MACOMB/MOLINE, IL — Two candidates will interview Monday-Tuesday, Nov. 1-2 and Monday-Tuesday, Nov. 15-16 for the dean of Western Illinois University Libraries. Ryan Buller, associate professor and access services librarian at University Libraries, University of Denver, and Hector Maymi-Sugranes, professor, College of Social Science and Humanities, CETYS University, will interview Nov. 1-2 and Nov. 15-16, respectively. An open session will be held at 10 a.m. in Horrabin Hall 1 and via Zoom for each candidate. Individuals interested in participating in the open session must register at at... Read More

Student voting at Western Illinois University increased 12 percent in last year’s presidential election, moving from the 2016 rate of 45.3 percent, to 57.3 percent in 2020. The data was compiled by the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education (IDHE), creators of the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement (NSLVE). IDHE is located at Tufts University’s Tisch College of Civic Life. “Voting improved at Western across racial and ethnic groups, as well as for most majors and fields of study reported,” said WIU Political Science Chair Keith Boeckelman. “We... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL — A systemwide test of the WIU Emergency Alert System (WEAS) will be initiated at 10:50 a.m. Friday, Nov. 12 to test system functionality. Individuals receiving a test call, e-mail or text do not need to take any action. When a message is received, simply listen to or read the test message and then hang up and delete the message. The test message will be delivered to every phone number and e-mail address in the WEAS emergency contact database. The message, which will come from “noticetocampuscommunity@wiu.edu,” will be: “This is a test of the WIU Emergency... Read More

Nest Cafe, a charitable pay-what-you-can cafe, is coming to Rock Island’s Washington Junior High tomorrow night. Nourish Everyone Sustainably Together (NEST) Café is a Pay-What-You-Can Nonprofit Restaurant, Serving Everyone, and a member of One World Everybody Eats (www.oneworldeverybodyeats.org). The Cafe announced the following on its Facebook today: HIUUUUUGE Shout out to the Rock Island/Milan School District 41 for making tomorrow night’s NEST Café meal happen at Washington Jr. High. We hope our Edison Jr. High families are healthy and that you’ll be back at school ASAP. Go... Read More

The McDonough County Health Department, in cooperation with Western Illinois University, will host two COVID-19 vaccination clinics (including boosters) for WIU faculty, staff and students, as well as members of the general public, in November and December as the Fall 2021 semester comes to a close. The clinics will be held in the University Union Sandburg Lounge from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9., and Tuesday, Dec. 7. Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer vaccines will be available at no cost. In addition, individuals who received a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the following... Read More

An Illinois Junior High, Edison Junior High School in Rock Island, has been closed effective immediately due to a major spike in covid-19 cases, the Rock Island School District announced today. Edison will close for an adaptive pause due to an increase in positive cases of Covid-19, the announcement said. In an e-mail, the District didn’t mention the number of cases but did say there was a rapid spike in the number of both students and staff having contracted and in quarantine from covid cases and potential exposure. The decision to close the school was made after consultation with the Rock... Read More

Let the Western Illinois University RockyTHON (Dance Marathon) do the cooking Tuesday, Nov. 9. From 4-8 p.m. Nov. 9, RockyTHON students will host its annual pancake dinner at the Macomb American Legion, 221 E. Washington St., as part of the organization’s year-round effort to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals, St. Louis Children’s Hospital and SSM Health Cardinal Glennon. The year-long event culminates March 26, 2022, with the 12-hour Dance Marathon, which honors the 12-hour shifts of doctors and nurses, as well as children who are unable to stand. The “breakfast... Read More

Local educators Julie Eisenband and Chris Strunk noticed a problem when it came to the representation of immigrant and refugee students in their classrooms. While these students were a strong presence in Eisenband’s courses at United Township High School in East Moline, one of the state’s most diverse high schools, they were few and far between in Strunk’s at Augustana College. The two teachers’ new scholarship fund, administered by the Quad Cities Community Foundation, aims to help local immigrant and refugee students bridge the gap to higher education by removing one of the key barriers... Read More

Join us Wednesday, November 3rd at 6:00 pm for a presentation by author William Hampes. When people think of television and film Westerns what tends to come to mind are the great feats of physical bravery of the heroes. However, as pointed out in Hampes’ book, “Cowboy Courage: Westerns and the Portrayal of Bravery,” many of these Westerns also portray examples of moral and psychological courage, often by ordinary individuals. The presentation will discuss how these films and television programs focus on finding the moral and psychological courage to love, to redeem oneself for failures,... Read More

Lori (Wust) Menke, who had served as the office manager in the Western Illinois University (former) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, passed away Wednesday, Oct. 27. She was 52. Funeral Service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 30 at the Wise Family Funeral Home in Roseville. Visitation will be held two hours prior to service. “The Western Illinois University community mourns Lori’s passing. We extend our deepest sympathies to Lori’s family, friends and colleagues,” said Western Illinois University President Guiyou Huang. Menke began working at WIU in... Read More