Bowling Green, Ky. - For Tim Gott, being named director of the Kentucky Academy for Mathematics and Science at Western Kentucky University is the chance of a lifetime.

“This blends everything I have been in my career, from being a principal, a teacher, a guidance counselor and a father,” the principal at Morningside Elementary School in Elizabethtown said. “The most exciting thing for me is to be around a group of people who want to change the face of what high school education can be.”

Gott, a Bowling Green native and WKU alumnus, will begin as director on Nov. 16. The Academy, which will open in fall 2007, is a residential early admissions college program for 60 high school juniors and 60 high school seniors from Kentucky who have demonstrated interest in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The goal is to enable Kentucky’s exceptional young scientists and mathematicians to learn in an environment which offers advanced educational opportunities, preparing them for leadership roles in Kentucky. Instead of spending their junior and senior years in traditional high schools, the students will take courses offered by WKU. At the end of two years, they will be high school graduates and will have earned 60 college credit hours.

“This is everything I ever wanted to be involved with,” Gott said. “I get to be in from the beginning of the Academy, and I get to help exceptional students develop on a deep level, not just in the classroom, but to really find themselves.”

Dr. Julia Roberts, director of the Center for Gifted Studies at WKU, said naming a director was a milestone for the Academy.

“Schneider Hall is being renovated as the home of the Academy, recruiting is underway, and Tim Gott has been named the first director,” she said. “A dream is coming true for Kentucky and for young people who are needing advanced learning opportunities, especially in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.”

Gott said one of his priorities will be to put a “face” on the Academy. “We want to get the word out about this phenomenal opportunity for 120 Kentucky high school students,” he said. “Dr. Roberts has done a wonderful job so far in setting up the Academy.”

WKU President Gary A. Ransdell called Gott a “great fit for Kentucky’s Academy. He understands gifted education and the value of the Academy to its students and to the Commonwealth.  He will immediately turn his attention to getting the building open and the first class enrolled.”

Provost and Academic Affairs Vice President Barbara Burch said she was pleased that Gott had accepted the position. “His talents and experiences are exactly what we had hoped to find in the person who will be a lead player in the building and opening of the Academy,” Dr. Burch said. “We are looking forward to having him on campus to provide leadership in realizing the full potential of the Academy.”

Gott earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree and Rank I certification in guidance counseling from WKU. He earned his principal and superintendent certifications from Eastern Kentucky University.
He has been principal of Morningside Elementary in Elizabethtown since 2003. He has also worked for the Kentucky Department of Education as a trainer in student achievement, leadership and planning; as a guidance counselor at Bardstown High School and a math teacher in the Hardin County School system and at Paducah Tilghman High School. He has also coached several sports.

More information on the Kentucky Academy is available at www.wku.edu/academy.

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 Dr. Julia Roberts, (270) 745-6323.

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