May 2020 WMU News

A rare vocal affliction upended a well-known Kalamazoo TV anchor. Find out how a Western Michigan University master faculty specialist helped him recover.

Designed and taught by Dr. Mark Orbe, Taboo Topics relies on dialogic learning—discussion-based study—to address sensitive subjects that are typically off-limits to speak about in North American culture. Therefore, matters pertaining to race, death, sex, religion, and other subjects are the foci.

Academic all-star Emily Bosak is bringing her talents to WMU's Bronson School of Nursing and Lee Honors College. She hopes to become a nurse anesthetist and fluent in three languages.

The mobility solutions of tomorrow are being dreamed up today at Western Michigan University. Through a partnership with Eaton Corp., the first cohort of product design students—now in their third year in the Richmond Institute for Design and Innovation—is envisioning what the world might look like in 50 years.

Broncos are always ready for a challenge. That ability to adapt and rise above was galvanized as the COVID-19 crisis swept the globe and campuses cleared out to mitigate the spread. From lecture halls to living rooms, the move to distance education changed the learning environment at Western Michigan University.

The Board of Trustees approved a one-year extension of the University’s contract with WMU’s chapter of the AAUP Tuesday. The contract now runs through Sept. 6, 2021, and calls for a 2.25% base salary reduction for faculty members in board-appointed positions as of April 1, 2020. The salary adjustment will be in effect July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021.

At a special livestreamed meeting set for 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 26, the Board of Trustees will consider a one-year extension of the University's contract with the faculty union.

Jay Berkow, director of music theatre performance, spearheaded the Resilient Project—bringing together dozens of Broadway stars to sing his inspirational anthem, "Resilient," alongside frontline health care workers. The project is raising money for three national charities.

After spending his entire life tearing apart anything he could get his hands on, Keith Watkins is hoping to turn his passion for problem-solving into a career through the Haworth College of Business.

This artwork created by Mandy Weiss is featured in the Pandemic Art gallery for students in Digital Photo I in spring 2020.

This artwork created by Jules Kupperman is featured in the Pandemic Art gallery for students in Digital Photo I in spring 2020.

This artwork created by Sarah Wheaton is featured in the Pandemic Art gallery for students in Digital Photo I in spring 2020.

This artwork created by Emma Somers is featured in the Pandemic Art gallery for students in Digital Photo I in spring 2020.

This artwork created by Anna LeChard is featured in the Pandemic Art gallery for students in Digital Photo I in spring 2020.

This artwork created by Olivia Novak is featured in the Pandemic Art gallery for students in Digital Photo I in spring 2020.

This artwork created by Jaylynn Mittig is featured in the Pandemic Art gallery for students in Digital Photo I in spring 2020.

This artwork created by Carolyn Wilson is featured in the Pandemic Art gallery for students in Digital Photo I in spring 2020.

This artwork created by Leray Posey is featured in the Pandemic Art gallery for students in Digital Photo I in spring 2020.

Dr. Renée Branch Canady,  who is CEO of the Michigan Public Health Institute and Celeste Sanchez Lloyd, Community Program Manager at Strong Beginnings, are among a diverse group of two dozen medical professionals, health and community leaders appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities. Led by Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, the group is tasked with developing strategies to address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color in Michigan.

The University's Office of Research and Innovation has awarded five grants for research related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Students in Bill Davis' Digital Photo I course had to transition to distance education in the middle of the semester, some without the necessary camera or editing equipment. Using their own experiences and whatever tools they had at home, they found ways to express themselves and become better artists despite having limited resources. They created imaginative photos portraying the fear, solitude, hope and even humor of life during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Western Michigan University will offer a new Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity, a fully online program, this fall. Courses will incorporate pertinent computer science and business aspects of this increasingly in-demand and high-paying profession.

Student entrepreneurs from Western Michigan University are being recognized for their innovative business ideas with the Brian Patrick Thomas Entrepreneurial Spirit Award and Wendell Christoff Award.

The six courses were spread across disciplines in three different colleges—College of Arts and Sciences, Haworth College of Business and College of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

The transition to distance recruiting and welcoming has kept Western Michigan University's Offices of Admissions and Student Transitions very busy, and inspired creative approaches. Find out how the adjustments are continuing to attract the attention of prospective and new students.

A group of peer mentors recently helped guide more than 130 pre-business students through the professional preparation required for the Business Externship Program, offered through the Zhang Career Center. The mentors adjusted their approach due to COVID-19 and were able to provide added touchpoints while social distancing.

Breyana Wilson will be graduating from Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo this spring. Wilson has committed to attend WMU in the fall as a special education major.

Joe Sánchez is a first-generation graduate, earning a degree in aviation management and operations, with a minor in general business in spring 2020. With the airline industry in decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he used the business skills he honed at WMU to secure a full-time job as a team leader at Meijer in Plainfield, Ill.

Michigan National Guard 2nd Lt. Hunter Davidson is leading a team of soldiers packing and distributing emergency food boxes to thousands of families across the state.

Two five-member teams of Western Michigan University students placed first and second overall in THEProject competition hosted by the Western Michigan Chapter of Project Management Institute.