Anyone who has sung Western Kentucky University’s fight song at a ballgame or watched their child graduate understands the value the university brings to Bowling Green and the region.

That’s why we should all be heartened by WKU’s increased success at attracting private support – especially with increasing limits on state funds and tuition revenue.

On July 26, WKU announced it had shattered its record for private support in a fiscal year with a new high of $36.3 million in 2016-17.

WKU President Timothy Caboni thanked the university’s supporters in a recent Daily News article.

“Without their financial support, we couldn’t do as an institution what we’re able to do today,” Caboni told the Daily News. “We’re a tremendous institution made ever-better by that private support, and given the financial challenges in the commonwealth and the affordability pressures on students and their families, we’re looking ever more directly to alumni and supporters to help us.”

It’s good to see that WKU’s new president immediately appreciates the impact giving can have on the university’s future. It’s a lesson that shouldn’t be lost on any of us.

Aside from educating some 20,000 students, WKU contributes a great deal to the quality of life we enjoy in Bowling Green.

The success of its athletic programs is a huge source of pride for the community. After joining Conference USA three years ago, WKU has led the conference in total championships for each of those three years. WKU’s total of 21 league titles is also more than twice as many as every other league member, according to the 2016-17 WKU Athletics Annual Report.

WKU also does a lot to support the economy both locally and across the region. Through its Small Business Development Center, WKU offers aspiring entrepreneurs resources to help them start and grow their businesses. Many businesses also count on the thousands of students WKU brings to the area each year.

For these reasons and many others, it’s clear that WKU’s success translates into prosperity for Bowling Green.

That’s why we should also be encouraged by the significant jump in the amount of giving WKU has received.

John Paul Blair, WKU’s interim vice president for development and alumni relations, said in a news release that the $36.3 million is an increase of more than 20 percent compared to WKU’s previous record of $30.2 million in 2015-16.

The total amount includes gifts from more than 14,000 donors from all 50 states and seven countries. That group made more than 31,000 gifts supporting 745 initiatives that benefit faculty, staff and students across all of WKU’s campuses, according to the WKU news release.

Deferred gift expectancies, which include donors who have included WKU in their estate plans, reached an all-time high with a total of more than $123 million.

When people decide to support WKU, they do so because the university has meant something to them over their lives. We should all consider how WKU’s touched our lives and ways we can give back to it if we want the university to keep impacting our children’s lives.