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Board of Trustees Bachelor of Arts Degree

Western Honors Fallen Firefighters

With a single brick and small donation, Western Illinois University has honored fallen firefighters forever and now has a permanent place in Emmitsburg, MD. Thanks to Richard Carter, director of WIU's Board of Trustees Bachelor Arts (BOT/BA) degree program, the brick inscribed with WIU's logo has been placed in the Walk of Honor at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg.

"The first 21 sections of the walkway are now in place with more than 6,000 bricks, which are placed twice a year," stated a letter to WIU's BOT/BA program from Chief Ronald Jon Siarnicki, executive director of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. "When completed, the landscaped walkway will connect the different sections of Memorial Park -- the National Monument, the historical Fallen Firefighters Chapel and the Memorial Plaza."

According to Carter, WIU's brick was placed in September along with bricks from Western's seven partner institutions in the Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) section of the Walk of Honor.

"Western Illinois University’s BOT/BA degree program is one of the original FESHE seven institutions and programs selected to charter the Degrees at a Distance Program (DDP), a higher education project of the National Fire Academy," explained Carter. "The DDP program provides access to higher education for all fire service personnel and allows them to earn a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university without losing time on the job. The National Fire Academy selected WIU as one of seven institutions because of the BOT/BA degree program and its flexibility. WIU has been affiliated with the National Fire Academy's DDP since its inception in 1980."

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