November 19, 2021
Fall commencement participation information
Instructions on how to participate in fall commencement were sent to graduates via email earlier this week. The deadline to reserve tickets for the in-person ceremonies or submit materials for virtual inclusion is Friday, Dec. 3, at 11:59 p.m. Graduates may purchase regalia from the WMU Bookstore shops. GPA and military honor cords are available to eligible students upon request. Learn more at wmich.edu/commencement.
Admissions Fall Open Houses
The Office of Admissions hosted four Open Houses this fall, including one event specifically for honors students. We’d like to thank the campus community for their efforts in welcoming these prospective students and their families to campus.
Collectively, we hosted nearly 740 students and almost 950 additional guests/family members at these events. Students and families participated in tours of campus, residence halls, the Lee Honors College, our academic colleges and other spaces. They were also able to choose from nearly 140 available breakout sessions to learn more about WMU.
Final exams are just a few weeks away
Exams begin Monday, Dec. 13, and conclude Thursday, Dec. 16. Regularly scheduled class meeting times are not held during exam week.
View the complete exam schedule
Following up with students who have not registered for spring 2022
All eligible students who have not registered for spring courses received a registration reminder email from the Registrar's Office earlier this week. In the email, we included a link to the WMU Course Offerings page and reiterated tips to ensure a smooth registration process (e.g., checking for holds and speaking with an advisor).
If you would like to communicate with unregistered students in your area, there is a Cognos report available to help. The report, 21.00.20 - Students Registered in Prior Terms Not Registered in Future Terms, can be found by going to the Retention folder (21.00). This report excludes students who have graduated, applied for graduation or been academically dismissed. Please email John Scott with questions.
Admissions application deadline
The first-year Early Action admission deadline is Dec. 15 for admission to all WMU academic programs, admission scholarship consideration and priority invitation to the Lee Honors College. Please encourage students you know and work with to complete their applications over Thanksgiving break and to request their transcripts be sent to WMU.
Students may check their application status via their Gold Gateway account. The Office of Admissions has received an influx in transcripts, so it may take a few weeks for us to process transcripts and connect them to student files as we work through a significant volume spike.
Updates from Precollege Programming
Academically Talented Youth Program (ATYP) begins recruitment for 2022-23
ATYP is seeking qualified sixth- and seventh-grade students wishing to take high school math or English classes on WMU's campus in a challenging and accelerated program. Please encourage interested students and their families to visit the ATYP registration page. Registrants will receive a link to our recruitment video.
GEAR UP hiring student tutors
The Michigan GEAR UP Program is hiring tutors and tutor leads to work with students at two local middle schools. Please direct interested WMU students to view our job postings on Handshake.
- Tutoring lead: Job #5311429
- Tutor: Job #4464665
Reminder: FERPA and minors
As a reminder, if a student is attending a postsecondary institution (at any age) the rights under FERPA have transferred to the student. Even if the student is a minor, we are still unable to disclose information to a parent without the student’s consent.
In a situation where a student is enrolled in both a high school and a postsecondary institution, the two schools may exchange information on that student. If the student is under 18, the parents still retain the rights under FERPA at the high school and may inspect and review any records sent by the postsecondary institution to the high school.
There are 204 high school dual enrolled students registered this semester. Learn more at wmich.edu/policies/ferpa.
Did you know? A fun fact from the Registrar...
More than 2,200 guest tickets have been reserved for the fall commencement ceremonies since the portal opened on Monday morning.