The University Advising and Academic Support Center (UAASC) is responsible for the academic advisement of General Orientation students (students who have not yet selected a major), freshmen admitted on warning through the Academic Services Program, students in the Transitional Advising Program (major changers), and area high school students taking college classes while still in high school. Members of the UAASC staff work with all incoming freshmen and transfer students during the spring and summer preregistration programs. During the school year, the UAASC helps students resolve academic problems, aids in the choice of majors and careers, and provides information about classes, programs, tutoring resources, and University procedures and requirements.
This Faculty Senate council (CAGAS) may be contacted through the Office of the Registrar in Sherman Hall. Undergraduate students seeking information concerning academic appeals, e.g., late withdrawals, course substitutions, and waivers of University requirements, may contact CAGAS at 298-1208. Students filing such appeals may send them to CAGAS, Sherman Hall 110.
The School of Extended Studies (www.wiu.edu/ses) includes Non-Traditional Programs, Non-Credit Programs, and Distance Learning. The School provides educational and public service opportunities through a variety of delivery technologies. Courses are offered in more than two dozen disciplines each term. Extension coursework is delivered on-site or through distance learning technology to Chicago, Cook/DuPage/Kane/Lake Counties, and Springfield. WIU provides online courses, telecourses, and independent study courses which allow individuals to study in their own homes. Nontraditional Programs administers the Board of Trustees Bachelor of Arts degree program which is a nontraditional approach to undergraduate education designed for adult students who are place bound by work and/or family responsibilities. Non-Traditional Programs also coordinates the Degrees at a Distance Program that provides opportunities for fire service personnel to earn credits leading to a bachelor's degree and certification through the National Fire Science Academy. An undergraduate certificate is available in Fire Administration and Management or Fire Prevention Technology. A wide variety of academic programs in the form of conferences, workshops, short courses, sponsored credit and residential programs are coordinated through Non-Credit Programs. The Office of Distance Learning (www.wiu.edu/distancelearning/) provides testing services as needed to students in the Board of Trustees Bachelor of Arts degree program. The Office provides coordination and scheduling of all online course offerings, assists in the development of new online courses, and provides guidelines and general oversight to ensure academic quality of distance learning courses.
The School of Graduate Studies (www.wiu.edu/grad) is the coordinating agency for the University's graduate programs. The Graduate School processes graduate student admissions, writes graduate assistantship contracts, verifies degree completion, and provides numerous services to all graduate students at the University. The Office of Graduate Studies is responsible for implementing the policies, procedures, and academic standards established by the Graduate Council, a representative body elected by members of the graduate faculty.
The Center for International Studies administers and coordinates several activities designed to encourage an appreciation and understanding of international cultures. This office is involved in coordination with government agencies for visas, residence permits, and immigration problems; special international programs such as the annual International Bazaar and International Neighbors programs; University representation for international and intercultural matters; sponsorship of the International Friendship Club; and publicity related to all University international activities. Western English as a Second Language (WESL) Institute provides an intensive program in academic English for international students who are preparing to enter an American college or university.
The Study Abroad Programs office sponsors a variety of full credit educational programs abroad in countries such as Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, and a formal exchange program for faculty and students with distinguished colleges and universities overseas. In addition, the office offers several international study programs through affiliation agreements. Short-term programs of one to six week duration are taught by WIU faculty during spring break and summer at various international and domestic sites.
The Office of the Registrar (www.wiu.edu/registrar) determines the residency status of students, administers the registration of students, verifies degree completion, maintains student academic records, and reviews applications for undergraduate readmission. This office is also responsible for certifying NCAA academic eligibility, issuing official transcripts and verifications, printing diplomas, publishing class schedules, coordinating commencement, issuing grade reports, processing student requests to change a major, minor or address, and administering academic room scheduling. The Office of the Registrar also facilitates the GradTrac program.
The WIU University Libraries are an integral part of the life and learning of the University community. An ever-expanding collection of more than one million catalogued volumes, print and online access to thousands of periodicals, and professional expertise provide a foundation of resources for student and faculty research. All of the libraries provide public access to computers, printers, and copiers as well as study space for individuals and groups. Many library services, such as access to online databases, searchable catalogs, interlibrary loan, and research assistance are available through the University Libraries website (www.wiu.edu/library).
The Malpass Library is a major center of campus life and the largest library in the region. It is the main library for WIU, offering a full range of services and featuring ample study space in a pleasant atmosphere with generous natural lighting and almost 2,000 plants. The Malpass Library houses substantial collections of government documents and legal materials and also is the home of the University Archives and Special Collections, one of the region's major stores of historical materials. The Malpass Mocha Café is a popular meeting spot, serving coffee and light fair. Wireless Internet is available throughout the building. Research assistance may be obtained at the Reference Desk on the 2nd level (309/298-2700 or www.wiu.edu/library/units/reference).
Additional, there are subject specific libraries for curriculum (Horrabin Hall), music (Sallee Hall), and physical sciences (Currents Hall) on the Macomb campus. The WIU-QC Library (309/762-1598) in Moline, a microcosm of the libraries as a whole, provides full access to WIU's library services and collections and features the Leibovitz Holocaust Education Collection.
University Technology administers computing resources used by students and faculty for research and instruction. Microcomputers in most instructional, administrative, and residential buildings on the Macomb campus are connected to a campus network (LAN) in order to access hosts, software resources, laser printing, and the Internet.
Major computing labs for students, staffed by trained student personnel, are located in Horrabin, Stipes, and Morgan halls, with unstaffed computing resource centers located in other classroom buildings. Residence hall students may use student-staffed labs in each hall complex, including two 24-hour labs, while students who live off campus have late-night access available in the Lincoln-Washington-Grote Hall complex. WIU-Quad Cities houses a full-service lab. Internet access is available in all residence halls, including graduate and family housing, while 56K modem access is available to off-campus users.
Each registered student is provided an e-mail account, space to create a personal home page on the World Wide Web, 300 MB of network attached data storage, and access to the Internet via the campus network (LAN). Students also have access to some UNIX-based systems and IBM mainframe services. With these systems students can use e-mail, the World Wide Web, and other tools to communicate electronically over the Internet world-wide networks. They can also use many programming languages, the CICS programming environment, and several statistics and symbolic math applications.
All labs and resource centers house networked IBM/PC compatible and Macintosh computers, laser printers, and scanners. Storage options include USB portable storage drivers, DVD/CDRW, floppy, zip, and server. Students have access to a variety of discipline-specific microcomputer software in versions for Macintosh and Windows. These include popular programming languages, word processors, spreadsheets, databases, graphic applications, multimedia, desktop publishing programs, and statistical packages.
The University Technology Information Center provides computing documentation, disk file recovery, one-on-one assistance, general information, optical scanning of answer sheets for test scoring and questionnaire analysis, and handles problems with student accounts in Stipes Hall 126.
For more information contact University Technology at 309/298-1177. Contact the Helpdesk at 309/298-2704, helpdesk@wiu.edu, or visit www.wiu.edu/universitytech.
Western Illinois University-Quad Cities (www.wiu.edu/qc), ), located in Moline, Illinois, serves Quad Cities area residents and placebound undergraduate students. At present, WIU offers bachelor's degrees in accountancy; Board of Trustees; elementary education; law enforcement and justice administration; management; manufacturing engineering technology; marketing; and recreation, park and tourism administration through WIU-QC. Students enter the WIU programs after completing the freshman/sophomore requirements at area community colleges or other institutions. WIU then schedules the junior/senior courses for each of the eight majors so that students may earn a bachelor's degree without leaving the Quad Cities area. Fifteen graduate degree programs and four post-baccalaureate certificate programs are also available. (See a listing of programs available in at WIU-QC.)
The University Writing Center (and its satellite center at WIU-Quad Cities) provides a wide range of across-the-curriculum writing assistance services to students, faculty, and staff. The Writing Center is staffed by highly qualified graduate students and faculty from WIU's Department of English and Journalism. Tutorial services are available for drafting correspondence, essay writing, research writing, grammar, and punctuation.