Above: Western Carolina University Chancellor John W. Bardo (left) and U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler chat in A.K. Hinds University Center on the Cullowhee campus as part of a meeting between the congressman and WCU officials.

Leaders at Western Carolina University and U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler agreed Wednesday (Aug. 22) to work together whenever possible for the benefit of the people of the region that the university serves and the district that the congressman represents.

Shuler, a Democrat from Waynesville, visited Western for meetings with WCU Chancellor John W. Bardo and other university leaders to talk about recent developments at the university, including a renewed emphasis on using the resources of the university to improve the quality of life for Western North Carolinians.

“It is our goal to be the regional university for the 17 westernmost counties of North Carolina,” Bardo told Shuler. “Yes, we want to help educate the state and the nation, but our primary goal is to focus on improving the mountain region. We think that, with your help, we can make a tremendous difference for the people who live in the western part of the state.”

Bardo and other key WCU administrators outlined the university’s recently adopted Quality Enhancement Plan, which is designed to help students connect their educational experiences to the region through service learning projects and internships, and a new faculty tenure and promotion policy that will reward professors for applying their research and scholarship in ways that will spur economic development in WNC.

Shuler said that Western’s efforts to more closely tie its academic programs to the needs of the surrounding community are vital to the long-term prosperity of the region.

“Not only are your students learning from the textbook and in the classroom, but they will be able to apply that learning in the real world and in their community for the benefit of the students and the educational experience, and for the benefit of the people of the community,” he said.

Shuler, chairman of the House Small Business Committee’s Subcommittee on Rural and Urban Entrepreneurship, praised the university for its acclaimed academic programs in entrepreneurship. He also cited Western’s ongoing work to help solve shortages in qualified school teachers, health care professionals and engineers; its progress on development of the Millennial Initiative (an ambitious and comprehensive regional economic development strategy that will enable the university to partner with business, industry and government); and its role in helping bring high-speed Internet access to the mountains.

“With the continued leadership of this university’s administration and the amazing commitment from its faculty, we are preparing a generation of students well-suited to lead our region’s economy in years ahead,” he said. “I am unbelievably encouraged by what I see happening here at Western Carolina University.”