Today@WKU: January 8, 2018

Welcome to Today@WKU, the daily newsletter from WKU Public Affairs, for January 8, 2018.

WKU News

• 2018 Winter Weather Communications Plan: Check out a reminder about WKU’s winter weather communications plan that provides a number of ways you can find out if classes are delayed, canceled or if a campus is closed. Winter Weather Advisory for today: WKU Fort Knox campus will open at 10 a.m. EST.
• 

  2018 is off to a cold start across Kentucky.

  2018 off to colder start than 2017, state climatologist says: Temperatures during the first week of 2018 have already been colder than those recorded in 2017, according to data from the Kentucky Mesonet at WKU.

• College of Health and Human Services Newsletter: Check out the fall 2017 newsletter from WKU’s College of Health and Human Services.
• View from the Hill – WKU’s Hardin Planetarium gets new sound system: The iconic Hardin Planetarium on WKU’s campus is starting the new year with a new sound system.  Amy Bingham has more in this View from the Hill.
• Winter Term Intersession Parking and Transit Changes: Here’s a reminder from WKU Parking & Transportation about intersession services in effect through Jan. 19. Normal parking regulations resume at 4:30 p.m. Jan. 21; full transit services resume at 7:15 a.m. Jan. 22. More: Winter Term parking map
• WKU Public Radio Weekday Newscast Schedule: Tune into WKU Public Radio for national and international news from NPR, and local newscasts every half hour during Morning Edition (4-9 a.m. Central), and All Things Considered (3-6 p.m. Central), as well as local news features and interviews produced by the WKU news staff. WKU’s Public Radio can be heard on WKYU-FM (88.9) in Bowling Green/Glasgow; WDCL-FM (89.7) in Somerset/Campbellsville; WKPB-FM (88.9) in Henderson/Owensboro; WKUE-FM (90.9) in Elizabethtown/Bardstown; and online at http://www.wkyufm.org/

Follow WKU News: Subscribe to our daily email newsletter; follow WKU News on Twitter @wkunews or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/WKUNews.

WKU Sports

• 

  Darius Thompson recorded a triple-double in WKU’s 112-87 win at Marshall on Saturday night.

  Men’s basketball: Thompson’s Triple-Double Sparks Hilltoppers’ 112-87 Rout at Marshall: WKU senior guard Darius Thompson recorded the second triple-double in program history Saturday night, and the Hilltoppers scored their most points since 1994 in a 112-87 rout at Marshall. Thompson finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in 36 minutes, joining former WKU great Orlando Mendez-Valdez (Jan. 1, 2009 vs. Troy) as the only Hilltoppers with a triple-double. Next: WKU (11-5, 3-0 C-USA) at Old Dominion at 7 p.m. CT Thursday.

• Women’s basketball: Big Fourth Quarter Powers Lady Toppers Past Southern Miss, 81-60: Leading 55-50 entering the final quarter of play, WKU outscored Southern Miss 26-10 over the final 10 minutes in Saturday’s rematch of the 2017 C-USA Tournament championship game to claim an 81-60 win over the Golden Eagles inside E.A. Diddle Arena. Ivy Brown led all scorers with 23 points, including a perfect 10-of-10 mark from the free throw line, and added eight rebounds. Next: WKU (11-4, 2-0 C-USA) vs. FIU at 7 p.m. Thursday at Diddle Arena.
• Track & Field: WKU Trio Honored at KTCCCA/USATF-Kentucky Awards Program: Current WKU Track & Field head coach Erik Jenkins and former Hilltopper standouts Sharika Smith and Christina Brown Wells were recognized at Saturday’s KTCCCA/USATF-Kentucky Awards Program for their accomplishments. Jenkins was tabbed as the 2017 University Men’s Track and Field Coach of the Year while Smith and Wells were both inducted into the Kentucky Track and Cross Country Association Hall of Fame in Lexington.

More: For updates on WKU Athletics, follow @WKUSports on Twitter or WKU Athletics on Facebook.

WKU in the News

• WKU president outlines priorities for lawmakers: Facing budget cuts and a pension system short billions of dollars, WKU will likely face difficult decisions in the coming months, according to WKU President Timothy C. Caboni.
• Upcoming seminar will cover needs of gifted students with disabilities: Understanding how to meet and advocate for a gifted student’s academic needs can be daunting, but when that student also has a disability it can become much more challenging for teachers and parents. These students, known as twice-exceptional students, are the subject of an upcoming seminar hosted by The Center for Gifted Studies at WKU.
• Thompson’s triple-double helps WKU make early-season statement: When Darius Thompson first toured E.A. Diddle Arena this summer he saw a biography of the great Orlando Mendez-Valdez. What caught his eye was the fact that Mendez-Valdez was the only player in the storied history of WKU men’s basketball to record a triple-double. “I was trying to get a triple-double this whole year,” Thompson said. “I told Harold (Miller) our (graduate assistant), ‘I’m gonna be the second one. Watch.’ I finally got it.” Thompson finished with a career-high 33 points to go along with 10 assists and 10 rebounds Saturday while WKU was pulverizing Marshall 112-87 inside the Cam Henderson Center. More: Anderson shines in highly-anticipated debut

More: Check out WKU in the News page.

WKU Alumni

• Upcoming WKU Alumni events: For a listing of events, visit the Alumni website and click on the Events Calendar. Or contact the WKU Alumni Association at 888-958-2586. For a list of Alumni news, visit the Alumni News page. More: WKU SpiritFunder
• Topper Travelers Program 2018: The WKU Alumni Association is planning a Baltic Cruise across Northern Europe June 21-July 2. The 10-night cruise across the Baltic Sea aboard Marina will begin in Copenhagen, Denmark, with stops in Berlin, Germany; Helsinki, Finland; St. Petersburg, Russia; Tallinn, Estonia; and Stockholm, Sweden. For information, visit alumni.wku.edu/baltic2018 or contact the Alumni Association at 800-842-9023 or alumnievents@wku.edu.

More: Visit the WKU Alumni website.

What’s Happening At-WKU

Ongoing/continuing events

• Exhibits at Kentucky Museum: Instruments of American Excellence; A Culture Carried: Bosnians in Bowling Green (through June 30); Backward & Forward: 20th Century Quilts (through Jan. 22); New Kentuckians (through Feb. 2); plus other gallery and on-campus exhibits. (Museum hours/visitor information) Contact Kentucky Museum, (270) 745-2592.
• Exhibits at Downing Museum: The Story of Joe Downing: Select Works From the Collection; Jack Lunt Memorial Juried Art Exhibition (through Jan. 20). Downing Museum, 4801 Morgantown Road. Contact Jack LeSieur, (270) 842-7415.
• International Year of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Various events and locations during 2017-18 academic year. Contact International Programs, (270) 745-5334.
• Arts at WKU 2017-2018. Various events and locations. Contact Potter College of Arts & Letters, (270) 745-2344.

Tuesday, Jan. 9

• 7 p.m.: Hardin Planetarium Show: Musica. Hardin Planetarium. Contact Planetarium, (270) 745-4044.

Thursday, Jan. 11

• 5 p.m.: WKU Glasgow Visit Day. WKU Glasgow, room 131. Contact John Roberts, (270) 861-6984.
• 7 p.m.: Lady Topper Basketball vs. FIU. Diddle Arena. Contact Athletic Communications, (270) 745-4298
• 7 p.m.: Hardin Planetarium Show: Musica. Hardin Planetarium. Contact Planetarium, (270) 745-4044.

Saturday, Jan. 13

• 9 a.m.: 2018 Winter Antique Tractor Show. L.D. Brown Agricultural Exposition Center. Admission is $5; children 12 and under free. Contact James Chaney, (270) 792-4392.

For upcoming events: Visit the What’s Happening at WKU page, Events@WKU page or WKU’s online events calendar

About Today@WKU

• Today@WKU is a service of WKU Public Affairs. For more from WKU News, become a WKU Facebook fan, follow us on Twitter, visit the WKU News page, or check out What’s Happening @WKU, “View from the Hill” segments, more News from Around Campus, WKU on You Tube or WKU webcams. Email us at wkunews@wku.edu