Western Illinois University Director of Transitional Programs Michelle Janisz has been named the Al and Elaine Goldfarb Civil Service Employee of the Month for April. Janisz began working at WIU in July 2001 as the assistant director of student activities. She left WIU in June 2005, but returned in August 2011 as director of student activities and coordinator of development. She transitioned to her current position in February 2019. According to her nominator, Janisz has embraced a recent restructuring in her office to better serve students. “Michelle embraced the change with open arms and... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – Western Illinois University strives to prepare its students for the wider world of jobs and higher education in a variety of ways. One of the most valuable resources at the disposal of students at Western is the Center for Career Preparation and Employer Engagement. According to the mission statement of the Career Center, “The mission of the Center for Career Preparation and Employer Engagement is to support students and alumni by empowering individuals to create and achieve their goals through active career planning and preparation. The Career Center offers engaging... Read More

Western Illinois University is waiving the $30 application fee for undergraduate students, who apply to WIU (wiu.edu/apply) through Sunday, May 9. Graduating high school seniors and transfer students, dual enrollment students and 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 beginning at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, April 21 through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, May 9. “We love it that we are still able to provide opportunities for this fall to students who may be deciding on a college... Read More

Monika Mazela, of Winnebago, IL, a senior Honors student in the Western Illinois University Department of Psychology, is conducting a study titled “Eyewitness Memory Performance” to gain knowledge about factors that influence memory. The goal of Mazela’s study is to examine how different questioning formats affect eyewitness memory. She has worked in collaboration with Associate Professor of Psychology Katherine McGuire, whose focus is forensic psychology, since Spring 2020. After COVID-19 restrictions were put in place, the collaborators used them as an opportunity to redesign... Read More

Two Western Illinois University professors have created a unique study abroad opportunity for students to follow the history of the legality of cannabis in the Netherlands. Students taking part in the Cannabis and Culture in Amsterdam program will travel with Anthropology Professor Heather McIlvaine-Newsad and Liberal Arts and Sciences Professor Sarah Haynes from May 20-30, 2022. The study abroad course can be taken for credit in the Anthropology or Liberal Arts and Sciences programs. Interest meetings for the travel opportunity will be announced at a later date. The Netherlands has a long history... Read More

Because of some experiences that Western Illinois University graduate student Aleezah Washington had during her undergrad years at WIU – some very good and some not-so-good at all – she was thinking of ways to reach out to other marginalized students, both current WIU students and prospective students. She reached out to WIU Student Legal Advocate Torrey Smith to talk and brainstorm. And with that, Washington’s vision to give students a voice, became “Western Unedited: Our Voice, Our Story, Our Time.” Washington, an MBA graduate student from Naperville and a graduate assistant... Read More

As award season continues, the Western Illinois University Department of Broadcasting and Journalism won five awards at the annual Illinois News Broadcasters Association (INBA) April 10. Leatherneck Insider won first place in Outstanding Sports Television Program, while NEWS3 won second place in Outstanding Television Newscast. Devin Brooks, a senior broadcasting and journalism major, from St. Louis, MO, won first place in Outstanding Television News Reporting and Outstanding Television Sports Reporting. RJ Larson, a senior sports broadcasting major, from Burlington, WI, won second place for Outstanding... Read More

Western Illinois University senior Art major Andrea Kliffmiller, of Rushville, IL, will have her solo Bachelor of Fine Arts graduation exhibition, “Bound,” on display Tuesday, April 20-Friday, April 30 at the University Art Gallery. Kliffmiller is also the recipient of the 2021 Mavigliano/Brabec Senior Art Prize through the WIU Department of Art and Design. The exhibit is open free to the public. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-noon; 1-4 p.m. and Saturday 1-4 p.m. The gallery is closed on University holidays. For more information about the Gallery, visit wiu.edu/artgallery.  Read More

Earlier this month, Western Illinois University’s Emergency Management program collaborated with the Emergency Operation Center Project (ILETSBEI) and the WIU GIS Center to offer two virtual classes to emergency responders and educators. The mission of the classes was to provide unmanned Aerial System (UAS) certification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is mandatory for practitioners and students to be allowed to operate drones and drone-related technology in any professional operations in the area of public safety, from natural disasters, emergencies, to search and rescue. More... Read More

The Western Illinois University School of Music will present a live-streamed Steel Band Concert, under the direction of Professor Rick Kurasz, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 16 in the College of Fine Arts and Communication (COFAC) Recital Hall. Due to the restrictions currently in place, there are no general admission performances in the COFAC Recital Hall. This performance will be broadcast on the School of Music’s YouTube Channel and Facebook page. PROGRAM: Soca Tatie – Bryon Lee/arr. Rick Kurasz Heartland – Tom Miller Pyxis – CJ Menge Raspberry Slurpee – CJ Menge Suzie... Read More