Dan Bartholomae, who was Oregon State University’s executive deputy athletic director and chief operating officer, is set to take the reins of Bronco Athletics effective Jan. 1

Music isn't just background noise or a hobby for Jacob Wolfe; it's a passion. At Western Michigan University he found a path to turn that passion into a career—one he'll be starting while he completes his final semester after scoring a gig as a junior sound designer for Yessian Music, a global recording and composing studio in Detroit.

During the fall semester, a team from Western's College of Engineering and Applied Sciences participated in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers' JEOPARDY! competition, participating in the competition during the organization's national conference.

The Grand Rapids Southeast Promise Neighborhood Project, funded at roughly $6 million a year, will address a pipeline of 14 evidence-based solutions for student success, including school readiness, literacy and math success, transitions to middle and high school, post-secondary preparation, and a variety of student and family health and security targets.

Acting at its Sept. 17 meeting, Western's Board of Trustees approved a recommendation to honor Kenneth V. Miller, president and CEO of Millennium Group and principal partner at Havirco, with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

Students in Dr. Denise Keele's environmental policy course had the opportunity to present policy memos to and receive feedback from nearly a dozen state legislators and their aides.

The test will take place beginning at about 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 22, unless the WMU Alert system has been activated within the previous 24 hours. If it has been activated, the test will be postponed and instead take place at about 1 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 23.

Spring semester begins at 8 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022.

The annual assessment of President Edward Montgomery is on the agenda when WMU Board of Trustees meet Thursday, Dec. 16, in formal session at 11 a.m. in rooms 157-159 of the Bernhard Center.

On Thursday, Dec. 16, at 10 a.m., the city of Kalamazoo lifted the precautionary boil water advisory that previously impacted the Bernhard Center, Seibert Administration Building and Henry Hall. 

Graduates will participate in one of three programs beginning at 9 a.m. Eastern Standard Time  at Miller Auditorium.

Luis Jaime has been dreaming of a career in aviation since he was a kid. Now as he prepares to graduate from Western Michigan University with a degree in aviation technical operations and a job waiting in the wings, he's seeing that dream come full circle.

Sometimes the path to a college degree is a winding one. Sarah Bular changed her major three times, but her persistence paid off and put her on the path to a fulfilling career in a field she loves. She will graduate with a degree in manufacturing engineering technology and a full-time job at Daimler Trucks North America.

Jamilah Anthony is already working on a master's degree as she prepares to graduate with her bachelor's in accountancy on Saturday, Dec. 18. And, thanks to hard work and multiple successful internships, she has a full-time job waiting for her in her field.

Baraah Qawasmeh, a Western Michigan University graduate student, has been awarded a $3,000 scholarship from the Michigan section of the Institute of Transportation Engineering. 

The first initiatives made possible by the historic Empowering Futures Gift—a $550 million contribution to the WMU Foundation over 10 years—will provide not only tuition-free education but also low-cost housing, a new innovative Living Learning Community, internship stipends to foster career development and graduation scholarships for 1,350 incoming and current Broncos during the first year alone.

Research underway by Western Michigan University's renowned Center of Excellence for Structural Durability will play an integral role in the future of infrastructure. Led by Dr. Upul Attanayake, several students are working with the Michigan Department of Transportation on a project to rebuild the Second Avenue bridge over Interstate 94 in Detroit—the first project of its kind in the world.

Senior Andrew McCabe, recipient of the Paper Foundation's Outstanding Senior Student award, is approaching graduation but has no intention to stop learning. “Just because I haven’t learned it yet doesn’t mean don’t want to or won’t seek it out in the future,” he says.

A partnership between Western and Gun Lake Tribe is breaking down stigmas and increasing training and awareness about suicide among Native American youth. The We Walk Together grant is a three-year initiative funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

On Dec. 2, the WMU Department of Physical Therapy received notification that its Doctor of Physical Therapy program has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. This notification comes four-and-a-half years after the program was initiated at WMU and just three weeks before the first cohort of Doctor of Physical Therapy students will graduate. Graduating from an accredited program is necessary for individuals to obtain a license to practice as a physical therapist.

Taylor Gaines, whose family experienced stretches of homelessness growing up, is excited to put what she's learned at Western into practice. She has dreams of becoming a physical therapist and opening a clinic to help patients who can't otherwise afford care. "I just care a lot about people, how I can better the community. Seeing the stuff that I've been through just made me want to do better for other people," she says.

Audrey Oswalt, B.S.’19, took charge of her future in Floyd Hall when she earned an engineering management technology degree and as a WMU top javelin thrower. Now she is a thriving production manager with a knack for problem-solving, using skills she learned in the classroom and on the field as she strives for continuous improvement. “I am thankful for WMU Athletics and the engineering college for helping me get to where I am today,” she says.

Researching and developing engines that could power intergalactic missions sounds like a job description ripped from the film script of "Men in Black." But there are no sleek black suits among the ranks of the United States Space Force—an elite group of military personnel known as guardians working to protect America's interests in space. Western Michigan University alumnus Lt. James Mostek was among the first service members recruited to the team.

When COVID-19 sent classes online and canceled in-person graduation ceremonies, one preceptor took matters into his own hands, organizing a private ceremony to present two 2020 physician assistant grads with their coveted white coats. 

Fifteen recipients will receive their award on Tuesday, Dec. 7, beginning at 2 p.m. in room 157 of the Bernhard Center.

Thanks to the months-long project work of a team of Western engineering students, residents of White Oaks Assisted Living community in Lawton, Michigan, now have a new bike adapted for their needs. The work of the bike team is one of 40 team projects that will be shared on Tuesday, Dec. 7, as part of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences' Senior Design Conference.

Western Michigan University’s Gamma Rho chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, an international honor society, has been recognized as a distinguished chapter for the 2020-21 academic year.

Western rarely closes or delays classes, so always assume campuses are open.

Since 2011, Western and the Kalamazoo Literacty Council  have been collaborating in a variety of areas to explore best practices for adult literacy instruction, develop service-learning and internship opportunities for students and define relevant areas of research to expand the breadth of knowledge on the issue of adult literacy.