03/28/24 - Campus update and good news from March 2024

Dear NKU campus community,

March was yet another exciting time for our university as we celebrated our 56^thbirthday with a successful Founders’ Day!

This year, our community engaged in 1,968 Minutes of Giving and a new Founders’ Day record 1,089 donors raised more than $300,000 for students at NKU. I am grateful for the hard work of our Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving team for their months of hard work organizing this year’s Founders’ Day giving celebration and to each of our donors for their generous gifts. Congratulations to all on a fantastic effort.

We also recently announced two new student-centered programs that will impact our region for years to come:

• Our new direct-admit program will expand access to higher education in the region by simplifying enrollment for prospective students, allowing those qualified to bypass the registration process and secure their spot at NKU early. We are the first public university in the tri-state and Commonwealth of Kentucky to offer direct admission. We will launch this program on August 1, 2024, for students enrolling for fall 2025. 
• The groundbreaking new veteran leadership minor has been designed to specifically recognize and credit the valuable skills and experiences gained by military and veteran students during their service. This innovative program is the only one of its kind in the region and will allow military students and veterans to translate their extensive knowledge and expertise into academic credit. The veteran leadership minor will be available for veteran students starting in the fall of 2024.

NKU celebrated Women’s History Month throughout March, honoring all the wonderful women on campus impacting students and their community. Here are just a few of those great stories.

• Protect, Serve and Represent
• An Opportunity to Grow
• A Vision of Hope
• Instilling Entrepreneurial Spirit 
• From Scientist to Provost

I would also like to extend a personal invitation to each of you to join our community for my Investiture ceremony on Friday, April 26, at 2 p.m. inside Truist Arena. I am looking forward to a special day of celebrating with all of you all the things that make our university great for learners and the region around us.

Here are just a few more examples of the great things happening at NKU:

• March capped off an eventful first quarter of 2024 for NKU and we were at the forefront of so much in the world around us. This video recap of our university in the news is a great testament to our impact.
• Earlier this week, I had the privilege to welcome the fall 2024 incoming Young Scholars Academy class at the YSA For a Day event. YSA allows high-school juniors and seniors to complete their high-school requirements while exploring interests and discovering their passions at NKU. It is such an exciting outreach program for so many local students who will graduate high school with their diploma AND an associate’s degree from NKU with a head-start on their bachelor degree.
• Our Norse spring sports teams are off to a great start, especially the NKU baseball team, which recently reeled off 11 straight wins and sits atop the Horizon League standings. Our softball team is also playing well and collected its second-ever Power Five win in March by beating perennial softball power Michigan. Check out all the spring sports currently active at our athletics website and attend a game or match if you can.

That is only a small sample, so read more about everything happening at the NKU Media Center.

Looking ahead to April, I am excited for many end-of-semester celebrations, as well as NKU’s Annual Family Day on April 17 on the Student Union Plaza from 4-6 p.m. We will also celebrate Occupational Therapy Month and Earth Week during April while continuing the work to keep our community safe during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. You can stay up to date with the happenings around campus by looking at our featured events calendar.

As always, I appreciate your support of our students and campus community. Have a great April!

All my best to each of you,

Cady Short-Thompson, Ph.D.

President, Northern Kentucky University