3.4.2 Continuing Education and Outreach

Commission Standard: The institution's continuing education, outreach, and service programs are consistent with the institution's mission.

Status: In Compliance

Rationale: Western's mission statement addresses the institution's commitment to service and outreach programs:

In fact, providing service and outreach to various constituents in the university's primary service region has been an important part of our work. The university has continued its historical commitment to support public schools, especially with continuing education for teachers and administrators, while also offering training and development programs for local business, industry, and government agencies.

In more recent times, we have developed extended campus sites to provide expanded opportunities to a region that suffers from low postsecondary participation. Reacting to higher education goals from the Kentucky CPE, we have also worked to increase economic development in the region and the state. Notable here is our Center for Research and Development with space for applied research projects and a business incubator, all in the service of Kentucky's New Economy initiative. We also provide important outreach through Internet programs and ITV delivery and offer many continuing education opportunities, camps, and workshops, mostly for pre-college students and adults.

To further advance the university's outreach activities, the Division of Extended Learning and Outreach (DELO) was approved by the board of regents in 2003. This new unit will serve as the central coordinating and promotional body for most of our outreach efforts. In sum, Western has an exemplary record of first-rate outreach services to the region, the state, and often beyond the boundaries of Kentucky.

Division of Extended Learning and Outreach

The Division of Extended Learning and Outreach was approved by the board of regents with a start-up date of July 1, 2003. DELO is a centralized administrative branch to support and coordinate “faculty, departments and colleges to meet the diverse needs of WKU's local, regional, and virtual communities.” The unit includes a number of related outreach operations: the Carroll Knicely Institute for Economic Development; the Carroll Knicely Conference Center; the Center for Training and Development; Continuing Education; Correspondence Study; Distance Education (ReachU); Extended Campuses (Glasgow, Owensboro, Elizabethtown/Ft. Knox); Extended Campus Services; the Small Business Development Center; and Summer Sessions.

Carroll Knicely Institute for Economic Development

The Knicely Institute promotes economic development with a focus on Western's primary service region. Institute programs include

Incubator Without Walls , an initiative in conjunction with the Small Business Development Center (see below) to stimulate entrepreneurs by developing strong local networks and business infrastructure.

Community Leadership Development focuses on building leadership for economic development within Kentucky rural communities through identifying and training leaders.

Student to Business Assistance recruits upper-level and graduate students to aid small business, local governments, and organizations in management and marketing. Projects are overseen by professors as class activities.

Carroll Knicely Conference Center

The Knicely Conference Center is a state-of-the-art facility serving university, local, and regional needs for group functions. The center's technology resources and staff allow the facility to accommodate a diverse clientele.

Center for Training and Development

The Center for Training and Development provides on-site employee development programs through an online catalog of classes in computer applications; quality assurance; management; and supervisory, team and employee training. The center also offers customized training by WKU faculty. For FY 2003, the center provided 588 training hours for 4,348 employees.

Continuing Education

The Continuing Education office offers a host of non-credit courses for nontraditional learners, whether pre-college students or senior citizens. Examples include etiquette camps for children, motorcycle safety, Elderhostel programs, and online courses in such subjects as computer applications, desktop photography, and desktop publishing. Continuing Education Units (CEU's) are provided for professional development programs. Other significant programs now underway include

A Wilderness First Responder course on backcountry medical training in partnership with WKU's Recreation and Park Administration program

The Pre-College String Development Program, for orchestral string instruction for children ages two to eighteen, in partnership with WKU's Music Department

Social Work Continuing Education programs for social workers and licensed professional counselors delivered by WKU's Department of Social Work.

Correspondence Study

Correspondence Study provides a range of courses through mail or online delivery. Classes are taught by university faculty and require the same levels of academic achievement as face-to-face classes do. There are currently 49 correspondence courses available, including many WKU general education courses and selected upper-level classes. The policies governing correspondence courses help ensure educational levels comparable to regular classes. There were well over 1,000 correspondence course enrollments in 2003-04.

Distance Education (ReachU)

The Office of Distance Education oversees WKU's online courses. During 2003-04 Western offered 295 college-level on-line courses developed and monitored for academic quality by academic departments with a total enrollment of 7,345. The office provides faculty training and support, including sessions on Blackboard, our electronic instructional platform. Current online programs include the M.S. in Communication Disorders, an MAE in Exceptional Education, an M.S. in Library Media Education, a graduate certificate in Women's studies, and an A.S. in Early Childhood Education. Distance Learning also offers a range of individual courses. Many WKU online courses are available through the Kentucky Virtual University , a centralized state system for online education.

Extended Campuses

Western provides college courses, continuing education, and community development through three primary extended campus centers located in Glasgow , Owensboro , and Elizabethtown/Ft. Knox . All three sites deliver a range of courses and programs.

The Glasgow and Elizabethtown centers are located in recently constructed facilities they share with Kentucky Community and Technical College campuses, promoting the seamless postsecondary education system that has been a goal of Kentucky higher education for several years. In 2004-05 our center in Owensboro will be moving into buildings at the Owensboro Community College, and thus benefit from the same type of collegial collaboration. The Elizabethtown Center operates a program for Fort Knox army personnel through the Service Members Opportunity College Army Degree (SOCAD).

All centers are served by Western's library with document delivery and on-line research programs. Each offers either on-line or face-to-face financial aid counseling and career services and is served by the Extended Campus Services office, which ensures that documents and other kinds of support (including personnel) are available for interactive TV classes delivered at the extended campus sites.

The Glasgow and Elizabethtown centers have libraries, bookstores, academic advisors, computer labs, and dining facilities. Ft. Knox students have access to libraries and computer labs on base. Owensboro has advisors and provides students access to local public libraries and the Owensboro Community College Library. Following the planned move of the Owensboro Center to the Owensboro Community College, other services will be available as well.

Extended campuses also provide non-credit and community service outreach. All three campuses participate in P-16 Councils—regional cooperative partnerships between P-12 schools, postsecondary education, and business/government leaders to help bring alignment and advocacy to education at all levels of the region and state.

Small Business Development Program

This program is part of a statewide grant to assist small businesses. Western's program annually serves 200-250 participants on an individual consulting basis and 500-1200 at training sessions.

Summer Sessions

DELO also provides coordination and administrative oversight for Western's separately budgeted summer sessions .

Academic College Outreach Programs

Western's academic colleges have a long history of outreach activities in areas related to their mission and disciplines.

The College of Education and Behavioral Sciences

Education and Behavioral Sciences is especially engaged with P-12 schools, providing classes, workshops, and in-services for teachers and administrators. Many such activities are channeled through the Green River Regional Educational Cooperative , a professional development cooperative serving area school districts. Many examples of outreach offered through the college could be mentioned:

The Department of Educational Administration, Leadership and Research offers workshops for school administrators and helps candidates prepare for the School Leadership Licensure Assessment national exam. Faculty also serve on Scholastic Audit Teams in conjunction with the Kentucky Department of Education.

The Counseling Program offers numerous workshops on counseling-related topics including “Leadership and Supervision” and “Understanding Diversity.”

The Department of Psychology operates a Psychological Clinic as a training site for students in the graduate programs in clinical and school psychology. Psychological assessment and psychotherapy are offered to local individuals and students. In 2003-2004, 63 patients received psychological services.

The Department of Special Instructional Programs operates a literacy clinic as a training site for graduate students in the literacy program. Adults and school-aged children receive diagnostic and intervention assistance with literacy skills. During 2003-2004, 10 children and 8 adults received services on the main campus. More than 50 adults were served at adult education facilities in other areas of the state by WKU.

The College of Health and Human Services

The College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) supplies outreach in health-related fields, mostly through the South Central Kentucky Area Health Education Center (AHEC), a grant-funded program for health education and health professionals. AHEC programs are often aimed at specific audiences (e.g., farm safety programs, health screenings for individuals without health insurance), and the center sponsors a radio program, “Words on Wellness,” broadcast on WKYU-FM and the Institute for Rural Health Development and Research , which provides off-site services (with student participation) to rural areas in Western's service region. Other college outreach efforts include these:

Dental Hygiene offers workshops and CEU courses to hygienists, and faculty and students serve Bowling Green's socially/economically disadvantaged through the Commonwealth Free Clinic. The department's own dental hygiene clinic not only trains students but served 1525 patients in 2002/03, including local community members and children in childcare.

The Department of Social Work provides continuing education and training sessions for various agencies and social service providers.

The Department of Communication Disorders operates a state-of-the-art training facility for its students. Its Communication Disorders Clinic is the only university clinic licensed by the State of Kentucky and operates within the guidelines set by the American Speech and Language Association (ASHA) to serve approximately 75 clients per semester.

Ogden College of Science and Engineering

Ogden College primarily serves constituents through its Applied Research and Technology Program (ARTP), recognized as one of Kentucky's “ Programs of Distinction ” by the Kentucky CPE. ARTP coordinates several applied research and service centers:

Architectural and Manufacturing Science Institute

Applied Physics Institute

Center for Biodiversity Studies

Center for Cave and Karst Studies

Kentucky Climate Center

Materials Characterization Center

Electrical Engineering Services

Mechanical Engineering Services

Center for Water Resource Studies

Institute for Astrophysics and Space Science

Biotechnology Center

Institute for Combustion Science and Environmental Technology

In FY 2003, 82 graduate and 231 undergraduate students worked on ARTP projects under the supervision of 77 faculty members.

Additional Ogden College outreach projects include

The Chemistry Department's “Chemistry is Phun” magic shows at region schools, which reached over 7,000 students in 2003/04

The Department of Mathematics' annual contest for P-12 students and symposia for regional high school, community college, and university faculty

The Department of Physics' Physics Olympiad for students from across the state

Engineering's LEGO competition for middle and high school students

The college's Girls in Science Days, which last year attracted 180 high school and middle school girls

The Department of Geography and Geology's National Geographic Society “Geography Bee” for Kentucky high school students.

Potter College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

Among the many outreach projects and programs in Potter are these:

Advanced English Department writing students help community organizations with brochures and newsletters. The Robert Penn Warren Center provides major outreach activities through symposia and its Warren-related material. The department offers workshops for teachers in the summer, notably the Writing Project , which has taught Kentucky teachers for more than 20 years how to use writing instruction in their classrooms.

The Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology assists various groups with issues relating to folk heritage, preservation, and anthropological issues. Faculty contribute to state and national folk life organizations and make presentations to state and regional groups.

The History Department sponsors an annual contest for P-12 students. Faculty provide workshops and appearances for P-12 schools and community groups. They are regular interview guests on local TV and radio stations and contribute to the local newspaper.

The Music Department sponsors public performances, concerts, and recitals at various locations, and faculty regularly visit P-12 schools as clinicians, judges, and providers of in-service workshops for music teachers.

The Department of Modern Languages runs school workshops and in-service activities, and it hosts an annual Foreign Language Festival for regional students and teachers. Faculty frequently provide translations for businesses and other interests.

Philosophy and Religion has offered several summer workshops for teachers on values and religion in public schools, using Dante's Divine Comedy as the basis for study.

University Libraries

The Kentucky Library and Museum offers exhibits, lectures and workshops bringing Kentucky topics to the public and area schools. It also sponsors “Lunch-Time Learning” talks, walking tours, and book discussions. The main library co-sponsors the annual Southern Kentucky Book Festival, a book fair featuring national and regional authors. The library also sponsors a lecture series on foreign travel and Internet workshops for the public.

Student Engagement with the Community

Students are increasingly involved in outreach at Western. Several activities already discussed include student participation (for example, the dental hygiene, communications disorders, and applied research programs).

More recently, Western joined a number of other American Association of State Colleges and Universities members in the American Democracy Project . The project, developed by AASCU in collaboration with the New York Times , “focuses on the development of informed graduates who are committed to lives of engagement as citizens in our democracy.” Western recently formed a committee to encourage and oversee American Democracy projects.

The university has also joined the Campus Compact, another national student engagement and service learning program, through a Kentucky Campus Compact Committee sponsored by the Kentucky CPE.

Other current student engagement projects include the following:

University Centers & Leadership Programs sponsors several outreach activities beneficial to the community, including

High School Leadership Conference . Held on campus each semester, this conference helps educate high school students from Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana on the importance of leadership and active involvement.

The Student Volunteer Bureau. The bureau provides students information about community service and volunteer opportunities in the Bowling Green area. Opportunities range from one-day events to semester-long activities.

The ALIVE Cente r ( A Local Information and Volunteer Exchange) offers information for community members seeking health and human services with links to community organizations and individuals (including WKU students, faculty, and staff) who can help.

The Office of Diversity Programs' Project AIMS (Activating Interest in Minority Students) serves junior high and middle schools students from Warren, Barren, and Franklin counties to promote academics and leadership and to encourage long-range educational goals beyond high school.

American Humanics (AH), begun in fall 2003, prepares students to be professionals and leaders in youth and human services agencies. Students engage in service learning through the AH Student Association, fieldwork, or internships. The program offers an annual American Humanics Management Institute with presentations by leaders of nonprofit organizations.

Girls to Women in Science encourages girls to become interested in science. The program, jointly sponsored by the Women in Science and Engineering and the Women's Studies Program, sponsors an annual “Girls' Science Day” for area middle school and high school girls, takes science “ magic shows ” to area schools, and maintains a web site that features women “Scientists of the Month.”

Many other outreach projects are carried out annually at WKU, often involving individual faculty providing expertise to off-campus organizations and schools. These activities all help the university achieve its significant outreach mission.