5 things to read this morning
March 18, 2014
1. Students have potential to lose $76 million in state aid
Students receiving Kentucky state financial aid could receive less money over the next two years with the proposed state budget.
Since 2009, state financial aid programs have lost $100 million from diverted lottery proceeds, and might take an additional $76 million hit over the next two years under Gov. Steve Beshear’s current budget proposal.
WKU students currently receiving need-based aid will experience more competition for the funding and less money, according to a new study from the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy.
2. Michelle Clark-Heard leads her alma mater back to the top
WKU coach Michelle Clark-Heard and Athletics Director Todd Stewart share a unique bond.
Stewart was announced as the interim athletic director on March 22, 2012, and replaced former director Ross Bjork.
That same day, Stewart and President Gary Ransdell introduced Clark-Heard as the WKU Lady Topper basketball program’s 15th head coach.
3. ‘Hipster Hillbilly’: Young Mary finds work, pleasure in promoting good art
Sitting in her living room, Mary Sparr is surrounded by memorabilia. Scattered records, leftover tour merch, a mannequin clad with backstage passes ranging from Adele to Bowling Green’s Starry Nights, a Maker’s Mark certificate dedicating a barrel of the Kentucky bourbon “to Young Mary’s Record.”
These pieces from days gone by aren’t just eclectic home decor, they’re proof of an already budding career for the 2009 WKU graduate.
Her success, however, hasn’t just happened. While on the Hill, Sparr had a string of switched majors—six in all— before combining her many interests and creating an ideal career.
“I was a PR major for a period of time, I was a philosophy major at one point,” the Liberty native said. “The one thing I had consistently moved forward in was my English classes, while I’d dabbled in all those other things because I was interested in them.”
4. WKU community pitches in after professor’s house burns
The WKU community has proven once again that it is not only a campus but a family.
Recently, James McCoy, supervisor of Special Services, lost his home to a fire. Since then, the entire university has worked to support him and his son financially and emotionally.
“I owe the whole community a thanks from the bottom of my heart for everything they have done,” he said. “They all went above and beyond what was necessary. I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to be supporting me.”
5. Einstein’s introduces extended hours
Students with the late night munchies will be happy to know that they’ll have a place to eat on campus for the next two weeks.
Einstein Bros Bagels will have a soft opening from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays, in addition to its normal hours.
