University News

Inauguration Ceremony Set March 31 for WIU's 12th President

March 23, 2022

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MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – The inauguration for Western Illinois University's 12th President Guiyou Huang will be held at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, March 31 in Western Hall on the Macomb campus. The event will also be streamed live on the WIU YouTube channel. A "Purple and Gold" dessert reception will be held in the east end of Western Hall following the inauguration ceremony.

Due to the pandemic, the inauguration was delayed to 2022 to adhere to pandemic protocols. Face coverings are required for the March 31 event, and social distancing measures will be in place. Individuals who plan to attend in person should register in advance at wiu.edu/inauguration as capacity limits will be in place. Individuals are encouraged to be fully vaccinated and/or have a negative test prior to attending the event.

Huang began his term as WIU's president Jan. 1, 2021. Before joining Western, Huang served as the president of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Previously, he was the chancellor of Louisiana State University of Alexandria. Huang has also held a variety of administrative and academic positions at Norwich University (Northfield, VT), St. Thomas University (Miami, FL), Grand Valley State University (Allendale, MI), Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Lehigh University (Bethlehem, PA), Texas A&M University at College Station, Beijing University, and Qufu Normal University (Shandong, China).

An author and editor of 13 books, as well as numerous essays and articles, he earned his doctorate in English from Texas A&M University at College Station; completed graduate studies in English from Beijing University; and earned his bachelor's degree from Qufu Normal University. In addition, Dr. Huang is a 2012 graduate of the Harvard Institute for Educational Management, among other Harvard institutes.

Huang and his wife, Dr. Jennifer Qian, have a daughter, Claire, who is a sixth grader, and a son, George, who is a senior studying political science and history at Rice University in Texas.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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