MACOMB/MOLINE – Jennifer Von Kaenel has been named the director of development for corporate relations for Western Illinois University. While she will be based at the WIU-Quad Cities campus, she will serve the entire University, reporting to the executive director of development in the WIU Foundation and Development Office. Von Kaenel, who started Nov. 1, previously served as the development director for Junior Achievement of the Heartland in Moline, IL. She has extensive experience working with, and volunteering for, multiple Quad Cities region nonprofits for over 25 years, including WVIK Quad... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – Five Western Illinois University faculty members and one academic adviser have been named the 2021 Provost’s Award of Excellence winners. The Center for Innovation in Teaching and Research (CITR) at WIU organized six-member committees charged with evaluating excellence in each of the determined areas. “It’s always a privilege to present this award to our faculty and staff who go above and beyond, both in the classroom and outside of class. Our students have wonderful opportunities and experiences because of our faculty and staff. Congratulations and thank... Read More

The Western Illinois University Speech and Hearing Clinic recently raised $10,250 in 10 days to purchase iPads with communication software to help non-speaking students in regional school districts. The Gifting a Voice Campaign ran from Oct. 10-20, which had an initial goal of $5,000, with money raised by students in the WIU Speech Pathology and Audiology program. The Western Illinois Speech Clinic is an on-campus clinic that serves people of all ages with a myriad of communication deficits. However, the clinic touches more than just the clients who attend the on-campus clinic. Additionally, the... Read More

Retired Western Illinois University Library Specialist Mary Beth Smith, of Macomb, passed away Monday, Nov. 1 in Rushville, IL. Cremation rites have been accorded and no services are planned. Smith began working at WIU in November 1980, and retired in June 2016. She is survived by her ex-husband, Randy Smith; one brother, Anthony; and two sisters, Kathleen and Nancy. Additional obituary information can be found at clugston-tibbitts.com.  Read More

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