A student art exhibition focused on environmental sustainability and the impact of plastics will welcome the public to the new collaborative space on Wednesday, April 22.

Western Michigan University President Russ Kavalhuna is taking his investment in student success to the next level, entrusting a student with designing, implementing and managing a portion of his personal financial portfolio under the guidance of professionals at Zhang Financial. Mo Tall, a personal financial planning student, is the first recipient of the Zhang Financial Presidential Internship.

From Accra, Ghana, Gabriel Gyimah is taking his career to the next level by pursuing a Master of Science in cybersecurity from Western Michigan University’s Haworth College of Business. As a first-year graduate student, Gyimah is not only achieving a robust education, but he is also setting himself up for a fulfilling career.

The University Libraries awarded two scholarships to student employees for their outstanding contributions. Manahel Abdulrab and Autumn Ropp have been selected to receive $1,000 scholarships to support their academic pursuits at Western.

Every year, Western Michigan University's College of Engineering and Applied Sciences honors outstanding students as Presidential Scholars, the highest academic honor that WMU can bestow on its undergraduates. Selection is based on a student's general academic excellence, academic and artistic excellence relative to their majors, and intellectual and artistic promise. One student is selected from each department. 

A Western Michigan University graduate has launched construction on a 48‑unit recovery housing project designed to support individuals rebuilding their lives after addiction. The development will provide stable, long‑term housing paired with recovery resources, aiming to expand access to safe, supportive environments for people in treatment and early sobriety.

Thanks to the skills he gained at Western Michigan University, education alumnus Jonny Shatter, B.S.’20, was able to make a critical career pivot during a time of uncertainty in the teaching profession. As an executive loan officer at a mortgage brokerage, he’s been able to put his teaching skills and passion for helping others to good use.

Trustees will meet at noon in the WMU Student Center ballroom.

Graduate student Sam Marseille’s AI-powered language-barrier-busting tech won both the $75,000 grand prize and $25,000 popular vote prize at the inaugural event, which drew hundreds of supporters, community and business leaders, and potential investors to the WMU Student Center.

A team of Western Michigan University students helped plan and execute the Midwest Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Students Union Spring Conference, bringing hundreds of students from across the Midwest to the WMU Student Center.

Western Michigan University’s College of Arts and Sciences announced the 2025–26 Faculty and Staff Achievement Award recipients, honoring excellence in teaching, research, creative activity, student success, gender scholarship and staff service. Awardees were recognized during an April 9 ceremony in Dunbar Hall.

Students are a driving force at universities; while conducting world-changing research and developing into the next generation of leaders, they also help keep institutions running through on-campus employment. Western Michigan University is celebrating the impact of its own student employees during Student Employee Appreciation Week, which runs April 13-17. Outstanding workers honored this year include Mario Antonio Valenzuela, Undergraduate Student Employee of the Year; Mason DeRaad, Graduate Student Employee of the Year; and Jennifer Townsend, Supervisor of the Year.

Junior personal financial planning student Grant Harkness is investing in his future through student organizations, academic opportunities and professional internships. Originally from Newaygo, Michigan, Harkness has compounded returns on his skills at Western Michigan University’s Haworth College of Business, where he is preparing to create a fulfilling career helping others. 

Western Michigan University’s Haworth College of Business has announced a transformative $17 million gift from The Stan Lucas Trust, which will fund Experience-Driven Learning initiatives through hands-on opportunities, interdisciplinary collaboration and technological innovation. The gift, which is the largest in the college’s history, will have a broad scope that will impact every business student. 

For senior Mariah Mauldin, Western Michigan University’s Haworth College of Business is where supply meets style. Hailing from Belleville, Michigan, the marketing and supply chain management student has created a seamless blend of professional opportunities and passion through her internships, student organization work and study abroad experience.

WMU's College of Engineering and Applied Sciences hosts its Senior Engineering Design Conference on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. Presentations are open to the public and will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

When Karin Li arrived in Kalamazoo to pursue her MBA in finance at Western Michigan University, she never imagined she would one day become the artistic mind behind one of the community’s largest cultural showcases.