12/19/23 - Campus update and good news from December 2023

Dear NKU campus community,

It’s hard to believe that we have come to the end of the fall 2023 semester and 2024 is upon us. In this season of joy, I'd like to express my sincerest gratitude for all you have done and continue to do for our learners and the NKU community we all love.

This year, we experienced a lot of change and a lot of success. Through it all, we continued our work as a student-ready and regionally engaged university.

Speaking of success, this past Saturday we celebrated the achievement of nearly 2,000 new NKU graduates who have invested in themselves and their ambitions over the past few years. Now they leave us ready to go do great things in the world and positively impact their communities. I hope you will all take the time to reflect on what they have accomplished despite the hurdles they faced and how this community of devoted educators helped them achieve their dreams. Commencement reminds us that, every day, we touch lives and make a difference in our region, and I am pleased and proud to join you in that great work.

Of course, many of our faculty, staff, and students work hard to make this day a very special time and memory for our graduates, and I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to each of you for your contributions leading up to, during, and after the ceremonies.  It would not be possible to celebrate our graduates without the countless individuals who contribute behind the scenes and on the stage to make this day a success.

Commencement was just one of many highlights these past few weeks, so here are just a couple recent points of pride, among the many we celebrate each day:

• Many of our students are working with professional archaeologists and to learn more about the story of the Newport Barracks, which was an important supply depot for the U.S. military in the 1800s, playing key roles in the famous Battle of Tippecanoe and the War of 1812. They began their archaeological dig earlier this month!
• Late last month, I was happy to join the Haile College of Business to celebrate two new scholarships that will be awarded to students in the Construction Management program. The scholarships are part of the LIFT (Lifelong Investment and Future Transformation) Scholars program that we established in 2019.

As always, these are just a few examples of the many great things happening at NKU. You can always read more about inspiring things happening here at NKU Magazine and the NKU Media Center.

Now that we have wrapped up our fall 2023 semester, I am excited to look ahead to the new year. Campus will reopen on Tuesday, January 2, and the spring semester officially begins on Monday, January 8.

Again, I am grateful for your faithful support of our learners each day, and I look forward to seeing you all on campus in January.

So, from my family to yours, happy holidays!

Gratefully,

Cady Short-Thompson, Ph.D.

President, Northern Kentucky University