The Black Hawk College Quad-Cities Foundation is accepting nominations for its Class of 2023 Alumni Hall of Fame through Thursday, Dec. 15. Black Hawk College has a longstanding tradition of excellence. The Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding individuals for their professional and community service. Members are selected using two fundamental criteria: Outstanding distinction and success in their chosen field. Humanitarian service that has proven beneficial to society. The inductees will be announced April 6, 2023, at the Black and Gold Celebration. Get more information about the Alumni Hall... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – – The Western Illinois University-Quad Cities Student Honors Association will host Physics and Mathematics alumnus Michael Baxa to speak on “The Importance of Protein Dynamics: From Folding to Function and Everything in Between” at 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5 in Riverfront Hall, room 212. Baxa graduated from WIU with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and Mathematics in 2002 and went on to complete his Ph.D. in Physics in 2009 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2010. Since then, Baxa has been working as a... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – – Western Illinois University was recently awarded a grant of $136,919 from Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust to equip and expand science laboratories on the Quad Cities campus. “We have known for some time that there is an unmet demand in the Quad Cities area for affordable, high-quality, STEM-focused programs that will provide the sort of skilled labor that area businesses are seeking,” said College of Arts and Sciences Assistant Dean Jim Rabchuk. “We are so excited that the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust has offered this support to expand WIU-QC’s... Read More

The Library is hosting a program that will provide an introduction to podcasts on Wednesday, November 30th at 6:30pm at | Eastern. Have you heard about podcasts? Not sure how to access them and want to get to know more? Learn how to listen to these digital audio shows online about virtually any subject. Discover how podcasts are now a popular tool for learning, personal growth, and fun entertainment. For more information, please visit: https://davenportlibrary.libcal.com/event/9351108  Read More

Members of Mu Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma dropped off bags filled with new books to the students of Alyssa Leone’s class at the Rock Island Academy and Amanda Long’s class at Thomas Jefferson. The books selected for the bags feature characters who reflect the diversity of the district’s students. The project was a collaboration of three groups: Mu Chapter DKG (a professional society of women educators), the local chapter of the NAACP, and the Rock Island Jr. Woman’s Club, who sewed and handpainted the bags. Funding came from all three groups as well as a generous grant... Read More

Nearly 40 percent of Western Illinois University’s newest freshman class is composed of First Generation students. As part of the University’s overall retention and recruitment initiatives, Western’s First Generation Society (W1GS) provides these students with the resources and tools to be successful in college. Today (Nov. 8) is National First Generation College Celebration Day, which also honors the anniversary of the signing of the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965. Much like other hallmark legislation of the 1960s, the HEA was created to level the playing field for individuals... Read More

Nahant Marsh Executive Director Brian Ritter will discuss both the notorious and brighter sides of Nahant’s past, including the village of Rockingham that existed from 1835-1851 on a portion of Nahant Marsh’s land. A continental breakfast will be served. Please bring a travel coffee mug if you have one. Instructor: Brian Ritter $5 Member | $10 Guest Details & Sign-up: BREAKFAST AT NAHANT MARSH  Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – Because of the successful efforts of, and new initiatives put into place by, the Western Illinois University Office of Retention Initiatives to ensure student success, WIU recently received EdSights’ Inaugural PERSIST Excellence in Execution Award. The Office of Retention Initiatives is led by Executive Director Justin Schuch. Under Schuch’s leadership, the office, which is part of the Division of Enrollment Management, has launched a number of new, student-focused efforts to enhance the student experience. Students are able to text “Rocky” 24 hours... Read More

Thanks to a generous donor, Earl Hanson Elementary School was able to purchase a new playground for its students! The PTO (parent-teacher organization) asked the school’s principal what are the school’s needs. She told them a playground, somewhere for the kids to play. The PTO members reached out to some of its community connections and found a donor. Seeing the need for a new playground, Heidi Huiskamp Collins generously donated funds through the Rock Island-Milan Education Foundation, so the school could purchase the new playground. The donation was more than $150,000. “A big part of my... Read More

Applications for scholarships through the Quad Cities Community Foundation are now open. Made possible by the generosity of donors to scholarship funds at the Community Foundation, more than 70 renewable and one-time scholarships totaling over $500,000 are available to local students this year. “We are privileged to play a part in opening doors to higher education in the Quad Cities,” said Sue Hafkemeyer, the Community Foundation’s president and CEO. “We’re inspired by donors’ investment in the future of our region, and we share their commitment to breaking down barriers to equitable... Read More