The WKU Board of Regents approved three new academic programs, the university’s NCAA compliance report and philanthropic namings across campus at its committee and quarterly meetings today.
The Board approved the creation of a Bachelor of Science in User Experience, which will be offered through a partnership between the university’s computer science and art and design programs.
According to Kristina Arnold, chair of the Department of Art & Design, the major is an expansion of what students, faculty and staff on the Hill are already doing through projects like the SunSketcher app. Arnold said the program’s would-be faculty and students are already at WKU.
“We essentially have all the blocks here, we’re just stacking it differently,” Arnold said.
This will be the first degree of this nature in Kentucky.
Two certificates to be offered by the Gordon Ford College of Business were also approved. These include a certificate in business fundamentals and a certificate in business law, which will be offered in the fall.
Gordon Ford College of Business Dean Evelyn Thrasher said these programs will allow students across campus to receive more education through leveraging colonnade classes.
The certificate in business fundamentals came out of a decline in enrollment in the college’s business fundamentals minor coinciding with the increase in employer demand for similar skills. The business law certificate is a partnership between the business college, the Department of Political Science and the Department of Society, Culture, Crime & Justice Studies.
“This certificate actually has come out of a variety of requests and a variety of conversations, beginning with majors outside the college of business who now recognize that your students really do need some business knowledge as they move into entrepreneurial pursuits, the workplace, that sort of thing,” Thrasher said of the business fundamentals certificate.
According to Thrasher, the creation of the business law certificate comes from what she said was the increasing number of business students who are choosing to go into law.
WKU’s online RN to BSN program, once offered through the College of Health and Human Services, will be available to more students in the fall. The program will allow those who have received an associate’s degree in nursing to take additional courses to receive their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree while continuing to work as a board-certified nurse.
The program will initially allow for 20 spots which College of Health and Human Services Dean Tania Basta anticipates will fill quickly.
Athletic Director Todd Stewart also presented a contract extension for WKU Football Head Coach Tyson Helton, citing his continued success as the program’s manager. Stewart pointed to Helton’s six bowl game wins and competitiveness in Conference USA as reasons why an improved contract was necessary.
According to Stewart, Helton saw interest from three other schools for head coaching jobs but chose to remain at WKU.
“If you have somebody that’s really good at what they do, it’s never been more important to keep them here, and that’s what he’s been,” Stewart said of Helton. “He’s an outstanding program manager and gives us the best chance for sustained success.
The Board also approved the fiscal year 2024 NCAA Compliance Report. The report shows the university provided $28.1 million in subsidies to WKU Athletics. This is $2.8 million more than in fiscal year 2023.
Also at the meeting, the Board:
- Approved sabbatical leave for nine faculty.
- Approved the awarding of University Distinguished Professor distinction to Professor of Chemistry Rui Zhang and Professor of History Anthony Harkins.
- Received updates from Executive Vice President for Strategy, Operations and Finance Susan Howarth about the university’s first quarter finances for fiscal year 2025. According to Howarth, net tuition revenue increased by $7 million in fall 2024. The university also saw other positive increases and signs, according to Howarth, including increases in total net position and unrestricted net position.
- Approved a philanthropic naming for the Lieutenant Colonel Michael R. Boos Room of Requirement, located in the ROTC suite in Diddle Arena.
- Approved $1,475,900 in private gifts that are eligible for the Council on Postsecondary Education’s Endowment Match Program.
Editor-in-Chief Price Wilborn can be reached at edwin.wilborn835@topper.wku.edu. Follow him on X @pricewilborn.
