WIU wants engineering school in Moline

Western Illinois University officials say they are committed to temporarily locating the engineering program in Moline, pending approval of the program by the Illinois Board of Higher Education.

In June, The Western Illinois University Board of Trustees approved a new Bachelor of Science in Engineering program at the Quad-Cities and Macomb campuses.

If the program is approved by the state, it could be offered in the Quad-Cities as soon as September 2009.

The university will need a 15,000-square-foot temporary home for the engineering program until the planned WIU Quad-Cities Riverfront Campus is built off River Drive in Moline. Construction of that campus has yet to receive state funding.