Bronco Alumni Selected for Key Leadership Positions

As we mentioned last month, the 2022 Midterm Elections represented a significant political shift for who will be in the majority next year in the state Legislature. Since that time, both the Democrats and Republicans have held their leadership elections. We are exited to congratulate the two Bronco Alumni who will be serving in key leadership roles.

Senator-elect Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) earned a Master's of Public Administration degree from WMU and was appointed by Senate Majority Leader-elect Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) to serve in the influential role of Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. This committee is responsible for setting state funding priorities, including funding for higher education, as part of the budget process in Lansing. Senator-elect Anthony will be serving in her first term in Senate next year, we are excited to have a Bronco alum in this key leadership role!

State Representative Matt Hall (R-Comstock Twp.) graduated with honors from the Haworth College of Business at WMU and earned his Juris Doctor in Advanced Constitutional Advocacy from WMU Cooley Law School. Representative Hall was selected by his caucus to serve as Republican Leader for the next session. This prestigious appointment by his fellow caucus members will allow Rep. Hall to lead his caucus and advocate for their priorities.

Work continues in both the House and Senate on determining other committee chairmanships and assignments. We are excited to see where other Bronco alum and advocates land as the new session begins in January! Stay tuned as we update you next month.

Sen. Elect Sarah Anthony, MPA '12

Rep. Matt Hall, BBA '06

College of Aviation Donates Spare Plane Parts to Veteran Group

Shortly after Fred Schaible started as Assistant VP of Government Relations in May of this year, he was contacted by a former colleague with the Michigan National Guard. This introduction connected WMU to individuals with the Hooligans Flight Team, who had a unique request. The Hooligans were aware of surplus plane parts at WMU's College of Aviation; as luck had it, the parts were for the same aircraft they use in their honor flights.

After working with Dean Raymond Thompson and other key personnel at the College of Aviation, Government Relations was able to help facilitate a meeting between the two groups. This effort resulted in the decision to donate these surplus parts to this worthy veterans group. On Friday, December 2, a small ceremony was held at the College of Aviation to officially recognize the donation and transfer the parts to the group. Local media coverage included a story in the Battle Creek Enquirer and a story on Fox17 out of Grand Rapids.

WMU is proud to support all of our active military members, veterans and their families. Learn more about the work we do through our Office of Military and Veteran Affairs. We look forward to our continued partnerships!

WMU College of Aviation Dean Dr. Raymond Thompson, Director of Aircraft Maintenance Scott Austin and members of the Hooligans Flight Team at the College of Aviation in Battle Creek, MI.

Student Spotlight: Cold Case Program

Earlier this month, WMU's Cold Case Program with the Michigan State Police was featured on an episode of CBS' 48 Hours for their work on helping solve the 1987 murder of Roxanne Wood back in February of this year. The program began in 2021, led by Dr. Ashlyn Kuersten (WMU Department of Sociology). The team of students gain hands on experience with direction from the State Police to prepare them for careers in criminal justice.

The Wood case was their first official solve. According to the Michigan State Police, their support across cases has been invaluable. This WMU team continues to put in thousands of hours in pursuit of justice in these unsolved cases.

Learn more about the team's accomplishments in this article from WMU News.

Cold Case Program with the Michigan State Police Team