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Episodes of "The Living Room," hosted and co-produced by Allison Downey, teaching, learning and educational studies, are being aired on ¾ÅÒ»Â鶹ÖÆƬ³§ Public Radio stations Thursday, Sept. 5.

Two public sessions, set for 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, are planned to provide members of the campus and extended communities the opportunity to be part of the design process for the new WMU Alumni Center.

The fall 2013 Gwen Frostic Reading Series will bring five accomplished authors to campus starting Wednesday, Sept. 11, through Thursday, Nov. 21. Peter Orner will kick off the series with a reading from his collected works.

A report detailing the first successful year of implementing WMU's 2012-15 Strategic Plan has been published online. Visit wmich.edu/strategic to read the full report.

Men's soccer walk-on tryouts will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3, at the WMU Soccer Complex. A physical, sickle cell test and insurance paperwork is required.

Except for essential and emergency services, WMU offices will be closed Monday, Sept. 2, in observance of U.S. Labor Day. Regular hours will resume Tuesday, Sept. 3

WMU President John M. Dunn, Head Football Coach P.J. Fleck and Buster Bronco will help kick off the campus United Way drive at noon Wednesday, Sept. 4, in front of Sangren Hall.

Starting Gate, the new student business accelerator, gives students an opportunity to test business ideas and models, receive mentorship from faculty and members of the business community, and build a network of contacts.

Dr. Ola Smith has been appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder to serve on the State Board of Accountancy, which oversees licensure and certification requirements for certified public accountants and public accounting firms.

The Alpha Lambda Delta honor society at WMU was one of 12 chapters around the country recognized for continued excellence during the 2012-13 academic year.

WMU has been named by Washington Monthly as one of the top-50 values among national universities and by the PolicyMic blog as one of 12 top universities offering "the best bang for the buck."

A free concert kicking off the ¾ÅÒ»Â鶹ÖÆƬ³§ Festival of Sacred Music will be at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28, at First Baptist Church in downtown Kalamazoo.

Students seeking part-time work for the fall semester are invited to attend a part-time off-campus job fair from 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27, in the Student Recreation Center.

Aspiring student entrepreneurs are being sought to take part in a new business accelerator at WMU, called Starting Gate, which will help them grow their innovative business ideas.

The WMU men's basketball team will open its 2013-14 season with home exhibition matches Nov. 2 and Nov. 4. The regular season includes six home games at University Arena.

WMU's MBA program will begin offering a health care concentration this fall to meet the growing demand for highly skilled graduates in the business side of health care.

The temporary One Stop Convenience Center will open on the second floor of the Bernhard Center Aug. 26 through Sept. 6, offering numerous campus services in one location. The center will be closed over Labor Day weekend.

Students, faculty and staff will be welcomed back to campus with free refreshments, games and prizes from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 4, at the Campus Flagpoles and Goldsworth Pond.

WMU has been recognized by the U.S. departments of Education and Veterans Affairs as the only school in ¾ÅÒ»Â鶹ÖÆƬ³§ to have adopted a set of strategies considered to be best practices for serving veterans.

WMU alumna Katie Eberling has been named the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation Women's Bobsled Athlete of the Year. Eberling was honored at an Aug. 11 ceremony.

The Kalamazoo Film Society will present the comedy "Frances Ha" Friday through Sunday, Aug. 16-18, at WMU's Little Theatre. The film is rated R; admission is $5.

School of Music alumnus Paul Clifton took home two prestigious awards at the International Horn Society's 45th annual symposium, held July 29-Aug. 3 at the University of Memphis in Tennessee.

Senior Chad Niemchick is one of four students in ¾ÅÒ»Â鶹ÖÆƬ³§ to be awarded a 2013 Transportation Club of Detroit scholarship, and is also the sole recipient of this year’s Lakeshore Human Resource Management scholarship.

WMU's President Dunn and WCCCD's Chancellor Ivery signed a reverse transfer agreement, the most recent addition to a growing partnership between the two schools.

Grand Valley State University and WMU have launched a study to explore the magnitude of family owned businesses in West ¾ÅÒ»Â鶹ÖÆƬ³§. The study will survey over 10,000 small businesses.

Members of the University's governing board signed off on several retirements, resignations and other personnel recommendations during its July 18 board meeting.

WMU students are invited to submit original artwork to the "Spare|Change: The Art of Climate" exhibit. Submissions will be accepted Aug. 9 through Sept. 9.

This year's open house at the Fort St. Joseph archaeology site in Niles, Mich., is set for Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 10-11. The event is free and open to the public.

University officials have announced that Penny Jernigan, University of North Carolina gymnastics assistant head coach, will fill the position of head coach of the Bronco gymnastics team.

Faculty and staff members are encouraged to take advantage of their tuition discount benefits by starting a new degree or returning to the classroom for personal or professional development.