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Sept. 27 marked the one-year anniversary of the devastating storm that tore through Western North Carolina. The Catamount community stepped up then and continues to help in the rebuilding process today.

Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ Bardo Arts Center, in collaboration with the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵMountain Heritage Center, invites you to Echoes Across the Smokies: A Night of Stories, Strings, and Songs. This program offers the WNC community an opportunity to explore Appalachian culture in new ways on Thursday, Oct. 30, at the BAC Performance Hall.

Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ’s School of Nursing has announced the launch of its new Master’s Entry Program in Nursing (MEPN), designed to prepare graduates with a strong foundation in nursing practice and leadership while meeting the critical need for nurses across Western North Carolina and beyond.

An annual effort to encourage faculty and staff members to make financial contributions to Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ is now underway, including the resumption of a friendly competition among campus divisions and academic colleges.

Josh Dobson and Nora Lynn Finch were sworn in as members of Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ’s Board of Trustees during the regular board meeting held on Friday, Sept. 5.

For Paxton Myers and Dana Boyer, longtime supporters of Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ’s athletics program, giving back to their alma mater feels like more than just making financial contributions. It also feels like keeping a promise.

In the midst of ongoing staffing challenges across the healthcare industry, the innovative partnership between Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ (WCU) and the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority (CIHA) is doing exactly what a great pipeline should do -- it matches local talent with meaningful careers close to home, expands continuing education opportunities, and opens career-ladder pathways for enrolled members of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians (EBCI).

The retention rate of the fall 2024 first-time, full-time freshmen class rose to a record 81.6% as compared to 79.1% for fall 2023.

For the past 50 years on the last Saturday of September, Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ’s Mountain Heritage Day festival has honored the music, stories, and traditions of Appalachia.

Western Carolina Power, the university-owned electric utility serving parts of Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ and surrounding customers, has been named one of 23 public power communities across North Carolina to receive a 2024 Public Power Award of Excellence.