Pipeline Engineer

Part-time admissions counselor serves as a conduit to Cullowhee for students from Georgia. When there’s an increase in student enrollments from the metro Atlanta area, an alumnus who jokingly refers to himself as “the oldest college recruiter in the state of Georgia” is usually the reason why. Bob Folsom ’66 MAEd ’68, a retired teacher and counselor from Gainesville, has turned the Peach State into a “significant pipeline” of new students for WCU, said Phil Cauley ’83 MS ’90, associate vice chancellor for undergraduate enrollment.  

Bugs Life

A UC-Davis researcher examines global environmental consequences, beginning with insects and arachnids. Jason Bond ’93 is the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair in Insect Systematics and a professor in the Department of Entomology and Nematology at the University of California, Davis, where he specializes in research into the evolutionary diversification of terrestrial arthropods, particularly spiders, millipedes and beetles.   

Late writer, Cherokee Studies leader at WCU to be honored with marker

The late Robert J. Conley, author and former Sequoyah Distinguished Professor of Cherokee Studies at WCU, will receive a historical marker in his hometown of Cushing, Oklahoma.  

Value Added

Vice provost for academic affairs leads and represents campus, community. Could Carol Burton ’87 MAEd ’89 be the quintessential Catamount? A lot of people would say yes.  

Streaming Now

Not long ago, Drew Starkey ’16, one of the stars in a hit Netflix television series, had doubts about whether his hope for a full-time career in the entertainment industry was realistic.  

The Show Must Go On

The School of Stage and Screen turned to technology to present a virtual version of a Shakespeare classic. Theatrical stages from coast to coast may have gone dark in this time of social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but that has not stopped the folks from the School of Stage and Screen at Western Carolina University from sharing their talents with the public. In the grand tradition of “the show must go on,” WCU students and faculty presented William Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost” via Zoom, the videoconferencing service that has exploded in popularity as millions of students and workers find themselves studying and working remotely because of the coronavirus crisis.   

Promise Kept

More than two years after its debut, the groundbreaking tuition reduction plan known as NC Promise is, by most accounts, a solid success that is meeting the goals of improving access to higher education by providing a financial leg-up to undergraduate students who might not otherwise be able to afford it and lowering student loan debt. Enrollment has increased significantly at Western Carolina University and two other University of North Carolina System institutions that are part of the plan. Students say the lower tuition cost is making a difference in their lives, and the amount of student debt incurred is on the decline.  

No Bones About It

As a forensic anthropologist, Western Carolina University assistant professor Nicholas Passalacqua has always believed he was doing important work through his teaching and his research.  

Read His Story  

Spring commencement, fall ceremonies rescheduled over 4 days in December

WCU is planning a four-day series of ceremonies to honor spring, summer and fall 2020 graduates.