Communications

Recent messages

Dear teammates, 

I am excited to share great news!  Our state continues to see WMU as the place to invest for innovation.  Our Biosciences Research and Commercialization Center was awarded $5.3 million from the state of Michigan to help accelerate entrepreneurial ventures in biotechnology.  This major investment comes from the newly launched Michigan Innovation Fund, created through a bipartisan effort to support business innovation and economic growth.  WMU is among the first recipients—a total of $60 million went to just eight venture funds across the state.  

This is proof that your work matters to our state’s leaders.  From graduating the next generation of Broncos who make a difference in our world to helping to launch business ventures that create jobs, Western is delivering outcomes that serve our students, our communities and our state.

This investment would not have been possible without the strong leadership of Steve Haakenson, who has led the Biosciences Research and Commercialization Center since 2012, and his continued commitment to advancing research from laboratory to the market, as well as the governing board of directors who support the mission.  Making a positive impact on our communities by creating jobs and advancing discovery are in Western's DNA, and the BRCC will now have a greater opportunity to contribute. 

It has been about a month since I joined you, and we are now just weeks away from the start of fall classes.  Since my appointment, I’ve had the privilege of meeting students, parents, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of WMU here at home and in Grand Rapids, Detroit and Chicago.  No matter where I go, I see and hear a clear message: People believe in Western.  They see our strides and our promise.  And they are excited about the future.  I feel the same, and I hope you do also.  

This momentum and admiration are rooted in WMU's dedication to fueling student success, creating community impact, broadening the impact of knowledge and driving economic development.  As your biggest cheerleader, and the proud Bronco Advocate in Chief, I will continue to champion the value we bring.  WMU creates opportunity.  We shape lives.  We build futures.  WMU delivers—and it is because of you, my teammates. 

Thank you for the essential role you play in this work.  I am immensely proud to be your teammate. 

Go Broncos! 

Russ Kavalhuna 
President

Bronco Nation, 

We are all excited for the start of the academic year!  It feels great to be back home at WMU, and my highest priority is listening and learning from you.  Together, we are all WMU, and we will shape our future together.  

As promised, we are launching a series of listening sessions with support from a Presidential Transition Team.  I am grateful that this work is being co-led by WMU Board of Trustees Chair Shelly Edgerton and Dr. Amy Naugle, professor of psychology.  The full team includes representatives from student government, faculty and staff organizations, administrators and the broader community.  I appreciate their help making this an inclusive and open process.

The first of many sessions will take place on Thursday, Aug. 28, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in Waldo Library, Room 3016.  These listening sessions will be fully open to all, and we will aim to make each session generally focused on a particular constituency.  This first session will focus on hearing from staff—whose insights and experiences are essential to the strength and success of WMU.   

Future sessions, including in September, will focus on faculty, students, alumni and our external partners and friends.  Upcoming sessions include a student session on Sept. 3 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in Sangren Hall, Room 1710; a faculty session on Sept. 4 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in Waldo Library, Room 3016; a general campus and community session on Sept. 8 from 9:30 to 11 a.m. in Waldo Library, Room 3016; and an academic chairs and directors session on Sept. 15 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in Waldo Library, Room 3016. 

At each session, we will explore such questions as: 

  • What are WMU’s greatest strengths?
  • What do you want me to understand about your experience here? 
  • What’s one change that would make a meaningful difference for you? 
  • What challenges or barriers should we address in the next 1-3 years?

We encourage you to share thoughts in whatever way feels most comfortable—whether speaking during the session or submitting comments anonymously through Slido moderation technology with your phone. 

I will be listening for the themes that emerge—none of which will be attributed to individuals—and I am committed to sharing what I hear with our broader community. 

This listening tour is just one way we will connect.  I look forward to hearing from you as teammates through conversations and opportunities as these sessions unfold and during the coming year.

Sincerely, 
 
Russ Kavalhuna

Hey Broncos! 

Today is my first official day as president of Western Michigan University, and I could not be more excited to be home.  The best leaders help the team set a culture, and I can already see that ours is based on a shared enthusiasm and pride in Western and all you have accomplished of late.  I’m a Bronco through and through—with WMU memories starting at 6 years old—and I believe we are on the cusp of the very best of Western’s 122-year-old legacy.  It is such an honor to join you as a teammate.

Everywhere I go, Bronco supporters of all kinds—business leaders, government officials, alumni, donors, sports fans—tell me about WMU’s momentum on every dimension: student success, research productivity, philanthropic support, athletic competitiveness and the transformation of our campus, to name a few.  Like me, they are optimistic about our future.  It’s given me the opportunity to speak highly of you and share how much this University means to me.

We share the goals of becoming a top-tier public institution in Michigan by providing a holistic, experience-driven education and growing the impact of our research.  We are ready to expand our positive effect on students, grow mutually beneficial partnerships across Michigan and create new knowledge that betters lives.

We are ready for the novel challenges we face, and we have the confidence that comes from growing success.  I am motivated by the contagious Bronco spirit I see and feel across the campus community.

I am also honored to follow President Emeritus Montgomery.  He challenged WMU to focus on student success and advance human knowledge in accordance with our motto, “So that all may learn.”  He has left a legacy of a stronger Bronco Nation, and we all owe him and Kari a debt of gratitude.

I am excited to get to work.  I believe a strong leader understands why we have two ears and half as many mouths, which is why I will start by listening.  I am ready to learn from you.  My schedule is already filling with meetings across all our stakeholders.  In the coming weeks, I will share the plan for my listening tour, where I aim to hear from as many Broncos as possible.  In the meantime, please reach out.  If you want me to see you or your group, just let me know by emailing me.

I believe we all want to be part of a mission that is bigger than ourselves and to work on teams that make a difference.  That’s been my experience at WMU and why I love it to my core.  Western has made me better in countless ways, as it has for hundreds of thousands of Broncos.  Together, we will continue that tradition, and we will do so as a team.  I am deeply proud to be your teammate—again!

Go Broncos!
Russ

Dear colleagues, 

In a few short months, I’ll return to the WMU community—this time as the University’s 10th president. As we prepare for what’s ahead, I want to thank you for the incredible work you do every day.  

As an alumnus who later taught and served in a leadership role in our College of Aviation, I know the heart of this institution beats strongest because of our faculty and staff.  

Since my appointment, my enthusiasm has only increased. I’m particularly looking forward to beginning a listening tour that will kick off upon my arrival and stretch at least through the fall semester. I want to hear the stories and aspirations that will shape our next chapter together as we deliver on Western's shared mission, “so that all may learn.” 

In this video, I have shared a few of my initial thoughts on the importance of your work. 

With gratitude, 

Russ

Dear students, 

In a few short months, I’ll officially join you as Western’s 10th president. I can’t wait to be part of this campus community again. 

I’ve been in your shoes, so I know how powerful these years can be. I made this short video to say hello and share how proud I am to be (re)joining a place filled with people in pursuit of purpose, meaningful careers and fulfilling lives. 

Upon my arrival in July, I’ll be kicking off a listening tour that will stretch at least into the fall semester. I hope to hear from as many of you as possible. Your voices matter in shaping our future.  

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

With Bronco pride, 

Russ