Fall 2011

Fall Family Open House, an activity-filled weekend designed for students and families to get together to sample Western's academic, cultural, athletic and social offerings, is coming up soon.

Future Vikings: Western Fall Welcome, the season's biggest campus visit event for prospective students, is Oct. 22.

Environmental Journalism senior and Honors Program student Becky Tachihara spent a summer in the Siberian Arctic with the Polaris Project, funded by the National Science Foundation. Tachihara will discuss the adventure, and other research opportunities available to Honors Program students at Fall Family Open House.

"I don't know what major to choose?"

"There's nothing to do here?"

"I'm sick?"

To help you better prepare for that first frantic phone call, email, or text message, we've pulled together a few common concerns that families of first year students might hear.

Visiting the Center for Service-Learning (CSL) in Wilson Library is the best way for students to learn more about volunteer opportunities and upcoming service projects. The CSL offers a variety of resources for students.

It's more important than ever for students to have accurate information about starting salaries and to develop the financial literacy skills to make wise decisions about how to cover their educational expenses.

Viking CareerLink features on-campus recruiting requests, hosts an interactive calendar of upcoming career fairs, information sessions, workshops and other special events. Students can upload their resumes, cover letters, and transcript and make them visible to employers.

"It's a one-stop shop for those looking for work," says Aaron Ignac, the Career Services Center's assistant director of operations.

Students operate differently now than they used to, says Carmen Werder, the Learning Commons' director. They're much more interactive, more social in the ways they glean and share information.

Prothero's New York Times bestseller "Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know–and Doesn't" (HarperOne, 2007), is the Western Reads Book for 2011-12. The author will discuss religion and American culture during his visit to campus and answer questions following the talk.

The $51.5 million project, funded by the Washington State Legislature, included renovations to classrooms, computer labs, offices and support facilities for Woodring College of Education, Department of Modern and Classical Languages and the Center for International Studies.

The work also produced about $78 million in economic revenue and about 500 jobs in Whatcom County. A public re-dedication ceremony will be Nov. 2

See photos of the new Miller Hall, including the new "green roof" here.

Not only can the friendly voice on the other end of the phone fill you in on what it's like to be a Western student, but they'll also tell you that the Parent Annual Fund supports programs and services on campus that help turn your child's hard-earned degree into the reality of a job.

Student Financial Services keeps a comprehensive information page about Western's new refund disbursement program.