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In the College of Education and Allied Professions (CEAP), we are all about making a difference in the lives of others. We endeavor to develop #changemakers who impact the region as educators, administrators, and other professions, both in schools and other professional community settings.

Alyssa Potts

Addressing the Social and Emotional Needs of Middle School Students

As Middle Grades majors, we have many opportunities to work with young adolescent learners. In our early field experiences during sophomore year, we visit classrooms and observe teachers. In our program courses, we conduct shadow studies, visit schools, and begin to teach with faculty in methods courses. By the time we reach block semester, we are fully engaged.   

CEAP Students

Inclusive Education Students Receive Certification

Congratulations to Western Carolina University’s Inclusive Education (IE) majors! December 12, 2019, the IE majors enrolled in the course SPED 423: Teaching Reading to Individuals with Mild-Mod Disabilities, became the first successful candidates to receive certification for the NC State Improvement   

Students in an after school program

LEAP Returns!

Spring 2020 will see the return of the Language Enhancement and Afterschool Program (LEAP) to the Western Carolina University community. The LEAP was developed by the College of Education and Allied Professions (CEAP) and the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Western Carolina University (WCU) in partnership with Jackson County Public Schools (JCPS), Cullowhee Valley School (CVS) and Cullowhee United Methodist Church (CUMC) to provide a safe space for students in an afterschool setting, and also provide needed help with English language development.   

Students in the woods

PRM 354: Outdoor Living and Expedition Skills personifies GRIT!

Courage, conscientiousness, perseverance, resilience, and passion. These five characteristics of GRIT were consistently exemplified by the Parks and Recreation Management (PRM) students on their 4-day expedition in the Pink Beds area of the Pisgah National Forest, NC.   

Students in Utah

Ski and Snowboard Travel Course to Utah

The Parks and Recreation Management Program took nine students to Salt Lake City (SLC), Utah from January 5-10, 2020 for the second year of the Utah Ski and Snowboard Travel Course.  

Image of the Catamount Statue with purple and gold tulips

Graduate Student Feature: Jessie Whiteman

My name is Jessie Whitman and I am a 3rd-year school psychology student at WCU. I am currently completing my National Associate of School Psychologists (NASP) required internship in Greensboro, NC with Guilford County Schools (GCS). I was born and raised in the mountains of western North Carolina and started attending WCU in fall 2013.  

campus fall

Staff Feature: Beth Poteat

I currently serve in the role of grades 6-8 English Language Arts teacher at The Catamount School, operated by WCU. In addition to my responsibilities of learning with my amazingly creative, talented, wonderful students at TCS, I have the pleasure of also teaching college students in the methods of language arts course in the spring.   

Killian

Faculty Feature: Dr. David de Jong

Dr. David de Jong, Assistant Professor of Psychology. After a 12-year career as a bicycle messenger and then owner of a courier company in Toronto, I started college at the age of 31. In my 2nd year of undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto, I got hooked on research and then completed my Ph.D. in social-personality psychology at the University of Rochester.   

student landscape

Undergraduate Student Feature: Brittni Price

I am a senior in the elementary education program at Western Carolina University and have a minor in English. I moved with my family to western North Carolina in 2008 but grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee. While missing the hustle of a large city, I quickly grew to love the beautiful mountains and slower pace of life I found in the small towns around WCU.  

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