and masters degree levels. The College offers a collaborative doctorate in Rehabilitation Science with the University of Kentucky. Departments within the CHHS are Allied Health, Communication Disorders, Consumer and Family Sciences, Physical Education and Recreation, Public Health, Social Work, and the Schoolof Nursing. The College also oversees
the South-Central Kentucky Area Health Education Center, the Kentucky Emergency Medical Services Academy, and the Institute for Rural Health Development and Research. Recently,
the CHHS created a new Center for Gerontology.
To support its vision to be recognized nationally as a College that offers exemplary programs in health and human services, the faculty, staff, students and external stakeholders have identified the following priorities for investment during the New Century of Spirit Campaign.
Renovate for Excellence in Academic Complex
Our current ability to meet the demands for graduates in health and human services is limited by our educational and outreach facilities. Melding technology, equipment, and sufficient space with excellent teaching ensures that CHHS will provide the best educated graduates to support the continued growth of the Kentucky region. Opportunities exist in this area to:
Renovate Dining Room to support the Department of Consumer Family Sciences initiatives in Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management; Hospitality Management; Food, Nutrition, and
Wellness; and Nutrition and Dietetics. Build a State-of-the-Art Skills and Simulation Lab to support the new School of Nursing.
Transform environmental health sciences laboratory into an advanced laboratory equipped with innovative techniques for analyzing pollution in air, water, and soil, including environmental
pollutants as well as the presence of toxic substances such as pesticides, lead, asbestos, and biologically derived airborne contaminants such as molds.
Modify Patient Treatment Facilities and X-Ray Areas for Dental Hygiene to continue the tremendous success as evidenced by 100 percent pass rates on national boards for Dental Hygiene.
Create Endowments for Programs in Clinical Education Complex
Our facility is a national model in interdisciplinary education for training, research, and service to health and education professionals for advancing the health, development, and learning
potential of individuals and their families.
WKU seeks gifts to support the operating expenses of this unique facility with your gift.
Nurture the Next Generation of Advocates for Aging and Older Adults
The Center for Gerontology, the newest interdisciplinary effort in the College, promotes healthy aging in individuals and communities for our fastest growing populations. The Center prepares new generations of aging advocates to work with older adults, their families, and their communities. It also contributes to new knowledge on aging populations, cohorts, and communities in Kentucky and the southeast through conducting applied aging research. Finally, the Center enhances the local capacity for older adults and communities in which they live through the dissemination of community-based research, best practices, and sponsorship of programmatic activities.
Opportunities within this area include:
Create an Aging & Community Education Training Program to provide highly skilled teacher-scholars to support the need for applied knowledge in aging.
Support the Aging Ambassadors Program which places trained seniors in their rural communities as healthy aging advocates.
Fund the Kentucky Creative Retirement Project, an interdisciplinary and intergenerational effort to promote lifelong learning at WKU.
Build the WKU Outdoor Education and Leadership Center
The Department of Physical Education and Recreation, in cooperation with the Departments of Agriculture and Intramural-Recreational Sports, is creating an Outdoor Education and
Leadership Center with high and low challenge courses. A challenge course is a series of wood and cable elements facilitated by a trained leader to foster leadership, teamwork, and group
interaction skills for participants.
Components of WKU’s Center will include challenge course elements, academic instructional areas, trails, picnic pavilions, equipment storage buildings, group restroom facilities, and parking. Initial excavation is completed. Two three-credit courses of undergraduate and graduate students are currently designing, developing, and constructing the low elements and trails.
CHHS is positioned to develop the Outdoor Education and Leadership Center into a national teaching, living and learning model. WKU seeks gifts to fund a Leadership Center with a special
emphasis on leadership for health and human services to complement the Challenge Course.
Develop the Rural Survey Service Center
CHHS has a strong tradition of improving the health of rural populations. Through the Institute for
Rural Health Development and Research and its nationally recognized Mobile Health and Wellness Unit, students and faculty engage in preventive and health promotion services to medically under-served and uninsured residents in rural areas. Services are often provided
in collaboration with local health departments, schools, and health care organizations.
Capitalizing on the College’s recognized strength in rural service delivery, the Rural Survey Service Center will fill a documented need to field and quickly answer questions facing the people in rural areas and areas of Appalachia.
The College seeks funds to purchase specialized equipment and develop meaningful collaborations between communities and the Commonwealth.
Expand international service learning Experiences
CHHS plans to significantly expand its globalization efforts. For example, CHHS has established a service learning project in Belize that provides learning opportunities for many health and human services professions. Interdisciplinary teams work to improve the quality of life of residents in Gales Point, a Creole community, and Red Bank, a predominately Mayan
community in Belize. Support is needed to fund student international travel scholarships, create an endowment that ensures long-term sustainability, and create a Center for International Health for coordinating our efforts to improve the health of residents in developing countries.