WKU News

The Western Kentucky University Board of Regents voted today to extend the contract for President Timothy C. Caboni through 2029. Caboni has served as the institution’s 10th president since 2017. 

“On behalf of the entire WKU Board of Regents, I am honored to reaffirm our deep confidence in President Caboni’s leadership,” said W. Currie Milliken, Chair of the Board. “Since becoming president, Dr. Caboni has consistently shown a bold and forward-thinking approach that has elevated WKU in meaningful ways. His strategic vision, relentless energy and clear dedication to academic excellence and student achievement have guided WKU through both opportunities and challenges with remarkable clarity and purpose. Under his leadership, the university has expanded its reach, enhanced its reputation and stayed true to its mission of serving students and the broader region. We are excited about the future with President Caboni at the helm and look forward to continued progress under his leadership.”

Since taking office, President Caboni has placed a strong emphasis on enriching the student experience and driving academic achievement, while laying a solid foundation for WKU’s continued advancement. His leadership has fostered a spirit of innovation across campus, promoting excellence in both academic programs and administrative operations. By supporting interdisciplinary collaboration, he has helped dismantle traditional barriers and encouraged fresh approaches to institutional challenges. From the outset, he has made strategic planning central to the university’s success. His focus on enhancing WKU’s intellectual resources and campus infrastructure has strengthened the university’s standing as a catalyst for regional economic vitality and community well-being.

President Caboni has guided Western Kentucky University through some of the most complex and demanding periods in its recent history. His steady hand was particularly evident during the global COVID-19 pandemic, as he led the institution through an uncertain and rapidly evolving environment. Throughout that crisis, he placed the health and well-being of students, faculty, staff and the surrounding community at the forefront, all while maintaining the continuity of academic operations.

Since assuming the presidency, he has worked with university leadership to successfully implement strategic solutions, including a decentralized budget model, to modernize the budget while preserving WKU’s core mission. At its June meeting, the Board of Regents approved WKU’s first balanced budget that did not rely on carry-forward funds from the previous fiscal year since 2005. 

President Caboni has remained focused on strengthening the university’s long-term position. He has partnered with senior leaders to streamline internal processes, enhance institutional effectiveness and update operations. At the same time, he has actively engaged with policymakers at both the state and federal levels to ensure WKU’s priorities are well represented. His advocacy has yielded historic results – including the largest capital investment ever allocated to the university by the Kentucky General Assembly. This transformational funding will support the construction of a new facility to replace the Academic Complex, home to the College of Health and Human Services and WKU’s Public Media operations, further enhancing the university’s capacity to serve students and the broader region.

He has also spearheaded efforts to supplement federal and state support with private giving. Under President Caboni’s leadership, WKU achieved its five highest fundraising years in institutional history in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023. 

“I am deeply honored by the continued confidence the Board of Regents has placed in me,” said President Caboni. “It is a privilege to lead this remarkable institution alongside such dedicated faculty, staff and students. As a proud WKU alumnus, serving as president is more than a professional role; it is a deeply personal commitment to a place that shaped who I am. I look forward to building on the momentum we’ve created and advancing the important work that defines our mission. Together, we will continue to strengthen WKU’s effect across our region and beyond.”

President Caboni has prioritized a number of initiatives designed to support student success, expand hands-on research opportunities and increase access to the WKU experience, including:

• Establishing the WKU Opportunity Fund, which allocates support to students facing financial challenges. Initially launched in 2018 with a goal of raising $50 million, the Fund ultimately generated more than $100 million to support students through the creation of 267 endowed scholarships.

• Establishing WKU’s First Gen Program, which is dedicated to supporting first-generation college students – those who are the first in their families to attend college. The program provides resources, mentorship and community-building activities to help these students navigate the challenges of higher education and succeed academically and personally.

• Revising the institutional scholarship program that increased institutional aid available to students by more than $5 million. The majority of incoming students now receive some form of institutional aid.

• Launching the Summer Scholars Program, Intercultural Student Engagement Center Academy and the Burch Institute 

• Renewing institutional focus on Living Learning Communities (LLCs), which offer first-year students the opportunity to live and learn together, fostering strong academic, social and personal connections among students who share similar academic interests and goals

• Introducing centralized advising, which streamlines academic advising services for students and ensures that students receive consistent, personalized support throughout their academic journey

• Transforming WKU’s Center for Research and Development into an Innovation Campus, a space where students, faculty and entrepreneurs collaborate with local and global businesses. The Innovation Campus is designed to foster innovation, research and job creation, helping strengthen the regional economy and provide students with valuable opportunities to engage with industry leaders.

These initiatives have played a central role in driving substantial improvements in student retention during President Caboni’s tenure. Since his arrival in 2017, overall student retention has increased from just under 70% to more than 78%, the highest in WKU’s history.

Fall-to-spring retention of first-time, first-year students has also shown steady growth, rising by more than five percentage points since his first year as president. Today, over 90% of these students return for the spring semester.

Key student populations have also enjoyed significant gains. First-generation students, low-income students and underrepresented minority students have each experienced notable increases in first-time, first-year fall-to-spring retention rates, underscoring the efficacy of the student success initiatives launched since Caboni’s arrival.

Throughout his presidency, Caboni’s emphasis on hands-on student learning has been on full display. He regularly participated in the Leadership and Communication Living Learning Community, engaging with students through thoughtful and meaningful interactions. He was honored as the 2024-2025 Administrator of the Year by the Kentucky Music Educators Association (KMEA) in recognition of his work with WKU’s music programs – especially the Big Red Marching Band, the largest collegiate marching band in the Commonwealth.

Under President Caboni’s leadership, WKU Athletics has experienced remarkable success. Since he became president, Hilltopper programs have captured 23 Conference USA (CUSA) team championships across eight sports and 20 individual titles from five additional programs. Academically, WKU student-athletes have excelled as well, setting department records for the number of honorees on the CUSA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and recipients of the Commissioner’s Academic Medal. In fall 2024, they achieved a program-best 3.24 cumulative GPA.

Caboni also played a pivotal role in guiding CUSA through a critical period of realignment while serving as Chair of the CUSA Board of Directors from October 2021 to May 2024—the longest tenure in league history. During this time, he helped stabilize the conference, laying the foundation for success and a return to 12 full-time members by July 1, 2025. He also led negotiations for a new multimedia rights agreement focused on accessibility, strategic scheduling, national exposure (both linear and digital) and increased revenue.

Before becoming Chair, Caboni joined the CUSA Executive Committee in 2019 and was named Vice Chair in June 2021. His national influence extended to his service on the College Football Playoff Board of Managers, where he contributed to the expansion of the playoff from four to 12 teams.

President Caboni has also overseen an aggressive transformation of WKU’s physical campus, including:

• The ongoing work to fully develop the university’s First Year Village, which serves as the home to many of the university’s Living Learning Communities.

• The Commons at Helm Library, which opened in 2022. This innovative space transformed the traditional library into a modern, multipurpose facility that serves as an intellectual hub on campus, providing areas for study, collaboration and events while fostering an environment where students, faculty and staff can come together to share ideas and engage in active learning.

• The new home of the Gordon Ford College of Business. The university broke ground on this facility in 2023. When it opens in fall 2025, this state-of-the-art building will foster innovation, collaboration and real-world learning experiences that prepare students to work in a modern business environment.

• The new Soccer/Softball complex, which opened in 2023. This facility supports the long-term success of the university’s women’s soccer and softball teams, providing top-tier amenities and a dedicated home for both programs.

• Hilltopper Fieldhouse. In 2023, the university broke ground on this facility, which provides practice and competition space for WKU’s national champion Forensics Team, the Big Red Marching Band, E-sports and WKU Athletics.

• The Hilltop Restoration Project, which makes the top of The Hill more accessible, provides more outdoor space for the WKU community to gather and returns that part of campus to founding President Henry Hardin Cherry’s vision of an oval academical village.

• The restoration of Cherry Hall. In May, President Caboni unveiled renderings of the reimagined Cherry Hall, WKU’s most iconic structure. Similar to the transformative work that led to the creation of The Commons at Helm Library, this project will celebrate the building’s 88-year history while updating it with amenities to support modern teaching and learning.

• Continued planning to replace the Academic Complex, which was made possible by a $160 million appropriation from the Kentucky General Assembly, the largest capital appropriation in WKU’s history

President Caboni holds a PhD in Higher Education Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University. Before becoming WKU’s president, he served as the Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs at the University of Kansas for six years. Prior to that, he was the Associate Dean at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education & Human Development in Nashville, Tennessee. A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, President Caboni earned his bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication and Rhetoric from Louisiana State University. He also holds a master’s degree in Corporate and Organizational Communication from WKU. 

-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.