Two alumni were inducted into the WKU Hall of Distinguished Alumni on Thursday during the Hilltopper Excellence Awards Ceremony at the Knicely Conference Center on WKU’s South Campus, according to the WKU Alumni Association’s 2025 Homecoming webpage.
The Hilltopper Excellence Awards, presented by Franklin Bank & Trust Company, have been a “highlight of Homecoming weekend” for more than 30 years, according to the WKU Alumni Association’s website. This year’s award show allowed WKU to celebrate the achievements of the Distinguished Alumni, other esteemed alumni and dedicated benefactors.
The Hall of Distinguished Alumni is an award that recognizes “exemplary graduates or former students of WKU or its founding institutions who have achieved the highest level of accomplishment in their respective fields,” according to the award descriptions. It states that individuals who receive this award demonstrate outstanding leadership, integrity and character, thus enhancing the prestige of WKU.
Short, individualized videos for the two recipients of this award were played at the ceremony. Colleagues, educators, friends and family of the award recipients were interviewed in the videos.
George Nichols III, a 1983 alumnus, was inducted into the Hall of Distinguished Alumni, according to Nichols’ information on the WKU Alumni Association’s website. Nichols is the 10th President and CEO of the American College of Financial Services, an accredited, nonprofit institution located in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
Nichols was a former member of the WKU Board of Regents, the WKU Board of Advisors and the WKU Foundation Board of Trustees, according to the website’s description.
The WKU Alumni Association’s website stated that Nichols was Kentucky’s first Black insurance commissioner. It stated that he and his wife, Cynthia Jean, 1982 alumna, are longtime donors and supporters of many areas at WKU.
The two alumni were named the University’s Philanthropists of the Year in 2018, according to the WKU Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement website. It stated that in recognition of a gift to support student services in 2017, the Intercultural Student Engagement Center was named in the couple’s honor.
Connie Moreland Smith, 1982 alumna, was also inducted into the Hall of Distinguished Alumni, according to her information on the WKU Alumni Association’s website. Smith is the president of Med Center Health, a “premier health system” headquartered in Bowling Green.
The website stated that Smith has “strategically expanded” Med Center Health’s reach and impact across south central Kentucky. The system has grown to encompass more than 30 locations under Smith’s leadership, making it the largest healthcare employer in the region, according to the website.
The WKU Alumni Association’s website stated that Smith’s commitment to collaboration and innovation is “evident” in the establishment of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine-Bowling Green Campus, the state’s first four-year regional medical school. It stated that she forged a “first-of-its-kind public-private partnership” with WKU to develop The Medical Center-WKU Health Sciences Complex.
WKU also celebrated and honored the “outstanding achievements of additional esteemed alumni and dedicated benefactors” at the Hilltopper Excellence Awards Ceremony, according to the WKU Alumni Association’s website.
The seven individuals and their awards included:
Regis C. Pearson (2015 and 2017 alumni) – 2025 Young Alumni Achievement
Philip W. Bale and Kristen T. Bale – 2025 Honoree Alumni
Jerry W. Martin (1958 alumni) – 2025 Distinguished Medal of WKU Service
Alice Gatewood Waddell (1974 alumni) – 2025 Distinguished Medal of Community & Public Service
David Chandler (1982 alumni) and Amy Chandler (1993 alumni) – 2025 WKU Philanthropists of the Year
