MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – Western Illinois University is waiving the $30 application fee for domestic undergraduate, graduate and general studies students who apply to WIU (wiu.edu/apply) through Nov. 30. Domestic high school seniors, transfer students and graduate degree seeking students, as well as those applying through the Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) program, who apply for admission to Western, will have the application fee waived during the fee waiver month through 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 30. To apply, visit wiu.edu/apply. For more information about WIU scholarships, visit wiu.edu/scholarships.  Read More

MOLINE, IL – Western Illinois University Assistant Professor Jenny McGarry has been chosen as the recipient of the WIU Quad Cities Core Values Commitment Award. McGarry, a faculty member in WIU’s Department of Finance, Economics and Decision Sciences, was presented with her award at a recent campus potluck. A nameplate for her honor will be installed on the award board on the third floor of the Quad Cities Complex. The award recognizes McGarry’s leadership in expanding the Voluntary Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, as the organization’s faculty advisor. WIU-QC has a long... Read More

The McDonough County Health Department, in cooperation with Western Illinois University, will host a COVID-19 vaccination clinics (including boosters) for WIU faculty, staff and students, as well as members of the general public, in December as the Fall 2021 semester comes to a close. The clinic will be held in the University Union Sandburg Lounge from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7. Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer vaccines will be available at no cost. In addition, individuals who received a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the following groups are eligible for a booster shot... Read More

Nearly 115 years ago, on Dec. 4, 1906, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. was founded at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, by seven young men known as “The Jewels.” Sixty-four years later, the Eta Eta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. was chartered at Western Illinois University. WIU’s storied fraternity charter recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. According to Christopher Towers, a 1998 WIU Alumnus and 50th Anniversary chair, the Founding Jewels of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. were no ordinary achievers. “Given the racial climate in the early 1900s, their... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – Western Illinois University undergraduate and graduate students and recent graduates (within two years) have the opportunity to develop a proposal for a profit-generating business venture as part of the WIU College of Business and Technology (CBT) Stafford Challenge, created by 1993 WIU Accountancy Graduate David Stafford. According to CBT Dean Craig Conrad, The Stafford Challenge is designed to energize the competitive spirit and challenge participants to combine their knowledge, research and creativity to identify and develop real-world business ventures. A $5,000 prize,... Read More

Lori (Wust) Menke, who had served as the office manager in the Western Illinois University (former) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, passed away Wednesday, Oct. 27. She was 52. Funeral Service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 30 at the Wise Family Funeral Home in Roseville. Visitation will be held two hours prior to service. “The Western Illinois University community mourns Lori’s passing. We extend our deepest sympathies to Lori’s family, friends and colleagues,” said Western Illinois University President Guiyou Huang. Menke began working at WIU in... Read More

Western Illinois University History Professor Peter Cole recently launched a second edition of his book, “Ben Fletcher: The Life and Times of a Black Wobbly,” an expanded and revised version of the first edition. The second edition has drawn readers’ attention far more than the first because more Americans are focused on fighting racism, compared to past years. Cole was originally inspired to write his book when searching for a dissertation topic back in the mid 1990s. While in a graduate seminar, Cole read a book about the history of the Industrial Workers of the World, a powerful... Read More

The LGBT*QA Resource Center will commemorate Trans* Week of Awareness on campus Monday Nov. 15-Friday. Nov. 19. The LGBT*QA Resource Center is one of the four centers housed within the Western Illinois University Multicultural Center. The schedule of events for this week include: • Monday, Nov. 15, 7 p.m., Multicultural Multipurpose Room – Trans* Day of Support – There will be a mobile Qloset clothing swap – The Qloset which is located inside the LGBT*QA Resource Center on the second floor of the MCC will be moved to the Multipurpose room for this event – Binder fittings –... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL — Two candidates will interview Monday-Tuesday, Nov. 1-2 and Monday-Tuesday, Nov. 15-16 for the dean of Western Illinois University Libraries. Ryan Buller, associate professor and access services librarian at University Libraries, University of Denver, and Hector Maymi-Sugranes, professor, College of Social Science and Humanities, CETYS University, will interview Nov. 1-2 and Nov. 15-16, respectively. An open session will be held at 10 a.m. in Horrabin Hall 1 and via Zoom for each candidate. Individuals interested in participating in the open session must register at at... Read More

Student voting at Western Illinois University increased 12 percent in last year’s presidential election, moving from the 2016 rate of 45.3 percent, to 57.3 percent in 2020. The data was compiled by the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education (IDHE), creators of the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement (NSLVE). IDHE is located at Tufts University’s Tisch College of Civic Life. “Voting improved at Western across racial and ethnic groups, as well as for most majors and fields of study reported,” said WIU Political Science Chair Keith Boeckelman. “We... Read More