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KALAMAZOO, Mich.—The culture of Western ¾ÅÒ»Â鶹ÖÆƬ³§ University's football team will be the topic at the upcoming Mercantile Bank of ¾ÅÒ»Â鶹ÖÆƬ³§ Breakfast Speaker Series at 8 a.m. Friday, Feb. 23, on campus.

Tim Lester, WMU football head coach, will give a presentation titled "WMU Football: Culture Wins" in 2150 Schneider Hall.

Hosted by the Haworth College of Business, the event is free and open to the public and begins with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (269) 387-6059 or at wmich.edu/business/mercantile-rsvp. Free parking is available at Fetzer Center Lot 72F.

Lester

Lester was named the 16th head football coach in school history in January 2017. He has risen through the coaching ranks after completing a Hall of Fame playing career at the University. Lester was a four-year starter at quarterback at WMU from 1996 to 1999, leading the Broncos to a Mid-American Conference championship appearance his senior season. He also made a stop as an assistant coach at his alma mater during the 2005 and 2006 seasons.

After college, Lester played with the Chicago Enforcers of the XFL in 2001, the Nashville Kats and Carolina Cobras of the Arena Football League in 2001, and the Memphis Xplorers of the Arena Football League 2 in 2002. He earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics from WMU in 2000 and was inducted into the University's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.

WMU led the Mid-American Conference with 12 all-conference selections in 2017 and had 16 Academic All-MAC selections, five Distinguished Scholar-Athletes and a College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District selection. The Broncos posted a 3.08 team grade point average, the second highest in program history.

On the recruiting front, WMU signed the highest-rated recruiting class in MAC history this past December.

Haworth College of Business

WMU's Haworth College of Business, one of the largest schools of business in the United States, is the academic home to more than 3,500 undergraduate students majoring in 18 specialized areas of business. An additional 500 graduate students study business administration and accountancy.

It is among an elite group of fewer than 5 percent of business schools worldwide that are accredited at both the undergraduate and graduate levels by the AACSB International—the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. It is among a select 1 percent of business schools worldwide that have additional specialized AACSB accreditation for their accountancy programs.

Learn more at wmich.edu/business.

Upcoming presentations

• March 30, Chris Burns, fixed income analyst, Greenleaf Trust
• April 27, Jim Ritsema, Kalamazoo city manager

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.