Western remembers VP Emeritus Robert Beam

Robert M. Beam, BBA ’65, MBA ’71, vice president emeritus for business and finance, died Nov. 7, 2025, in Kalamazoo. Beam managed the University’s financial operations and campus infrastructure development for 22 years, directing long-term planning and modernization initiatives until his retirement in 2007.

In 1994, Beam led the University’s acquisition of the former Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital coal plant. Under his direction, the facility underwent a major technological overhaul, including a complete transition to natural gas by 1999 that established a highly efficient energy source for the campus. In recognition of his administrative leadership, WMU officially named the Robert M. Beam Power Plant in his honor when he retired.