Bowling Green, Ky. - The Raymond B. Preston Family Foundation has made a commitment of $500,000 to the Clinical Education Complex at Western Kentucky University. According to Tom Hiles, WKU’s vice president for Institutional Advancement, this gift is the largest that has been received to date for the program.

Scott P. Davis, spokesperson for the Preston Family Foundation, said the group’s board of directors approved the grant at a meeting on Nov. 13.

"The grant will help fund the transformation of the clinical education programs in the College of Health and Human Services and in the College of Education and Behavioral Science," Davis said. "The new Clinical Education Complex is a significant undertaking of WKU. The Preston Family Foundation recognizes the importance of the coordination and collaboration of the five interrelated agencies to provide services to both children and adults in the areas of Communication Disorders, Acquired Brain Injury, Autism, Early Childhood Development and Family Counseling."

Ray Preston, president of the Preston Family Foundation, commented: “The assimilation of these five clinical disciplines into one facility represents forward-thinking leadership that will serve the University, its patrons and clients well for many, many years. Our foundation is proud to be a part of the type of care and commitment exhibited by WKU in the creation of the Clinical Education Complex.”

Raymond B. and Hattie L. Preston established the Preston Family Foundation in Henderson, Ky., in 1989 to carry out their charitable and philanthropic wishes. The Prestons are WKU alumni and have been enthusiastic supporters of many capital initiatives at Western, including the Raymond B. Preston Health and Activities Center, the Hattie L. Preston Intramural Sports Complex and the Raymond B. Preston Student Computer Lab.

"The Preston family has provided leadership support for Western projects for many years, from the intramurals program, to the Preston Academic Center, to this commitment to the CEC," Hiles said. "We are so grateful for their continued support and friendship."

The five components of the CEC will be housed in a single facility at 14th and Adams streets in Bowling Green. In June, WKU and the CEC Charter Committee announced the purchase of the former Mexican restaurant, completing the first of three phases. Fundraising for phase two, the renovation and expansion of the facility, was completed with the announcement of the Preston gift. Phase three includes the establishment of an endowment of at least $1 million to fund CEC operations.

Hiles said $1.2 million has been raised for the CEC so far.

"Western is absolutely committed to making this project happen," Hiles said. "The support we’ve received from the community, and the leadership that has been provided by the Charter Committee underscores the needs the CEC will address."

Architect Barry Blann with BA Architecture said designing a facility to fit the needs of the five CEC components was a challenge. "This was an interesting project," he said. "We tried to meet their individual and collective needs. It’s amazing how similar their needs are."

Blann said the project will breathe new live into the former restaurant. It includes more than 4,500 square feet of renovated space and more than 5,500 square feet of new construction plus an outdoor play area. The brick exterior will be covered by a stucco finish and columns resembling those found on the WKU campus will be incorporated into the design, he said.

The entrance will include a canopy that incorporates the elements of the CEC logo. The five colors from the logo will be included in the canopy, which will be supported by five columns that represent the five CEC programs, Blann said. Those same colors may be used in the interior design as well, he said.

Work should begin in January and be completed in August, Blann said.

WKU President Gary Ransdell said the CEC was a critical component of the University’s mission.

"Our responsibility is to improve the quality of live within our reach, and projects like this allow us to do that and educating students is the primary means through which that gets done," he said. "It is gratifying to me to see a program that engages students in that process of improving in dramatic, significant and tangible ways the quality of life in this case for the people who need it most."

Additional background information on the CEC’s five components is available online at http://www.wku.edu/news/releases04/june/clinical.html. More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For more information, contact Tom Hiles at (270) 745-6208.