Registration is under way for classes on such diverse subjects as the opera, oriental rugs, modern newsgathering and French conversation as part of WMU's Lifelong Learning Academy.

The New York-based Kris Davis Quintet will perform at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 18, in the Dalton Center Lecture Hall. The concert is free and open to the public.

The 2013 Special Olympics Polar Plunge and Winter Carnival is planned for 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, at Goldsworth Valley, and will feature ice skating, games, live music, and hot food and drinks.

The first choral showcase concert of 2013 is set for 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, in the First Methodist Church, 212 S. Park St., in downtown Kalamazoo. The event is free and open to the public.

Comedian Kathleen Madigan, who has appeared on Last Comic Standing and many late-night shows, will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15, in Miller Auditorium. Tickets are available at millerauditorium.com.

College Goal Sunday, an event intended to assist students and their families with maximizing college financial aid opportunities, will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10, in Schneider Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

String Jazz World Music Explosion is set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13 in the Dalton Center Recital Hall. The performance will be preceded by a 7 p.m. discussion hosted by Dr. Dan Jacobson.

The School of Music Concerto Competition finals will take place at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10, in the Dalton Center Recital Hall. Winners will perform as soloists at the annual concerto concert.

Jazz vocal group Gold Company will present two performances of its 35th Anniversary Spectacular at 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9, at Miller Auditorium.

Karen Lawrence, office associate in the Department of Chemical and Paper Engineering, died unexpectedly Tuesday, Jan. 29, at age 48. A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 4, in the Fetzer Center.

Evidence of what might be an ancient funerary de-fleshing ritual found in human-made caves in the Upper Mustang region of Nepal has been discovered by Dr. Jacqueline Eng, a Western Michigan University bioarcheologist, as a member of a research team that is funded in part by the National Geographic Society.

The Honorable Dr. Betty Udongo, a 2009 graduate of Western Michigan University’s science education program, was recognized for her work to increase educational opportunities for children in the Republic of Uganda in March 2012 when she received the Presidential Nalubale (Lake Victoria) Medal of Honor.