The WKU Board of Regents approved a motion Thursday for the University to purchase 10 properties along State Street and Chestnut Street. 

The WKU Real Estate Corporation will purchase the properties for the construction of the new Academic Complex along State and Chestnut streets. The university is still in legal negotiations to gain ownership of six of the properties through eminent domain. 

WKU President Timothy Caboni said the university is hoping to hear back from a judge in the next month or two, but the matter is ultimately “out of our control.”  

The ten properties have debt attached to them, totaling around $3.16 million, with monthly interest accruing. The university will pay off the debt accumulated by these properties, Caboni said. 

The Board approved spending $3.3 million on the 10 properties, which will come directly from the Academic Complex project fund. 

The Board also approved a motion to add a solar micro array to be built on the roof of the Innovation Campus. The solar grid will provide a green energy source for the campus and offer opportunities for experimentation and research into grid power systems, said David Brown, dean of the Ogden College of Science and Engineering. 

“We are the first university to have such a microgrid on campus,” Brown said. 

The construction of the array will be paid for entirely through a $2 million grant from the Department of Energy. 

Budget

WKU had around a $6 million improvement in the budget over the prior year. This increase can be attributed to the increase in net tuition revenue, which increased by $9 million alone, according to Susan Howarth, the executive vice president for strategy, operations and finance. 

The university’s expenses equate to 80% of the total budget, which is an improvement compared to last year’s expenses, comprising 83% of the total budget.