From the President

President Al GoldfarbI'd like to welcome all of our new Western Illinois University graduates to Western's Alumni Association. We hope that you will continue to stay involved with your alma mater. And to those of you who are already active alumni and friends of our University, we appreciate your commitment and support.

As I look back at the 2007-2008 school year, it's exciting to reflect on our accomplishments. We hired Jack Thomas as the new WIU provost and academic vice president. The Illinois Board of Higher Education approved the University's nursing program, a new Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and a Master of Liberal Arts and Sciences. We completed the renovation of the student side of Hanson Field, began construction on the Multicultural Center, started expansion of the Spencer Student Recreation Center and, with new state funding, continued to move ahead with the planning stages for both the Performing Arts Center in Macomb and the WIU-Quad Cities Riverfront campus.

We successfully implemented the Western Emergency Alert System, which provides another method of keeping our campus community quickly notified in the event of an emergency situation. Our mock election held during the Fall 2007 semester engaged students, faculty and community members. Western's sustainability initiatives gained further momentum, including continued participation in RecycleMania and the hosting of our annual Environmental Summit.

We cannot, even as we discuss and celebrate our achievements, forget this past year's tragedy at Northern Illinois University. This brought change in ways we didn't fathom possible. We experienced a crisis situation on March 26 when an anonymous shooting threat disrupted our campus. We immediately issued an alert via the emergency alert system and heightened security on campus, including increased police presence.

Still, what is most reassuring is that even during times of change and adversity, Western continues to provide an excellent foundation for each of its students by focusing on its core values.

We would love to have you return to campus on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17-18 for Western's 85th Homecoming celebration. You will have the opportunity to meet with old friends and former faculty, make new acquaintances and see your campus. I also hope to see you at one of our other alumni events across the U.S. in 2008-2009.

All my best wishes,
Al Goldfarb