MACOMB, IL – – Ten Western Illinois University Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets were commissioned virtually as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army during Commencement weekend. LTC Joan Sommers, military science department chair, spoke to the cadets before the commissioning and swore them in as second lieutenants. The 10 WIU cadets who took the oath of office of a commissioned officer include: David Block, of Cary, IL, received his bachelor’s degree in law enforcement and justice administration. He will commission as an active duty signal officer Kevin Dukes, of Mount... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – A total of 1,349 undergraduate students enrolled at Western Illinois University were named to the 2020 Spring Dean’s List. The total includes 127 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 12 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

Western Illinois University announces the following administrative changes and hires. Centennial Honors College Lorette Oden, chair of the Department of Health Sciences and Social Work and interim associate dean of the College of Education and Human Services, has been named interim dean of the Centennial Honors College, effective July 1. She will serve in her role as department chair concurrently. Oden has served as the associate dean since August 2018 and as chair of health sciences and social work since 2015. She joined the department (formerly called the WIU Department of Community Health and... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – As Western Illinois University continues to prepare for a traditional campus experience for Fall 2020, scholarship incentives and more are available for incoming new freshmen and transfer students. WIU operates on a “rolling deadline,” which means prospective students can apply any time at wiu.edu/apply. Prospective students can apply to WIU for free through June 30. To support current high school seniors who are unable to take or retake a Spring 2020 SAT/ACT, and current high school juniors who may be unable to take an ACT/SAT test at this time due to the pandemic,... Read More

The deadline is quickly approaching to be a part of the Final Phase of the Western Illinois University Alumni Plaza brick project. The last date to purchase a brick, which will be installed in July, is Monday, June 15. More than 750 donors, representing 31 states have already placed about 800 bricks in the plaza, raising more than $110,000. The plaza is a brick patio, just north of the anchoring the North entry to the University Union. Once the project is complete, it will adjoin a Mascot Memorial Plaza, paying tribute to WIU’s live mascots, “Rocky” and “Ray.” The... Read More

MACOMB, IL — The Gwendolyn Brooks Cultural Center (GBCC) at Western Illinois University is accepting applications for its annual Black Alumni Scholarship. The scholarship is open to full-time, currently enrolled, students with a GPA of 2.5 or better, and a record of community service. New, incoming, first-year and transfer students are also eligible to apply. The application deadline is Aug. 1. “Scholarships provide an opportunity for many students to earn an education,” said Brandon Smith, a graduate student with the GBCC. “Without assistance from an outside source, most... Read More