WMU

Western Michigan University launches a new four-year degree program in cybersecurity in the fall 2020 semester.

This is the first in a series of stories about everyday life during the COVID-19 pandemic, as told through sound.

In March, Kalamazoo College and Western Michigan University sent most of their students home because of the virus. That has meant a big change in the soundscape around Gail Griffin’s house.

Western Michigan University sociologist Ron Kramer no longer uses the term “climate change.” He calls it the "climate crisis."

189 musicians from around the world applied to the Stulberg International String Competition by the deadline in February. Then the new executive director, Megan Yankee,  had to think fast when the coronavirus pandemic hit. This Saturday, May 16, the semifinalists won’t be waiting in the wings of the Dalton Center Recital Hall to hear the winners announced. They’ll be at home, watching online like everyone else. In an interview with Cara Lieurance, Yankee explained that she consulted with the Stulberg board, the adjudicators, and the semifinalists to see if they would agree to putting the competition online. 

The 12 semi-finalists will be judged on videos they already submitted when they applied for the competition. Each will also create a video of music by Bach. The videos will stream online beginning at noon Saturday, and the final results should be announced sometime after 3:30 pm.