Western Carolina University at a Glance
The Past
The Present
The Future
The College of Education and Allied Professions
The Dean of the College of Education and Allied Professions
WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY AT A GLANCE
Western Carolina University is a dynamic, fast-growing member of the 16-campus University of North Carolina system. WCU is dedicated to the continuous enhancement of its academic programs, with a strong commitment to the integration of engaged learning with service to the people of the region and the state. Located in Cullowhee, N.C. (pictured at right), WCU is situated in a beautiful valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains, 52 miles west of Asheville and adjacent to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
From its 600-acre main campus, through programs in nearby Asheville and Cherokee, at various community colleges across the state, and via online and distance education delivery, the university serves more than 9,000 students from almost every state in the United States and 39 other countries, with special emphasis on serving the people of Western North Carolina. The current student body is 54 percent female and 46 percent male.
Classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a regional comprehensive institution, Western offers 120 areas of study for undergraduates and more than 50 graduate-level programs, including acclaimed programs in teacher education, psychology, entrepreneurship, project management, science and entrepreneurship, forensic science, musical theater, engineering, nursing, and motion picture and television production.
The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accredits WCU to award bachelor’s, master’s, education specialist and doctoral degrees. The university also holds 21 program accreditations and is a member of more than 30 state and national associations and organizations to which its professional programs are related. Western has more than 500 full-time faculty members; 73 percent hold doctoral or terminal degrees. More than 78 percent of the classes have fewer than 30 students, and the student-faculty ratio is approximately 14-to-1.
Freshmen admitted to Western are automatically considered for available scholarships, based on their academic achievements. The university annually awards approximately $1 million in merit-based scholarships and more than $30 million in needs-based aid to students. About half of the university’s students receive financial assistance through scholarships, grants, loans or work-study.
Students participate in a wide range of non-academic activities, including clubs and honor societies; community service and volunteer organizations; concerts and performances at various venues on campus; Greek life; student-operated media and student government. Taking advantage of its location in one of the most popular tourist destinations in the nation, the university also sponsors outdoor recreational programs such as hiking, rafting and snow skiing. Western also offers club sports and intramurals that involve about one-quarter of the student body. The university fields 16 men’s and women’s intercollegiate teams, which compete in the Southern Conference.
Western Carolina University traces its roots to teacher education. The institution was founded in August 1889 on the vision of bringing higher education and career opportunities to the people of the mountains of Western North Carolina. Western began its life as a semi-public secondary school, and was chartered as Cullowhee High School in 1891. The founder, Professor Robert Lee Madison, sought to provide an education for the young people in the region and train teachers to spread education throughout the western part of the state. In 1893, the General Assembly designated the school as the first publicly funded normal school in the state.
Over the next 40 years, the school expanded its curriculum and evolved into a junior college, and in 1929 it was chartered by the legislature as a four-year institution under the name Western Carolina Teachers College. Often called “the Cullowhee experiment,” Madison’s idea became the model for the other regional colleges in the state.
Demand for the liberal arts and programs in other areas of learning led to an expansion of the school’s offerings. Postgraduate studies and the Master of Arts in Education degree were added to the curriculum in 1951 after several decades of rapid growth and sweeping changes. The name Western Carolina College was adopted in 1953. The institution was designated a regional university by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1967, and was renamed Western Carolina University. Western became a member of the statewide University of North Carolina system on July 1, 1972.
Despite the changes in its name and its academic program offerings in response to a more comprehensive mission, WCU remains ever-committed to the rich traditions of its past and to the unique Appalachian and Cherokee cultures of its region. The university’s Mountain Heritage Center, Cherokee Center and Craft Revival Project reflect this influence—at the same time providing irreplaceable educational resources for the region. Western also hosts the annual Mountain Heritage Day (pictured at right), a popular celebration of Southern Appalachian cultural that regularly attracts approximately 25,000 people to the Cullowhee campus.
Western Carolina University is in the midst of an unprecedented building and renovation boom never before seen in the institution’s 118-year history, fueled in large measure by North Carolina voters’ overwhelming approval of a statewide higher education bond package in fall 2000. Western’s share of the bonds — $101 million – represents the largest single infusion of funds in the university’s history. Combined with federal funds, repair and renovation funding and self-supporting projects, more than $298 million in construction and renovation projects has been completed or is well under way, including new and renovated buildings, enhanced infrastructure, and improved roads, all of which are redrawing the campus map as the university prepares for projected enrollment growth in the decade ahead.
A new $30 million Fine and Performing Arts Center (pictured at right) is among the projects funded through state bonds. The 122,000-square-foot facility includes classrooms and studios for students majoring in the arts and humanities, as well as public galleries and a 1,000-seat hall for Broadway-quality music and theatrical performances. Other new facilities already completed at Western are three new residence halls that offer modern conveniences and comfort for students; the federally funded Center for Applied Technology, which houses audio and video production studios and engineering laboratories; an expanded student life center; new and improved athletics facilities that support Western’s intercollegiate sports programs; and a new One Stop Student Support Center that provides a quick and convenient way for students to receive help and conduct business involving financial aid, registration, cashiers services and many other administrative services. Construction on a new 73,000-square-foot student indoor recreation center is now under way, and work on a 53,000-square-foot campus dining facility will begin soon.
But there’s more to the changing face of the Western Carolina than mere brick and mortar. As a public resource, Western engages with the region by assisting individuals and agencies through the expertise of its students, faculty and staff. In its Quality Enhancement Plan required for reaccreditation by SACS, the university has embraced the concept of educational synthesis – that is, the enhancement of undergraduate student learning by linking diverse elements of the entire university experience, in and out of the classroom, and by helping students connect their academic and co-curricular experiences in order to better reach their goals after graduation.
Additionally, WCU has just adopted new tenure, promotion and reappointment policies, approved in September 2007 by the president of the UNC system, which will make it possible to reward faculty members who apply their scholarly activities to help solve problems that face the larger community beyond the boundaries of campus. The policies are based on the “Boyer Model of Scholarship,” a system named for Ernest Boyer, former president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Boyer argued that contemporary universities should broaden their idea of research to embrace multiple forms of scholarship in order to take advantage of the full range of faculty talent. Western is most interested in promoting “the scholarship of application” because it fits with the university’s vision of becoming an engaged university. In taking this step, Western becomes one of the first mid-size or larger institutions in the nation – and the first UNC campus – that has adopted such policies in recognition that institutions of higher education have an increasing role to play in economic and social development.
The new tenure and promotion policy is not the first time Western has broken ground in the UNC system. Western was the first state university in North Carolina to require incoming students to report to campus with networkable computers, and was one of only a five universities nationwide with such a requirement when it was adopted in 1998. Western’s residential Honors College, the first of its kind in the North Carolina system began 10 years ago with about 77 students. The Honors College now enrolls about 1,400 students, providing a focused living and learning environment for those seeking advanced academic challenges and more choices for independent study. Honors Scholars are exceptional students who take tutorial classes to prepare for regional and national research projects and compete for national and international scholarships. In 2000, the university became an official college sponsor of National Merit Scholarship Corporation, at the time only the fourth public or private college or university in North Carolina to receive this designation.
Western also recently embarked on the “The Campaign for Western,” the first comprehensive fundraising effort in university history. Launched in February 2007 after an initial silent phase, the campaign quickly is nearing its goal of $40 million in private financial support for WCU. The three top priorities for the campaign are merit-based scholarships to help recruit highly qualified students; academic and athletic program support; and endowed professorships to help the university continue to attract accomplished scholars in a variety of academic disciplines. Funds contributed for distinguished professorship endowments enable WCU to seek matching dollars from the North Carolina General Assembly through a program designed to encourage private support of public education. The program is working. In 1996, Western had no distinguished professorships; today, the university has 18 that are fully funded, the fourth highest number among the 16 universities in the UNC system, and has pledges in hand for another 13 distinguished professorship endowments.
In 2005 Western Carolina University purchased 344 acres of property adjacent to its main Cullowhee campus and announced the Millennial Initiative, an ambitious and comprehensive regional economic development strategy that will enable the university to partner with business, industry and government. Plans call for WCU to develop the new property and portions of the existing campus to create multi-use neighborhoods that will become home to a mix of academic buildings, research facilities, business, industry and housing as part of a “knowledge enterprise zone.” There, university faculty and students, private industry, and government partners will conduct research and development into scientific and technological innovations that have commercial applications, possibly resulting in spin-off companies that may locate near campus. The Millennial Initiative is designed to give students intensive, hands-on educational opportunities while simultaneously promoting economic development and creating jobs for the surrounding community.
The first project to be built on the Millennial Initiative property is a new $46.2 million complex that will house Western’s programs in health and human sciences. Funding for construction of the 145,000-square-foot building was approved by the N.C. General Assembly as part of the 2007-08 budget. The facility is expected to be the cornerstone for a mixed-used neighborhood focusing on retirement, aging and health care, where faculty and students would work with partners from private business and industry. Among the possible partners are a retirement complex, offices for health care providers, and companies that supply services or products to aging adults.
The second proposed building on the Millennial Initiative property will be of special interest to Western Carolina’s next dean of the College of Education and Allied Professions. The university’s master plan calls for a new 163,000-square-foot School of Education building to be developed as part of a neighborhood focusing on learning and education, creating opportunities for public-private partnerships in research and policy studies, competitive learning systems, and pedagogy and software development. The $40 million building has been designated a high funding priority by the UNC Board of Governors.
In order to meet emerging needs of the people of the state, WCU is committed to doubling its enrollment within a decade while it simultaneously increases the academic quality of its student body. Some of that enrollment growth will occur on the Cullowhee campus, but much of it will come through expanded course delivery at off-campus sites across the region and through distance education. As it enjoys record enrollment in fall 2007, WCU has been designated as a “focused growth institution” by the UNC system, which brings additional resources to assist the university in its mission of serving a larger number of North Carolina’s college-bound students. The latest enrollment projections have Western serving more than 11,000 students by 2012. Western also has been approached by residents of Henderson County and Cherokee County to establish a physical presence to serve the people of those areas of Western North Carolina.
THE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND ALLIED PROFESSIONS
Western’s current academic structure consists of the colleges of Education and Allied Professions, Arts and Sciences, Business, Fine and Performing Arts, and Health and Sciences; the Kimmel School of Construction Management and Technology; the Division of Graduate School and Research; and the Honors College. All deans report to the provost/senior vice chancellor, who oversees the divisions of Academic Affairs, Enrollment Management, and Information Technology.
The College of Education and Allied Professions has a long and storied reputation of excellence and a strong tradition of collaboration with public school partners across Western North Carolina. Most recently, the college is recipient of the 2007 Christa McAuliffe Excellence in Teacher Education Award (pictured at right), presented by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the 2006 Distinguished Program in Teacher Education Award, presented by the Association of Teacher Educators. The Department of Psychology is a leader in the university in focusing on empirical research at all levels, and a very high proportion of its publications, papers and posters each year are co-authored by faculty and student teams.
The college is composed of 80 faculty members who teach in the following academic departments: Human Services; Elementary and Middle Grades Education; Psychology; Health, Physical Education and Recreation; and Educational Leadership and Foundations. The college also is home to the Center for Math and Science Education, the Center for the Support of Beginning Teachers, the Reading Center, the Center for Rural Education, and the School and University Teacher Education Partnership. The college is currently administering more than 45 external grants totaling more than $2 million.
During the fall 2007 fall semester, more than 1,650 undergraduate students are majoring in academic programs offered by the CEAP. Undergraduate degrees and programs in the college are: Birth-Kindergarten – BS; Elementary Education – BSED; Middle Grades Education – BSED; Secondary Education – BSED (Comprehensive Science, English, Mathematics and Social Sciences); Special Subjects Education – BSED (Art, Music and Spanish); Physical Education – BSED; Parks and Recreation Management – BS; Special Education – BSED; and Psychology – BS.
More than 934 students are pursuing advanced degrees through the college, including the education specialist degree and the doctorate of education. Advanced degrees and programs in the college are: Master of Arts in Teaching – MAT; Master of Education – MAED; Educational Specialist – EDS; Educational Doctorate – EDD; School Administration – MSA; Human Resources – MS; Community Counseling – MS; School Counseling – MAED; School Psychologist – MA; General or Experimental Psychology – MA; College Student Personnel – MED; Two-Year College Educational Administration – MAED; and Two-Year College Teaching – MAED.
The college also offers a teacher certification or alternative licensure (non-degree, licensure only) program.
THE DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND ALLIED PROFESSIONS
The next dean of the College of Education and Allied Professions at Western will be expected to direct the university’s efforts in helping solve a critical shortage of qualified teachers in the state and, in fact, across the nation. The dean will have a powerful ally in the form of Erskine Bowles, president of the University of North Carolina, who has pledged a systemwide commitment to helping solve the shortage through the aggressive recruitment of students in teacher education programs, and through such lateral or alternative entry programs as NC TEACH. The new dean also will be expected to build upon existing strong collaborations with public schools across the region, as well as other partners from the private and public sectors.
The new dean will lead the efforts of the College of Education and Allied Professions to address major issues facing BK-12 education, community college education and human service delivery. The ideal candidate will provide strategic leadership to further advance the college’s growing national reputation and build upon its accomplishments. The dean will be expected to lead the college to national prominence by emphasizing scholarly inquiry by the faculty within all disciplines. Major priorities include oversight of National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and North Carolina Department of Public Instruction accreditation; responsibility and oversight of the teacher education recruitment plan and production targets; nurturing the School University Teacher Education Partnership with the public schools in the region; expanding the work of the Center for the Support of Beginning Teachers; and having oversight over the ongoing revisioning of professional education programs in the North Carolina State Board of Education’s priorities. Other important responsibilities will be to continue to collaborate with the deans of other colleges of the university to make professional education a universitywide responsibility, and to develop innovative pathways to the professions in education, including distance education programs.