The College of Arts and Sciences at Western Michigan University strives to add value to the lives of its learners and continuously improve the quality of its programming to meet the needs and expectations of the communities it serves. Join us for events that are tailored to your academic interests and help prepare you for the future.
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For Arts and Sciences
Submit your events or news items online to the College of Arts and Sciences to share your upcoming events below. For a series of events, email a list or the web address of the series information to coas-web@wmich.edu.
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If your event is open to the entire campus community, please share it with MarCom:
- If you have CMS (Content Management System) access, add an event under Add Content in the CMS. If you do not see that option under Add Content, apply for the reporter role for your section(s).
- If you rarely submit events and do not have a CMS role for a website, complete the University event form.
Need a conference room for your event?
Reserve a conference room in 2302 or 2307 Friedmann Hall.
College of Arts and Sciences news
Stay up-to-date with the college news.
Upcoming events
Tuesday, November 19
History Colloquium–"Twenty-one Years in the Trenches: Student Discoveries at Fort St. Joseph," presented by Dr. Michael Nassaney, 2302 Friedmann Hall, noon to 1 p.m.
Wednesday, November 20
Werner Sichel Lecture Series–"Family Structure and Child Well-Being: A Contemporary Portrait," presented by Dr. Wendy Manning of Bowling Green State University, 2028 Brown Hall, noon to 1:15 p.m.
Thursday, November 21
Anthony Ellis Scholarly Speakers Series–"Sex Museum: The Politics and Performance of Display," presented by Jennifer Tyburczy of UC Santa Barbara, University Center for the Humanities-2500 Knauss Hall, 4 p.m.
Takako Arai Japanese-English Bilingual Poetry Reading–prominent, avant-garde, Japanese poet Takako Arai (Saitama University) will visit WMU and hold a bilingual poetry reading to celebrate the publication of Factory Girls (Action Books, 2019), edited and co-translated by professor Jeffrey Angles, 3025 Brown Hall, 5 to 6:15 p.m.
History Lecture Series–"Presence of the Past: Using Technology to Connect People to Nearby History," presented by Dr. David Trowbridge of Marshall University, WMU Fetzer Center–Putney Auditorium, 5:15 to 7 p.m.
Gwen Frostic Reading Series–Alumni Reading: Metta Sáma, Jeremy Llorence and Simone Person, Bernhard Center, Rooms 157-159, 7 p.m.
Friday, November 22
Biological Sciences Seminar Series–"Does Free-living N-fixation Contribute to the Sustainability of Bioenergy Cropping Systems," presented by Dr. Lisa Tiemann of Michigan State University, 1710 Wood Hall, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Public Health Networking Symposium–The WMU Public Health Working Group, along with WMU faculty health experts, will give several short speeches that will introduce opportunities for collaboration through research and activities related to the field of public health, College of Health and Human Services Building, Room 1010, 4 p.m.; light refreshments and networking opportunities to follow.
Ethics Lecture Series–“Responsibility in Shared Action,” Saba Bazargan-Forward of University of California, San Diego, 157 Bernhard Center, 5 p.m.
Monday, November 25
Chemistry Seminar–"Slimming the Waste-Line in Peptide Synthesis," presented by Dr. Jennifer Stockdill of Wayne State University, 1220 Chemistry Building, 4 p.m.
Geological and Environmental Sciences Seminar–"Seismic anisotrophy," presented by Dr. Sarah Brownlee of Wayne State University, 1118 Rood Hall, 4 to 5 p.m.
Wednesday, November 27
Thanksgiving recess beings at noon–No classes. WMU offices open normal hours.
Thursday, November 28
U.S. Thanksgiving Day
Friday, November 29
Thanksgiving recess–No classes. Many WMU offices closed.
Monday, December 2
Michigan Political Solutions to Clean Energy and Climate Change–constituent and elected official roundtable discussion where state-level climate and energy policy proposals will be shared, co-sponsored by the Institute of Environment and Sustainability, the Department of Political Science and the Institute of Government and Politics, WMU Fetzer Center, 10 to 11:30 a.m.; reception to follow.
Geological and Environmental Sciences Seminar–"Climate Change and Extreme Events," presented by Dr. Daniel Horton of Northwestern University, 1118 Rood Hall, 4 to 5 p.m.
Tuesday, December 5
Constituent and Elected Official Roundtable Discussion–"Michigan Political Solutions to Clean Energy and Climate Change," presented by Dr. Keele's environmental policy and politics students as they present proposals and host elected officials and interest groups to discuss them, sponsored by the Department of Political Science and the Institute of Environment and Sustainability, Fetzer Center, 10 to 11:30 a.m.; reception to follow.
Wednesday, December 4
Werner Sichel Lecture Series–"Family Structure and Socioeconomic Mobility," presented by Dr. Sarah Kroeger of the University of Notre Dame, 2028 Brown Hall, noon to 1:15 p.m.
Thursday, December 5
Gwen Frostic Reading Series–Playwright: Brett Neveu, Bernhard Center, Rooms 157-159, 7 p.m.
Friday, December 6
Donuts With the Deans–The College of Arts and Sciences invites its faculty, students and staff to join the deans for Donuts With the Deans, an informal gathering to encourage informal chats, share ideas, address concerns and answer any questions, University Center for the Humanities–2500 Knauss Hall, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Biological Sciences Seminar Series–"Rapid Evolution in a Changing World," presented by Dr. Mark Christie of Purdue University, 1710 Wood Hall, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 7
Saturday Morning Science lecture–"Monarch Butterflies, Migration and Human Impact," presented by Dr. Stephen Malcolm, 1104 Rood Hall, 10:30 a.m. to noon.
Monday, December 9
Final examination week–through Dec. 12.
Tuesday, December 10
Final examination week–through Dec. 12.
Wednesday, December 11
Final examination week–through Dec. 12.
Thursday, December 12
Final examination week–through Dec. 12.
Saturday, December 14
Commencement–Miller Auditorium, College of Arts and Sciences ceremony at 3 p.m.
Tuesday, December 17
Saturday, December 21
Winter solstice (first day of winter)
Tuesday, December 24
Christmas Eve
Wednesday, December 25
Christmas Day
Tuesday, December 31
New Year's Eve
Saturday, January 11
Saturday Morning Science lecture–"The Science of Electrified Transportation," presented by Dr. Paul Pancella, 1104 Rood Hall, 10:30 a.m. to noon.
Tuesday, January 14
College of Arts and Sciences Study Abroad Expo–learn about all the study abroad programs the College of Arts and Sciences has to offer, Brown Hall lobby, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, January 15
Donuts With the Deans–The College of Arts and Sciences invites its faculty, students and staff to join the deans for Donuts With the Deans, an informal gathering to encourage informal chats, share ideas, address concerns and answer any questions, University Center for the Humanities–2500 Knauss Hall, 1 to 2:30 p.m.
Thursday, January 30
Anthony Ellis Scholarly Speakers Series–"Humanities in 5" - Faculty works-in-progress "flash" forum, details TBA, University Center for the Humanities-2500 Knauss Hall, 4 p.m.
Saturday, February 8
Saturday Morning Science lecture–"From 'Complete' Disorder to the Tic-Tac-Toe Game," presented by Dr. Andrzej Dudek, 1104 Rood Hall, 10:30 a.m. to noon.
Tuesday, February 11
Donuts With the Deans–The College of Arts and Sciences invites its faculty, students and staff to join the deans for Donuts With the Deans, an informal gathering to encourage informal chats, share ideas, address concerns and answer any questions, University Center for the Humanities–2500 Knauss Hall, 2 to 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday, February 19
History Day District 6 Competition: Registration Deadline–deadline registration for History Day; 2020 Theme: Breaking Barriers in History, Western Michigan University-Brown Hall and Dalton Center Recital Hall (new location on campus), 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Thursday, February 20
Humanities Speaker Series–Vivien Sansour: Lecture, "The Palestine Heirloom Seed Library: A Journey of Reclaiming Life in One of the World's Centers of Diversity - Palestine," 2452 Knauss Hall, 7 p.m.
Friday, February 21
Humanities Speaker Series–Vivien Sansour: Workshop, Kalamazoo College, 3 p.m.
Saturday, February 22
Humanities Speaker Series–Vivien Sansour: Seed Swap & Story Share, Kalamazoo College, 3 p.m.
Wednesday, February 26
Werner Sichel Lecture Series–"A Comparison of U.S. Parents' Time with Children by Child Gender and Family Structure," presented by Dr. Rachel Connelly of Economics Bowdoin College, 2028 Brown Hall, noon to 1:15 p.m.
Thursday, February 27
Humanities Speaker Series–"Academia and Public Policy: Uneasy Allies or Mortal Enemies," presented by Dr. Edward Montgomery, 2452 Knauss Hall, 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 7
History Day District 6 Competition–2020 Theme: Breaking Barriers in History, Western Michigan University-Brown Hall and Dalton Center Recital Hall (new location on campus), 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Wednesday, March 11
Werner Sichel Lecture Series–"Family Change and Complexity and the Transition to Adulthood," presented by Dr. Paula Fomby of the University of Michigan, 2028 Brown Hall, noon to 1:15 p.m.
Thursday, March 12
Donuts With the Deans–The College of Arts and Sciences invites its faculty, students and staff to join the deans for Donuts With the Deans, an informal gathering to encourage informal chats, share ideas, address concerns and answer any questions, University Center for the Humanities–2500 Knauss Hall, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
History Lecture Series–"Epistemicide: the Roman Case," presented by Dr. Dan-el Padilla Peralta of Princeton University, WMU Fetzer Center–Putney Auditorium, 5:15 to 7 p.m.
Anthony Ellis Scholarly Speakers Series–"Can We Talk to One Another? Poetry in an Era of Social Division," presented by Linda Gregerson of the University of Michigan, University Center for the Humanities-2500 Knauss Hall, 4 p.m.
Humanities Speaker Series–"Condors, Eagles, and Allies: A Conversation About Movement Ecology and Immigrant Rights," presented by Susan Reed, Sergio Cira-Reyes and Nelly Fuentes, 2452 Knauss Hall, 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 14
Saturday Morning Science lecture–"Extraction of Toxic Anion Contaminants From Water," presented by Dr. Gellert Mezei, 1104 Rood Hall, 10:30 a.m. to noon.
Wednesday, April 1
Werner Sichel Lecture Series–"Gender Differences in Formative Inputs to Child Development," presented by Dr. Michael Baker of the University of Toronto, 2028 Brown Hall, noon to 1:15 p.m.
Wednesday, April 8
Donuts With the Deans–The College of Arts and Sciences invites its faculty, students and staff to join the deans for Donuts With the Deans, an informal gathering to encourage informal chats, share ideas, address concerns and answer any questions, University Center for the Humanities–2500 Knauss Hall, 2 to 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 11
Saturday Morning Science lecture–"How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Supernova Explosions," presented by Dr. Michael Famiano, 1104 Rood Hall, 10:30 a.m. to noon.
Monday, May 4
Donuts With the Deans–The College of Arts and Sciences invites its faculty, students and staff to join the deans for Donuts With the Deans, an informal gathering to encourage informal chats, share ideas, address concerns and answer any questions, University Center for the Humanities–2500 Knauss Hall, 10 to 11:30 a.m.