assistant professor

student worker

academic advisor

associate professor

project director

Western Kentucky University

I taught one-two undergraduate courses for WKU-O which typically met Wednesday afternoons/evenings.
At WKU I learned about being part of a regional campus and the relationship of that campus to the main campus in Bowling Green, KY which was new to me.  I also learned that teaching juniors and seniors in college is a different experience from teaching freshmen and sophomores;  I liked each for different reasons.
I was warmly welcomed as part of the faculty and everyone was willing to help and support me.  I had less frequent interactions with either administration or other staff as WKU-O has a much smaller enrollment compared to the community colleges locally.
Management changed once while I was there but with a smooth transition; the focus through my years there was to transition away from renting space on OCTC's campus and move WKU-O to its own new facility across the street.  The new facility was wonderful.
My co-workers were very supportive, though I met few of them, except at instructor orientations at the beginning of each school year.  My favorite moment was meeting and presenting with the instructor who teaches courses on death and dying; we team taught the chaplain staff at Owensboro Health (the large hospital in Owensboro) on issues of religious and cultural sensitivity in a healthcare setting.
The hardest part of the job was the low pay and lack of benefits, which is attributable not so much to WKU-O but to the state legislature of Kentucky with their continual budget cuts to higher education.  WKU did allow for a raise in 2011 and I was also paid for my mileage as I commuted to work each week from Henderson.
The most enjoyable part of the job was helping students learn and advance their education, and helping them succeed in my course and at WKU-O in general.

No two days were alike. I am retiring after 27 years at the University, the last 9 being Manager of Construction Purchasing.  I worked with a skilled group of Project Managers, Engineers, Architects, Interior Designers, IT and GPS people.  In the 9 years we grew exponentially in our construction jobs from under $100,000 in the beginning to jobs exceeding $50,000,000.  It was challenging and fun, also giving a great feeling of accomplishment.  Our team completely remodeled and rebuilt a crumbling campus into a beautiful campus which helped increase the enrollment from 12,000 students to close to 21,000. I cannot help but feel proud when driving through the WKU campus and see all of the new buildings and major renovations that our group made over the years. This was accomplished by bidding and by establishing price contracts for goods and services utilizing the Statutes of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Also being active in the state purchasing association I was able to share as well as take advantage of contracts and knowledge with the other state universities. This was a pipeline of knowledge where there was always someone who had experience with or knew about most situations and was willing to share. It is a great network, and I feel that my greatest contribution was sharing my job order contracts and the knowledge on how to set them up. The most difficult part of the job was making sure that any purchase was within the guidelines of the Statutes of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Sometimes this made my job very difficult but, but thinking outside the box, I always found a way to accomplish the project legally, though sometimes a more difficult route. Legally we did what we had to do to accomplish our goal.  Looking back, I would definitely do it all again.

Working in ITS at WKU is fantastic, for the most part.  It's a small crew and everyone gets along.  There's a clear sense of what we're there for: to support the campus community.  And ITS does a great job of it.  We constantly receive praise for the work we do.  

It's a shame that our pay doesn't reflect that work, though.  This isn't a reflection on anyone in ITS.  Most everyone at the university is grossly underpaid for the job they do.  The benefits almost make up for it, but not quite.  

The environment on campus is warm and welcoming.  Maybe it's worse in other departments, but most staff elements seem to jive well with one another.  The same can't be said for faculty.  It's not uncommon (especially working in tech support) to deal with professors who have no real grasp on on the real world works.  It can be a pain, but they're harmless.  

Which leads me to another point: people do not get fired at WKU.  Ever.  That's both a blessing and a curse.  This isn't a place where you'll get let go over forgetting to submit your timesheets a time or two.  But you'll also be constantly astonished by the things people get away with here (mainly, incompetency).  As a famous comedian once said, a PhD means you're really smart at ONE thing.  You learn this working at WKU.

Overall, Western isn't a bad place to work.  ITS, in particular, is great.  The pay could be better, and some of the individuals you deal with on a daily basis can wear you down after a while. But the benefits are stellar, and most of the people are pretty great.

The Graduate Assistant job was rewarding at times.  Tutoring students who were legitimately making an effort to do a good job was a good feeling.  The research work with Professors varied from very challenging to the extremely mundane. The compensation was low, but this was to be expected from a state institution; and a poor state at that. Management was adequate.  The job culture was tolerable, but there was little sense of a team effort in anything.  I would call it an every man/woman for himself environment.
      In conclusion, a typical day for me entailed serving in the on-call center for two hours from 8 AM-10 AM.  This time was mainly spent doing schoolwork; as Professors rarely were absent.  I would spend three hours in the afternoon tutoring students in the History Department's Success Center.  This was the best part of the job.  The work for various Professors whom I had been assigned to assist with research was often the worst part of the job; as unfortunately, many times this entailed making thousands of copies or converting documents to PDF's; for example.  This was a mind-numbing experience.

A typical day at work:
A typical day involved working independently on assigned tasks, setting my own schedule, and managing my time to meet goals. The structure allowed me to focus deeply on research and problem-solving without constant interruptions.

What I believe I learned:
I learned how to be more self-directed and disciplined with my work. The experience strengthened my organizational skills, critical thinking, and ability to learn new material independently. I also gained confidence in applying what I learned to real projects.

Management:
Management was supportive and approachable. I appreciated the balance between guidance and independence—they provided clear expectations but trusted me to take ownership of my work.

Workplace culture:
The workplace culture encouraged independence, responsibility, and initiative. Even though much of the work was self-led, I felt supported and valued. Communication was open and respectful.

The hardest part of the job:
The most challenging part was staying consistently motivated without the structure of a traditional workday. At times, balancing priorities and managing deadlines on my own was demanding.

The most enjoyable part of the job:
The most enjoyable part was the freedom to explore topics at my own pace and the satisfaction of completing projects independently. It was rewarding to see the direct results of my efforts and know they made an impact.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The pay is low, and the desired degrees or experience expected does not match the compensation. There is no room to take on extra work to bring in more money through WKU, and the pay does not meet the needs of the area and cost of living. The atmosphere is generally positive on a superficial level, but there are internal issues with the elimination of DEI that impact facilty and staff. 

And when I say the pay is low, that does not even include the cost of benefits and impact of taxes. Good luck if you share household expenses, but if you live alone? You will not make enough to meet your needs. Hopefully you don't have a car payment either way, or enjoy extra spending money. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Working full-time hours, and still not making enough to enjoy life. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The employees are generally wonderful, but the parties involved in administration are two faced and petty. Money is the driving force, and it becomes very clear that they do not care about their employees at the end of the day. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
There are busier times throughout the day, but overall paced nicely.

A typical day at work being a Desk Clerk for WKU, was amazing I sat behind a desk and interacted with my peers and others younger than me. I served as a mentor and the go to person. Working with this particular staff happened to be all male and me being the only female besides my boss. It was very helpful I learned how to cope with attitudes and all the male beings around myslef. The area of work was a dorm where all men lived also so that was fun to listen to their problems they would come hang out at the desk and interact with me. When their parents would come to visit the college on a regular day, game day or anything else that would be going on on campus they met me in their sons dorm. The hardest part of the job would be dealing with a resident whom didnt like to follow the rules or sneaking girls upstairs but I seem to get through to some of them and I didnt really have any other problems. My supervisors were both amazing people with big hearts, easy going and laid back sometimes I had to step in because they were new to the position and I have had experience with Housing and Residence Life for about 4 years at WKU. Overall I loved my job kind of sad that I graduated.

I worked in a house on university property. My boss was very open-minded and progressive. She would do everything in her power to help me grow as a person professionally and personally. I enjoyed the many books, articles and web sites that she would share with me. At the same time, she gave me complete freedom to manage my time and work schedule the exact way that I wanted. I could work from home or school. Of course, if my students needed me, I would have to meet them at the university.

I was given many opportunities to lead and grow. I helped update our teacher certification program, hosted workshops and seminars, lead workshops and seminars, occasionally managed student workers, led the first ever book faculty and staff book club and wrote articles for our teaching newsletter.

I never had a dull day at work. My students always asked challenging questions and forced me to continually view teaching from the eyes of a novice. I loved the fact that I was helping produce graduate teachers across the curriculum in many different departments on campus.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Everyone is welcoming and makes you feel that you instantly part of the team.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Submitting a timesheet is very routine, that is, until dates are adjusted for fall break, winter break, and holidays. It can be stressful to keep up with the revised submission dates, as we are all creatures of habit. That is where marking your calendar and setting reminders is particularly helpful.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Everyone works together for the common goal of putting students first. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I say hello to the staff and check the calendar, planning for incoming students who have advisory meetings or are taking exams. I answer the phones and greet guests, ensuring a welcoming atmosphere. Occasionally, I assist with a technical issue in one of our classrooms or print copies for an instructor.

I taught the introduction to chemistry lab with a lecture portion as well. I taught two - three classes per week and loved every minute of it. I learned so much about teaching from my boss and mentor and that's when I fell in love with teaching. Although I am normally not the most confident public speaker in the lecture setting, I excel. 
The management I was under was fantastic. She always took time to help me when I got stuck creating a lesson plan or lab assignment. The work-place culture was one of support and positive reinforcement. 
The hardest part of the job was connecting with those students who were not necessarily interested in chemistry; but the best part was getting through to them. Showing them how cool chemistry was with interesting lab experiments was so rewarding.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Assistant professor 4 salaries reported	$69,925 per year
Student worker 4 salaries reported	$9.25 per hour
Academic advisor 4 salaries reported	$30,500 per year
Associate professor 3 salaries reported	$61,667 per year
Project director 10 salaries reported	$65,000 per year

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