51¸£ÀûÉç

The health and safety of the 51¸£ÀûÉç campus community is always the top priority. With that goal in mind, all Western Michigan University travel to China is prohibited, effective immediately and until further notice.

Extensive collaboration locally and throughout the world has again captured the attention of the Carnegie Foundation, which bestowed upon the institution its Community Engagement Classification.

Additional content and photos will be added as the project continues to be developed.

Throughout the month of February—in celebration of Black History Month—the Lewis Walker Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnic Relations will celebrate the hip-hop movement. Events will include a film festival and museum exhibit.

Graphic design alumna Lynnae Straight says the connections and networking opportunities she found at 51¸£ÀûÉç helped set her up for success in her career.

The full agenda, associated materials and a link to watch the Board of Trustees' meeting livestream are available online.

The 51¸£ÀûÉç-organized events are free and open to the public, although tailored to college students and recent college graduates. They begin Thursday, Jan. 30, and conclude Wednesday, April 22. All but one takes place in Kalamazoo on the University's Main Campus.

Johnny Anderson III, an alumnus who is now pursuing his master's degree in social work, overcame homelessness and secured a job at the Family Health Center in Kalamazoo.

Western Michigan University will host its second Human Library event for the campus community on Feb. 12. Participants will be able to check out human "books" about widely diverse identities.

A team of two Western Michigan University sales students competed in the State Farm Marketing and Sales Competition at the University of Central Missouri, during the fall semester, with one student taking top honors in the customer service role-play category.

The latest 51¸£ÀûÉç Post-Graduation Activity Survey finds 94% of 2018-19 graduates have a job, are engaged in volunteer or military service, or are enrolled in graduate school—the highest engagement rate in the survey's ten-year history.

Awardees of the Student Sustainability Grant were chosen by a committee of students appointed by the Western Student Association.

Undergraduate students Blake Tindol and Brandon Buxton had the rare experience of presenting research at the Conference on Health IT and Analytics, an annual research summit that gathers prominent scholars from more than 40 research institutes. Tindol and Buxton presented research they collaborated on with Dr. Utkarsh Shrivastava, assistant professor of business information systems.

From young political refugee to successful businessman,  alumnus Samath Him Sprung overcame adversity to influence the education of thousands of students in Cambodia.

51¸£ÀûÉç business alumna Karen Feller Baldwin's efforts have helped Greenleaf Trust grow by more than double digits every year for 10 years to more than 130 employees today. Besides actively seeking diverse talent and creating a culture of inclusion, she’s organized cutting-edge training for team members and new channels for employee feedback that resulted in increasing maternity and paternity leave to 12 paid weeks.

Just after the 51¸£ÀûÉç Office of LBGT Student Services celebrates 30 years on campus, the nation’s largest conference for LBGTQ+ college students is coming to 51¸£ÀûÉç. The Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Asexual College Conference is expected to draw more than 2,000 people to Kalamazoo in February, and will focus on empowerment and education within the community.

A group of 51¸£ÀûÉç honors students traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border to learn about immigration issues firsthand.

A group of 51¸£ÀûÉç students traveled to Lesvo, Greece, using the skills they've learned in class and through the Global Leaders program to help refugees fleeing poverty and war.

Local events honoring Dr. Martin Luther King begin Friday, Jan. 17.

Tune in to Western Michigan University's regional NPR station, 51¸£ÀûÉçK 102.1 FM, which will expand its schedule and introduce a new channel dedicated to classical music and the arts. The changes will take place Monday, Jan. 20, 2020.

A Kalamazoo family involved in programs offered by 51¸£ÀûÉç's Lewis Walker Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnic Relations is finding success in the classroom and on the job.

51¸£ÀûÉç's student team of Lexi Payne,  Liz Volante and  Parker Hurley participated in the event that  featured more than 50 teams from colleges nationwide.

Dr. Ron Van Houten, professor of psychology, is garnering national attention with his pedestrian traffic safety research—and saving lives in the process.

Broncos quarterback Jon Wassink was honored with the Wuerffel Trophy, college football's premier community service award. Named for Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel, it's given to one college football player every year who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.

Western Michigan University is not a place to go, it's a place to become. That's the mantra emerging from the Think Big initiative, which is reimagining the University's brand and its promise to students.

Throughout the process, participants have distilled more than 300 ideas to create a shared vision that encompasses four core values: a 51¸£ÀûÉç student journey will focus on purpose, career and well-being, all rooted in the foundation of flexibility.