Gordon Ford College of Business
Dr. Evelyn Thrasher, Dean
Dr. Alex Lebedinsky, Associate Dean
Grise Hall 445
(270) 745-2279 or (270) 745-6581
gfcb@wku.edu
www.wku.edu/business
History
The long, rich history of the Gordon Ford College of Business is traced back to 1874. Its forerunner, Bowling Green Business University (BU), was a prestigious private four-year business college. In June 1963, the Western Kentucky State Normal School (later Western Kentucky University) assumed the business programs of the BU and named it the Bowling Green College of Commerce in 1964. To honor the generosity of Gordon B. Ford, the college was renamed the Gordon Ford College of Business in December of 1998, becoming the second named business school in Kentucky. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, AACSB, accredits all business programs offered by the College. WKU is one of only three universities in the Commonwealth of Kentucky to have “dual accreditation” meaning that both its business and accounting programs are AACSB accredited.
Mission
The mission of the Gordon Ford College of Business is to actively support and engage students, faculty, staff, and community in academic and lifelong professional development, providing the foundation needed to lead in today’s diverse business environments.
Center for Applied Data Analytics
https://sites.google.com/view/wkucada
Dr. Lily Popova Zhuhadar, Director
Grise Hall 226
(615) 604-4995
The mission of the Gordon Ford College of Business Center for Applied Analytics is to advance the science and practice of business analytics by bringing together professional and community-based constituents, faculty, and students; to promote economic development, collaborative research, outreach, and education in the areas of applied analytics. We achieve our mission using our primary goals.
Outreach
- Enhance the economic impact to the geographic area served by Western Kentucky University by analyzing customer, production, operational, and market data to improve decision making and enhance the quality of their company's products and services.
- Assist clients in synthesizing, aggregating, and analyzing data.
Education
- Train students and business professionals to leverage appropriate technologies and best practices used
in data analytics. - Provide our students with real-world experience and internships which promote potential job
opportunities.
Collaborative Research
- Serves as a central facility to bring together expertise from a wide variety of disciplines.
- Perform applied interdisciplinary research that aids all aspects of our overall goals.
Center for Applied Economics
www.wku.edu/economics/cae
Sebastian Leguizamon, Director
Grise Hall 462
(270) 745-3970
The WKU CAE is an outreach of the WKU Department of Economics and Gordon Ford College of Business. It serves as an economic information access point for Bowling Green and South Central Kentucky, provides a bridge between technical research in economics and the local community on relevant topics, provides fee-based studies, and engages graduate students in applied analysis.
Center for Financial Success
www.wku.edu/cfs/
financialsuccess@wku.edu
Andrew Head, Director
Grise Hall 322
(270) 883-1910
The mission of the WKU Center for Financial Success is to be the primary and coordinating resource in aiding the university and regional community in becoming financially informed and independent by utilizing a combination of faculty expertise, peer-to-peer counseling and applied financial planning education.
We would love to help you create a plan and ensure that you are on track to reaching your financial goals. Topics that we cover include, but are not limited to:
- Budgeting/Spending Plans
- Debt Management
- Student Loans
- Credit
- Retirement
- Savings Plans
Feel free to reach out for more information at financialsuccess@wku.edu!
Center for Leadership Excellence
gfcb@wku.edu
(270) 745-6311
The Center for Leadership Excellence (CLE) serves as a resource that advances the understanding and applications of leadership in contemporary society.
Center for Professional Selling
www.wku.edu/cps/
Lukas Forbes, Director
(270) 745-2993
Welcome to the WKU Center for Professional Selling. Our Sales Program is one of 20 Fully Certified Sales Programs in the United States as a member of the University Sales Center Alliance, and we are one of eight programs in the country offering an academic major and minor in sales. The WKU Center for Professional Selling is the only certified program in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the surrounding geographic area. This Center was formed in July 2007 with two specific goals:
- Education Focus: Enhance the perception of the sales profession while preparing students for a career in sales. Development of appropriate curriculum to include both a major and minor in Sales.
- Business Focus: Strengthen the relationship between WKU and Corporations. Develop partnerships with corporations to provide real-world classroom activities in addition to internship or full-time employment opportunities.
Since 2007, our growth has been outstanding! We have grown more than 300% in the last decade are among the fastest growing programs on campus. Currently, we have nearly 300 students who are either majoring or minoring in sales. Within that minor, more than 20 different majors are represented, ranging from finance to public relations and agriculture to psychology.
Center for the Study of Capitalism
www.wku.edu/capitalism
Dennis Wilson, Interim Director
(270) 745-2632
The purpose of the WKU BB&T Center for the Study of Capitalism is to create a comprehensive program of study on the moral foundations of capitalism. It provides resources and learning opportunities to students and the public regarding capitalism’s role in society.