Dr. Zach Asher and doctoral student Nick Goberville are working on improving autonomous technology in inclement weather with a new business venture they've launched through WMU called Revision Autonomy.

Faculty, students and the public are encouraged to call ahead to make sure that a particular office on campus is open. Adjusted building hours are listed here https://wmich.edu/hours.

Western Michigan University is putting students in control of their lives and future. Sixty percent of students feel anxious about the future and yearn for control over their lives. Western is responding with a first-of-its-kind effort for any Michigan public university, launching a new platform to meet students where they are and offer them tools to maximize their college experience. Focused on well-being—emotional and physical, career and academic—YOU at Western gives students the tools they need to craft their own success story.

The Make a Difference Awards committee has announced the spring 2020 recipients and is seeking nomination materials as it determines which four candidates will receive the annual honors.

Smart is the percussive pursuit of purpose that drums the beat for others to march to. It's digging deep when you feel lost and finding strength in your own story.

Smart is putting passion over a paycheck to pursue a higher goal, seeing challenges as opportunities rather than roadblocks.

Smart is identifying a need, figuring out how to fill it yourself and then turning it into a burgeoning business—while still balancing school and a full-time job.

The state funds will help survey members with their continued work in the state—expanding geological mapping—to better understand resources like water, natural gas and aggregates that are available in Michigan, in order to protect the resources and more efficiently utilize them.

The Office of Military and Veterans Affairs announced Russell Pliley, an Air Force veteran and second-year geographic information science student, will receive a $1,000 Operation Hat Trick Military Scholarship.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented and abrupt interruption of physical and traditional social interaction for many people around the globe. New research by a team at Western Michigan University shines a light on how that social isolation impacts mental health among Americans and uncovers potential mitigation strategies as this "new-normal" stretches on.

Following his 2009 graduation from Kalamazoo Christian High School, Patterson didn't have very far to soar to realize his goal. By 2018, he had completed degree work at the Western Michigan University College of Aviation with a major in aviation maintenance technology and a minor in business management. He prepped for his current post by working at Duncan Aviation as an airframe technician, first as a summer intern, then part-time as he completed his degree, and even full-time upon graduation.

Blain's diploma in aviation flight science was awarded by the Western Michigan University College of Aviation in 2014, a symbol of the wisdom he showed in warming to the sales pitches in the "Pure Michigan" messages on TV.  He hails from Skokie, Ill., and graduated from Niles North High School in 2010.  This level of experience qualified Blain for his current duties -- first officer for Envoy Air, a 14,000-employee subsidiary of American Airlines that was formerly known as American Eagle and is headquartered in Irving, Texas.  As American's largest regional provider, Envoy has hubs in Chicago, Dallas, Miami and New York City, and today flies the products of the Brazil-based aircraft manufacturer -- Embraer -- that was established in 1969.

As a December 2018 graduate of the WMU College of Aviation, Adam Rice has been a busy individual. Leveraging his time at the University, he added to his resume, took advantage of opportunities, and made the most with his time at WMU. All of which has led to his current position as a First Officer with SkyWest Airlines.

Choosing to plot his course through Western's aviation program seemed "like a great fit from the start," Gokey says, "beginning with a welcoming experience with that first step on campus.  I knew Western had a great aviation program, but its other activities and events gave me a comprehensive education."  The combination served as a four-year quinella for the program's 2012 alumnus who graduated with a degree in aviation flight science and is currently employed with Delta Airlines.

Shortly after his graduation in April 2019 with degrees in both aviation flight science and aviation management (with a minor in economics), Brown taxied into the real world and is now a first officer for SkyWest Airlines flying out of Detroit. SkyWest was founded in 1972 and still calls St. George, Utah, its home headquarters. Like many College of Aviation alumni, he thinks the best thing about his job is simply going to work. Yet getting there is not all that easy. "Becoming an airline pilot is a lot of hard work as countless other alumni can attest," Brown says

Been and many of his fellow Illinoisans chose WMU because of its decades-old reputation in the aviation industry and its "amazing" training resources. He mentioned the fleet of aircraft available to log flying hours and the FTDs (Flight Training Device), which "in my opinion sets Western apart from other universities."

When Maya Thornley was growing up, "Rocky Mountain High" was more than a John Denver song. For her, it meant flying with her dad in the skies over her home state of Colorado. While being a WMU instructor was her first official job in aviation, her first out-of-the-Western-loop position -- no doubt assisted by her Alpha Eta Rho days -- was with PROAIR Aviation that was founded in 1996 and located in Paducah, Ky. The Colorado native is now affiliated with Aviation Advisor Inc. that has locations Kenosha, Wis., Naples, Fla., and the Chicago area. It specializes in charters, aircraft management, acquisitions, and consulting with enterprises seeking to add an aviation component to their operations.

David Fish is the poster boy for those students who should always want to keep their options open and their gazes focused constantly on the horizon for the opportunities that might come into view. As a 2006 graduate of the WMU College of Aviation with a degree in aviation maintenance technology, Fish was trained to make certain that those metal birds could fly almost all the time. Today, as a test pilot for the U. S. Army, he makes certain the aircraft are safe to fly and perform their functions.

Western Michigan University and the Thomas M. Cooley Law School will end their affiliation as of November 2023, at which time the law school will no longer bear the WMU name.

The COVID-19 Pandemic has found the faculty at the School of Music continuing to contribute prolifically to the betterment of the arts and community. In a survey of faculty members in the unit, nearly 40 creative projects had been completed including music compositions written and performed, albums recorded and released, lectures and clinics presented, scholarly papers published and book deals secured, in-person camps pivoted and held virtually, concerts presented, and many collaborations planned. 

WMU human resource management students Sarah Reynolds and Henry Thiry have received the national, merit-based $2,500 SHRM Foundation Undergraduate Academic Scholarship, which recognizes accomplishments, scholastic ability and leadership potential.

WMU's sales and business marketing program has once again been named a top national program by the Sales Education Foundation.

The WMU Board of Trustees will meet in formal session at 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, in the Bernhard Center's North Ballroom. A livestream of the meeting will be accessible at wmich.edu/trustees.

After a busy and divisive election season, election fatigue and anxiety are real. Western Michigan University's Student Recreation Center invites the Bronco community to relieve stress and take a break from the campaign texts and calls in a healthy way. The SRC is waiving access fees Tuesday, Nov. 3, and Wednesday, Nov. 4, for all current WMU students and employees who bring their Bronco Card and complete the University's COVID-19 screening survey.

Emma Hughes, who grew up in Kiel, Wis., about an hour north of Milwaukee, definitely flies in the shadows of Earhart and the rest these days.  She represents Western and its aviation program in the Air Race Classic, the annual 2,400-mile transcontinental event for female pilots who range in age from 17 to 90 and come from the ranks of students, teachers, doctors, airline pilots and business owners.  Established in 1929 and attracting Cochran, Coleman and their peers, it was once known as the Powder Puff Derby.

A $4.9 million U.S. Department of Education grant will spearhead the Urban Teacher Residency Program at WMU. The product of nearly two years of planning, this program will pay for candidates within the districts—like paraprofessionals, bus drivers, food service staff and custodians—to earn their teacher certification while they work, mitigating some of the barriers that impede qualified candidates from pursuing a career.

Dr. Selena Protacio received a COVID-19 Response Grant through WMU's Office of Research and Innovation to fund a design-based research study focused on bridging the technology gap between English learners in rural areas and their teachers by utilizing voice recorders to deliver lessons.

WMU’s strategy includes a modified academic calendar, a diverse mix of course types that includes in-person, experiential learning and physically distanced classroom environments.