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WIU Mourns Loss of Legendary Football Coach Saban | Hallwas Named Distinguished Alumnus | Frieden Receives Young Alumni Excellence Award | Western Leads State in Four-Year Guarantees | BOT Approves Lease Space for Engineering Program

Western Illinois Mourns Loss of Legendary Football Coach Lou Saban

Western Illinois University, along with many other collegiate and professional organizations this week, is mourning the loss of legendary football coach Lou Saban, who passed away Sunday at the age of 87.

“I think I speak for the entire Leatherneck community in expressing our deep sorrow to Lou’s family,” said current Western Illinois head coach Don Patterson. “We are so grateful for all he accomplished at Western Illinois University in such a short time. Leatherneck football owes a lot to Lou Saban.”

Saban coached the only undefeated team in school history - the 1959 Leathernecks who went 9-0 and won each of their games by an average of 22 points. His 1958 squad earned a 6-1-1 record, suffering its only loss by a single point and winning the first of back-to-back conference titles. Saban’s three seasons with the Leathernecks, 1957-59, resulted in a 20-5-1 record, two first-place finishes and a second-place finish in the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Click here to read more on Saban.

Hallwas Named 2009 Distinguished Alumnus

The outstanding accomplishments of John Hallwas will be recognized Saturday, May 16 when he is presented the Western Illinois University Distinguished Alumnus Award at the Spring 2009 Commencement Exercises.

The Distinguished Alumni Award, given since 1973, recognizes alumni who have reached the pinnacle of their careers and have brought credit to the University and themselves through their professional accomplishments or community service at local, state, or national levels and have extended meritorious service for the advancement and continued excellence of WIU.

Hallwas, a 1967 and 1968 graduate in English, served as an English professor and archivist at Western for 34 years, retiring in September 2004.

Click here to read more on Hallwas.

Frieden Named Inaugural Young Alumni Excellence Award Recipient

Western Illinois University graduate Aundrea "Andi" Frieden has been named the inaugural recipient of the WIU Young Alumni Excellence Award. Frieden will be recognized Saturday, May 16 at the Spring 2009 Commencement Exercises.

The Young Alumni Excellence Award is presented to an alumnus/na who has demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in his/her chosen field, exceptional service in local, state or national affairs and exceptional service in support of the advancement and continued excellence of Western, and is not yet 35 years of age.

Frieden, a 1996 political science and pre-law graduate, is a partner with Gibbs & Bruns, LLP in Houston, TX. While she focuses much of her practice on securities matters, the scope of her litigation experience includes contract, environmental, construction, oil and gas, medical malpractice, intellectual property and directors' liability matters. Her practice has included representation of the Enron Board of Directors in connection with that company's iconic end, as well as pro bono representation of the City of Houston in defense of its air pollution ordinance.

Click here to read more on Frieden.

Western Leads State Universities in Four-Year Guarantees

The promise of a quality education from an accredited public university may seem more like a dream than a reality these days. Students and families may wonder if they will be able to afford the rising costs of higher education. Western Illinois University makes that dream of attending a college a reality by providing a quality, accessible and affordable education.

While other public universities in Illinois offer fixed tuition rates for students, Western was the first – and is still the only – university in the state to offer an exclusive Cost Guarantee that includes fixed tuition, fees, room and board.

Click here to read more.

BOT Approves Lease Space for WIU-QC Engineering Program

The Western Illinois University Board of Trustees approved at its March meeting in Macomb a lease agreement with Ruhl & Ruhl Commercial Company to lease The Caxton Block Building, 1701 River Dr., Moline, to temporarily house the new WIU-Quad Cities engineering program which begins in Fall 2009.

The Caxton Block Building is close to the WIU-QC Riverfront Campus and is part of the City of Moline's Mississippi River Urban Technology Corridor. The lease is for a period of up to five years at a cost not to exceed $200,000 annually.

According to Vice President of Quad Cities, Planning and Technology Joe Rives, the location of the Caxton Block Building supports the donors' (The Moline Foundation and the John Deere Foundation) wishes and the University's Higher Values in Higher Education 2008-2018 Strategic Plan goals related to community partnerships.

Click here to read more.

Congratulations to the April winner-- Arthur Miller III '04. He found Rocky on the Athletics webpage.

Can you find this exact Rocky (in black and white) some where else in the eNewsletter? If you find him, email us at A-Association@wiu.edu and let us know where he was placed. One winner will be picked from all the entries emailed on the first day of the month and will get a WIU Prize Pack! Good luck.

**Congratulations to the March winner--Stephanie Zimmerman '98. She found Rocky on the Student Life webpage.

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