April, oh April, where did you go? Another very full month of successful activities and events for DELO, just read the letter and you'll agree.
Three of us, Amanda McGaughey, Jenni Perry and me, attended the national meeting of UCEA in San Diego early in April where we enjoyed the opportunity to participate in some excellent learning sessions, meet and visit with new and long term colleagues, and enjoy a bit of the city. I managed to find some new allergies and completely lost my voice by the second day, which some said was a good thing.
Last week, Beth Laves, Laura Ricke, Manon Pardue and I attended the ACHE Region 7 conference in Fort Worth, Texas. Manon presented a session on "Partnering for Growth". She did a great job to a full room of very interested learners. Beth led a roundtable discussion on "Fitting in Optional Winter Sessions" and I presided over a session. The most exciting part was the awards luncheon and watching Beth and Dr. Barbara Brindle from Western’s Department of Communication Disorders receive the Outstanding Credit Program Award for our New York Communication Disorders program. (See story below.)
We've had lots of activity related to the Elizabethtown/Ft. Knox area population explosion due to the BRAC decisions. The WKU Board of Regents met in E-Town on the 7th, with additional meetings with local community and political leaders following lunch. WKU President Gary Ransdell spoke to the Hardin Co Rotary Club on the same day. The CTAM project is off and running (mostly); if this is a new term to you ask Dr. Stephens to explain it to you...he just loves talking about it. President Ransdell has established a planning/action group for the Elizabethtown area to keep us focused on WKU's opportunities for this area.
We are delighted that the provost has approved three new positions at the regional campuses to assist students. At the Owensboro campus we will have a student services coordinator/advisor position; at the Elizabethtown/Ft. Knox campus we will have a student coordinator position and an additional advisor position, primarily to advise military students. Provost Burch has once again come to our rescue and we thank her very much.
The Knicely Center was a very active place in April and will be in May as well. Our CTD, Continuing Education, Cohort programs, Distance Learning, Correspondence Study, and testing center are all going full speed these days. We are well into the summer sessions marketing and enrollments, and are hoping for another successful summer.
The legislature did some good things for WKU, and the governor worked in the opposite direction. This may cause some delays in our growth progress, particularly in Owensboro, but we are always up to new challenges. Although our spirits may be a bit dampened, they are not down and we will continue to move ahead.
The great news to share is that Winston Woodward is doing very well and Sharon is back to work. Be sure to stand by for notice of the official arrival date of Adam Joseph Beadle, who is expected any day now. Adam will arrive in Arizona, but already has a Hilltopper cap and shirt. In case you don't know, Adam's grandpa works at DELO.
As part of Western Kentucky University’s Centennial celebration, a permanent marker at the Glasgow Campus denoting the "roots" of Western Kentucky University was unveiled on April 28, 2006. Community members, students, faculty, and staff welcomed remarks from WKU President Gary Ransdell, Potter College Dean David Lee, Representative Steve Nunn, Senator Richie Sanders, Barren County Judge Executive David Greer, and Glasgow Mayor Darrell Pickett. Serenda Tucker, President of the WKU-Glasgow Associated Student Body, also addressed the gathering. Activities throughout the day also included an Alumni luncheon and a viewing of WKU’s traveling Centennial Exhibit.
Click here for more photos from the event.
Students participating in Dynamic Leadership Institute Phase I and II were honored on April 28, 2006 with an awards dinner. The Dynamic Leadership Institute is held each spring and fall semester on the Glasgow Campus, and is presented by staff from the University Centers and Leadership office. Pictured from left to right are Dr. Juanita Bayless (Glasgow Campus Director), Bridget Strode, Melinda Moore, Jamie Morehead, Scott Taylor (Phase I Leader), Jeremy Birge, Kristen Shive, Hunter Williams (Phase II Leader), Heather Peasley, and James McCaslin (Glasgow's Resource Coordinator).
On March 29, over 200 faculty, staff and students took advantage of the photographers for the Talisman yearbook being here for yearbook photos. (pictured at right)
The students of Glasgow’s American Sign Language classes held a Bingo party with the area hard of hearing and deaf community. Rosalind Spillman, instructor, and Tammy Brown, volunteer, coordinated the event.
On April 3rd and 5th, Glasgow held our first community Financial Aid Assistance meetings. The event was coordinated by Stacey Jessie with the Equal Opportunities Center. Current and future students and their parents were able to meet with representatives to answer questions.
The first three Fall 2006 OAR sessions were held at the Glasgow Campus on April 6, 12, & 25. Most students have been enrolling for full-time loads.
On April 11, the Campus Activities Board provided free Subs in the Glasgow Deli.
In celebration of Arbor Day, the Glasgow/Barren County Chamber of Commerce’s Environmental Awareness Committee planted a weeping cherry tree on the Glasgow Campus. This is the third such Arbor Day celebration since the campus was established at our Hilltopper Way site.
Annie Minor and Carrie Murray, two Elementary Education students, received the ETS Recognition of Excellence for Praxis II testing in Principals of Learning and Teaching in Grades K-6. This award is presented to the top 15% of students nationwide.
The inaugural meeting of the Glasgow Chapter of the Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society was held on April 18. Mr. James McCaslin and Dr. Molly Dunkum will serve as co-sponsors of the newly established chapter. The Glasgow Regional Center Chapter inducts students from Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green Community College, and Bowling Green Technical College who are enrolled at the Glasgow Campus. The national office of Gamma Beta Phi indicates that this is the first chapter that integrates a university, a community college, and a technical college. Pictured above is Dr. James Chappell, sponsor of the main campus chapter and President of the National Chapter of Gamma Beta Phi.
Career Services held the annual WKU-Glasgow Career Fair on April 19. Students were able to meet with local employers to explore job opportunities in the area.
April marks the beginning of a new partnership between the Office for Student Disabilities and the Glasgow Campus. Matt Davis will be onsite at least once a month to provide counseling and other services to students who are registered with their programs.
Ms. Crystal Nuckols is welcomed as the newest addition to the Glasgow Campus staff. Ms. Nuckols will be taking over the academic advisor position that was vacated by Mr. Charles Hunter. She has a three-year-old daughter, Ashanti Gore, and is an active member of the Allen Seminary Baptist Church. She has lived in Cave City all her life and is very excited about the opportunity to work with students in the area.
Mr. Bill Lynch, adjunct biology instructor, has recently published an article. His article, Vocalizations by adult turkey Vultures as they arrive at their nest sites during nesting season, was published in the March 2006 issue of Vulture News.
On April 1st, the first soldiers began registering for WKU classes in the new worldwide "goarmyed" electronic portal. Gail Ledford and Bea Cobb are working closely with Army Continuing Education staff at Ft. Knox to address the challenges of getting the very involved process underway. Beth Laves, WKU primary point-of-contact for the program, is also working closely with WKU admissions, registrar, IT, billing, and other units involved in the new program for active duty Army personnel. Beth, Gail, Bea, and Ron Stephens will attend the Worldwide Department of Defense Education Symposium this summer in Orlando to learn more about college programs for military personnel. The picture to the left shows a WKU soldier student studying at the Ft. Knox Barr Library.
The WKU Board of Regents had their regular meeting at the Historic State Theater in Elizabethtown on April 7. During the afternoon, the Board and key academic and administrative leaders of the university had a discussion with community leaders concerning the impact that the Base Realignment and Closure process that is underway will have on the Hardin County and surrounding area. Terry Bennett, coordinator of the local Base Realignment and Closure Commission, said BRAC will bring in 8,500 military and civilian positions overall, an increase of about 4,800 permanent personnel after the loss of the armor school, which the commission has recommended closing. Most of the new positions are permanent, meaning that many will move into the area with families. It is expected that approximately 20,000 people will be moving into the area over the next five or six years in this major military transformation. There will be a demand for additional educational programs in the community and WKU is committed to helping to meet this need.
Six WKU faculty, eight ECTC faculty, and four Hardin County elementary grades and middle grades teachers are working on the Curriculum Alignment task force for teacher education programs. They are reviewing all state and federal expectations for teachers and reviewing every ECTC and WKU course for the program assessing whether or not content is aligned with requirements. Pictured below are some of the task force members reviewing course requirements for ELED and MGE programs.
Here are some of our ELED (Elementary Education) student activities for April:
Pictured at left are the first officers elected for the ECTC / WKU Psychology Club. From the left are Jessee Hawkins (WKU student, treasurer), Stacey Bishop (WKU student, president), Amanda Fulkerson (ECTC student, vice president), Rob Thompson (WKU student, secretary), and Dr. James Prather, WKU faculty advisor.
The ECTC / WKU Psychology Club also set up a table at the ECTC Spring Flair to spread the news to other students about the club and about the psychology major available on the campus through ECTC and WKU.
| National City Scholarship | |
| Jaclyn Boehman | Roy Inhulsen |
| Thomas Miller | Melissa Riney |
| Sally Wathen | |
| Owensboro Regional Campus Scholarship | |
| Jacki Bohleber | Laura Boswell |
| Robin Cooper | Jamie Jackson |
| Owensboro Lions Club | |
| Jennifer Porter | Crystal Simon |
| William/Georgia Willis Scholarship | |
| Bridget Castlen | Alison Eblen |
| Ileana Gaynor | |
| Delta Kappa Gamma Scholarship | |
| Mary Lanham | |
Rotary/Larry Hager Award Winner
Michelle Gipe-Allen is the Western Kentucky University Owensboro Regional Campus winner of the Owensboro Rotary/Larry Hager Award. The award is based upon good character, good citizenship, participation in worth- while activities, wholesome influence on others, compassion, concern, and action for others, service above self, and a scholastic record reflecting earnest effort and consistent progress. Sincere congratulations to Michelle Gipe-Allen for receiving this prestigious award!
WKU Owensboro Celebrates Centennial Birthday
Tuesday, April 25, 2006 students, faculty, alumni, Advisory Council members and friends celebrated WKU’s centennial birthday party in the Student Center. Big Red joined the party and everyone enjoyed the birthday cake and festivities.
The online WKU Master of Science in Communication Disorders for the United Federation of Teachers in New York City has been honored by the Association for Continuing Higher Education (ACHE) as its 2006 ACHE Region VII Distinguished Program Award for a credit program.
According to Dan Connell, Chair of the ACHE Region VII Awards Committee, "The committee was very impressed with the quality and scope of the Master of Science in Communication Disorders for the United Federation of Teachers in New York City and we are pleased to recognize its excellence."
The award was presented Monday, April 24, during the ACHE Region VII Annual Conference in Fort Worth, Texas.
The program’s first graduates began their courses in the fall of 2003. Another group is progressing through the program and 89 New York teachers applied for the 30 slots available in the fall of 2005.
The UFT provides supervisors for the clinical portions of the program so the students don’t have to travel from New York City to WKU’s campus in Bowling Green. WKU faculty members travel to New York for orientation to meet the students and each faculty member teaches one on-site class the term his or her class is scheduled to be taught.
The members of the ACHE Region VII are located within Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Founded in 1939, belief in the values of professional development, collegiality and service continue to guide the mission of the Association for Continuing Higher Education. For information on the ACHE, visit www.ache7.org.
The first graduates of the online master’s program were honored last May in a special convocation in New York City. About 30 teachers completed the program and were honored at the United Federation of Teachers building in lower Manhattan.
1. WKU Brings Degree Completion Program to Logan County
At the request of the Logan Economic Alliance for Development and its Executive Director Jody Lassiter, and in response to educational needs expressed by existing businesses in Logan County, DELO recently contracted with the Logan County Training Consortium to bring an associate and bachelor’s completion degree program to the Logan County Workforce.
These programs will equip students with the management skills needed to be successful as supervisors in an industrial, production-focused organization. Students who complete their sequenced program of study will earn an Associate of Arts degree in Business Technology with emphasis in manufacturing management or the Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Technology. The Associate of Arts degree in Business Technology is offered through the Bowling Green Community College of Western Kentucky University. The bachelor completion degree is designed for students who have already earned an Associates degree or have more than 40 hours of college credit. Courses in the Applied Technology major will be taught by faculty in the WKU Architectural and Manufacturing Sciences department.
The degrees will be offered as a cohort program. Cohort programs admit students in groups, or cohorts, who move through a planned sequence of courses together. Cohort programs benefit students by providing an outlined pathway to degree attainment as well as support and motivation from each other. Additionally, students will not have to leave Logan County and drive to Bowling Green to receive basic student support services and instruction. Classes will be delivered face to face, online, or by interactive video service. The cohort program students receive guaranteed seating, textbook delivery service, and personal advisement and registration services each term.
2. WKU to Offer Free College Workshops in Logan County
As part of an initiative to bring degree programs to the Logan County adult workforce, Western Kentucky University will be offering a series of free informational and college preparatory workshops.
The Higher Ed Opportunity Workshop (HOW) is sponsored by a partnership of local agencies including Logan County Adult Education and Workforce Development and Educational Opportunity Centers, the Bowling Green Community College and DELO. Funding is provided by WKU Provost’s Initiatives for Excellence.
The workshops will be held at the Logan County Adult Learning Center, located in the Baptist Building at 198 W. Third St. in Russellville. The series kicks off at 6 p.m. May 18 and will continue each Thursday night for four weeks.
The sessions will demystify college processes and terminology, offer tips for developing good study skills, and provide hands on assistance with financial aid and admissions forms. Math and English refresher sessions will also be offered. Any adult who might be interested in continuing their education is encouraged to attend. There is no obligation to enroll at WKU.
For more information on the degree programs being offered in Logan County or the HOW, contact Laura Ricke, Cohort Programs coordinator, at (270) 745-2481 or by email at laura.ricke@wku.edu. Additional information on the WKU Cohort Programs is available online at www.wku.edu/cohort/.
The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce held their monthly Breakfast Hour on Friday, April 28 at the Carroll Knicely Conference Center. Over 250 area business leaders enjoyed the hospitality of the Center’s staff and the wonderful breakfast provided by WKU Catering. Potter Children’s Home sponsored the April Coffee Hour.
The Chamber has selected the Carroll Knicely Conference Center for several other events during 2006.
The Continuing Education office partnered with Mammoth Cave National Park during the last week of April to host an Elderhostel program. Eighteen adults from the United States and Canada participated in this year's program. Elderhostel, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that promotes learning and travel. The program provides affordable, quality adventures for adults who are 55 and older. Short term education programs provide fun and excitement while learning new things, sharing ideas, exploring new places and making new friends.
Highlights from the week’s activities include:
The Office of Correspondence Study is getting bigger and better! We've started renovations on Garrett Conference Center Room 101, previously Student Disability Services which has been relocated in the new DUC wing. The wall between Room 102, our current location, and Room 101 came down Friday, April 28. The added space will allow for another personnel office, a conference room, a waiting area and a reception area. When the dust has been cleared and the paint has dried, we hope you will come by and see the improvements.
On April 7th and 8th the DELO Testing Center participated in the Relay for Life, a team event to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Team DELOvely raised $275 to support cancer research. The team would like to thank everyone in DELO who donated to this worthy cause.
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| Several members of Team DELOvely show off their 80’s looks. Left to right: Sarah, Sree, Tabatha and Haley. | Relay participants enjoy a free game of Twister provided by Team DELOvely. |
