MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – A total of 238 undergraduate students enrolled at Western Illinois University were named to the 2020 Summer Dean’s List. The total includes 47 students at the WIU-Quad Cities Campus. To receive this award, an undergraduate student must earn at least a 3.6 grade point average on a scale of 4.0, which equals an A in a minimum of 6 credit hours of graded courses; pass-fail hours are not counted (e.g., student teaching, internships). Students earning Dean’s List honors are listed by Illinois counties, cities and towns, as well as other states/towns and other nations. The... Read More

Saturday In The Arts is a comprehensive weekly feature looking at a trend, personality, or major subject involving the Quad-Cities arts and entertainment scene. Though he’s been unemployed for months, like millions of Americans, due to Covid-19, St. Ambrose University alum Brian Hemesath got good news late last month. For the third time out of eight nominations, the 48-year-old Iowa native won a Daytime Emmy Award for his costume design work on “Sesame Street.” Hemesath – who earned his bachelor’s in theater and art in 1994 from SAU – was among a team of 21 designers to tie for the... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL — Western Illinois University will resume on-campus activities and face-to-face classes Monday, Aug. 24 at its Macomb and Quad Cities campuses. “We are engaging with faculty and staff to address final elements of our health and safety protocols that will ensure that we will be able to provide the best quality educational experience to all students in these challenging times,” Interim President Martin Abraham said. — Academic Calendar Like most universities in Illinois and around the country, classes will continue face-to-face through Thanksgiving, and then... Read More

MACOMB, IL – As first generation students, Western Illinois University Sociology Professor Emeritus and WIU Board of Trustees Chair Polly Radosh and Jeff Radosh struggled financially as they completed their college education. To help other first generation students and those with financial need, the Radoshes have established the Radosh Sociology Endowed Scholarship at WIU. Polly, who is the retired chair of Western’s former Department of Women’s Studies, began her teaching career at WIU in 1984 in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. During her 24-year tenure, she taught... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – Two Western Illinois University professor emeriti who have worked extensively on cultural diversity issues and programming have compiled a comprehensive reading list to deepen understanding of the pervasive racism that has repeatedly led to violence against the Black community. “Given all that has been going on in the USA related to the treatment of African Americans the past few weeks, not to mention the previous 400 years, we would like to provide resources to the WIU community that further awareness and understanding of the systematic oppression and racism that is... Read More

MACOMB, IL – For the fourth year in a row, a member of Western Illinois University’s chapter of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi has been awarded a national fellowship to pursue graduate study. Mariah Dicksen, of Lockport, IL, who graduated from WIU in May with a degree in biology, has been awarded an $8,500 fellowship to pursue a Ph.D. in microbiology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison this fall. She was a member and a student vice president with the WIU Phi Kappa Phi chapter and a student in the Centennial Honors College. In 2019, Dicksen became the first female WIU student to win... Read More

MACOMB, IL – Despite classes at Western Illinois University being moved from campus to computer, a group of students studying in the health sciences area are helping on the front lines to complete their required practicums. Working at both local and statewide care centers students have been helping in health services management, public health (both graduate and undergraduate students) and social work. Before Alexis Clark received her degree in health services management in May, she completed an internship with WIU’s Beu Health Center. She said the pandemic greatly impacted her duties at... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – Western Illinois University’s virtual summer orientation experiences have taken place throughout May and June, and another session is scheduled for Wednesday, July 15. Incoming new first-year students on the Macomb campus who have not yet attended a virtual summer orientation can sign up for the July 15 event by logging into their STARS account. During virtual summer orientation, students meet their orientation leaders and begin to learn how to be a successful student at WIU. New students will continue to have opportunities to engage with staff and have opportunities... Read More

MACOMB, IL – For the third year in a row, the Western Illinois University School of Agriculture is partnering with the Illinois Corn Marketing Board (ICMB) to provide programming for high school agriculture classes across the state. Through the Soil Health Bucket program, 90 schools receive a five-gallon bucket of supplies for evaluating soil functions and a comprehensive curriculum for engaging students in employing the interacting impact of soil type and soil management. Topics covered in the curriculum include water filtering and storage, nutrient provision and cycling and conversion of crop... Read More

MACOMB, IL – In the spirit of a community working together, one Macomb business is producing 1,000 cloth face coverings to be distributed across the Western Illinois University campus as the University prepares to open for the Fall 2020 semester. WIU is doing business with Jeff Clayberg, owner of the Attic II, on West Jackson Street in Macomb, to produce the face coverings. “We are lucky to have Jeff and his team at the Attic II so close to the University during such unprecedented times,” said Joe Roselieb, executive director of Auxiliary Services and Risk Management at WIU. “Any... Read More