WKU News

Western Kentucky University President Timothy C. Caboni met with local media today (February 3) for the university’s beginning-of-the-semester press conference, outlining significant accomplishments from the fall semester and providing updates on the initiatives shaping WKU’s future.

President Caboni highlighted a fall semester marked by exceptional progress in student success, academic quality, fiscal strength, athletics accomplishments and campus development. 

Among the achievements he discussed:

• The opening of Amy and David Chandler Hall, providing a transformative new home for the Gordon Ford College of Business
• Record student retention of 79.4%, just shy of the university’s 2028 goal of 80%
• A record graduation rate nearing 60%, representing an increase of more than eight percentage points since 2017
• A four-year graduation rate exceeding 50%, surpassing one of Kentucky’s two R1 institutions
• A 25% increase in graduate enrollment compared to last year
• Achievement of a structurally balanced budget without the use of cash reserves for the first time since 2005
• A more than 15% increase in net tuition revenue since 2023
• Reaffirmation of WKU’s SACSCOC accreditation with no additional reporting required, underscoring the strength and quality of the institution
• Impressive athletic achievements in baseball, soccer, volleyball and football, including WKU Football’s victory in the New Orleans Bowl

“Our student athletes continue to perform beautifully well on the Hill,” said President Caboni. 

President Caboni provided an update on student housing and the university’s partnership with Gilbane to advance a comprehensive housing enhancement strategy. The partnership was announced in December as the best path forward to elevate housing and meet evolving student expectations.

“We know that student expectations have shifted for housing over the past decade. And our housing stock today does not match the expectations of our students and their families. So we need a national partner to help us move quickly to replace the housing that we have and to improve the stock on the buildings we are going to renovate,” he said.

The first phase of the initiative will replace Douglas Keen Hall and Hugh Poland Hall with a state-of-the-art, approximately 1,000-bed residential complex featuring a variety of room configurations. Caboni said that additional information, including conceptual renderings, will be shared in the coming weeks, with financial close anticipated later this spring or early summer. 

Additional campus construction updates included:

• Continued renovations to Cherry Hall as WKU remains committed to preserving the building’s historical significance and restoring much of the original character lost through decades of neglect and renovations
• The Tim and Sarah Ford Fieldhouse, which will be dedicated on March 24 and will serve as a one-of-a-kind facility supporting forensics, esports, football, baseball and the Big Red Marching Band
• Ongoing planning for a new facility to replace the Academic Complex, home to the College of Health and Human Services and WKU Public Media, with groundbreaking anticipated later this year

President Caboni also discussed WKU’s continued progress toward achieving Kentucky’s first R2 designation, including ongoing work with the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) to gain approval to launch WKU’s first Ph.D. program in Data Science. A university-wide committee will work this semester to identify additional interdisciplinary Ph.D. opportunities throughout the spring.

“Our 2024 Higher Education Research and Development survey total was $11 million - the highest HERD total results than in any other year since data collection began in 2010. We are really proud of that as we pursue R2 designation,” he said.

President Caboni also highlighted WKU’s legislative priorities for the 2026 session of the Kentucky General Assembly, including the university’s budget. 

“I'm proud of the work that we have done. We've been incredibly successful in the past two budget sessions receiving appropriations which revolve around the Academic Complex replacement. I believe the legislature understands the importance of higher education to our region and to growing our economy.” 

The full video of President Caboni’s press conference is available here: https://www.wku.edu/caboni/2026-spring-start-of-semester-press-conference.php.

- WKU -

Western Kentucky University prides itself on positioning its students, faculty and staff for long term success. As a student-centered, applied research university, WKU helps students expand on classroom learning by integrating education with real-world applications in the communities we serve. Our hilltop campus is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was recently named by Reader’s Digest as one of the nicest towns in America, just an hour’s drive from Nashville, Tennessee.