Motivated by years of dealing with her children's soggy mittens and stinky winter boots, WMU alumna Karen Smoots developed The Green Glove Dryer, a quick and energy-efficient way to dry wet gear from the inside out. Smoots is part of the less than 7 percent of women who are sole patent holders in the United States.

Western Michigan University's current contract with the Teaching Assistants Union expires Aug. 21, and the new pact will run through Aug. 19, 2022.

The WMU Board of Trustees approved the tenure of 27 faculty members and the promotions of 50 faculty members, effective with the beginning of the 2018-19 academic year.

The newly approved and balanced budget was approved by the Western Michigan University Board of Trustees at its June 27 meeting.

View a complete breakdown of 2018-19 tuition and required fees.

Effective with the start of the fall 2018 semester, annual tuition and required fees for a full-time Michigan freshman or sophomore to attend WMU will be $12,483. This new figure reflects a 3.88 percent increase.

WMU granted nearly 1,300 degrees during two commencement ceremonies June 23. Among the students who graduated were 32 military veterans as well as international students from 31 countries.

The WMU Board of Trustees is expected to consider tuition rates and adoption of a general fund budget for the 2018-19 academic year when it meets at 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 27.

WMU will observe U.S. Independence Day with no classes Wednesday, July 4. Additionally, many offices will be closed for the holiday recess. Classes resume and all offices resume normal hours Thursday, July 5.

Through neurologic-informed music therapy, WMU alumna Julie Guy empowers those who've been diagnosed with developmental and learning disabilities, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, substance abuse problems, brain injuries, or physical disabilities to be the best versions of themselves.

Graduate student Joshua White received a full scholarship to become part of the U.S. government effort to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages.

Senior Caitlin Wiley will study Portuguese in Brazil this coming academic year after receiving a Boren Scholarship to focus on a geographic area, language or field of study deemed critical to U.S. national security.

WMU's chapter of the Society for Excellence in Human Resources has been awarded the Society for Human Resource Management's Superior Merit Award for being one of the nation's most active and highest achieving student chapters.

The Seminar summer music camp, which runs from Sunday, July 8, through Saturday, July 21, will bring music students from five states to Kalamazoo to learn and perform.

When Christopher Cheatham assumes his new role July 1, his duties will include providing budgetary guidance to the provost and collaborating across campus on developing new budget models.

MBA students at WMU's regional site in Grand Rapids are partnering with the Alliance for the Great Lakes to host a beach cleanup and fundraiser Sunday, June 24, at Holland State Park.

Courtney Sumpter, a WMU-trained occupational therapist, established Northern Michigan Equine Therapy to help people overcome physical and emotional barriers impeding their day-to-day activities.

A Midwest professional association has chosen Alexia Alexander as Michigan's top supervisor of students for 2018. Alexander was named WMU's student employment supervisor of the year in February.

WMU alumna Jennifer (Markby) Soffin has so much love for her lakeshore community that she decided to build a business around it. The 1998 graduate started The IN Coast, a lifestyle brand that celebrates all Northwest Indiana has to offer.

Attend Bronco Bash from 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 28, on the Sangren Pedestrian Mall to meet new people and learn about on-campus and community opportunities.

"Rock of Ages," The Choir of Man, "Mannheim Steamroller Christmas" and more are coming to WMU's Miller Auditorium as part of the 2018-19 Lake Michigan Mailers Spotlight Series.

Dr. Charlotte Thralls, professor of English, is now among just 55 people who have been named Association of Teachers of Technical Writing Fellows.

Ellie Maddelein is the first to receive the award, which was established by Arcadia, a leader in the West Michigan craft beer community, to further enhance career and learning opportunities for women in brewing.

WMU's Valley Dining Center Gold certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is the second highest award of four levels of LEED certification.

Hosts are needed for visiting international teachers and students arriving in August. Host families will receive a monthly stipend of $450 for the duration of their guest's stay, which ranges from four weeks to one year.

WMU will continue to have a presence in southwest Michigan, and all currently enrolled students will be able to complete their degrees without interruption.

As part of its Success at WMU initiative, the University has completed initial membership steps to become a JED Campus, putting a greater campuswide focus on student well-being and mental health.

Two ceremonies will be held Saturday, June 23, in Miller Auditorium: 9 a.m. for the Haworth College of Business and the colleges of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Health and Human Services, and Fine Arts, and noon for Extended University Programs and the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, and Education and Human Development.

The public presentations will be held in the Fetzer Center's Putney Auditorium and take place as follows: Dr. Candy S. McCorkle, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 20; Dr. Carmen Suarez, 4 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 20; and Dr. Donna M. Talbot, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday, June 21.

Through a social enterprise model and partnership with 20 Liters, WMU alumnus Ryan Preisner and his business partners started boldSOCKS, a sock company that helps provide 100 days of clean water to someone in Rwanda, Africa, with each pair sold.