The McDonough County Quality of Life Youth Task Force is hosting a special event for area students to observe the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The event will be held from 10 a.m.-noon Friday, Sept. 10, in Macomb’s Chandler Park. The event will feature opportunities for local students to attend with their school to meet and talk with local first responders. Representatives from the following agencies will be participating in the event: Macomb Police Department, Macomb Fire Department, McDonough County Sheriff Department, Illinois State Police, Western Illinois University Office of... Read More

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently signed an Executive Order that requires all Illinois higher education employees and students, as well as K-12 employees, receive the COVID-19 vaccine. For employees and students who cannot, or will not, get vaccinated, the governor has also mandated weekly COVID testing, which is already in place at WIU. Those individuals who are unvaccinated and who attend classes and/or work on either of our WIU campuses (Macomb and Quad Cities) must comply with the required weekly testing to avoid disciplinary action. Test clinics (saliva-based tests) are held on both the... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – Maintaining strong connections with students is vital for a successful college experience, and to ensure that students at Western Illinois University have access to the resources to help them succeed, WIU is launching the new chatbot, “Rocky,” this fall. Through the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) fund, WIU partnered with EdSights to put the new ‘bot into place to assist WIU students find success, according to Justin Schuch, executive director of retention initiatives. “This chatbot program enhances our efforts to increase access... Read More

Western Illinois University Photography Laboratory Manager Sarah Ritter, of the Visual Production Center, has been named the Al and Elaine Goldfarb Civil Service Employee of the Month for August 2021. Ritter began working at WIU in July 2012 as a digital imaging specialist at VPC, and audited to assistant manager of the laboratory in 2018. According to Ritter’s nominator, “she brings enthusiasm, passion and drive to her work, and it shows through her award-winning photographs.” “Those who work with Sarah across campus – from Student Services to Athletics, to academics,... Read More

A Community Meet and Greet for new minority employees at Western Illinois University will be held from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8 at Macomb City Hall. Remarks will be given by WIU President Guiyou Huang, Macomb Mayor Michael Inman and Macomb Police Chief Jerel Jones. New employees will be introduced during the event, as will the Rev. Dr. C.T. Vivian Diversity Teaching Scholars: Lecturers Pechulano Ngwe Ali – Department of Broadcasting and Journalism; Brenda Iglesias Zarco and Alfonzo Cooper Jr. – School of Music; and Jin Park – Department of Kinesiology (Sport Management). Snacks will be... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL — A total of 289 students earned academic degrees or post-baccalaureate certificates after the Summer 2021 semester at Western Illinois University. Of these, 33 graduates’ primary attendance site was the WIU-Quad Cities campus. Bachelor’s degrees were awarded to 215 graduates and master’s degrees were earned by 74 graduates. Academic distinction was awarded to baccalaureate graduates who achieved high grade point averages. This includes: Summa Cum Laude, 3.90 GPA or higher on a 4.0 scale; Magna Cum Laude, 3.75-3.89 GPA; and Cum Laude, 3.6-3.74 GPA. View... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) recently announced that Western Illinois University has been reaccredited for 10 years, with the next re-affirmation of accreditation review scheduled for 2030-31. In March 2021, the HLC’s on-site review team virtually visited the Macomb and Quad Cities campuses, for a comprehensive review that included numerous meetings with faculty, staff, students, administration, the Board of Trustees and community leaders in both locations. According to Associate Provost and Accreditation Liaison Officer Mark Mossman, the visit also included... Read More

Freesia Walsh McKee has been named assistant director of the Western Illinois University Multicultural Center. McKee was most recently a writer and researcher for ALUMinate, and from 2012-2017 she was outreach coordinator for ArtWorks for Milwaukee. McKee earned a bachelor’s degree in gender and women’s studies from Warren Wilson College in North Carolina, and a master’s degree in creative writing from Florida International University. She also completed a creating writing program at the Scottish Universities International Summer School in Edinburgh, Scotland. “Joining this... Read More

Color (run) for the kids! The Western Illinois University RockyTHON (Dance Marathon) will hold its third annual Color Run for the Kids Sunday, Sept. 19. The event is part of the student organization’s year-round effort to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals, St. Louis Children’s Hospital and SSM Health Cardinal Glennon. The event culminates March 26, 2022, with the 12-hour RockyTHON, which honors the 12-hour shifts of doctors and nurses, as well as children who are unable to stand. The event, which starts at 2 p.m. Sept. 19 (registration begins at 1 p.m.), is... Read More

The Western Illinois University Community Music School will soon start its fall semester of group classes and private lessons. The classes offered during the Fall 2021 semester include: • Music & Me; Parent/Child Music Enrichment (ages 2-5) • Group Piano for Adults (ages 18 and older, beginner) • Ukulele U (grades 3-6, beginner) • Macomb Flute Ensemble (all ages, abilities) Individual private lesson packages are also available for string, brass, woodwind, percussion, voice, piano and guitar instruments. The Community Music School’s mission is to enrich lives and communities by... Read More