October 2014 WMU News

The NPR humorist and bestselling author of "Me Talk Pretty One Day" and "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim" is coming to Miller Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27. Tickets are on sale now.

The annual Parade of Flags during Homecoming festivities at Western Michigan University on Oct. 25 may see flags from as many as 100 different nations on display.

"A Fragile Trust," a documentary on the case of Jayson Blair, the infamous serial plagiarist who unleashed a massive scandal that shook The New York Times and the profession of journalism, will be shown Oct. 28.

A public forum on Friday, Oct. 24, will address the importance of working in a team setting in the health professions and will feature high-ranking alumni of the Western Michigan University College of Health and Human Services.

Changes have been made to the WMU Student Code as the result of a resolution agreement reached last year between the University and U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights.

At its Sept. 30 meeting, the WMU Board of Trustees approved the retirements of 15 faculty and staff members and also signed off on one faculty resignation and three faculty leaves.

Scores of exciting activities for thousands of WMU community members, friends and fans are taking place during homecoming week, Monday through Sunday, Oct. 20-26, and Family Weekend, Friday through Sunday, Oct. 24-26.

The aviation program will observe its diamond anniversary during a gala celebration starting at 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24, at the College of Aviation facilities in Battle Creek. The gala is open to the public.

"Pinkalicious The Musical," based on the popular children's book by Elizabeth Kaan and Victoria Kann, is coming to Miller Auditorium for two performances and a pre-show breakfast and lunch on Oct. 26. Tickets are on sale now.

Western Michigan University's School of Music will welcome Trio Globo to Kalamazoo with a master class as well as a pre-concert talk and performance on Wednesday, Oct. 22 in the Dalton Center Recital Hall.

The Greenleaf Trust Trading Room, located in the main corridor of Schneider Hall, will let students experience the excitement of a Wall Street trading floor. A grand opening celebration will be held at 1 p.m. on Oct. 27.

Archie E. Watson, assistant professor emeritus of education and professional development, died Feb. 25 at age 81. Services were held Sept. 28. Memorial gifts may be made to a charity of choice.

WMU's Faculty Senate's Ad Hoc Committee on General Education will host brown-bag lunch discussions on Oct. 29, Nov. 18 and Dec. 3 to provide a forum to explore the possibilities of imagining General Education differently.

Krishna H. Pushkar, joint secretary of the government of Nepal, will speak at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21, in Room 1028 of Brown Hall. His presentation will examine "The Modern Kafala Slavery System."

Western Michigan University has been named one of the nation's top 50 most affordable, eco-friendly colleges by Best Choice Schools. Coming in at No. 13, WMU is the top-placing college in Michigan.

Western Michigan University's public radio station WMUK will kick off its annual fall campaign on Saturday, Oct. 18, and hopes to cut on-air pledging in half. The goal of this fall's campaign is $160,000.

New York-based sculptor Armita Raafat will be the next speaker in the Frostic School of Art Visiting Artist and Scholar Lecture Series. Raafat will speak at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, in Room 2008 of the Richmond Center for Visual Arts.

The founding director of WMU's Bronson School of Nursing is one of four selected as 2014 Living Legends of Nursing by the American Academy of Nursing. The designation is the highest honor in the academy.

The 13-member Sky Bronco team will compete against top teams from nine other regions at National Intercollegiate Flying Association Safety and Evaluation Conference's 2015 championship competition May 11 to 16.

The all-student cast will give several performances of this epic story of love, deception and betrayal Oct. 24 through Nov. 2 in the Williams Theatre at the Gilmore Theatre Complex.

The Commitment to Diversity award for WMU was announced during the Oct. 3-5 Washington D.C. conference of Minority Access Inc. This is the second consecutive year the University has been honored.

Curtis Curtis-Smith, an internationally known contemporary composer and pianist who taught at Western Michigan University for 43 years, died Oct. 10 at his home in Kalamazoo. He was 73.

7GenAE, the newest private partner in WMU's Business Technology and Research Park, melds a tradition of sustainability and a vision aimed at protecting the future for generations to come.

Alessandro DiNello, president, CEO and director of Flagstar Bank and Flagstar Bancorp, will be the first speaker in Western Michigan University's 2014-15 Distinguished Speaker Series on Oct. 23.

Dr. Caryl P. Freeman, associate professor emeritus of business information systems, died Sept. 30 at age 86. Services have taken place. Memorials gifts may be made to the Gilmore Keyboard Festival.

International best-selling author Yann Martel, whose book of "Life of Pi" is the 2014-15 University Common Read, will kick off the Healing Arts Speaker Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, in Miller Auditorium.

Peter Ullian will read from his works at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, in Rooms 157-159 of the Bernhard Center as part of the Gwen Frostic Reading Series. The event is free and open to the public.

Tim Terrentine, president of the Kalamazoo Regional Chamber of Commerce, will speak at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 22, in the Multicultural Center in the Adrian Trimpe Building as part of WMU's Real Talk Diversity Series.

The WMU Concert Band will perform a varied program of transcriptions and original works at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21 in Miller Auditorium. The concert is free and open to the public. 

The 13-member Sky Broncos precision flight team is competing in National Intercollegiate Flying Association's Region III Safety and Evaluation Conference at Ohio University through Friday, Oct. 10.