Education

The Council on Postsecondary Education  has worked with Kentucky’s public postsecondary institutions to develop the Kentucky Public Postsecondary Education Diversity Policy, and the plans were approved by the CPE last fall.   

Folk Studies student Rachel Hopkin, a familiar voice to WKU Public Radio listeners, received the John D. Minton Award for outstanding graduate student Friday.  She was also named the outstanding graduate student in Potter College of Arts & Letters.  Part of her graduate work included the production of radio features about tradition culture in our region.

State Officials in Kentucky today announced that the state has been selected by the National Governor's Association to work with other states to develop policies promoting efficient education funding. The group will also study flexibility in the awarding of high school credits.

WKU Psychology professor Sam McFarland has long been fascinated by individuals who put their lives--and the lives of loved ones--at risk in order to save people of a different race, ethnicity, or religious group. Dr. McFarland has an article that's set to be published in a social psychology journal called "All Humanity is My Ingroup: A Measure and Studies of 'Identification with All Humanity.'"

The University of Kentucky board of trustees has voted to increase student tuition and fees by six percent. The board voted Tuesday following plans announced last month to increase tuition as state funding for postsecondary education saw a 6.4% cut.

A WKU weather forecasting class is set to begin a 10,000 mile, two week trip later this month, seeking out things most of us run away from. Joe Corcoran speaks with assistant geography and geology professor Dr. Josh Durkee about his storm chasers class.

Leaders at Western Kentucky University say they now plan to open the new Doctor in Physical Therapy Program in about 13 months. Although there is strong demand for the program, it can't be offered until the entire certification process has been completed.

Dr. Harvey Wallmann says he's optimistic about the program's future.

State assessment tests get underway in Kentucky this month, and what happens in the closing weeks of the school year could have major implications for students, employers, and the state economy.  Kentucky is the first state to adopt international math and language standards, raising the bar on learning.

Officials at Western Kentucky University say they currently plan to open the WKU Doctor of Physical Therapy Program in  about fourteen months.  The program has now received state approval from the Council on Postsecondary Education.

At the conclusion of this morning's WKU Board of Regents Meeting, University President Dr. Gary Ransdell said University officials will recommend a tuition increase of less than five percent for in-state, undergraduate students. The Council on Postsecondary Education recently put a cap of 5 percent on tuition increases at WKU for next fall.

The Kentucky Supreme Court today has ruled that guns and other deadly weapons may be stored in a car's glove compartment while on a college campus in the state. The High Court's ruling came in the case of a graduate student from the University of Kentucky.

A Warren County elementary school is being honored as one of three Green Ribbon Schools in Kentucky. Richardsville Elementary joins Rosa Parks Elementary in Lexington and Georgetown Middle School in Scott County as the only Kentucky schools to receive the award.

For the second year in a row, the state is offering free GED testing for those looking to boost their education and careers. 

"It's estimated that by 2018, 54% of all jobs in Kentucky, that's over 1 million jobs, will require some level of postsecondary education.  So therefore, the GED is really a stepping stone on to postsecondary education, " says Reecie Stagnolia, vice president of Adult Education in the Kentucky Council for Postsecondary Education.

A group of about twenty WKU students are participating in a homelessness simulation this weekend. They met at the Garrett Conference Center on the WKU campus last night to start the activity. Organizers say those who participate are learning about the realities of poverty in the world.

The Council on Post Secondary Education has approved a tuition increase of up to six percent for students attending the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville this fall. Board members also approved a tuition hike of up to five percent for students attending WKU and other comprehensive universities in the bluegrass state.

A Chess Grandmaster from Russia will deliver a lecture on "The Correlations between the Thinking Processes of Chess and Science" as part of this year's WKU Open Chess Tournament. Valdimir Malakhov will speak Friday April 20th, at 6pm in Gary Ransdell Hall.