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Western Illinois University's chemistry program was named the best in the nation for women in STEM by Washington Monthly.
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WIU Chemistry Named Top Program for Women in STEM

September 12, 2024

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MACOMB, IL - - Western Illinois University's chemistry program was named the best in the nation for women in STEM by Washington Monthly.

The publication released its annual rankings of colleges and universities, which saw WIU place strongly in multiple categories, highlighted by being placed first in their "Best and Worst Colleges for Women in STEM" compared to all other chemistry programs nationwide. Factors leading to the top ranking are the amount of recent graduates, demographics and median earnings five years after graduation.

"Over the years we have made efforts to foster research and scholarly activities of women in STEM disciplines," said Jin Jin, associate chemistry professor at WIU. "Our Women in Science (WIS) student organization was developed in 2020 and allows students to make network connections with successful alumni scientists. These alumni donate funds for Women in Science scholarships for our students. For the last 7 years, the chemistry department at WIU has been working with the biology, Physics and EAGIS faculties to host the annual Girl Scout STEM program. We will continue working on these programs to attract more women scientists."

Additionally, WIU was recognized in national rankings as the #23 school among other liberal arts colleges (#2 among colleges in Illinois) and #31 among Midwest schools in the "Best Bang for the Buck" rankings (#2 in Illinois).

Learn more about WIU's chemistry department at wiu.edu/chemistry.

To view Washington Monthly's rankings, visit washingtonmonthly.com/2024-college-guide.

Posted By: Aaron Viner (AP-Viner@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing