Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ

Skip to main content

Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµStories

Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµFoundation Board members

New faces join Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµFoundation Board; departing members recognized

Three new members have joined the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Foundation Board of Directors for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, while four departing board members were recently recognized for their service and contributions.  

Ed Wright in background and Mac Franklin in front of a fallen tree

Business faculty guide post-Helene recovery study for NC Arboretum

As the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene’s arrival in Western North Carolina approaches, two faculty members in Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµâ€™s College of Business served as project managers for an in-depth study of storm damage to the North Carolina Arboretum in an effort to develop a plan for its recovery.  

Casey Cooper, Chancellor Kelli R. Brown, Josh Dobson and Nora Lynn Finch

Josh Dobson, Nora Lynn Finch sworn in as members of the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµBoard of Trustees

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

Chancellor Brown talks about the trophy

Annual faculty-staff giving challenge resumes this fall

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

Paxton Myers, Dana Boyer and Chancellor Kelli Brown

‘Fill the Western Sky’ contribution feels like a promise to Catamount couple

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

Killian Building with Cherokee sculpture

WCU–CIHA partnership grows Cherokee’s next generation of healers

In the midst of ongoing staffing challenges across the healthcare industry, the innovative partnership between Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ (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).   

Campus in fall

Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµsees strong retention rate for fall 2025, growth in total enrollment

Students have returned in-person and virtually to Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ and are gearing up for a bustling fall semester.  

J-Creek Cloggers

Schedule announced for WCU’s weeklong Mountain Heritage Days celebration

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

Janet Oppenheimer

Retired PR professional creates endowment to support Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµstudents

A public relations professional who has served as a mentor in the Department of Communication at Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ is now providing support to students in a different way by establishing a new endowment fund to enhance access to extracurricular and professional development activities.