WKU News

Western Kentucky University will celebrate about 3,000 graduates and recognize top scholars during 2024 Commencement on May 2 at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium.

WKU will confer 2,984 degrees and certificates to spring and summer 2024 graduates -- 77 associate, 1,987 bachelor’s, 503 master’s, 55 doctoral and 14 specialist degrees, and 274 undergraduate certificates and 74 graduate certificates.

Commencement will begin at 6:30 p.m. with Topper Walk along the Avenue of Champions from the Charles Hardcastle Kentucky Building to the stadium. The ceremony will begin once students have been seated on Feix Field. During the ceremony, each college will acknowledge its graduates, and President Timothy C. Caboni will present the graduates to the Board of Regents for the conferral of degrees. 

The ceremony will include remarks from President Caboni; recognition of honor graduates and award winners – Mariia Novoselia, a journalism major from Odesa, Ukraine, as the Ogden Foundation Scholar (top undergraduate award) and Matthew Bowers, a biology graduate student from Kenhorst, Pennsylvania, as the John D. Minton Award recipient (top graduate award); and the commissioning of WKU ROTC cadets.

The ceremony will be broadcast by WKU PBS and will be streamed on WKU’s YouTube and Facebook pages.

The Commencement celebration will conclude with The Big Red Bash on the South Lawn, featuring music, food vendors and fireworks.

Commencement information is available online at https://www.wku.edu/commencement/  

More: Event parking information; directions & parking; parking map

College Recognition Ceremonies

On May 3 at Diddle Arena, WKU’s five academic colleges will host recognition ceremonies to celebrate the accomplishments of their graduates who will walk the line and shake hands with President Caboni.

The ceremony schedule is: Gordon Ford College of Business, 8 a.m.; Potter College of Arts & Letters, 10:30 a.m.; Ogden College of Science and Engineering, 1 p.m.; College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, 3:30 p.m.; and College of Health and Human Services, 6:30 p.m.

WKU is expecting heavy traffic throughout the day. To accommodate traffic flow for graduates and guests, WKU Parking & Transportation is providing parking recommendations for each ceremony, including shuttle service to Diddle Arena, at https://www.wku.edu/commencement/directions.php as well as live updates at https://www.wku.edu/eventparking. More: Event parking information; parking map

Regional campus celebrations

WKU Regional Campuses will acknowledge their graduates during pre-Commencement events in Glasgow, Somerset, Owensboro and Elizabethtown before their members of the Class of 2024 come to Bowling Green to participate in Topper Walk, Commencement and College Recognition Ceremonies.

• WKU in Glasgow Graduand, 5:30 p.m. April 22 at TJ Pavilion Community Room, 310 N L Rogers Wells Blvd., Glasgow.
• WKU in Somerset Graduate Celebration, 2 p.m. ET April 29 at Somerset Community College, Hal Rogers Student Commons Community Room, 808 Monticello St., Somerset.
• WKU in Owensboro Graduate Celebration, 5 p.m. April 30 at Owensboro Community & Technical College, Blandford Hall, 4800 New Hartford Road, Owensboro.
• WKU in Elizabethtown-Fort Knox Graduate Celebration, 5:30 p.m. ET May 1 at Regional Postsecondary Center Auditorium, Room 212, 600 College Street Road, Elizabethtown.

Other recognition events

• Global Graduate Gala, 5:30 p.m. April 30 at Honors College-International Center
• Lavender Recognition Ceremony, 7 p.m. April 30 at Eva and Jim Martens Alumni Center
• WKU ROTC Commissioning, 2 p.m. May 2 at Downing Student Union, room 1071
• ISEC Graduation Celebration, 2 p.m. May 2 at Diddle Arena
• Gordon Ford College of Business Hooding Ceremony, 4:30 p.m. May 2 at Grise Hall Auditorium
• Mahurin Honors College Graduation, 9 a.m. May 3 at Knicely Conference Center for College of Education and Behavioral Sciences and Ogden College of Science and Engineering graduates
• Mahurin Honors College Graduation, 1 p.m. May 3 at Knicely Conference Center for Potter College of Arts & Letters, Gordon Ford College of Business and College of Health and Human Services, and graduates

Gatton Academy graduation

• The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science will recognize 89 students from 42 counties in the Class of 2024, its 17th graduating class. The ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. May 4 at Van Meter Hall.

Contact: WKU Communications & Marketing, (270) 745-4295

-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.