The new institute will build on work pioneered at Western by Ray Wolpow, faculty emeritus at WWU’s Woodring College of Education and founder of the Northwest Center for Holocaust, Genocide, and Ethnocide Education at Western.

“I am honored to have the institute bear my name," said Wolpow. "However, it is important to remember that our seminal work here at Western was possible only with the guidance of Holocaust survivors Noémi Ban, Fred Fragner, and Magda Dorman."

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A warm welcome to our 2016-17 soccer teams, already hard at work (and play). ‪#‎goviks‬

This week on OurWestern: Alumnus and former New Media Coordinator, Matthew Anderson. Join him on Instagram as he shares his journey to Hungary!

August's edition of Western Window is hosted by Chris Roselli of the WWU Alumni Association and Kevin Miller, a student at Western.

Featured: our new bike repair stations, early earthquake detection, the day-to-day life of our women's rowing team, Bellingham Girls Rock Camp, and our SEA (Science, Education, Aquarium) Discovery Center in Poulsbo, providing a hands-on exploration of local marine life.

The Peace Corps' "Blog it Home" contest is an annual competition for the best blogs from volunteers currently serving overseas. Tiffany Chou, a Huxley environmental science alum, is a finalist in this year's contest. Voting ended yesterday, but if you wish to show your support you can "like" her photo in the Peace Corps gallery (linked below) or take a look at her full blog at https://livingoutsideabubble.wordpress.com/ Thanks for your wonderful work, Tiffany!

We're honored to be included as one of 10 universities chosen by Her Campus as "The Best Schools for Health and Safety."

Yet another perk of Pacific Northwest living: We didn't have to travel far from ‪#‎Bellinghome‬ to get a good look at the Perseid meteor shower this morning, and even got to see a bit of the Milky Way. From a roadside lookout on Chuckanut Drive:

(Photo by Jonathan Williams / WWU)

Athletes and fans: it's almost time to get 2016-17 started! In addition to Monday's Report Day, WWU Women's Soccer opens the exhibition season against Fraser Valley 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17 on our very own Harrington Field. ‪#‎GoViks‬

‪#‎Summerstart‬ session 5 (out of 8 this year) begins today. This is what the annual orientation event looked like thirty years ago, courtesy Western Libraries:

This week on OurWestern: Zellie Macabata.

The OurWestern program gives students, faculty, staff, and alumni the opportunity to share what the Western experience is like from a variety of perspectives. Want to get involved? Message the OurWestern page for details.

Whatcom Museum turns 75 this week, and Western Washington University Libraries is celebrating with historic photographs of the museum's iconic Old City Hall building. The often-photographed structure is an integral part of downtown Bellingham's character--see what it looked like in its younger days.

Happy Friday! For those getting acquainted with the area, we thought we'd share some of our favorite photos of what campus, Bellingham, and Whatcom County have to offer.

Seasoned Bellinghamsters: what are some of your favorite spots?

This year's ‪#‎Summerstart‬ isn't just for new students: We're also spending the week getting to know our 14th President, Sabah Randhawa.

Welcome to Western, President Randhawa!

Have you checked out the OurWestern Instagram account recently? We're featuring the photos and insights of Cat Hoban, a soon-to-graduate History major who is hosting this week. See what the Western experience is like through her eyes, and get some tips on adjusting to university life along the way.

Today started a bit on the dreary side, but as the saying goes, if you don't like the weather in Washington, just wait a few hours.

We're unveiling a new way to keep an eye on Western's social media presence. ‪#‎WWUSocial‬ (http://social.wwu.edu) aggregates over 150 of Western's social media accounts on various platforms into one sleek interface. Take a look!

It's the second day of Summerstart and many new students and their families are getting first looks at the view of Bellingham Bay from the Performing Arts Center Plaza. We thought, for fun, we'd reverse that perspective: here's what the Plaza looks like from below.

Welcome to Summerstart! We're pleased to get to see so many new faces on campus over the next several days. If we can do anything to help introduce you to Western and Bellingham, don't hesitate to ask.

Summer Start begins Monday! We look forward to the frenzy of activity and seeing new faces, but for now campus is enjoying a relative calm--"relax with a book"-worthy. Have a good weekend, Vikings!