Success Happens Here

University Marketing

Success happens at WIU, and we want to celebrate the many achievements throughout the Western Illinois University community, highlighting inspiring accomplishments by students, alumni, faculty, and campus teams that show how WIU transforms lives. From academic honors and national championships to stories of perseverance and leadership, this page brings together positive, uplifting stories that reflect the spirit and impact of being a Leatherneck. It’s where we share the good news that demonstrates that WIU is a place where opportunity begins and leads to meaningful futures.

WIU Student Earns First Place at International Research Symposium

When a Chicago native, Andrea Padilla, a senior Agriculture major, returned to higher education after a decade-long hiatus, she didn't expect her path to lead through Western Illinois University's agricultural research fields—or to a first-place national research award.

WIU Alum to be Featured at Obama Presidential Center

After countless hours of dedication, Western Illinois University alumna and nationally-recognized artist and Professor Tyanna J. Buie can now add a new location to her long list of places her work is featured: the Obama Presidential Center.

WIU Student Spends Summer at Argonne National Laboratory

Ahead of her senior year, WIU Physics student Chelsie Hadley spent the past summer contributing to research in the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, IL.