At WKU
November 20, 2007
Bowling
Green, Ky. - A $100,000 gift from News Publishing LLC of Bowling Green will create the Gaines Family Fund for Excellence in Print Journalism at Western Kentucky University.
The fund, which will be housed in the WKU Foundation, is named for the John Gaines family, owners of News Publishing, which publishes the Bowling Green Daily News.
The fund will enhance the annual Gaines Lecture Series and be used to promote print journalism in WKU’s School of Journalism and Broadcasting. The lecture series began in 2004 in honor of the 150th anniversary of the Daily News.
“The Gaines family is such an important part of the history of our community,” said WKU President Gary Ransdell. “We are proud of their support of our Journalism program and to have them associated with it forever.”
Tom Hiles, WKU’s vice president for Institutional Advancement, said the Gaines family has played a leadership role in journalism for decades. “We are very grateful for this important gift to support the Gaines Lecture Series and more generally to support our nationally-ranked School of Journalism and Broadcasting,” he said.
Daily News Publisher Pipes Gaines said the gift is intended to benefit the University and the community. “Our family’s wish is that this gift will enhance and perpetuate the Gaines Lecture Series while exposing students in the School of Journalism and Broadcasting as well as the community to outstanding lecturers within our profession,” he said. “This gift to the University serves as a natural partnership between two institutions dedicated to serving the public welfare for many decades.”
Pam Johnson, director of the School of Journalism and Broadcasting, said the Gaines family has provided strong leadership to the Bowling Green community.
“A strong newspaper leads to a strong town and a strong sense of community. The Daily News provides a strong sense of community to Bowling Green,” Dr. Johnson said. “The Gaines family has been long-term supporters of the School of Journalism in terms of providing scholarships, internships and jobs for our students.”
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.
-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