WKU Fund-Raising Program Recognized As One Of The Nation's Best

July 11, 2007

Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky University was recently recognized by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) with its 2007 WealthEngine Award for Educational Fund Raising. The award honors superior fund-raising programs across the country.

For 2007, 1,010 higher education institutions were eligible for consideration based on their participation record with the Council for Aid to Education’s annual Voluntary Support of Education (VSE) Survey. An independent data analyst narrowed the field to 482 institutions. WKU was one of 31 universities and schools recognized for overall performance.

“We are proud of this national recognition,” said Tom Hiles, WKU’s Vice President for Institutional Advancement.

“It reflects strong presidential leadership, a university on the move, a strong advancement team and very loyal donors.”

WKU is among the exceptional group of colleges, universities, and independent schools named to the Circle of Excellence for either overall performance or overall improvement in fundraising. WKU was selected to receive an Overall Performance award based on the judge’s analysis of three-years of fundraising data WKU submitted to the VSE.

“To be among a small group of schools that includes Yale University, the University of Miami in Florida, the University of Michigan and our friends at St. Xavier High School in Louisville is very gratifying,” said WKU President Gary Ransdell. “This achievement is a boost to our efforts to become a leading American university with international reach.”

Out of 482 colleges and universities considered, 47 higher education institutions won an award (31 in Overall Performance and 17 in Overall Improvement). WKU was one of three winners in the public comprehensive category.

The full list of winners is posted on the CASE Web site at:

http://www.case.org/Content/AwardsScholarships/Display.cfm?CONTENTITEMID=2961

More WKU news is available at http://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, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, (270) 745-6208.