Admission to WMU's China Festival, parking and cultural activities are free, and for a nominal fee, attendees may sample traditional foods prepared by local restaurants.

9/30/19 Update: The Kalamazoo County Health & Community Services Department has announced that it will no longer conduct aerial insecticide treatments anywhere in the county. This is due to the number of opt-out requests that residents sent to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Research on the horizon at WMU could lead to life-saving results for people struggling with opioid addiction. Addiction recovery technology company DynamiCare Health, in collaboration with WMU, has been awarded a $222,383 grant from the National Institutes of Health's Helping to End Addiction Long-term, or NIH HEAL, Initiative.

A unique collaboration meant to catalyze conversation on racial biases will take place at Western Michigan University. The events involve book circles discussing bestselling author Ibram Kendi's book, "How to be an Antiracist," a visit and discussions with the author himself, as well as a WMU Theatre production of "Gem of the Ocean," the first in playwright August Wilson's 10-play chronicle of the African American experience.

Hundreds of native plants are being raised at the University and used in ecological restoration projects all over campus.

Showing us that our faculty are as fluent in change as our students, Dr. Irma Lopez and Dr. Steven Butt took  on new challenges this academic year as interim deans.

A project is underway at WMU, under the guidance of Dr. Pnina Ari-Gur, to create a vest that could alert people with visual impairments to obstacles in their path.

The president thanked faculty and staff for their dedication and challenged them to continue elevating WMU as a school of choice for 21st century learners.

Recommendations for bus routes, walkability, bike usage and parking at Western Michigan University, as well as input on a future road as part of a new development project, are the focus of two public sessions Thursday, Sept. 26, on campus.

The event also marked the launch of a children's book drive to jump-start the collection of 2,500 new or gently used books throughout the University community for students in kindergarten through the third grade.

Research involving an autonomous electric shuttle officially kicked off Thursday, Sept. 19, on the WMU campus. The $2.1 million project, funded through the Michigan Mobility Challenge announced by former Gov. Rick Snyder last year, focuses on improving transportation options for people with disabilities.

Health officials have recommended avoiding outdoor activities after dusk due to local cases of the rare but serious mosquito-borne virus Eastern Equine Encephalitis. Officials also recommend using insect repellents that contain the active ingredient DEET. UPDATE: Insect repellent is being made available at academic buildings, residence halls, the Sindecuse Health Center, the Student Rec Center and other key areas.

At Fall Convocation, eleven WMU faculty and staff members were recognized for their achievements and contributions to the University. The Distinguished Service, Distinguished Teaching, Distinguished Faculty Scholar, Emerging Scholar and Make a Difference awards were presented during a ceremony Friday, Sept. 20.

The Kalamazoo Refugee Resource Collaborative debuted a pilot program this summer to help middle- and high school-aged refugees get the tools they need to be successful in the American school system.

Kechi Okwuchi, who overcame unbelievable adversity after a plane crash nearly took her life, will deliver the annual Resilience Factor Lecture at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 23 in Dalton Recital Hall.

The open house is designed to create new opportunities for advancing collaboration, making connections on campus and in the community and celebrating sustainability at WMU and Kalamazoo.

Luke Kujacznski will speak at 8 a.m. Friday, Sept. 27, in 1120 Schneider Hall as the  first speaker in the Mercantile Bank of Michigan Speaker Series at Western Michigan University's Haworth College of Business.

Western Michigan University's annual Study Abroad Fair on Wednesday, Sept. 25, will provide area students and the public with the information to make an overseas learning experience part of their college degree programs.

Western Michigan University students Jake DeJulio, Jake Frye and Samantha Mcgrath have received prestigious scholarships from the National Grocers Association Foundation. This is the second consecutive year that WMU students have garnered the most scholarships out of all students nationally who received awards.

The first of three new machines for the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership Laboratory, or AMP Lab, in downtown Grand Rapids, weighs more than 20,000 pounds and required removal of one of the windows facing Cherry Street and two cranes in order to move into the building and to its final spot in the Showcase/Prototyping Lab.

Dr. Elena Litvinova, associate professor of physics, will receive the Emerging Scholar Award during WMU's Fall Convocation activities at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 20, in the Bernhard Center.

Diana Hernández, director of the Division of Multicultural Affairs; Dr. Wei-Chiao Huang, professor of economics; and Dr. William Rantz, professor of aviation sciences, will receive Western Michigan University's Distinguished Service Award during WMU's annual Fall Convocation Friday, Sept. 20.

Kaitlin Ridgway, who earned her equivalency and master's degree in music therapy at WMU, is changing lives with her work at Hospice of Michigan.

President Edward Montgomery's State of the University address is at 11:45 a.m. Friday, Sept. 20, in the North Ballroom of the Bernhard Center.

As Distinguished Teaching Award recipients, Drs. Matthew Mingus and Leah Omilion-Hodges join 31 other faculty members who have been honored since the start of the award program in 2006.

Dr. Brian Wilson, WMU professor comparative religion, will receive the Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award.

A $140,000 gift establishing the Monroe-Brown Foundation Entrepreneurship Fund aims to foster job-creation and engage Kalamazoo-area entrepreneurs like Dr. Khady Ndao-Brumblay, who hopes to turn her dream of increasing African representation in children's literature a reality.

Kara Wood, managing director of economic development services for the city of Grand Rapids, will join Western Michigan University as its new associate vice president for community partnerships.

Meeting in formal session Wednesday, Sept. 11, Western Michigan University trustees will consider the sale of a parcel in the Business Technology and Research Park 2, among several other agenda items.

Dr. Vun Doubblestein, Rebecca Huntley, Shari Rose and Dustin Skaggs will be honored for their exceptional contributions to Western Michigan University during Fall Convocation Friday, Sept. 20.