From the President

President Al GoldfarbOn Feb. 14, 2008 students and colleagues at Northern Illinois University fell victim to a tragic act of violence and five students died that day. At Western, we immediately sent our thoughts and prayers to the Northern community. Our Student Government Associations in Macomb and the Quad Cities organized vigils and a signed banner was sent to that campus. Western counselors volunteered to provide support on the Northern campus. I attended the heartbreaking, but spirit-affirming, memorial service in Dekalb on February 24. We never expected something like this to happen so close to home and the entire Western Illinois University community was deeply shocked and affected. Incidents such as this one are unpredictable and make each of us recognize our vulnerability. We offer continued support and heartfelt thoughts in the days and months ahead to the Northern Illinois community.

In light of this most recent tragedy, administration and law enforcement officials at Western continue to review access, security and emergency response and notification procedures for our campuses. The Western Emergency Alert System (WEAS) is in place to notify the campus communities by e-mail and text or telephone messages if an emergency occurs. In January, more than 17,500 telephone and nearly 24,000 e-mail emergency alert messages were sent to members of the Macomb and Quad Cities campuses as part of a test of the new system. For that matter, WEAS was used twice prior to the test – Dec. 11 and Jan. 29 – to alert WIU-QC faculty, staff and students of the closure of the Quad Cities campus due to severe winter weather.

In addition to the emergency alert system, our Office of Public Safety is in the process of installing public address systems to 20 callboxes located in strategic locations across the Macomb campus. This public address system will allow us to alert persons walking throughout campus of a potential emergency situation. Our University housing staff, in cooperation with OPS, has also installed public address systems in the residence halls so housing staff can make emergency announcements to students in our residence halls. Western is also reviewing and updating its Emergency Operations Plan to ensure the campus is as prepared as possible in the event of a severe storm, a fire or other serious threat to safety.

We appreciate your concerns and questions regarding campus safety and security. I encourage you to visit our Office of Public Safety website, www.wiu.edu/ops to learn more about our campus security initiatives.

While we must focus on campus safety, we must not overlook the outstanding accomplishments of our campus community and must remain committed to providing outstanding academic programs for our students. Fall 2007 brought us many accomplishments and achievements, far too numerous to list in this column. More than 600 students participated in December's graduation ceremonies, while six alumni were honored for their professional accomplishments. Western's Board of Trustees approved new degree programs in museum studies and anthropology. Six broadcasting students were awarded first place honors at the National Broadcasting Society (NBS) Region 5 Meeting and competition. Our University and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Rock Island District signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support the shared goals of protecting natural resources and enhancing environmental sustainability in the region. Dr. Jack Thomas began his duties as Western's provost and academic vice president in January. The Illinois Board of Higher Education approved the University's requests to offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies degree and a Master of Liberal Arts and Sciences degree.

This spring, the University and the department of African American studies will host the 34th Annual African Literature Association Conference in April. Approximately 400 worldwide members of the African Literature Association (ALA) are expected to attend the annual conference.

As I look ahead to the 2008-2009 academic year, I am excited about the future of our university. Our theme for 2008-09 will focus on health and wellness, which clearly ties in with our core value of personal growth. As in previous years, renowned speakers will visit campus and universitywide events will be organized to support the theme and raise awareness. The governor has pledged a capital bill of $1.1 billion for higher education in Fiscal Year 2009, which includes funds for the University's Performing Arts Center, the first building on our WIU-Quad Cities Riverfront Campus in Moline and capital renewal funds. The University is reviewing new technologies such as podcasting and virtual worlds such as Second Life to enhance our students' academic experiences and broaden educational opportunities. We will continue to make sustainability and environmental awareness a priority, which is evidenced by our new Multicultural Center, which is being constructed under green standards, including the installation of a grass roof and is scheduled to open in December.

Thank you for your continued support of Western. I hope to meet many of you at future Alumni Association events.