Two Western Illinois University professors, who are members of the McDonough County League of Women Voters, are bringing voter registration information to the WIU community. Anthropology Professor Heather McIlvaine-Newsad and Political Science Professor Julia Albarracin are teaching students how to register to vote. They are also working with a group of students, organized by Erbin Zejnuloski and University Television, to create a video encouraging voter registration. “In 2020, Millennials and Generation Z students will compose the largest share of eligible voters, and we want students to... Read More

Twenty-seven nonprofits were awarded just over $470,000 in grants from the Quad Cities Community Foundation’s Coordinated Field of Interest Grant Program. The grant program includes awards from 10 funds made possible by donors at the Quad Cities Community Foundation. Nine of the organizations received grants that will be awarded for two consecutive years. “It is always a great day at the Quad Cities Community Foundation, especially when we get to see the tremendous impact donor contributions have on nonprofits in our region who are engaging in work—from the arts to basic human needs,” said... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL — Continuing a 17 year trend, Western Illinois University’s combination of excellent academics, affordability, supportive faculty, and student services has again brought a “Best Midwestern College” designation for Western from The Princeton Review. Western is one of 158 regional universities, and one of only three Illinois public institutions, named to the “Best in the Midwest” list. The 158 colleges included in the “Best in the Midwest” list are located in 12 states: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri,... Read More

QuadCities.com proudly presents FUN10, a list of the top 10 things to do in the Quad Cities this week, and every week! Every Sunday, we drop a new FUN10, to give you a head start on your week and a heads up on what’s going on over the coming seven days. Check out FUN10 every Sunday for the details on ten awesome events happening around town. It’s a cool read, and a great way to get started planning your entertainment for the week. As the current health situation in our country continues to force the cancellation of so many regularly scheduled events in the Quad Cities, we are once again focusing... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – For the first time in 10 years, new student enrollment at Western Illinois University has increased. The number of new freshmen enrolling at Western this fall stands at 1,064, 18.9 percent over Fall 2019, while new transfer students total 721 (9.2 percent over Fall 2019) and new graduate students stand at 569 (10.3 percent over Fall 2019), for a total new student increase of 13.7 percent. In addition, the grade point average (GPA) of the incoming freshman class has increased to 3.49 (compared to 3.40 in Fall 2019). Total enrollment as of the 10th day is 7,490, according to... Read More

MACOMB, IL – Two Western Illinois University students from the Geographic Information System (GIS) Center will be honored in October with the Illinois GIS Association (ILGISA) Outstanding Student Award. Senior GIS majors Zach Healy, of Dixon, IL, and Clint Quigley, of Glasford, IL, will be given two of five outstanding student awards presented statewide. The awards will be given during the ILGISA’s virtual annual conference Oct. 5-6. GIS Center Director Chad Sperry, the current ILGISA president, also serves on the Next Gen 911 Committee, which will receive a service award at the same conference. Sperry... Read More

Lewis Knudsen, a Rock Island-based singer/songwriter, had one of his original tunes debut last fall on the Hallmark Channel and he didn’t even know until a couple weeks ago. “The way it works with composition, there are so many libraries, so many songs. I have a good relationship with this library, but they don’t have the bandwidth to let every artist know,” he said Thursday of Gramoscope Music, which works with artists nationwide to place shows in TV and film. Knudsen had a two-year-old song, “I Need To Get Free,” as one of eight songs on the soundtrack for Hallmark’s “Love, Fall... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – – Emilee Rains, a 2020 Western Illinois University teacher education alumna and second grade teacher at George O. Barr Elementary in Silvis, IL, is the first student to graduate after participating in the Great River Teacher Corps (GRTC) program. Western’s GRTC program is meeting the need for more rural teachers by offering teacher education scholarships to students who will in turn work in west central Illinois schools. Rains initially chose Western because it was an affordable university near her hometown with a long history of successful teacher preparation.... Read More

A dilapidated brick building, right off the 74 bridge on Moline’s riverfront, is all about possibility. And Brandon Nees is thrilled about bringing that surging potential to colorful life. The 25-year-old Davenport artist, who graduated from Moline High School, has been chosen to create a $10,000 public mural on nine panels of the boarded-up ground floor of the Spiegel Building, 200 20th St., just north of River Drive. Renew Moline partnered with the City of Moline and Quad City Arts to issue a call for entries, resulting in 28 submissions from artists around the Midwest. Renew’s Public Art... Read More

MOLINE, IL – – Western Illinois University is one of five Illinois colleges and universities, and the only four-year public university, to receive $1.3 million in grant funding from the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) to strengthen and diversify the early childhood workforce. Western received $225,516 for the coming year, which will be used to address the shortage and grow the qualified pool of early childhood educators for the rural McDonough County region. Boh Young Lee, project director and WIU associate professor, was able to recruit 14 participants who will begin courses... Read More