WKU News

President Timothy C. Caboni was the keynote speaker at the April Hardin County Chamber lunch Wednesday, sponsored by WKU in Elizabethtown-Fort Knox. WKU Provost Bud Fischer, deans, and numerous WKU faculty and staff were in attendance, along with guests representing WKU partners like Hardin County Schools, Elizabethtown Independent Schools, Ft. Knox Schools, and Elizabethtown Community & Technical College.

“Our students are central to everything we do as an institution,” Caboni stated. “We have one job at the university – to ensure every student we enroll succeeds and ultimately graduates.”

Caboni highlighted WKU’s growth in degree-seeking enrollment and student retention, as well as WKU’s increased investment in student success through Living Learning Communities, programs for first generation students, and study abroad opportunities. He also celebrated enrollment growth at WKU in Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, citing an 8.3% overall enrollment increase from two years ago.

“Know that everything we do across our campuses – from the Hill in Bowling Green to our regional partners in Glasgow, Owensboro, Somerset and here in Elizabethtown/Fort Knox – remains deeply interwoven,” he added.

Regional Campus Director Dr. Derick B. Strode also provided an update from WKU in Elizabethtown-Fort Knox. In his remarks, Strode celebrated WKU’s partnership with Elizabethtown Community & Technical College (ECTC) and the US Army’s Education Center at Ft. Knox.

Of the ECTC students who transfer to a university, 42% choose WKU, making us ECTC’s biggest transfer partner. “Putting that into perspective,” said Strode, “more ECTC students came to WKU for bachelor’s degree completion than all seven other Kentucky public universities combined.”

In highlighting WKU’s partnership with the US Army’s Education Center at Ft. Knox, Strode pointed out that WKU offers a discounted tuition rate of $250 for active-duty military and provides military students with access to books at no cost.

Other key points included details about the Signature Regional Programs initiative. WKU now offers 12 majors at WKU in Elizabethtown-Fort Knox. 

These majors include Criminology, Elementary Education, Elementary Education/Special Education Dual Certification, Health Sciences, Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education, Interdisciplinary Studies, Management – Business Administration, Middle Grades Education, Organizational Leadership, Psychology, Social Work, and Sociology.

All 12 majors are offered in full, so students never have to leave Hardin County to complete their WKU degree.

“Our students are parents and caregivers; some are already working professionals who maintain full-time jobs while they complete a degree for advancement – and our 12 majors are designed to meet some of the most significant regional workforce demands,” said Strode.

For details about WKU in Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, visit wku.edu/etown-ftknox.