This was taken at the grand opening of the 5th avenue apple store in new york city. A man in a wheelchair came up to Steve Jobs and asked for his autograph. Jobs proceeded to tell him “no. sign it yourself” in an arrogant way. More…

International Student Follows in Father’s Footsteps at WIU

MACOMB, IL – When it came time for Dong-jin Kim from South Korea to select a university for his master’s degree, Western Illinois University was at the top of the list thanks to the Kim family’s history with the Midwestern school.

Kim, who is a first-semester master’s degree student in the educational leadership program at Western this fall, actually spent a few of his formative years at WIU while his father, Dr. Hyuk-Jong Kim, who has served as the president of Gwangju University since May 2003, attended graduate school. Hyuk-Jong and his wife Sook-nam Song lived in Macomb from August 1985 until 1987. Though the family returned to Korea briefly for Dong-jin’s birth, they returned to Lamoine Village on the Macomb campus, which Dong-jin now calls home once again.

“I heard a lot about Western when I was growing up,” Dong-jin said. “My parents had positive experiences here, and I feel fortunate that I had a chance to come here.”

Western’s relationship with the Kim family continued to flourish following Hyuk-Jong’s graduation. He has been instrumental in supporting Gwangju University students who participate in Western’s summer program, which allows students to improve their English skills and learn more about America. In addition, Hyuk-Jong hosted 12 Fulbright Group Study Abroad educators, led by WIU faculty Siyoung Park and Patti Jones, at Gwangju in 2005. In Spring 2010, Dr. Kim was named the inaugural recipient of the WIU International Alumni Achievement Award.

On a recent visit to Macomb, Kim’s mother recalled how friendly the faculty and staff were to her family, as well as to other Korean students who were studying at WIU.

“Our family became good friends with [the late President Emeritus] Leslie Malpass,” Sook-nam said. [The late English Professor Emeritus] Jai-Hyon Lee was like a godfather to many Korean students at Western.”

During her time here in the 1980s, Sook-nam took printmaking classes through the art department, and during her most recent visit to Macomb, she donated two of her prints to Western.

Prior to Hyuk Jong Kim’s and Sook-nam Song’s arrival at Western in 1985, Dr. Kim’s father, In-Kon Kim, was honored in 1983 with an honorary doctorate from WIU. Dr. In-Kon Kim, referred to at Gwangju University as Founder Kim, endowed a special scholarship for Korean students at WIU because of his friendship with President Emeritus Malpass.

“It was a pleasure to meet Dong-jin and Sook-nam, and to hear of their family’s longstanding connection to Western Illinois University and the important relationship between Western and Gwangju University,” said President Jack Thomas. “We are also grateful to Sook-nam for her donation of two beautiful prints to Western’s permanent art collection.”

Dong-jin has nothing but praise for Western faculty and staff who work with international students.

“Everyone has been very kind to me and to all international students, especially (Professor Emeritus of Geography) Dr. Siyoung Park and Patti Jones (WESL Director Emeritus),” Dong-jin said.

Just like his father, Dong-jin earned his bachelor’s degree in education and English literature at Sungkyunkwan University, one of the oldest and most prestigious Confucian institutions in Korea. And now he is proud to continue that same legacy as his father did by pursuing his master’s degree at Western Illinois University.

Copy By: WIU

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL — In the last decade, the U.S. military has seen an increased demand for high performance structural materials that are also lightweight. More specifically, the Army has seen an increased demand for lightweight armament systems using titanium, aluminum and magnesium. This challenge has led to the creation of the Quad Cities Manufacturing Lab (QCML), a nonprofit research and development company at the Rock Island Arsenal and operated under contract with Western Illinois University’s College of Business and Technology (CBT).

Last month, the QCML and WIU finalized a five-year contract with the Department of Defense for research and development of technologies and capabilities associated with manufacturing and processing parts using titanium, aluminum, magnesium and other light weight metals and metal composites.

“Current military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have clearly demonstrated the need for lightweight materials to be placed into service in a broad range of military equipment,” said Col. James O. Fly, Jr., commander Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center. “It is imperative that strategic advances be made to exploit existing and emerging manufacturing techniques and lightweight materials.”

The development capabilities of the QCML will have an immediate application in armament manufacturing to provide better resources for the U.S. military and will provide manufacturing opportunities for commercial industries, especially in the Quad City area.

“Western and the Rock Island Arsenal have been successful partners in education for many years, and we are pleased to enter into this new partnership with the Arsenal and Department of Defense that provides a boost to the region’s economic development opportunities, while also providing experience to our engineering students,” said WIU President Al Goldfarb.

The QCML cooperative contract is based on annual funding of $4 million which will provide for the acquisition of additional sophisticated equipment to conduct high-level manufacturing research and development.

“The QCML’s goal is to meet the dual objectives of technology development and prototype application. The goal of the program is to transfer technology through prototype demonstrations in manufacturing of various armament applications to the Rock Island Arsenal,” said QCML Executive Director Jim Sears, a national leader a national leader in manufacturing technologies with a background in titanium processing technologies, NNSM, additive manufacturing approaches, powder metallurgy and emerging technologies. “The focus of this program is Near Net Shape Manufacturing (NNSM) of titanium and other advanced metals for armament systems.”

Long term, the vision is to build a technological “cluster” of new companies in the Quad Cities region that focus on advanced metal technologies. Through this venture, Western would transfer or license QCML proprietary technologies to other manufacturing companies. Several companies have already expressed interest in locating their operations near the QCML to benefit from these opportunities, according to Sears. He noted that HF Webster has already started planning for relocation to the technology cluster, with the potential of retaining a significant number of jobs at the Arsenal and adding new jobs to the QC region.

“This venture is a win-win all around. It’s perfectly aligned with WIU’s engineering program,” said CBT Dean Tom Erekson. “Through the QCML, our engineering students have opportunities to work with sophisticated equipment, complete internships, conduct research and help in the development of these new technologies.”

WIU’s first two engineering graduates participated in research at the QCML last year.

The region’s interests are represented through the QCML’s nine-member board of directors. The team includes leaders from the military, manufacturing and higher education across the region.

“This has been such an outstanding community effort. From the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce to the cities’ mayors, all of this wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the cooperation and vision of the community,” said QCML Board Chair Rick John pointed out.

“Through these efforts within the community, we’re also helping to secure a more stable future for the Arsenal,” Sears added. “I can’t thank our national legislators enough — Senators Durbin, Grassley, Harkin Kirk and Representatives Braley, Loebsack and Schilling. With their help, we’re creating a viable long-term entity that will create advanced, technology-based jobs for the Quad Cities region.”

For additional information, contact Sears at JW-Sears@wiu.edu or visit QCML.org.

Copy By: WIU

Comment posted on article

andydread | permalink
Good for you Sony. Good for you. You as the most prominent RIAA/MPAA member actively lobbies and lies to congress about lost profits due to piracy. You lobbied to turn college faculty/staff into IP police or lose funding. You lobbied for the DMCA, You lobbied for COICA to kick your customers off the internet. You lobbied for PRO-IP act with misrepresentations to congress. You lobbied to turn your customers into FELONS for streaming media, you are the one that called your customers “thugs”. You have sued thousands of your customers for file sharing. Your reckless disregard for online privacy with your attempt to set a precedent in US courts where visitors of a site/blog data can be subject to subpoena. You installed rootkits on your customer’s computers and had the arrogance to say “Most people don’t even know what a rootkit is so what’s the big deal” You sell products then remove features after customers have payed you in good faith for those features. You have become and anti-consumer company yet rely primarily on consumers for your survival. As a former loyal customer I have absolutely no sympathy for what is happening to you. You deserve it.

Sincerely
Former Sony Fanboi.

Those students who were arrested will also face disciplinary action from the University. It is sad that those individuals have such little respect for themselves, their community and their university, and that they, along with visitors to this community, can tarnish Western Illinois University’s reputation.

We will continue to work with our community and law enforcement to prevent events of this magnitude from happening again in the future.

Sincerely,

Al Goldfarb
President
Western Illinois University

http://www.wiu.edu/news/newsrelease.php?release_id=8946

The Macomb Police Department maintained order during the day and checked IDs in search of underage drinkers, but later used anti-riot tactics to break up the public disturbance.

- Western Courier

LRAD device used? That is just not needed in this situation.

Why America needs to free itself from oil

SLEJA Faculty to Host Russian Officials; Research Partnership to be Established

MACOMB, IL — Faculty and staff from Western Illinois University and its School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration’s Center for Applied Criminal Justice will host four visitors Friday, May 7 from the Academy of the Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation. According to Vladimir Sergevnin, director of the Center for Applied Criminal Justice in Western’s School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration (SLEJA), the SLEJA and the Center for Applied Criminal Justice and the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board Executive Institute are establishing a research partnership with the Russian Academy of Public Administration.

The Russian officials’ visit will include a 3:30 p.m. presentation for SLEJA faculty and students (Stipes Hall 121) and meetings with WIU Provost Jack Thomas, Macomb Mayor Mick Wisslead and others. An itinerary for the visit is listed below.

Visiting Western and Macomb from the Academy of the Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation are: Director of the Russian Academy of Public Administration under the President of Russian Federation Andrei Mikhailovich Naumov; Head of the Department of Specialized Legal Disciplines Boris Nikolayevich Neskorodov; Deputy Director of General Affairs and In-Service Education Chirikin Victor Alexandrovich; and Dean of the College of Economics and Law Milenkiy Alexander Vsevolodovich.

Itinerary:

Friday, May 7
7:30 a.m. — Breakfast meeting with Director of WIU’s SLEJA Darrell Ross

9 a.m. — Meeting with Macomb Mayor Mick Wissleand to discuss “managing the municipal services”

11 a.m. — Meeting with WIU Provost Jack Thomas; discussion on memorandum of understanding and agreement

12:30 p.m. — Lunch meeting with Thomas and Director of WIU’s Center for International Studies Terry Rodenberg

2 p.m. — Meeting with Former McDonough County State’s Attorney and Assistant Professor in WIU’s SLEJA William Poncin at the McDonough County Courthouse to discuss legal issues in small communities

3:30 p.m. — “The Academy of Public Administration under the President of Russian Federation Profile” presentation for SLEJA faculty and students, Stipes Hall 121

6 p.m. — Dinner meeting with Director of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board Executive Institute Susie Nichols to discuss research and publication partnerships

For more information, contact Sergevnin at (309) 298-2276 or VA-Sergevnin@wiu.edu. Learn more about the Center for Applied Criminal Justice at WIU at www.wiu.edu/users/cacj/index.html.

Copy By: Teresa Koltzenburg

MACOMB, IL – - Miss Illinois 2009 Erin O’Connor, who is a Western Illinois University theatre-acting major and dance minor, was interviewed on ABC7 Chicago (WLS-TV) Jan. 11 by Hosea Sanders.

The interview, which is available at http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?sectionresources&idr11510, includes a look at the upcoming Miss America Pageant (www.missamerica.org) at 7 p.m. (CT) Saturday, Jan. 30 in Las Vegas, which will be televised live on TLC; as well as O’Connor’s platform, which is skin cancer education and prevention. The 20-year-old lost her mother to melanoma in May 2007.

“Since that time, I have devoted myself to skin cancer prevention by working as an advocate for the American Cancer Society,” said O’Connor, who was a team captain in a Spring 2009 Relay for Life event at Western that raised $1,500 for cancer research. She also speaks to schoolchildren about skin cancer prevention.

For her talent, O’Connor (Evergreen Park, IL) will perform ballet en pointe to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.”

O’Connor was crowned the 2009 Miss Illinois June 20 at the Miss Illinois Pageant in
St. Charles.

She has performed in University Theatre productions, unrehearsed Shakespeare plays through the theatre department and two major dance shows each year. O’Connor plans on returning to Western to finish her degree in theatre and possibly pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree.

She is the daughter of Terrence O’Connor and the late Mary Kay O’Connor of Evergreen Park and a graduate of Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School (Chicago).

Copy By: Bonnie Barker