2018 WMU News

ISM students win first place at international case competition

Integrated supply management students placed first at this year's General Motors/Wayne State University Supply Chain Case Competition. This is the second year in a row that WMU students have placed in this international competition.

Week gives international students chance to share their cultures

WMU is celebrating International Education week with a variety of fun and informative events that start Saturday, Nov. 10, and showcase the countries, cultures and global knowledge represented on campus.

WMU trustees slated to meet in formal session Nov. 7

The WMU Board of Trustees will meet at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7, in the second-floor ballroom of Heritage Hall on WMU's East Campus.

Sky Broncos advance to national competition

This year's win marks the sixth consecutive regional championship for Western Michigan University's Sky Broncos precision flight team.

Sales students receive top honors at regional competition

WMU sales students placed first in the Thomson Reuters Sales Competition, where top sales students from the region competed. Students assumed roles as inside sales representatives selling a custom website service and placed first in team and individual standings.

Panel discussion focuses on cultural humility

Free and open to the public, the panel event will be held from 5:30 to 7 p .m. in the Multicultural Center in the Adrian Trimpe Building and is part of the Real Talk Diversity Series and International Education Week.

Three development, alumni relations VP candidates to visit campus

The candidates will make separate public presentations from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8; Monday, Nov. 19; and Monday, Nov. 26, in the Bernhard Center's North Ballroom.

WMU refocuses marketing efforts, updating on-campus communications

Tony Proudfoot, vice president for marketing and strategic communications, highlights new plans for promoting WMU and for digitally sharing news of interest to the University community.

Conference focuses on e-commerce and digital marketing

Western Michigan University's 2018 IT Forum will focus on e-commerce and digital marketing, bringing together leaders from a variety of industries.

WMU partnership boosts aviation maintenance instruction, experience

AAR, a global provider of aviation services, announced today that WMU is its first partner in a new program that provides real-life work experience for students and an opportunity to be hired by AAR upon graduation.

Take advantage of global engagement opportunities in November

WMU and the extended Kalamazoo community will offer numerous global engagement opportunities in November. Highlights include the 2018 Summit on Racism at Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo, an on-campus book discussion in conjunction with Native American Heritage Month, and a talk about Yemen in Grand Rapids sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan.

Three WMU students receive prestigious national scholarships

Three students in WMU's highly rated program in food and consumer package goods marketing recently received prestigious National Grocers Association Foundation scholarships totaling $17,000.

Gov. Snyder names Behen, Chen-Zhang, Edgerton to WMU board terms

Gov. Rick Snyder announced Oct. 19 the appointments of three people to the WMU Board of Trustees: David Behen of Saline, Lynn Chen-Zhang of Portage, and Shelly Edgerton of Plainwell.

WMU public safety set to switch to countywide consolidated dispatch

Each of the five police departments involved will transition to the centralized dispatch system one at a time, starting at 7 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30.

Dennis Boyle obituary

Dennis Boyle, a retired registrar, died Sept. 11 at age 87.

WMU Public Safety expands alert and advisory notification options

Members of the public can now receive WMU Alert and advisory notifications via text message, a service previously available only to employees and students.

Staff member recognized for leadership

Diana Hernández received El Concilio’s 2018 Quetzalcoatl Award and has been selected as one of the Top 50 Latinas in Michigan by the governor-appointed Hispanic/Latino Commission of Michigan.

Professor elected vice chair of state board

Dr. Ola Smith, professor of accountancy and chair of the department, has been elected vice chair of the Michigan State Board of Accountancy.

Robert S. Kaiser Sales, Negotiation and Leadership Lab opens to students

A major gift by alumnus Robert Kaiser, owner and CEO of Gallagher-Kaiser Corporation, has transformed the sales lab at Western Michigan University's Haworth College of Business. A grand opening ceremony and open house will be held on Friday, Nov. 2, to celebrate the official opening of the facility.

October town halls address plans for Staff Compensation System review

The town halls, set for 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10, in the Fetzer Center's Kirsch Auditorium, will allow WMU officials and a representative from consulting firm Aon to offer details about the review project.

Phillip Thomas Straniero obituary

Phillip Thomas Straniero, formerly executive-in-residence for the food and consumer package goods marketing program, died Sept. 8 at age 70.

Dale Michael Burns obituary

Dale Michael Burns, a former facility technician in the telecommunications unit, died Aug. 28 at age 56.

Jess Morgan Walker obituary

Jess Morgan Walker, professor emeritus of education and professional development, died Aug. 17 at age 84.

Gerald Carl Schwemmin obituary

Gerald Carl Schwemmin, a retired controller, died Sept. 11 at age 88. A celebration of life will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28.

WMU to showcase new student facility for esports

The Oct. 5 grand opening of the WMU Esports Arena will allow Kalamazoo community members and alumni returning for WMU's homecoming weekend to experience video gaming as a competitive sport.

Engineer turned champion mountain biker and entrepreneur speaking Oct. 10

The presentation titled "From Electrical Engineering to World Champion Mountain Biker and Entrepreneur: Learning to think like an engineer will make you successful in any business," will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 10, on WMU's Parkview Campus.

Free campus shredding event scheduled

The event from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, Oct. 19, will be in Lot 41 near Sangren Hall.

WMU's Unified Clinics receives $1.5M state appropriation

Through this collective of 10 teaching clinics, thousands of Michigan residents receive treatment that is unavailable elsewhere, may not be covered by insurance or is unaffordable through other providers.

Film preview, discussion to focus attention on mental illness

Scenes from "Coming Up For Air," a new indie film largely shot in West Michigan and featuring a WMU theatre professor, will set the stage for a community discussion Oct. 10 that explores mental health's impact on families. RSVPs are requested at comingupforairoct10.eventbrite.com.

Homecoming and Family Weekend events planned

"Forever Gold" is the 2018 Homecoming theme, and a host of activities will mark this year's celebration Monday through Sunday, Oct. 1-7.