Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky University will break ground Saturday on a new Student Publications Building, a grassroots effort that was funded almost entirely through individual contributions from alumni who wrote for the College Heights Herald student newspaper and the Talisman yearbook.
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“This is a historically significant project in that it will be the first building on WKU’s campus to be entirely privately financed since the Cedar House was built with student labor and student and faculty funds,” said Tom Hiles, WKU’s vice president for Institutional Advancement.

According to Hiles, the Student Publications Center will be a $1 million, state-of-the-art facility located on Normal Drive across from the new Mass Media and Technology Hall (MMTH). “To date 114 contributors have raised a total of $888,453,” he said. “This has been a largely grassroots effort in which working journalists have made sacrificial gifts to honor their alma mater.”

The groundbreaking ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. It will follow the 55th annual Student Publications Homecoming breakfast, which begins at 9 a.m., in MMTH.
Bob Adams, WKU’s director of Student Publications, said the new facility will be constructed to be the newsroom of the future for the Herald, wkuherald.com, and the Talisman. “The Herald and Talisman are considering some cooperative ventures and the Herald plans to expand its online operation and have the capability to integrate whatever media are necessary to remain as the primary information source for WKU students, faculty, staff and administration,” Adams said.

In 2003, the School of Journalism and Broadcasting moved to a new, state-of-the art Mass Media and Technology Hall to the bottom of the campus “Hill.” The Herald and Talisman and the office of Student Publications stayed in the Garrett Conference Center on top of the Hill. “Because it’s all uphill from MMTH there has been limited interaction with faculty members and with prospective students and their families,” Adams explained.

“WKU is one of the top journalism schools in the country, and it is truly fitting that it will now have a state-of-the-art Mass Media and Technology Hall and an impressive facility to house its Student Publications,” Hiles said. “We are indeed grateful to the many alumni and friends who made this project possible.”

David T. Whitaker, a 1981 alumnus who made a leadership gift to the project, majored in Journalism and worked for both the Herald and the Talisman. “The Herald and Talisman, to me, are the centerpieces of the Journalism program,” he explained. “The Herald was like my fraternity when I was at Western. I thought it was important that the publications staffs have a first-class home, because it will be a big part of their time at WKU. Also, it will help the Herald and Talisman stay current, technologically and in quality of the product, and will help with recruiting for the department and the university.”

Lee (’85) and Margo Grace (’84) are both alumni of WKU’s Student Publications programs, as Lee, a Journalism major, was sports editor for the Talisman and sports reporter for the Herald and Margo, a Public Relations major, served the Talisman as design editor and later as co-editor.

“Margo and I are grateful that the Lord has so blessed us that we can give back to the university and the department that has given us so much,” Lee Grace said. “We believe our gift honors the legacy of those that preceded us and helped to create two excellent award-winning publications. The Student Publications Building will give future WKU publications students an even greater advantage over their peers and will only serve to enhance both the department and the university’s
reputation.”

Margo Grace agreed. “We wanted to give back to the people and the program that have given so much to us--friends, fellowship, and the foundation to wonderful careers,” she said. “We are proud to be part of such a wonderful family.”

Pete Mahurin, senior vice president of Hilliard Lyons, said his company’s gift is a celebration of success.

“The Journalism area has been a centerpiece for WKU for a very long time,” he said. “It’s nice to be able to do something for an area where success has had a long history.”

He added that the gift is also in honor of the Bowling Green office of Hilliard Lyons reaching the $1 billion mark in assets gathered. “We don’t have many offices that have reached that milestone,” he said.

Of the 114 individuals donations, a number of major gifts led the way. Gifts of more than $50,000 include:
Neil Budde and Ginny Edwards
Lee and Margo Grace
Brad and Judy Wildman Hughes
Hilliard Lyons
Col. and Mrs. Robert E. Spiller
David T. and Fleur Whitaker

Gifts between $10,000 and $49,000 include:
Bob and Sandy Adams
Jerry Brewer
Tom Caudill
Chuck Clark
Chris Poynter
Mason Ralph
Steve and Heidi Thomas

The Herald and Talisman have continued their tradition of winning national Pacemaker awards. Most recently, they both won National Pacemaker Awards in October 2005 at the ACP/CMA National College Media Convention in Kansas City. The Pacemaker awards are considered to be the Pulitzer Prize of college journalism. WKU was the only university to take home national Pacemakers in both newspaper and yearbook competition. The Herald has won the national Pacemaker 11 times. The Talisman has nine national Pacemakers for yearbooks, including two straight awards since resuming publication in 2003.

Both publications are finalists for 2006 Pacemakers that will be presented Saturday afternoon in St. Louis.

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.

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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