Western Kentucky University
EN-13: Community Service

Faculty are required to demonstrate engagement in service as part of their annual evaluation. This service typically equate to a minimum of 10-20% of their time. This service is not required during regular work hours, but there is no policy restricting volunteering during work. As such, employees are permitted to volunteer during regular work hours. The University is a supporter of United Way and Habitat for Humanity, both of which involve employee volunteer time. Furthermore, the University in an enhancement affiliate of the Kentucky Academy of Science and other like organizations. WKU employees often serve on boards of these organizations and work on tasks for them during regular work hours.

Data were provided by staff of WKU Student Organizations and individual faculty advisors for student-led organizations on campus. Staff of Resource Conservation and the WKU Office of Sustainability provided additional service hours data.

As example of service hours/students completed at WKU, over 2,000 Greek students completed community service hours in the 22-23 Academic year. Midnight on the Hill raised $145,478 through 3,708 donated service hours. Dance Bid Red raised $93,522 through 3,600 donated service hours. Volunteer in Progress conducts monthly drives and totaled over 600 service hours. Thirty students took alternative break trips, donating over 265 hours of service in total. DLI Phase III resulted in 20 individual student community service projects. Coming Home King Day of Service and Homecoming Queen nominees had 54 student participants, each donating about 2 hours of service. White Squirrel Weather student-led decision-support service for campus involves 30 students annually, each averaging a minimum of 5 hours of time per week year round. Water Professionals coordinated multiple sinkhole and cave cleanups, each full-day activities with at least 10 students. Students of the Center of Human GeoEnvironmental Studies maintain a real-time water quality network which requires a minimum of 4,000 student service hours for data processing and 6,000 student service hours for field-based data collection annually. Multiple students of the same Center also each volunteered a minimum of 6 hours at Streamside Field Day, an event engaging 700 elementary students in water education activities, and other community events through Jennings Creek Partnership for Awareness and Resilience of the Creekwood Community and other programs, totaling 2,000 hours. Additionally, CHNGES students contributed about 800 service hours working on a new watershed planning program. The Office of Sustainability had volunteers and graduate students who served 6780 volunteer hours last academic year to maintain the WKU Food Pantry. Food Recovery Network involves three students who collectively served 270 hours through the academic year. All student athletes are required to provide service hours each semester, with 2022-23 totals being 324 students totaling 2959 hours. Similarly, all Gatton Academy students (186) are required to donate a minimum number of service hours, totaling 3759 for the academic year. SGA's Earn-A-Computer Program spurs community service hours. Students participating in the $100 Solution course are each required to complete semester-long service learning projects. The incoming class of 2023 M.A.S.T.E.R. Plan students each spend a full-day completing volunteer programs as part of "Big Red Blitz".

In the 2022/23 season, the Diddle/Smith Recycling Program had 400 volunteers who completed 1,600 hours of community service. Volunteers are responsible for recycling waste and cleaning the stadium after a sporting event in exchange for a $500-$1,000 donation. Many of these organizations invest the donation in philanthropic endeavors. Previous groups have used the funding to sponsor scholarships, fund mission trips, donate to St. Judes and donate to the Hope Heart institute. The donation money has been used to advance social justice by sponsoring name changes for transgender students, creating a transition closet and sponsoring a hearing/deaf ASL conference.