The general manager of the region’s Tri States Public Radio stations has been accepted into a leadership cohort designed to add diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to all aspects of public media. TSPR General Manager Heather L. Norman was named to the fifth cohort of the Public Media Diversity Leaders Initiative, through The Riley Institute at Furman University in South Carolina. The first of five meetings will be held Feb. 1, and the cohort, of about 30 leaders from across the United States, will meet remotely through early June. Norman heard about the opportunity through an online... Read More

A Western Illinois University Communication professor has been named to a national list of the top 1 percent of academic publishers in Communication research. Professor Christopher Carpenter was named to the list, which was published in the Communication Education journal this month. Carpenter tied for eighth place on the list. The five-year review of publishers covers the years 2017-2021, during which Carpenter published 14 articles. Most recently, Carpenter co-published an article in the journal of Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, titled, “The Hyperperception Model: When... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – – Western Illinois University Alumna Minda Harts has undoubtedly hit the ground running since her time at WIU, receiving a Trailblazer Award in 2022 from The Bowman Foundation, for her work with women of color, and most recently being named Business Insider’s 100 People Transforming Business. The Trailblazer award was presented to Harts at the inaugural Global Impact Awards and Gala, which is organized by The Bowman Foundation for Workplace Equity and Mental Wellness, honoring Harts’ work toward changing historic norms in creating workplaces to be fair,... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – Western Illinois University’s spring-to-spring new freshmen class has increased 18.18% from Spring 2022 to Spring 2023, and new transfer students have increased 18.75%, according to 10th-day data released by WIU’s Institutional Research and Planning. International student enrollment and graduate enrollment also increased, with total international undergraduate headcount at 191, compared to 120 in Spring 2022, and an increase of 59.17%. International graduate student enrollment increased 25.79% from Spring 2022. Overall, enrollment will remain flat with all factors... Read More

Western Illinois University’s School of Nursing has received a donation of a simulated infant warmer from Memorial Hospital in Carthage, IL. A newborn radiant infant warmer, along with newborn nursing supplies, were donated to the WIU School of Nursing after the recent closure of the Carthage hospital’s obstetrics department. A simulated infant warmer typically costs about $5,000. WIU Nursing Resource Center Coordinator Danielle Knowles connected with the hospital upon hearing its obstetrical department was closing. Knowles reached out to Dina Schaller, a department head at the hospital,... Read More

Western Illinois University, in conjunction with the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the city of Moline and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, will host a kick-off meeting for the Business Owner Occupied Stabilization Transformation (BOOST) program at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6 on the Quad Cities campus in Riverfront Hall. “The SBDC WIU-QC is happy to host the city of Moline and help entrepreneurs start their businesses and local business owners continue to grow their businesses,” said SBDC Assistant Director Ann Friederichs. “This is truly an exciting time for... Read More

The Western Illinois University Department of Art and Design’s first “First Wednesday” event of the semester will be held from 7-9 p.m. Feb. 1 in Garwood Hall, the Heating Plant Annex and the University Art Gallery. WIU Art and Design faculty combine their efforts to offer creative, hands-on activities to visitors. This event is open free to the public, and visitors are welcome from campus and the surrounding community and region. • Everyone is welcome, but all children under 13 must be accompanied and supervised by an adult. Feb. 1 activities include: Garwood Hall • Tape... Read More

Western Illinois University and John Wood Community College (JWCC) officials and faculty members joined together today (Jan. 20) for a formal signing of a 2+2 agricultural articulation agreement at the new JWCC Agricultural Education Center. This Articulation Agreement, referred to also as a 2+2 Agreement, is for those students who transfer from JWCC with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Agricultural Business and pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Science at WIU. Articulation agreements document a pathway between two or more colleges or universities and their academic... Read More

A team of Western Illinois University School of Agriculture students recently competed in the four-week international electronic trading competition, the CME Group Trading Challenge. The three-member team finished 356th out of 500 teams in the highly competitive event. This year’s team members were agriculture business majors Kelsie Cawthon, a senior, of Macomb; Isabella Gray, a senior, of Blandinsville, IL; and Jaclyn Janssen, a senior, of Avon, IL. The WIU team is advised by Agriculture Professor Jason Franken. “I think it was a good learning experience for the students,” said... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – The Western Illinois University Law Enforcement and Justice Administration (LEJA) program, a top public safety program in the nation, has a long history of serving the Quad Cities community following graduation. The School of LEJA provides students with a diverse and wide array of criminal justice and public safety expertise through real-world practical application and critical thinking. WIU is equipped with faculty members from many diverse backgrounds throughout the field of law enforcement, including emergency management, EMT, fire protection services, law and more, that... Read More