MACOMB, ILLINOIS (September 17, 2026) — Western Illinois University (WIU) is inviting the community to a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at 3:30PM, Monday, September 21, on the first floor of Sallee Hall.
This new center will provide state-of-the-art technology that will be available to students as part of WIU’s top-ranked Emergency Management program and School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration (LEJA). In the near future the EOC could serve the west central Illinois region as a coordination hub for any weather or safety emergencies.
“This is about a lot more than opening a center,” WIU LEJA Director Jamie Johnson said.
“It's about opening up new opportunities for our students, for this university, and for the communities we serve.”
This EOC is unique in that it is designed for and will offer the only known available apprenticeship opportunities to Emergency Management and Public Safety students in the nation, Johnson said. This apprenticeship opportunity will enhance the powerful internship experience. Plus students will learn to use the Juvare, D4H and other predictive emergency management platforms used within the industry.
“This new center is going to expand what the emergency management program can do in a big way,” Johnson said.
“Picture it: A simulated tornado response right here in this room. One student's handling resource coordination. Another's on communications. Another's pulling together information for decision-makers. Another's already thinking about recovery. That's the kind of experience that actually prepares someone for this work.”
This new center was made possible with the receipt of a $2.3 million Illinois Emergency Management Agency grant.
“The Emergency Operations Center represents what Western Illinois University does well, connecting education with real-world experience while serving the needs of our region and state,” WIU President Kristi Mindrup said.
“This facility will give our students an unparalleled opportunity to prepare for careers in emergency management and public safety while building on our capacity to support communities when they need it most.”
The ribbon-cutting program will feature Johnson, President Mindrup, WIU Office of Public Safety Chief Derek Watts, and US Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL).
For more information on LEJA at WIU, visit wiu.edu/leja/
