Professors Jimmy and Suzanne Diehl (GMES) have been named Western Washington University's 2003 Distinguished Alumni. The Diehls met at WWU while pursuing master's degrees in geology and graduated in 1972. Jimmy Diehl received his bachelor's degree from WWU in 1968. The couple has shared a single faculty position in geology and geophysics at Michigan Tech for nearly 25 years, where they established a PhD-level research program in paleomagnetism and applied rock magnetism. Both have received numerous National Science Foundation grants for research, and Jimmy Diehl received the Distinguished Teaching Award at MTU in 1995. He also served as associate editor for the Journal of Geophysical Research from 1994 to 1997.

Suzanne Diehl was associate dean at the College of Engineering from 1994 to 1997 and helped organize the Presidential Commission for Women on campus in 1992. She has also been secretary of the Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism sections of the American Geophysical Union, an organization of 40,000 earth scientists, and has recently been named director for faculty success and diversity for the College of Engineering. The couple is actively involved in community service and several children's programs.