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RI County Board Chair James Bohnsack, left, presents WIU President Al Goldfarb with a $75,000 donation for WIU-QC Riverfront.
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RI County Board Donates to New Riverfront Campus; Funds Two New Scholarships

November 2, 2007

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MOLINE, IL -- The Rock Island County Board presented the Western Illinois University-Quad Cities campus with a check for $75,000 for the new Riverfront campus and announced the establishment of two new scholarships for WIU-QC students.

The board presented the WIU Foundation Quad Cities Leadership Committee with the donation today (Nov. 2) at the WIU-QC 60th Street campus. The $75,000 gift will be used for a community room, which will be named the Rock Island County Board Community Room, at the new Riverfront campus. The board has also established two $1,000 scholarships for Black Hawk College students who transfer to WIU-QC or Western students pursuing a degree in public service.

"We are appreciative of the Rock Island County Board's continued support of Western's expansion in the Quad Cities and for establishing scholarships which will help students achieve their goal of completing their degree," said Mary Lagerblade and Gene Blanc, co-chairs of the WIU Foundation Quad Cities Leadership Committee.

James Bohnsack, chair of the RI County Board of Supervisors, noted that when the Rock Island County Board heard that WIU-Quad Cities was expanding its campus in Rock Island County, the board began investigating how it could assist in Western's expansion efforts.

"We [the Rock Island County Board] have always been supportive of education," Bohnsack said. "Donating the money for the community room at the new Riverfront campus and funding two scholarships is a great way of showing Western just how committed we are to higher education."

The current WIU-Quad Cities campus serves Quad Cities area residents and placebound undergraduate students through credit and noncredit programs. WIU-QC currently offers nine upper-division undergraduate programs; 15 graduate programs; and eight post-baccalaureate certificate programs.

In Fall 2003, Deere & Company donated 20 acres of land on the Moline riverfront to Western to expand the WIU-Quad Cities facilities. The WIU Riverfront Building I, which is in the planning and design phase, will be comprised of a manufacturing technology teaching lab to support the manufacturing engineering technology degree; an executive studies center, which will offer noncredit instructional and professional development opportunities for businesses and nonprofit organizations; electronic classrooms; computer labs; distance learning classrooms; an information commons (library and other information resources) for College of Business and Technology faculty and students; and a professional writing and academic support center.

Naming opportunities exist for the various labs, classrooms and centers housed in Building I; scholarship opportunities are also available. For more information, contact the WIU Foundation at 309/298-1861 or e-mail foundation@wiu.edu. The current WIU-Quad Cities fundraising goal is $8 million to provide support for students, faculty, capital improvements and information and technologies.

"Western Illinois University's Quad Cities enrollment is projected to grow to 3,000 students when the Riverfront campus is opened," said WIU President Al Goldfarb. "Partnering with community colleges in the area, as well as with Quad Cities businesses, industries and local governments, Western is prepared to meet demand for public higher education beyond the associate's degree."





Posted By: Darcie Shinberger (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing