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Staff from Western Washington University's University Communications and Marketing (UCM) office recently took home five regional awards and one national award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.
Do you have gently used professional clothing hanging in your closet that could use a new home? The WWU Career Closet is accepting donations!
Dine With Cheer: Maple Alley Inn Holiday Meals
A book WWU’s Dustin Van Orman helped write was recently honored as a 2026 American Educational Studies Association Critics’ Choice Book.
Most Pacific Northwesterners know of eight-time GRAMMY nominee Death Cab for Cutie, but you might not know that the band started right here at Western. Nick Harmer and Ben Gibbard met as WWU students, became roommates and started one of the defining indie rock bands of the 21st century.
In mid-September, a deeply unsettling video of an unblinking Elizabeth Holmes calmly (and a bit creepily) asking, “Why would I deceive you?” went viral.
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.
Joshua Porter, director of Western Washington University’s Sustainability Pathways program, received Thriving Together North Central Washington’s 2026 Heart of Belonging Award. The organization presented the award during its annual summit in Moses Lake on Oct. 23.
The Sustainability Engagement Institute is launching a campus-wide donation drive to purchase bulk local organic produce for students facing food insecurity. With the upcoming holidays, our Viking Supported Agriculture Foundation Fund is getting dangerously low.
Beginning in November, many Bellingham Public Library programs for adults and children will transition to the new Bellis Fair Library Multipurpose Room, at space 614 inside Bellis Fair Mall, next door to the Bellis Fair Library Branch. Highlights for the month include a continuation of the Participate in Democracy series for adults, as well as several open house events and programs featuring community partners. Children’s Storytimes at Bellis Fair Library will also move to the Multipurpose Room. Additional children’s programs will be held at the Central Library, including a special Foliage Fiesta Storytime for kids and their families.
From spooky to spectacular, campus was bursting with creativity this year. Check out some of the costumes we spotted on campus Friday — maybe you’ll see yourself (or a friend) in the mix!
WWU will test its Western Alert emergency notification system on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 10:50 a.m.
When two students helped establish the Ethics Bowl at Western Washington University, they weren’t expecting to take home third place in their first quarter as a club.
Please join a special edition of the Whatcom Immigration Summit on Thursday, Nov. 5 from 4 to 6:30 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of the Viking Union (VU 605) with the theme "Paths Toward Belonging & Safety."
The harsh, cool-toned lights of the stairwell lead into the dim hallway of the basement in Bond Hall. Light seeps under the doors of SciTech’s University Shops, where engineers are hard at work building tools for innovation.
Theo Newcomb, a Western Washington University student and former member of Western’s men’s rowing team, started falling in love with cycling while recovering from a rowing injury.
Arwa Kooli, a Fulbright scholar-in-residence visiting from Tunisia, is spending the school year teaching classes, lecturing and conducting research projects at Western Washington University’s Department of Journalism, Public Relations & Multimedia.
November is recognized nationally as Native American Heritage Month, a time to honor and celebrate the history, culture, and sovereignty of Indigenous peoples. At Bellingham Public Library we celebrate this heritage through our commitment to recognizing and supporting Indigenous voices. Our Library staff thoughtfully curates recommendations for reading, listening, and viewing across all ages, offering resources that highlight Native American stories, histories, and perspectives. We invite our community to explore Native American Heritage materials and engage with the rich traditions and contributions of Native American cultures.
The Political Science Association is excited to host a 2026 Midterm Watch Party on Tuesday, November 3 starting at 6:30 pm in Arntzen Hall 004.
PEBB’s annual open enrollment for the 2027 plan year officially began Monday, Oct. 26. Employees are encouraged to review and make any applicable changes or enrollments before Monday, November 23.
Arboretum Drive and adjacent trails will close Nov. 2–5 and 9–12 while City Urban Forestry and Washington Conservation Corps crews remove a one‑acre patch of invasive Siberian elms.
Much like Opportunity Council beginning in a small room with just a typewriter, CAZ had its own humble beginnings—this time in a garage with a Subaru. CAZ, “Comfort from A to Z,” was founded in 2010 by Dan Dunne. A former employee of Opportunity Council, Dan took the skills he gained working in our Weatherization program and launched his own business doing energy audits. He joined forces with a friend, James Reider, to expand to insulation services and the company quickly began to grow from there.
Construction for the Western Welcome Center, located at the south end of the academic core of campus, remains on schedule after excellent progress made through the summer and into the fall. Structural steel installation was completed on Sept. 28, and exterior wall framing has begun. Concrete slabs have been poured on all levels.
Sandra Alfers, Professor of German in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures has been awarded the 2026 Goethe-Institut/AATG Certificate of Merit. She is one of only nine educators nationally to be recognized this year.
Five performances only on Mainstage in the Performing Arts Center November 20 through 22.
The Department of Art and Art History invites undergraduate students to participate in the first annual Art History Undergraduate Symposium, which will take place in February 2027 on WWU Bellingham campus.
Artificial intelligence tools can help summarize information, draft content, generate ideas and save time. Many Western employees are already exploring how these tools can support teaching, research and administrative work.
National Geographic’s November 2026 issue features a cover photo of a diver swimming through vivid blue water past a galaxy of crimson Antarctic sea stars. The diver is Dexter Davis, a Western Washington University alumnus.
Groceries are expensive! Join us on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in Red Square to sign up for SNAP/Food Assistance. SNAP is the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that provides free grocery money to individuals who are eligible. We will have DSHS (Department of Social and Health Services) to help students through the entire application process.
When: Monday, Nov. 2, 5 p.m.
In his new book, “Rethinking Social Justice,” WWU Communication Studies Professor Michael Karlberg argues that social justice movements could use an injection of radical imagination.
WWU students who have experienced stalking, sexual assault, intimate partner violence and/or sexual harassment have the option to seek support and/or report to the Office for Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance (CRTC). Please note that CRTC is not a confidential resource but is an office that prioritizes your privacy.
Western Washington University was among the recipients of the Zero+ Champions of Sustainability award presented at Lumen Field Oct. 11.
A new book co-authored by Associate Professor of Anthropology Natalie Baloy prepares scholars for the ethical questions they’ll face in community-based research projects.
"Ability Awareness," a PBS program produced, directed, and edited by WWU Studio Art instructor Peter Rand, won the 2026 NETA Public Media Award in the Education category. Rand has produced the program for five years.
Western Washington University Art and Art History students with professors Cynthia Camlin and Monique Kerman are hosting an open studio event at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in studio 1 of La Cebo building 17, Esplanade du port in Auvillar, France on October 29 from 5 to 7 p.m.
Kaiser Borsari Hall reached a major sustainability milestone with its recent dual certification by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) as a Zero Carbon and Zero Energy building. With this achievement, Kaiser Borsari Hall became the first higher education STEM building in the United States to earn both certifications simultaneously—and the first state-funded building in Washington to receive ILFI certification as an approved alternative to the LEED Silver standard required by state law.
Phishing emails are becoming more convincing.
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.
Longtime planning staff member Darby Galligan fills a new role focused on business development and investment.