Area college students and alumni from Western Illinois University, Knox College and Monmouth College have a chance to think about summer when the WIU Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration (RPTA) hosts its annual Summer Camp Job Fair (SCJF) virtually from noon-4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10. Summer camps across the country are planning to open for Summer 2021, and they are participating in one of the largest camp job fairs in the country through Western Illinois University. According to WIU RPTA Assistant Professor Megan Owens, this year’s SCJF will feature 45 camps from across... Read More

The Bureau of Cultural Affairs (BCA) at Western Illinois University will offer a series of five free, virtual shows for the Spring 2021 semester as part of “On the Couch – Virtual Arts Series.” The production company, BiCoastal Productions, is offering free shows to presenters like BCA during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue to offer exposure to the arts to audiences. Each show begins at 7 p.m. on a series of Wednesdays. The schedule includes: • Feb. 10 – “The Red Hot Chilli Pipers” – Bagpipers who Rock – is the band AC/DC meets poet Robert Burns, with rock anthems sitting “comfortably... Read More

Western Illinois University will celebrate Black History Month throughout February, with a variety of activities, speakers and events planned. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the events vary from virtual to in person. The Black History Month schedule for the remainder of the month includes: • Tuesday, Feb. 9 – 9-11 a.m. – Free breakfast from the Black Student Association (BSA): The BSA will honor the Black Panther Party’s revolutionary, free breakfast program, an idea later adopted by the federal and state government as a way to help children. Breakfast baggies will include apples,... Read More

The Western Illinois University Department of Physics will host the fifth edition of its Virtual Science Saturday, “Cloud Chambers: Exploring the Invisible World of Subatomic Charged Particles,” from 11 a.m.-noon Feb. 6. This session will explore the challenges and rewards of exposing a hidden world all around us that is bustling with energy and activity. This episode is presented by WIU College of Arts and Sciences Assistant Dean James Rabchuk. Virtual Science Saturday is open to anyone and can be joined at wiu.zoom.us/j/92440424021. Past sessions of Virtual Science Saturday can be... Read More

An opportunity for Western Illinois University Broadcasting and Journalism alumni to gather during COVID-19 has transformed into a podcast highlighting their careers after college, hosted by College of Fine Arts and Communication Associate Dean William “Buzz” Hoon. The first episode of “Alumni Chats” kicked off Jan. 19, and Hoon hopes the podcast will become a weekly production, with a new episode released each Thursday. “I think this podcast really connects to University engagement,” said Hoon. “In December, we had nine broadcasting and journalism alumni... Read More

The Bureau of Cultural Affairs (BCA) at Western Illinois University will offer a series of five free, virtual shows for the Spring 2021 semester as part of “On the Couch – Virtual Arts Series.” The production company, BiCoastal Productions, is offering free shows to presenters like BCA during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue to offer exposure to the arts to audiences. Each show begins at 7 p.m. on a series of Wednesdays. The schedule includes: • Feb. 3 – “Naturally 7” will perform its audio pyrotechnics and vocal play by transforming their voices into human instruments... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – Public universities like Western Illinois University go through an accreditation process every 10 years, but what is accreditation and why is it important? The newly created podcast series, The Leatherneck Accreditation Lab, will explain the process and more. The first episode, which can be found at wiu.edu/aasp/accreditation/podcast.php, provides viewers with information about the process and what members of the WIU community can expect from the institution’s reaccreditation visit with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) in March. All podcasts will be available at... Read More

The Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University will host its 32nd annual Rural Community Economic Development Conference in a virtual format Wednesday-Thursday, Feb. 24-25. The conference is being held in conjunction with the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council and Rural Partners. Registration is $25 per person for the two-day conference. This year’s schedule will offer approaches designed to address the current landscape of rural Illinois, while examining the depth of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Zoom-based event will open at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday,... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – Western Illinois University faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends are invited to share comments for the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) assurance argument review for WIU’s reaffirmation of accreditation, which will take place in March 2021. More information, including the feedback form, can be found at wiu.edu/aasp/accreditation/review.php. Feedback must be submitted by Feb. 17. The HLC, which is a regional accreditor of postsecondary education institutions, will conduct its 10 year review of WIU, with a reaffirmation of accreditation visit March 26 and March... Read More

The Western Illinois University Art Gallery will host a solo exhibition, “Disjunction and Other Works,” by Starkville, MS artist Ming Ying Hong through Feb. 19. Hong is an interdisciplinary artist who have exhibited throughout the United States, including at the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis, MO, and the Ice Box Gallery in Philadelphia, PA. Her work has been featured in many publications – most recently, in MANIFEST Gallery’s International Drawing Annual. Ming received her BFA from the University of Kentucky, and was a Danforth Scholar at Washington University in... Read More