Office of University Relations

January 2004 WMU News Archive
Stories are listed in descending order by release date, beginning with the most recent. Click on the headline for the full story.

Guest Chinese musicians give two free performances (Jan. 30) Peking Opera-style singers and musicians from the Hunan Art School of China perform Feb. 4 and 11 in the Dalton Center.

Bailey recommends accepting Granholm tuition challenge (Jan. 29) In exchange for holding tuition increase to 2.4 percent, WMU would get some state funds restored and promise of no cuts next year.

Campus events planned for Black History Month (Jan. 29) Wide range of lectures, programs and activities taking place on the campus throughout February for Black History Month.

Annual music festival tackles R&B music, Elvis (Jan. 29) Free two-day music and lecture festival explores the roots and significance of rhythm and blues Jan. 30-31 in the Dalton Center.

Balanchine dance lecture is Tuesday in Dalton Center (Jan. 29) "Dancing Balanchine/Watching Balanchine" features a former principal dancer of the New York City Ballet and a writer and critic of dance.

Faculty, staff asked to nominate students for Who's Who (Jan. 29) Nomination deadline for Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges is Feb 11.

Ottman visits WMU to discuss 'Green Marketing' (Jan. 28) Author and leading business consultant Jacquelyn Ottman speaks on "Green Marketing and Eco-innovation" Thursday in Brown Auditorium.

'MyDoom' computer virus hits campus (Jan. 27) "MyDoom" spreads rapidly via e-mail. Disinfectant program available for users who think their computers may be infected.

Lecture by DaimlerChrysler's Cortez postponed (Jan. 27) DaimlerChrysler executive Christine Cortez was scheduled to speak tonight. The presentation will be rescheduled.

Morin honored for teaching by National League of Nursing (Jan. 27) Professor of nursing receives biennial award for excellence and is elected a director of international honor society.

Bailey to deliver State of the University address (Jan. 27) President Bailey will deliver address during the annual Academic Convocation Feb. 5 in the Dalton Center Recital Hall.

Student employment award nominations sought (Jan. 26) Nomination deadline is Feb. 9 for Student Employee of the Year and Supervisor of the Year awards.

Language arts for those with differing abilities (Jan. 26) WMU's Nickola Wolf Nelson and Adelia Van Meter produce "The Writing Lab Approach to Language Instruction and Intervention."

Expert on Pan-African and Caribbean social activism speaks (Jan. 26) UCLA's Dr. Robert Hill presents free public lectures Feb. 2 and 4 on his extensive research on Pan-Africanism.

Hill to conduct workshop on 'Editing Archival Documents' (Jan. 26) Reservations required, space limited for free Feb. 4, workshop with visiting scholar Dr. Robert Hill.

Library sponsors workshops on searching databases (Jan. 26) Free one-hour training offered for searching U.S. patent and 2000 census databases.

Professional development programs all week for grad students (Jan. 25) Nine Professional Development Week programs for graduate students Monday through Thursday at the Bernhard Center.

Authors give presentations on teaching language arts (Jan. 23) Co-authors of new book, Drs. Jonathon Bush and Janet Alsup, offer free lecture Jan. 28 and workshop Jan. 29.

Talk addresses higher education affirmative action policies (Jan. 23) Brown Bag Lunch presentation Jan. 29 features affirmative action policy expert Dr. Daniel Lipson.

Donald Parfet is next in Keystone lecture series (Jan. 23) Managing director of newly formed business accelerator firm is breakfast speaker Jan. 30 at Haworth College of Business.

Landing government contracts is subject of workshop (Jan. 23) Thursday, Jan. 29, workshop is in the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center in the Business Technology and Research Park.

Distinguished Faculty Scholars announced (Jan. 22) Expert in supercomputing Elise de Doncker and authority on Anglo-Saxon studies Paul Szarmach earn highest faculty honor.

Innovative lecture series on students at risk begins Monday (Jan. 22) "Educating Students Placed at Risk" begins Jan. 26 with national consultant Dr. Betty Despenza-Green.

Retirement event set for engineering's Molly Williams (Jan. 22) Reception for associate dean of College of Engineering and Applied Sciences is Friday on Parkview Campus.

Sindecuse's Woldring to be feted at Jan. 26 reception (Jan. 22) Irene R. Woldring retires following more than 25 years service at Sindecuse Health Center Pharmacy.

Bronco hockey versus Michigan televised (Jan. 21) Friday's match at Lawson Arena is sold out. Contest televised regionally. Student tickets available on first-to-arrive basis.

Music students take top honors in string competitions (Jan. 21) Sophomore cellist Lukasz Pawlik from Poland and freshman violinist Mialtan Zhezha from Albania take top honors.

ATO camp out raises more than $11,000 for Habitat (Jan. 21) Fraternity members brave Michigan winter weather for Kalamazoo Valley Habitat and to dramatize plight of the homeless.

Film festival examines race, ethnicity, culture (Jan. 21) Films are 30-minutes each and followed by discussion today through Friday, Jan. 21-23, in Sangren Hall.

Authority on art criticism presents slide lecture (Jan. 20) "Interpreting Art" is topic of free slide lecture by Dr. Terry Barrett Thursday, Jan. 29, in Sangren Hall.

Frostic Reading Series presents playwright Steve Feffer (Jan. 19) Award-winning playwright and WMU assistant professor reads from his work Jan. 27 at Little Theatre.

Novelist John Dufresne offers reading Thursday (Jan. 19) Author of "Louisiana Power & Light" is next in Gwen Frostic Reading Series, Jan. 22 at Little Theatre.

Gallery II exhibition features ceramic sculpture (Jan. 19) Works by Michigan artist Ken Foster featured in Sangren Hall exhibition weekdays Jan. 23 through Feb. 3.

Library hours reinstated (Jan. 18) Saturday hours reinstated for Waldo Library and libraries for education, music and dance. Waldo again opens at 8 a.m. weekdays beginning Jan. 26.

Keck grant will fund nanotechnology focus on cell biology (Jan. 17) Keck Foundation awards $500,000 for nanotech-based research aimed at unlocking a secret of cellular membranes.

Shakespeare's daughter the subject of new tale (Jan. 17) Grace Tiffany authors "My Father Had A Daughter," a "beguiling, rollicking, witty, heartening tale, penned as if a memoir."

Kellogg Foundation chief closes Centennial Scholars Series (Jan. 17) Kellogg Foundation's Dr. William Richardson discusses health and human services and community building Jan. 22.

Schmotter addresses trends in business ethics (Jan. 17) Business Dean James Schmotter discusses history and complexities of ethical decision making in American business Jan. 28.

Lindquist co-writes first online, interactive text (Jan. 17) WMU's Jay Lindquist and Virginia Tech's Joseph Sirgy write "Shopper, Buyer and Consumer Behavior" in paperback and online.

Conference to educate health professionals about asthma (Jan. 17) Daylong conference for health care professionals is Saturday, Feb. 7, at WMU Fetzer Center.

Robert M. Henkels Jr. (Jan. 17) Former associate professor of French died Nov. 16, 2003.

Temptations and Velvelettes return to Miller (Jan. 16) The Motown Sound of the Temptations and Velvelettes take the stage at Miller Auditorium Friday, Jan. 30, for one show only.

Concert series presents award-winning Russian pianist (Jan. 16) Young Concert Artists Series features Vassily Primakov Tuesday, Jan. 27, in the Dalton Center Recital Hall.

Service for John Bernhard is Saturday on campus (Jan. 15) Public memorial service for WMU's fourth president is Jan. 17 at 2 p.m. in the East Ballroom of the Bernhard Center.

Hiring of new college graduates expected to increase (Jan. 15) Recent surveys indicate nearly 13 percent more new college graduates will be hired this year compared to last year.

New book examines postmodernism and history (Jan. 15) Ernst Breisach writes "the first comprehensive overview of postmodernism and its complex relationship to history."

Graduate student's research yields national award (Jan. 14) Aparna Thomas wins prize in national competition among faculty and graduate students for research on women in politics.

Fair presents students with leadership opportunities (Jan. 14) Students looking to get involved as campus leaders should attend annual Leadership Fair Jan. 22 at Bernhard Center.

'W' Club honors Sumney and Wolfe (Jan. 14) Longtime boosters "Suds" Sumney and Susan Wolfe named Man and Woman of the Year, honored during Jan. 24 men's basketball game.

Medallion Scholars wrap up their first semester (Jan. 13) Biographical sketches for each of this year's 21 Medallion Scholarship recipients.

Former Ailey dancer in residence this week (Jan. 13) Choreographer and teacher Christopher Huggins will give master classes and provide career counseling for dance students.

Sundberg lauded for professional excellence (Jan. 13) Director of the Center for Disability Services receives award for "vision, leadership, creativity and record of significant accomplishments."

CPR certification course offered (Jan. 12) WMU students, faculty and staff are eligible to enroll in a four-hour CPR certification course at Sindecuse Health Center.

WMU mourns the death of former president John Bernhard (Jan. 12) Western Michigan University's fourth president, 1974-85, died Jan. 12 in Kalamazoo. He was 83.

Katrovas kicks off new Frostic Reading Series (Jan. 12) Prague Summer Program's director Richard Katrovas opens spring Frostic Reading Series Wednesday in Sprau Tower.

Faculty Scholar nominations sought (Jan. 12) Nomination deadline is Jan. 24 for 2003-04 Distinguished Faculty Scholar Awards.

Earhart continues research with two new publications (Jan. 12) Professor emeritus of religion authors fourth edition of "Japanese Religion: Unity and Diversity."

Orientation office seeking referrals for 36 student leader positions (Jan. 9) Faculty and staff asked to recommend qualified students for summer orientation leaders.

New lecture series lures national leaders in education (Jan. 9) Executive director of the National Center for Fair and Open Testing kicks off series Jan. 26 in Brown Auditorium.

Fisher to head BRCC on interim basis (Jan. 9) Biotech entrepreneur and former Pfizer researcher Dr. Christopher Fisher named interim director of BRCC.

Faculty, staff honored for dedicating careers to WMU (Jan. 9) Fifty-eight employees were inducted Dec. 3 into WMU's 25 Year Club at the annual gala held at the Bernhard Center.

'Mama Mia!' comes to Miller for eight shows (Jan. 9) Broadway and international smash-hit musical based on the songs of ABBA at WMU Jan. 13-18.

Cat Crotchett wins Gilmore grant (Jan. 8) Associate professor of art receives Emerging Artist Grant funded by Gilmore Foundation to encourage promising Kalamazoo County artists.

Series of programs, lectures planned to honor MLK (Jan. 8) Wide variety of programs offered Jan. 11-23, ranging from screening of a Hollywood movie to a scientific lecture.

Writer and political activist headlines MLK event (Jan. 8) Noted author, social activist Kevin Powell keynotes communitywide MLK Celebration Sunday, Jan. 11, in Miller Auditorium.

WFS presents 'Lost In Translation' (Jan. 8) Starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, directed by Sofia Coppola, "Lost" is contender for multiple Oscar nominations; six shows Jan. 16-18 at Little Theatre.

Paul Ruscha on campus for free master class (Jan. 8) Best known for documenting and photographing his brother's art, Ruscha gives master mlass on "Documenting Art Work" Jan. 17.

Gold Company Sextet gives NYC Preview Concert (Jan. 7) Gold Company Sextet offers Jan. 20 preview of their upcoming jazz conference performance in New York City.

History of Pakistan published as nation dominates news (Jan. 7) New history by Lawrence Ziring hitting bookstores at the same time Pakistan again dominates international news.

Discussion explores Vietnamese culture and history (Jan. 7) Two experts lead discussion on history and current social and political climate in Vietnam Jan. 13 at Portage District Library.

New dinner theatre invites student auditions (Jan. 7) InterAct Entertainment holds open casting auditions Jan. 18 and 20 for murder mystery comedy, WMU students invited to try out.

Land trust author signs books at Waldo Library (Jan. 7) Richard Brewer authors first book to fully examine the land trust movement in the United States, book signing is Jan. 14.

Four artists' work with fiber exhibited (Jan. 7) "Pictorial Seams" challenges historical position of fiber as a media, exhibition runs through Jan. 21 in Sangren Hall Gallery II.

How to find out if WMU is closed (Jan. 7) Students and employees should assume WMU open unless notified otherwise. Closings will be announced immediately in WMU News.

Luncheons feature Bronco men's basketball (Jan. 6) Three luncheon programs scheduled in January and February, featured speakers are members of men's basketball coaching staff.

Kresge Art Museum curator speaks Thursday (Jan. 6) Dr. April Kingsley presents slide lecture "The Roots of Abstract Expressionism" Jan. 8 in Sangren Hall.

Web payment option available for parking fines (Jan. 6) New service allows employees, students and others to review all outstanding fines and pay fines by major credit card.

Investment counseling with TIAA-CREF available (Jan. 5) WMU employees may schedule individual counseling sessions on available dates January through April.

Ronald H. Denison (Jan. 5) Former member of the speech and drama faculty died Dec. 6, 2003.

Frigid fund-raiser supports Habitat for Humanity (Jan. 2) Brothers of ATO again brave winter weather for 48 straight hours Jan. 6-8, hope to raise $10,000 for Habitat for Humanity.

Sindecuse offers Express Pay option (Jan. 2) WMU employees can pay for health center services through convenient payroll deduction program.

Sindecuse newsletter available via e-mail (Jan. 2) Quarterly e-mail newsletter provides employees with informative articles and helpful health tips. How to subscribe.