Western Kentucky University
1906 College Heights Blvd.
Bowling Green, KY 42101-3576
Phone: (270) 745-0111
western@wku.edu

Founded: 1906

Enrollment:  19,761 (fall 2008)

Bowling Green sites: Main campus, South Campus, Center for Research and Development, WKU Farm.

Regional sites: Glasgow, Elizabethtown, Fort Knox, Radcliff, Owensboro, Ky.

Motto: The Spirit Makes the Master.

Vision: A Leading American University with International Reach.

President: Dr. Gary A. Ransdell, WKU’s ninth president, took office in 1997.

Administrative leadership: Barbara Burch, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs; Howard Bailey, vice president for Student Affairs; Thomas Hiles, vice president for Institutional Advancement; Richard Kirchmeyer, vice president for Information Technology; Ann Mead, vice president for Finance and Administration; Richard Miller, associate vice president for Academic Affairs and chief diversity officer; John Osborne, vice president for Campus Services and Facilities; Wood Selig, athletics director; Robbin Taylor, vice president for Public Affairs; Deborah Wilkins, chief of staff and general counsel; Dr. Richard Bowker, vice president for Research and dean of Graduate Studies.

Board of Regents: Chair Jim Meyer of Bowling Green, vice chair Yevette Haskins of Campbellsville, Fredrick Higdon of Lebanon, Jim Johnson of Bowling Green, J. David Porter of Lexington, Rob Wilkey of Scottsville, Larry Zielke of Louisville, faculty regent Patricia Minter of Bowling Green, staff regent James Kennedy of Brownsville, student regent Kevin Smiley of Danville.

Academic colleges: Gordon Ford College of Business, Potter College of Arts & Letters, College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, Ogden College of Science and Engineering, College of Health and Human Services, University College, Bowling Green Community College,  Graduate Studies and Research.

Other academic units: Honors College, Division of Extended Learning & Outreach, University Libraries, International Programs.

Academic programs: More than 170 undergraduate programs and more than 50 graduate programs.

Highest degree offered: Ed.D . in Educational Leadership.

Female: 59.6%

Male: 40.4%

States Represented: 46

Countries Represented: 56

Athletic conference: Sun Belt Conference

National rankings: In the U.S. News & World Report’s rankings in “America’s Best Colleges 2009,”WKU is No. 10 among public master’s universities in the South, up from No. 12 in the 2008 rankings. In the ranking of all master’s universities in the South, WKU rose from No. 32 to No. 29.

International reach: Student participation in Study Abroad programs doubled in 2007-08 to 470, up from 243 in 2006-07; faculty-led trips abroad increased from 12 in 2006-07 to 23 in 2007-08. WKU has exchange relationships with schools in Japan, Korea, China, Belgium, Germany, France, Ecuador, Mexico, Jordan and Canada and works with groups like Cooperative Center for Study Abroad, College Consortium for International Studies and Kentucky Institute for International Studies.

Academic quality: WKU is home to the Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky, a residential program for 120 high school juniors and seniors from Kentucky who have demonstrated talent and interest in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; The Center for Gifted Studies, which provides educational opportunities and resources to gifted students, educators and parents; and Kentucky’s first independent Honors College, which is focused on expanding and enhancing education, research and study-abroad opportunities for WKU's top scholars.

-WKU-
"A leading American university with international reach"

Office of Media Relations
Western Kentucky University
1906 College Heights Blvd., Bowling Green, Ky. 42101-3576
Phone: (270)745-4295 - Fax: (270)7455387 - E-Mail: western@wku.edu