The students across WKU Student Publications delivered a strong semester of journalism — excellent stories in the College Heights Herald and the Talisman, and terrific work generating the revenues that allowed our students to research, report and publish stories about life on the Hill.
From before the semester began in August right through the final day of classes and into finals, the Herald delivered coverage of news and sports at WKU that was notably broader and deeper at the same time. The newsroom covered a much broader array of events and issues affecting WKU students, and dove deep into challenges facing the university.
The Talisman’s print edition, built around the theme of “Unfiltered,” had strong long-form stories on the challenges of WKU’s nursing program, the people behind Rian’s Fatted Calf, mental health issues, stand-up comedy, students’ social media personas and finding your fashion personality, all complemented by exceptional visuals that are a hallmark of the magazine. Its digital side captured an eclectic slice of life in Bowling Green and at WKU.
The signature piece for the semester was the Herald’s deep reporting on the most challenging issue facing WKU: its student housing crisis. Through public records and deep interviews, the Herald chronicled how the university wound up closing its three newest residence halls, housing 1,035 beds and built at a cost of $88 million, because of engineering and construction problems. The most expensive of the three, the $40 million Hilltopper Hall, is so plagued by problems it must be torn down, while the other two — Normal and Regents halls in First Year Village — may cost more to repair than they cost to build.
None of the exceptional journalism that students on the Talisman and the Herald accomplished this semester would have been possible without the excellent efforts of the staffs of Student Publications Advertising and Cherry Creative branded content studio.
The students on those teams worked together to book $77,001 in revenue for the fall semester, or 93% of an ambitious revenue goal of $83,000. Across comparable products from Fall 2024, the group increased revenues by nearly $11,000.
Congratulations to our four student-led staffs and their leadership — Clarissa Dean at the Talisman, Jake McMahon at the Herald, Olivia Games and Harrison Rogers at Advertising, and Sarah Thompson at Cherry — as well as to the professional staff who supported them every step of the way.