Just over six weeks into his new job as Western Illinois University president, Guiyou Huang wrote to Gov. JB Pritzker this past Tuesday, Feb. 16, about ongoing discussions regarding a potential transfer of the WIU Quad-Cities campus in Moline to another state institution. To date, Western has not been included in the discussion, he noted, copying Moline Mayor Stephanie Acri and Quad Cities Chamber president/CEO Paul Rumler. Acri responded that she’s had concerns about the impact of WIU in Moline and she’s scheduled to meet again with Huang on March 2. “In our conversation in my office this... Read More

Western Illinois University’s student-run broadcast news and sports media have been named finalists for the annual National Undergraduate Student Electronic Media Competition, hosted by NBS. “Their hard work and dedication continue to pay off,” said Quintin Parker, sports broadcasting director. “They’ve really been impressive lately, and they will only get better as time passes. Right now, we expect them to be the best, but we’re still willing to do the work it takes to be the best, so we’re in a good place right now.” NEWS3 staffers and Broadcast... Read More

Western Illinois University (WIU) Libraries will hold a virtual presentation of Robert Lopresti’s award-winning book, “When Women Didn’t Count” in March, in recognition of Women’s History Month. Robert Lopresti, a retired government information librarian from Western Washington University, (WWU) will discuss his award-winning book, “When Women Didn’t Count”(Praeger, 2017). The presentation is sponsored by WIU Libraries in acknowledgment of Women’s History Month. It will be held virtually at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 18. Lopresti retired in 2018,... Read More

As part of the Western Illinois University College Student Personnel Lecture Series, Vanessa Sansone will present “Geography Need Not Be Destiny” at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, Feb.16. Sansone, of the University of Texas-San Antonio, will present her lecture, “Geography need not be destiny: What we can learn about race, place, and college opportunity from rural Latinxs in Texas,” which is co-sponsored by the WIU Multicultural Center, virtually (https://wiu.zoom.us/j/5227760369). Sansone will discuss her empirical research on rural Latinxs and college access, highlighting how mechanisms... Read More

The Western Illinois University Business Analytics program has graduated its first student, Elijah Elkerton, of Minneapolis, MN. The Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) approved a new Bachelor of Business in business analytics at Western Illinois University to begin in Fall 2018. Elkerton, who joined Western’s graduate program in analytics, Master of Science in Applied Statistics and Decision Analytics (ASDA), this spring, not only chose to come to Western to play on the Division I football team, but also because he was looking for a school that had an undergraduate and graduate program... Read More

Western Illinois University senior broadcasting major Devin Brooks is close to setting a state record for winning the most scholarships from the Illinois News Broadcasters Association (INBA). Brooks, of St. Louis, MO, has won the INBA scholarship three times and has the opportunity to win a fourth award this spring. “I would not have come across these opportunities without the help of my teachers at WIU,” said Brooks. “They deserve the real recognition for caring about students’ success. It makes a difference when I can worry less about how I’m going to pay for school... Read More

Western Illinois University Economics Professor Tom Sadler is the author of the upcoming book “Pandemic Economics,” which analyzes the pandemic from an economics perspective, addressing economic shutdown, recession and recovery. The book, which will be published by Routledge in early 2021, analyzes specific outcomes, including health care, inequality, energy, the environment and the international economy. “The topic piqued my interest because economists have not published widely on pandemics, until now,” said Sadler. “Because the shock to economic activity was so severe,... Read More

MOLINE, IL — The Western Illinois University Quad Cities Core Values Awards have been an annual tradition since 2010 to recognize the contributions of individuals from the University community in the Quad Cities. The 2020 awards were chosen by the Quad Cities Core Values Selection Committee. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated announcing the winners virtually, but a nameplate for each recipient will be installed on the award board on the third floor of the Quad Cities Complex. The 2020 winners, along with comments submitted by their nominator, include: • Academic Excellence – Math Instructor... Read More

Western Illinois University Assistant Director of Campus Recreation Brian Thomas has been named the Al and Elaine Goldfarb Civil Service Employee of the Month for February. Thomas began work at WIU in January 2018 in his current position. He was transitioned to Civil Service, with the same title, in February 2019. According to his nominator, Thomas does a good job keeping the mood light and keeping others calm during stressful situations, such as moving students from quarantine and isolation housing during the pandemic. “He has put his own welfare aside to assist more than 60 WIU students,”... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL — The Initiative for Social Justice Pedagogies at Western Illinois University, led by English Professor Rebekah Buchanan and Education Professor James La Prad, will again host the virtual Anti-Racist Inquiry Series – Looking Inward: Educators Examining Race, via Zoom, beginning Thursday, Feb. 11. The series debuted during the Fall 2020 semester. According to Buchanan and La Prad, the series has been created in a way for faculty,* regardless of background and training in anti-racism, to gain additional insight and training from participation. “Individual and systemic... Read More