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 – A Western Illinois University graduate student recently used her internship in the Department of Sociology’s graduate program to increase awareness of the Salvation Army office in Galesburg, IL. Jackie Smith, of Galesburg, recently completed her graduate degree in sociology. She had previously completed the necessary coursework, but had not finished her exit option, which could be an internship and professional paper, in place of a thesis. Smith had completed two bachelor’s degrees at WIU, in theatre and anthropology, which were completed in 2010 and 2011 respectively.... 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, IL – Sarah Ritter, Western Illinois University Visual Production Center manager, and Rachael Keating, VPC digital imaging specialist, each captured fifth place in the University Photographers’ Association of America (UPAA) Annual Photo Competition. Ritter placed for her photo of WIU student and President of WIU’s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Club Brock Daley in the Sports Features & Illustration category, while Keating placed for her photo “Victory at the Finish Line,” featuring WIU Track & Field Student Athlete Kameron Morgan in the Sports Action category. More... Read More

MACOMB, IL – Students in Western Illinois University’s Speech Pathology and Audiology program got a recent boost with the donation of 100 protective face shields by the Wahl Clipper Corporation in Sterling, IL. The donation was sought by company employee Jody Dirks, the mother of Erica Armstrong, a graduate student in WIU’s speech pathology program. “Wahl is a family owned company, which really cares about their employees and community,” said Dirks. “They made and donated these shields to local hospitals and emergency workers in the area. I asked if I could get some... Read More