August 27, 2021
Fall Welcome began this week
Students began arriving on campus this week for Fall Welcome. Move-in continues through tomorrow and the program runs until Tuesday, Aug. 31. First-year students are required to participate. New transfer and international students are encouraged to attend, and this year, second-year students who are new to campus have also been invited.
Faculty and staff are invited to join us for the concluding event of Fall Welcome, the Matriculation Ceremony. This year's ceremony will be in-person on Tuesday, Aug. 31, at 10:30 a.m. at the Miller Auditorium veranda in Fountain Plaza. The ceremony will include an academic pledge and remarks from President Montgomery, Provost Bott, WSA President Alexis Morris and Kalamazoo Mayor David Anderson. The Matriculation Ceremony is a long-standing Fall Welcome tradition and will provide students with a sense of belonging to the WMU community. No RSVP is needed. Chairs will be placed around the Plaza and you are welcome to sit among the students and enjoy the ceremony.
Updates from Student Financial Aid
Fall start-up is always a busy time of year for financial aid. Currently, processing times are four weeks and email response time is four days. Calls have an extended wait time, but we encourage students and parents/guardians to utilize the callback feature. We appreciate your patience.
Fall semester begins Sept. 1; last day to drop/add is Sept. 8
Students may drop and add via GoWMU until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 8. If students need to make adjustments after the deadline, departments can assist on Thursday, Sept. 9, until 5 p.m. Courses can be added or dropped on that day without academic or financial penalty.
After Sept. 9, dropping a class is considered a withdrawal and will show on transcripts with a grade of "W". Courses can be withdrawn in GoWMU from Sept. 10 to Nov. 1. The refund schedule is listed in the calendar at the bottom of this email.
SUM II 2021 Dean's List now available
Celebrate student success
Preparing for fall census
Fall census will take place Thursday, Sept. 9. In preparation, please ensure the correct instructor of record has been entered in Banner for all sections, sections on hold have been canceled or made active and all students attending have been registered so they will be counted (this includes students completing thesis and dissertation hours, independent studies, internships, seminars, etc.).
Oct. 2 commencement celebration tickets now available
We are excited to commemorate the success of 2020-21 graduates during an in-person commencement celebration on Saturday, Oct. 2, at 2 p.m. Tickets became available earlier this week and graduates received reservation information via email. More details about the event, including safety protocols, tickets and regalia, are available online at wmich.edu/commencement/october.
Admissions recruitment partner spotlight
The Office of Admissions would like to recognize Christopher Voss, senior associate director of business operations for university recreation, as a fantastic recruitment partner. Chris connects admissions staff with his recreation staff to provide the best customer service experience for all and works very quickly to solve any issues. He worked creatively to best showcase the Student Recreation Center for future Western students at the Summer Preview event earlier this month. Additionally, he has opened the SRC for campus tours on off-hours to serve the incoming student population.
Updated Degree Works tab
The Degree Works tab title has been updated from "Dashboard" to "DegreeWorks Dashboard". Thanks for your help, Tim LaLonde and Nate Robinson!
Did you know? A fun fact from the Registrar...
More than 1,665 guest tickets have been reserved for the Oct. 2 commencement celebration since the portal opened on Wednesday afternoon.