MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – Western Illinois University will now offer a Human Resource Management (HRM) concentration in the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. With the fast-paced global economy, HRM is needed more now than ever. Students in the MBA program who concentrate on Human Resource Management will gain knowledge and skills to help them effectively manage human capital within organizations. Students will have the opportunity to choose courses in several different areas, including staffing, legal compliance, and international HRM, as well as courses in organizational development... Read More

A relationship, developed through a love of music and culture, has led to a unique ensemble gathering at Western Illinois University for a three-day residency in May to record a significant, sacred work by an African American composer. WIU Director of Jazz Studies John Cooper, and his wife, Gayle, have a long friendship with Sharon Reed, the founder and artistic director of the Heritage Ensemble community choir in Peoria, IL. Through her research into music composed by African American artists, Reed discovered works by Glenn Burleigh, an Oklahoma composer who not only published his own pieces,... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – When Guiyou Huang started his tenure as Western Illinois University’s 12th president in January 2021, one of his core initiatives was to further the University’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and efforts. Huang has created a new Anti-Racism Task Force (ARTF), composed of approximately 22 faculty, staff, students from both campuses, as well as community members. The task force recently held its first meeting, which included training presentations from Jessica C. Harris, vice chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Southern Illinois... Read More

The Western Illinois University LGBT*QA Resource Center will host a Pride Month celebration throughout the month of April with a full schedule of events. This year’s programming includes: • Monday, April 11, 7 p.m.: Kulture Karaoke, sponsored by the Gwendolyn Brooks Cultural Center, in the Multicultural Center multipurpose room. • Tuesday, April 12, noon: What’s the T*, sponsored by the Gwendolyn Brooks Cultural Center, in the Multicultural Center multipurpose room. The event will include a discussion focusing on LGBTQA+ mental health. • Thursday, April 14, 4 p.m.: Eye-Dentity,... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – Western Illinois University students won the 2022 Illinois State Human Resources Case Competition organized by the Illinois State Council of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). SHRM is the world’s largest professional association in human resources (HR), and students from any college/university in Illinois were eligible to participate. Western’s student chapter of the SHRM allows students to participate in the case competition and learn by working through a challenging case study to come up with a solution within a limited time frame. Judges assessed... Read More

There’s no April Fool’s here, just positive news about the Quad-Cities in our latest What’s The Good News column! Want to read some uplifting, GOOD news about the Quad-Cities? Read on! Rock Island Academy Starts Coding Camp Rock Island Academy started a new club this year, Leopards Who Code. The club meets every week and meetings consist of friendship activities, learning the history of computers and coding, and coding projects like video games, apps, artistic design, and more. The club is for any 3rd-6th grade Leopard who’s interested in learning about technology. The club meets every... Read More

Western Illinois University now boasts a growing population of international students from the Caribbean, with more than 70 students enrolled at Western in the past two semesters. In July 2021, Western Illinois University signed its first MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) to assure seamless transfer opportunities for students from 16 Caribbean countries to study at WIU. In addition to the CXC agreement, WIU has established partnerships with Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College, Anguilla Community College, Antigua State College, Charlestown Secondary School... Read More

Ryan Warren, a Western Illinois University graduate student in Sociology and a Peace Corps Fellow, from Savannah, MO, has been selected as the Spring 2022 recipient of The Sociological Masters Scholarship Award. This $1,000 award, funded by emeritus WIU faculty members Ken Mietus and Chris Adamski Mietus, is given annually to an outstanding graduate student in the program based on their academic achievement and their application essay regarding how they plan to use their sociology degree. “In her essay, Warren discussed her career goal of becoming an investigative agent within federal law... Read More

The Knoblauch Cafe, a campus restaurant open weekly and run by Western Illinois University students, has reopened for the Spring semester. The cafe offers carry-out meals for $8 from 11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. each Thursday that can be picked up in the Knoblauch Hall Corporate Kitchen, room 238. Each meal includes an entree, a beverage and a dessert. Jill Cassady, instructor of Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration, took over the course in 2010. Then, the cafe was named “Western Lites” and focused on offering low-calorie options for the campus community. Now, the cafe focuses... Read More

Over the past several weeks, the Western Illinois University COVID-19 Response Committee has reviewed the numerous updates and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and other public health guidelines regarding the pandemic. With the continuing decline in COVID-19 positive cases, capacity limits for select indoor events/activities on WIU’s campuses will be lifted, effective immediately, across numerous campus locations, including the University Union, Campus Recreation, dining centers and other non-academic facilities. Other protocols (face coverings, travel, and other... Read More