Western Illinois University IT Technical Associate Jacob Buhs has been named the Al and Elaine Goldfarb Civil Service Employee of the Month for December. Buhs started at WIU in October 2010 as a microcomputer support specialist II in Web Services. In November 2017, he accepted a position in Academic Personnel as a research and instruction consultant for uTech and in February 2019, he transitioned to his current Civil Service position. According to his nominator, Buhs “always goes above and beyond his assigned duties and is constantly busy.” “While he may be designated to work... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – Justin Schuch, interim executive director of retention initiatives at Western Illinois University, has been named to the permanent position following an internal search. Schuch was named interim executive director of retention initiatives in January 2020. He began his career at Western in 2015 as the assistant director of residence life for leadership and development in University Housing and Dining Services. He was named the director of the Office of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Retention Initiatives in February 2019, and served as the director of Student Judicial... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – Two Western Illinois University graduate students in College Student Personnel (CSP) are advancing through the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), one of the professional organizations designed to help them excel in their future careers and in leadership. Ian Clark, of Macomb, and Austin Quarles, of Glen Allen, VA, are both students in the CSP student affairs track at WIU. Clark received his bachelor’s degree in communication from WIU and is one of the participants in NASPA’s Graduate Assistant Program (GAP), which is made up of graduate... Read More

BREAKING: Covid-19 is raging through Iowa and Illinois, with Iowa in the midst of a “severe outbreak” and Illinois surging upward into the “extreme” danger category, according to the latest statistics. Iowa covid-19 cases and deaths are continuing to triple the number in Illinois, which continues to experience a rise in cases of its own, despite Illinois’ much larger population. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, there were 30,328 new confirmed and probable cases of covid-19 in Iowa on Dec. 3, with 258 deaths reported; and even more cases and deaths... Read More

A visual archive is essential to preserving a university’s history, and the photographers at the Western Illinois University Visual Production Center (VPC) make it a priority each day to capture the essence of life at WIU. From athletics to academics to student activities and more, Sarah Ritter, George Hartmann and Rachael Keating look through their lenses for the best way to represent WIU through photographs. Ritter, VPC manager, was recently recognized by University Photographers’ Association of America (UPAA) in the organization’s monthly image competition. In the October competition,... Read More

Visit Quad Cities and local tourism leaders are mourning the loss of a Q-C champion and cheerleader. Joe Taylor, 65, of Hampton, Ill., died Thursday, Dec. 3 in a Cedar Rapids hospital. He was the longtime former president and CEO of Visit Quad Cities, then-Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau (QCCVB). “On behalf of our Board of Directors and team, we are incredibly saddened by the news of Joe Taylor’s passing,” Dave Herrell, current president/CEO of Visit Quad Cities, said Friday. “A leader and accomplished veteran of our industry, Joe’s love, passion, and contributions to the... Read More

A chance for local school children to learn more about music of the Big Band-era will premiere in the coming weeks as part of Western Illinois University’s Youth Performing Arts Series (YPAS), despite the limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. A 25-minute video, featuring WIU’s Jazz Studio Orchestra (JSO) and singers from WIU’s jazz studies program, performing live songs from the 1930s and 40s, will be played in the music programs of local schools. The video is narrated by radio disc jockey Eddie Dupree, also known as WIU Professor of Music John Cooper, and was created... Read More

For the third time in three years, a team of Western Illinois University students have finished high in the CME Group Trading Challenge, a four-week, international electronic trading competition. This year’s team was made up of Cooper Bounds, a master of business administration (MBA) graduate student from Taneytown, MD; Amy Johnson, a senior agriculture major from Cambridge, IL; Matthew Swanson, a senior agriculture major from LaHarpe, IL; and Arthur Wasilowksi, a master of business administration (MBA) graduate student from Des Plaines, IL. The team finished in the top 8 percent of the competition,... Read More

UPDATED: Iowa covid-19 cases and deaths continued to have a massive surge after the Thanksgiving holiday week, tripling the number in Illinois, which continues to experience a rise in cases of its own. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, there were 30,328 new confirmed and probable cases of covid-19 in Iowa on Dec. 3, with 258 deaths reported; and even more cases and deaths Dec. 4, with 30, 629 cases and 340 deaths. The numbers dwarf those in the larger neighboring state of Illinois. The Illinois Department of Public Health today reported 10,959 new confirmed and probable cases of... Read More

To say it’s been a difficult year for creators in the local, and national, arts scene is a massive understatement. All of us have lost money, jobs, our careers and found our artistic outlets severely curtailed. Any of us within the live performance and audience interaction area — from live music to theater to book signings — have had our livelihoods completely decimated. One local creator, however, Kristin Bruchmann, is looking to help out. She told me recently, “I’ve been quite concerned about the number of folks in the Q-C arts scene who have lost their livelihoods... Read More