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In honor of the sacrifices of veterans and their families, Western welcomes Veterans and dependents to participate in all free events throughout the week of Nov. 9-13.
Milo Palmer just began his fourth year at Western composing and playing bass, guitar, and piano. You can catch him performing serious music and hear his line-fudging compositions in the Concert Hall with the Composers of Western – “COW” as it’s known at WWU.
BELLINGHAM, WASH., Oct. 16, 2026 — Western Washington University and PeaceHealth have reached a purchase-and-sale agreement for the former St. Luke’s Hospital site and related parcels. The agreement reflects a shared commitment to advancing health education, supporting student well-being and planning for future regional healthcare needs.
Western Washington University’s Board of Trustees met on campus Oct.15-16.
This fall, the College of the Environment welcomes Assistant Professor Kate Hayes, who specializes in forest systems, wildfire and climate change.
If you have an immediate family member walking in December Commencement, we would like to offer you the opportunity to present their diploma at their scheduled commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026 (see the ceremony dates/times and corresponding colleges on the Ceremony Schedule page).
Our December Commencement ceremonies will take place on Saturday, Dec. 12.
It’s one of those exquisite Pacific Northwest July mornings when the sky is clear, and the promise of ripening berries lightly scents the crisp air. Western Washington University students Finley Bell and Aaron Dubbels hike a narrowing trail into Olsen Creek State Forest, east of Lake Whatcom, accompanied by a soundtrack of birdsong and bootfall.
Western Washington University has hired Samara Taber as chief of staff to the provost, bringing more than a decade of senior higher education leadership experience to the university’s Academic Affairs Division.
WWU's Professor of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Sheryl Bernardo-Hinesley, Associate Professor of Linguistics R. Mata and Master in Teaching student Dana Gravseth presented their research at the 55th Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest in Towson, Maryland.
Hilary Schwandt is a Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies public health professor who specializes in reproductive health. Most recently, her work has taken her to Mongolia, where Schwandt said medical tests and cultural attitudes are obstacles to abortion access.
Spring 2026 Industrial Design alum Kylea Assayag-Nodine was recognized as one of the top undergraduate students in the nation for work she completed during her senior year at Western.
The former Department of Finance and Marketing opened academic year 2026-27 restructured as the Department of Marketing and the Department of Finance. The two disciplines have always been distinct, but each has grown substantially since they were paired up in a split from Finance, Marketing and Decision Sciences in 2002.
Most people are familiar with multi-factor authentication (MFA): after entering a password, you're asked to approve a sign-in or enter a code. MFA remains one of the most effective ways to protect accounts, but the next step in account security is already here: passkeys.
A Kelvin wave is approaching North America’s West Coast, hitting California’s beaches in early October before making its way up the coast to Washington. The promise of elevated tides and a strong El Niño can bring to mind images of tidal floods straight out of a disaster movie. What exactly is a Kelvin wave, and is it as scary as it sounds?
WWU Professor of Computer Science Moushumi Sharmin attended Brain Days at the United Nations General Assembly, which explores global collaboration in brain health research, innovation and the broader societal and policy dimensions of brain health.
Total enrollment in the College of Business and Economics reached 1,479 in fall 2026, a 24% increase over the previous academic year, a 49% increase over the last four years, and a 7-year enrollment high. “We are thrilled to see our enrollment numbers returning to pre-pandemic levels, close to those we saw in 2019,” said Deanna Kennedy, dean of the College of Business and Economics.
Carolyn Nielsen, a professor in the Department of Journalism, Public Relations & Multimedia, presented her research, "At the forefront, but cautious: How Danish reporters' view and use AI built for newsrooms" at the European Communication Research and Education Association conference in Brno, Czech Republic, on Sept. 10.
Abe Lloyd slides a 5-foot-long plant stalk down the back of his shirt and calls out, “Follow the bulrush!” He strides across the marsh, the plant rising like a tour guide’s umbrella, so no one from his wetland plant identification class gets lost in the crowd.
Academic Advising and Career Services have transitioned from their previous roles at WWU into a merged unit of Academic Advising and Career Readiness. AACR is in the process of filling vacant positions to support this mission. These positions will reinforce the work already being done to prepare students for graduation and beyond and will allow for the AACR to best serve the Western student body.
Abby Ames is no stranger to hard work. She is a grad student in Western’s Master of Science in Nursing – Leadership and Administration program. She also owns an adult family home in Mount Vernon, and she works as a rehabilitation nurse at Josephine Caring Community in Stanwood.
WWU’s Counseling and Wellness Center offers students an affordable path to a formal diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism and other neurodiverse conditions through its Neurodiversity Assessment Program to break down historic barriers in healthcare.
Christopher Hartshorne, Senior Instructor of Printmaking, will be featured in the 2026 Pacific States Biennial North American Juried Print Exhibition in Hilo, Hawai'i.
Join us on Thursday, October 15, 2026, from 8 -10 a.m. in Viking Union 565 for a data and community convening! The Counseling and Wellness Center, Health Promotion and Resilience, and Student Health Center invite staff, faculty and student leaders for breakfast and shared discussion about health and well-being at Western. Breakfast will be served at 8 a.m. and the program will formally begin at 8:30 a.m. Our time together will include presentations of data and collaborative activities that prioritize community input and shared vision.
BELLINGHAM, WA (October 2, 2026) – In celebration of International Credit Union Day and the cooperative spirit of the credit union movement, WECU is joining forces with local credit unions and community organizations for a series of service and giving opportunities throughout Whatcom and Skagit counties from September 30 through October 16.
Port Invites Community to Open House October 29
October programs at Bellingham Public Library feature spooky craft activities for kids, as well as Participate in Democracy sessions for adults and opportunities to connect with social service organizations in the SkillShare Space at the Central Library. All library programs are free of charge.
CW: Discussion of relationship abuse and survivor resources
In October the wind begins to howl as the darkness increases and the shadows lengthen, and Bellingham Public Library staff have gathered a host of haunting horror story recommendations to enthrall you while you lock the doors and batten down the hatches.
WWU Computer Science’s Dustin O’Hara and alumnus Jack Sovelove have created an AI-assisted system to make it easier to explore hundreds of hours of long-form oral-history interviews about the United States Civil Rights Movement.
Western Washington University’s annual Ralph Munro Seminar for Civic Education Oct. 15 and 16 will highlight the theme of “America 250: Lessons and Legacies of the American Revolution,” honoring the semiquincentennial of the American Revolution and exploring its legacy in our current political life.
Date and time:
The Neurodiversity Inclusion Collaborative is made up of students, staff, and faculty from across the university who advocate in identifying the needs for change on-campus and strive to bring awareness, acceptance, and community building for an inclusive and accessible campus for neurodivergent people. The Neurodiversity Inclusion Collaborative will be meeting the first Tuesday of each month at 3 p.m. on Zoom. Next meeting is Oct. 6. Get involved! Receive the meeting link and calendar invites for our upcoming meetings by emailing: neurodiversity.inclusion@wwu2.onmicrosoft.com
WWU Professor of Piano Milica Jelača Jovanović presents romantic piano masterpieces by Scriabin, Liszt, and Rachmaninoff, music by pioneering women composers Clara Wieck and Florence Price, and contemporary works by Serbian composers as part of the Bellingham Music Club's 111th season.
Professor of Chemistry Greg O’Neil has spent a decade investigating how to utilize an algae-produced wax for alternative fuel sources and cosmetics. Now, his lab has an easier time identifying and quantifying the wax thanks to a new method developed by WWU chemistry student Sarah Maffett and a team of researchers in O’Neil’s lab.
Join WWU Master of Social Work Program Director Danny Carroll and Woodring College of Education on Tuesday, Oct. 6, for Woodring Speaks: Voices in Education, Health & Community Services.
The once warm relationship between the U.S. and Canada is at its chilliest point in decades, but what does the future hold?
If you spot Associate Journalism Professor Peggy Watt on campus sporting a T-shirt with an f-bomb on it, you know she’s heading to her media law class for a lecture on student free-speech rights.
During his last quarter at Western Washington University, Jason Harper wrote a business plan for a brewery in an entrepreneurship class. That business plan looks a lot like the business he and his wife Kim run today,15 years later.
Grounded in social and environmental justice and human rights, Western’s Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies Fall 2026 World Issues Forum lecture series will focus on urgent global topics such as planetary survival, decolonization and anti-racism, human rights, migrations and the world economy.
WWU Athletics is celebrating Staff & Faculty Appreciation Night at Thursday's Vikings Volleyball and Men's Soccer home games. All WWU faculty and staff receive FREE Admission.
WWU Professor of Chemistry Tim Kowalczyk has received an additional $25,000 from the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund to investigate a more efficient method of carbon dioxide adsorption in industrial processes.
The Community Service Center, located in Viking Union 424, would like to remind campus about our volunteer platform, the Western Action for Volunteer Engagement and Service, or WAVES. If you have ever visited the Volunteer Center of Whatcom County or the Bellingham Parks Volunteer Program website, WAVES will look familiar as it uses the same platform called Galaxy Digital to highlight needs and events across the county. WAVES is specific to Western and requires a WWU login but pulls in all of those amazing opportunities across the county, in addition to needs on campus.
Bellingham and Whatcom County are accepting dog photos for their We Scoop contest through September 30, according to the city’s September 24 newsletter.
CW: Discussion of relationship abuse and survivor resources
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David Hamiter, longtime manager of the Student Technology Center (STC), will retire this month after nearly three decades of service to Western. See below for ways to wish him well and participate in his celebration.
Seiko Purdue, WWU Professor of Fiber Arts, is showing her weft ikat at "World of Threads," an international exhibition of works in Toronto from September 23 through January 17.
You may have stepped over a white salmon spray-painted beside a storm drain lately, with five words stenciled around it: NO DUMPING — DRAINS TO BAY. No, it isn't public art. It's a warning label, designed to correct something most people get wrong about how campus plumbing works.
The Western Washington University student journalists behind Klipsun magazine took home the award for the top student-produced magazine at the Association for Education and Journalism and Mass Communication conference over the summer.
Western Washington University ranked No. 1 for best value among regional universities in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho in the 2027 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, released Sept. 22.
Western Gallery is pleased to present "Are My Hands Clean?" featuring recent paintings by artist Rajkamal Kahlon on view Oct. 8, 2026 – Jan. 23, 2027. There will be an opening reception for the artist on Thursday, October 8, 5 - 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. For over 25 years, Kahlon has challenged Western knowledge production, transforming images and texts found in historical archives through intervention and painting. After discovering a particular author, book, scientific or anthropological text, the artist physically intervenes in the materials.
Presenting a brief recap of accomplishments at OppCo while Greg Winter was our executive director (plus a look at his beginnings with the company and his retirement party!)
Longtime planning staff member Darby Galligan fills a new role focused on business development and investment.