One candidate will interview Tuesday, July 11 for the open director position in the Western Illinois University Institutional Research and Planning office. The candidate is Palmer College of Chiropractic Senior Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness Dustin C. Derby. He has held that position since July 2007. Derby has also served as the Human Subjects Protection Administrator at Palmer since 2017; the coordinator of Student Activities, Recruitment and Retention at Sauk Valley Community College from June 2002-04; and assistant director of student activities at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – – Western Illinois University has been on a mission to enhance its reputation as a top-tier educational institution. In 2017, WIU introduced the Learning Assistant Program (LAP), a peer-based initiative aimed at promoting active and collaborative learning in the classroom. Since its inception, the program has yielded impressive results, including improved student grades and a significant uptick in Engineering program retention rates. The LAP was specifically designed to ensure students remain engaged and focused on conceptual learning. Undergraduate Learning Assistants... Read More

In an effort to teach and perform more diverse styles of singing, a member of Western Illinois University’s Music faculty has established the non-profit, professional vocal ensemble, withonevoice. Imagine hearing an ensemble belt out a musical theatre and directly follow it with a traditional choral standard in a completely different, Lutheran-style voice quality. The ensemble’s mission is to gather a group of artists capable of authentic, sustainable singing in multiple voice qualities, and educate future generations of singers and teachers in this pedagogy. The ensemble, run by WIU... Read More

After two years of extensive work, the Alexander County city of Cairo, IL, will open a cooperative grocery store this month, thanks to assistance from the Illinois Institute of Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University and its Illinois Cooperative Development Center (ICDC). Through a project, headed by Sean Park, ICDC Manager, the store will hold its grand opening Friday, June 16, in an area that was previously considered to be a “food desert.” The partnership between the IIRA and the city of Cairo began in 2021, after Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton asked Park to reach out to Cairo Mayor... Read More

Interim Western Illinois University Campus Recreation Center Director Brian Thomas has been named the permanent director, effective May 1. Thomas has served as interim director of Campus Recreation since June 2022. He was hired as the center’s assistant director in January 2018, and was promoted to associate director in January 2021. He has also previously served as a fitness coordinator and head personal trainer at the McDonough County YMCA, and was an adjunct instructor in WIU’s Kinesiology department in 2022. Thomas received his bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and his... Read More

MOLINE, IL – – Western Illinois University’s Environmental Science: Large River Ecosystems program is working with the city of Moline to study the concentration of phosphorus in the Rock River. “This is a proactive effort to determine how pending regulatory changes might affect the South Slope Sewage Treatment Plant,” said WIU Environmental Science Director Roger Viadero. The project will consist of student-led groups testing water for basic quality parameters, in addition to nutrients and chlorophyll, which can be an indicator of elevated phosphorus in water. This... Read More

This year, Western Illinois University’s Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its Camp Rocky program. The day camp program is run by students at WIU’s Horn Field Campus, and offers local youth the opportunity to participate in camp-related programming and outdoor cooking. The program, part of RPTA’s Camp Leadership class, was started in 1998 by RPTA Chair Emeritus Dale Adkins and is currently taught by RPTA Assistant Professor Megan Owens. During the years in between, the class was taught by former RPTA faculty member... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – – Western Illinois University alumna Ramona Bellino would have graduated from college in 1971, but life had other plans. “The day after I graduated from St. Casimir High School, I entered the workforce,” said Bellino, the oldest of nine children. “I was uncertain at that point about the career path I wanted to follow, so my plan was to work, save money, and go to college a bit later.” Bellino knew her journey would take her in many different directions, but little did she know who would come into her life and change it completely. “I... Read More

May is Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month. Since 1990, the U.S. has used this month to recognize and celebrate Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. Like many commemorative months, Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month originated in Congress in 1977. After several failed resolutions, a week was proclaimed for the acknowledgement and celebration of Asian/Pacific American Heritage in 1979. Finally, in 1990, it was expanded to the entire month of May, with the theme this year being “Advancing Leaders Through Opportunity.” This theme supports WIU’s mission,... Read More

The Western Illinois University School of Music will present the 57th annual Wind Ensemble President’s Concert at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 6 in the College of Fine Arts and Communication (COFAC) Recital Hall. The WIU Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Professor of Music and Director of Bands Mike Fansler, will perform several world premiere performances by: WIU alumnus Dennis Eveland; WIU alumnus Robin Butler; an arrangement by WIU Assistant Professor of Composition Hong-Da Chin, featuring C. T. Vivian Diversity Teaching Scholar in Vocal Performance Ru Huang, soprano and Chin, dizi; and James... Read More