Dr. Jeffrey P. Koep (pronounced Cope), candidate for provost and vice president for academic affairs, will make a public presentation at 2:30 p.m. Monday, April 21, in the South Ballroom of the Bernhard Center. Please show your support for this important search by attending as many of the public presentations as possible.

Construction at the interchange of I-94 and U.S. 131 has prompted the University to again publish alternate routes from I-94 to the main campus. Portions of the interchange will likely remained closed through October.

Dr. Christopher Korth, professor of finance, speaks on “Sensible Tax Reform: Fair, Simple and Effective,” tomorrow, April 18, in Schneider Hall.

Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi speaks Sunday evening, April 20, in the Bernhard Center on “Defending the Rights of Women and Children.”

WMU’s Relay for Life reached their goal of $60,000 this year. 650 people in 75 teams were registered to participate in the event.

The first of four candidates for provost, Dr. Susan L. Carlson, will make a public presentation at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, April 17, in the South Ballroom of the Bernhard Center. Please welcome her and each of the other candidates to our campus, and show your support for this important search by attending as many of the public presentations as possible.

The spring issue of Inquiry, the newsletter of the Office of the Vice President for Research is available on the Web as a PDF file.

Dr. Gerald Hardie, professor of physics, will be honored for his 43 years of service to WMU at an informal retirement reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, April 18, at the Oaklands.

“Eating Your Way to Democracy: Japan’s Postwar Politics of Food” will be discussed by Cambridge’s Dr. Barak Kushner at 4 p.m. today in 3301 Friedman Hall.

The Social Justice Lecture series concludes at 7 p.m. today with Dr. Luis Moll addressing Latino child literacy in the Fetzer Center’s Putney Auditorium.

The names and brief bios of four finalist for WMU provost and the dates and times of their public presentations will be announced later this morning in WMU News.

Dr. Michael Fowlin is the featured speaker at this year’s Respecting Differences community event at Chenery Auditorium. Programs are at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, and 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 16.

This year’s Graduate Research and Creative Scholars will be honored at a reception Tuesday, April 15, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the South Ballroom of the Bernhard Center. The Graduate College, Graduate Studies Council and Graduate Student Advisory Committee sponsor the awards and reception.

Campus Facility Development has created four possible designs for signs marking the Ring Road on West Campus. The idea is to aid visitors and make it easier to give driving directions. Vote for your favorite design online.

WMU’s Children’s Place Learning Center is accepting reservations for Campus Kids Summer Theme Camp. The weekly summer programs are for children who have completed kindergarten, up to age 9.

The School of Music’s annual capstone event, the Concerto Concert, featuring three competitively selected student soloists, is Sunday afternoon, April 13, in Miller Auditorium.

Dr. Thomas Kostrzewa, a longtime observer of Tibetan-Chinese affairs, gives a brown-bag luncheon talk Monday, April 14.

WMU is the first university in Michigan and among the first in the country to post its College Portrait on the Web as part of the Voluntary System of Accountability, a national initiative in higher education. The goal is to allow prospective undergraduate students to make fair comparisons among participating colleges.

University Theatre concludes its 2007-08 season with seven performances of the musical comedy “On the Town,” opening tomorrow, April 10.

One of the nation’s top string theorists and frequent guest on PBS science programs, Dr. Sylvester Gates, lectures Friday evening, April 11, in the Fetzer Center.

Advance purchase of VIP tickets is required for the popular MODA student fashion show, Friday and Saturday, April 11-12, at the Radisson Plaza.

Online registration is under way for WMU Day at the Capitol, a first-of-its-kind event celebrating WMU pride and achievement on the lawn of the Michigan Capitol Building in May. Join students, alumni, faculty and staff in a unique Universitywide event in Lansing and show your support for WMU.

The latest issue of WMU Recycles, the semiannual newsletter of WMU Recycling and Waste Reduction Services is available on the Web as a PDF file. Past issues are also available. Each issue contains news about recycling efforts and helpful hints for improving campus sustainability.

Miller Auditorium presents three performances of the Tony Award-winning musical “Movin’ Out,” with the music of Billy Joel, tonight through Thursday.

University of Michigan economist Dr. Linda Tesar explores global markets and cash flow tomorrow, April 9, in a public lecture in Knauss Hall.

During his first U.S. visit, Russian poet Vyacheslav Kupriyanov reads from his work in Russian and English tomorrow, April 9, in Sprau Tower.

The Ethics Film Series concludes Thursday evening, April 10, with “When the Levees Broke,” a Spike Lee documentary about Hurricane Katrina.

The complete text of President Dunn’s inaugural address is available in WMU News along with a link to an audio recording of the address, courtesy of WMUK.

Flags will be lowered tomorrow, March 28, in honor of Army Pfc. Antione V. Robinson of Detroit, who died March 19 while on active duty in Afghanistan.

There are 33 public events scheduled through Monday, including talks by Sen. Carl Levin, sponsored by the College Democrats, and Ted Nugent, sponsored by the College Republicans.

University Theatre has two productions this weekend, “Fuse 1″ and “North Star.”

Miller Auditorium presents the music of Johnny Cash in “Ring of Fire,” the School of Music presents a tribute to jazz legend Billy Hart, and there is a free performance of Chinese dance and music by students and faculty from Sichuan University.

There are lectures on linguistics, ethics and science, and Great Lakes water management.

Western Film Society presents the Kalamazoo-area debut of Academy Award-winner “I’m Not There,” and Chi Omega is sponsoring a fundraiser for Make A Wish of Michigan.

KALAMAZOO–Area residents will have a chance to learn about other countries as well as sample exotic cuisines during Western Michigan University’s 19th annual International Festival from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, March 16, in the East Ballroom of WMU’s Bernhard Center.

The free event is a global open house that attracts about 3,000 campus and community members each year. International Festival 2008 will feature 15 of the University’s international student groups representing countries on five continents.

Members of the participating student groups will be staffing display tables and performing native dances as well as fashion shows. For a nominal fee, they also will be serving some of their favorite homeland foods, all of which are prepared in campus kitchens under the supervision of professional employees from WMU Dining Services.

“International Festival is a great chance to get out and experience a world of cultures in one place,” says Jordan Hochstetler, the event’s programming chair. “Hundreds of students have worked for months to prepare performances, food, fashion and displays that showcase the many cultures represented at WMU and in the Kalamazoo community.”

WMU enrolls some 1,000 international students. This year’s festival will spotlight Latino, Muslim and WMU Hillel students as well as those representing such areas as Africa, Central Asia, China, Egypt, India, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan and Thailand.

The event is being organized by WMU’s International Programs Council and Campus Activities Board and being sponsored by WMU’s Haenicke Institute for Global Education, Division of Student Affairs, University Cultural Events Committee, Graduate Student Advisory Committee and Western Student Association.

For more information about International Festival 2008, go to www.wmich.edu/oiss/if or contact Jordan Hochstetler at jordan.w.hochstetler@wmich.edu or (269) 387-5872.

Media contact: Jeanne Baron, (269) 387-8400, jeanne.baron@wmich.edu

KALAMAZOO–Area high school juniors and their parents are invited to visit Western Michigan University’s main campus from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 15, for “WMU Spotlight.”

Designed exclusively for high school juniors, this annual open house is the University’s largest on-campus recruiting event. Some 500 juniors and their parents are expected to attend this year.

The free event features current WMU students taking attendees on a guided tour of the main campus so they can get a feel for what life at the University is like. In addition, prospective students and their parents will have a chance to check out a typical residence hall as well as WMU’s popular, well-equipped Student Recreation Center.

“This special open house allows high school students who are considering WMU to become more familiar with our campus, academic programs and services,” says Gwen Thomas, assistant director of admissions and coordinator of the event.

“It’s also helpful for students who already know about the wealth of program choices and support they’ll have here, but haven’t been our campus yet.”

Walk-in registration and pre-registration check-in for the 2008 WMU Spotlight will begin at 8:30 a.m. on the second floor of the Bernhard Center. Free parking is available all day Saturday at all metered spaces on campus property.

Those wishing to register for WMU Spotlight in advance may do so online through Thursday, March 13, at www.wmich.edu/admissions/wmuspotlight or by phone though Friday, March 14, at (269) 387-2000. For more information, contact Gwen Thomas in the Office of Admissions at gwen.thomas@wmich.edu or (269) 387-2008.

Media contact: Jeanne Baron, (269) 387-8400, jeanne.baron@wmich.edu

KALAMAZOO–Western Michigan University is hosting a unique technological experience starting Wednesday, March 12, that allows participants to visualize themselves with the facial characteristics of people of different races.

The Human Race Machine, a booth similar to an instant-photo booth, takes a person’s picture and then digitally enhances it to show how any face would look when taking on the characteristics of any of six different races–African, Asian, Caucasian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern and Native American.

WMU’s Walker Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnic Relations is making the machine available to the public in Room 107 of the Bernhard Center.

The Human Race Machine public availability
107 Bernhard Center

Wednesday, March 12, noon to 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Thursday, March 13, noon to 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Friday, March 14, noon to 1:30 p.m.
Monday, March 17, noon to 1:30 p.m.

Included in the exhibit is a video, “Race, the Power of an Illusion,” and the opportunity for participants to take a Race Literacy Quiz and engage in a brief discussion. The theme is that race is not a biological concept, yet it has been used as a social construct for centuries to justify human oppression and continues to be a powerful social concept to this day.

Additional opportunities for groups to experience the Human Race Machine can be arranged by contacting Tanya Bellamy at tanya.bellamy@wmich.edu or (269) 387-2141. The Human Race Machine is available to the Walker Institute for use by the WMU and Kalamazoo community through the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and The Links Inc.

More information about the Human Race Machine is available at www.humanracemachine.com.

Media contact: Deanne Molinari, (269) 387-8400, deanne.molinari@wmich.edu