Turmoil and Transformation: 1967-1984
Western Carolina entered its rebirth as a regional university at a time of national turmoil. Growing student unrest had been unleashed by the civil rights movement and growing opposition to the war in Vietnam. Another national trend, the increase in young holders of doctoral degrees fueled by the arrival of the “baby boom” generation, provided opportunities to expand and improve the faculty.
The impact of these national forces on Western did not go smoothly. Despite President Alex S. Pow’s efforts to establish new academic programs and expand extension programs, Western unexpectedly failed to meet its enrollment projections in 1971-72. Talk about combining Western with its new sister university in nearby Asheville took on new meaning in 1972 when the state legislature merged Western and 16 other state campuses into the Consolidated University of North Carolina system. Shortly thereafter, President Pow’s resignation after suffering a severe stroke plunged Western into a period of administrative upheaval just as it was being forced to deal with all those rapid changes.
In July 1972 the new chancellor, Jack K. Carlton, addressed the challenges by freezing the tenure process for a year, requiring freshmen to live in campus dorms, and significantly changing the dates for summer vacation. His actions triggered a widespread protest movement that resulted in his removal from office in the summer of 1973 by the UNC Board of Governors. Instead of growing into its new regional university status, Western had stalled.
In July 1974 Western’s fifth leader in three years, Harold F. Robinson, began a 10-year tenure as chancellor that would see dramatic change and growth. Robinson’s goals included a broad array of new academic programs, building projects, and regional and international service initiatives. Chancellor Robinson had placed Western on a path to achieve national and even international prominence. Schools of Technology and Applied Sciences and of Health Sciences and Services were established. New buildings for the sciences and for music and English were constructed, along with a combined administration/Mountain Heritage Center and a large regional activities center. Dramatically increased federal and state funding supported much of this growth.
Several changes reshaped the student body in the 1970s. “Non-traditional” students (those older than 18-22 years) were actively recruited. Sharp increases in out-of-state tuition meant that almost 90% of Western’s students came from North Carolina. Enrollment was almost evenly divided between men and women, and an emphasis on recruiting minority and international students brought greater diversity to the student body. The youthful counterculture with its rock music and long hair appeared in Cullowhee, drawn partly by its rural setting which well-suited the period’s back-to-nature preferences.
Western’s athletic programs grew in size and stature during this period. The Catamounts earned some moments of glory. Women’s basketball placed fourth in its national tournament in 1969-70, and women’s gymnastics won several state titles in the early 1970s. Two significant changes marked 1976, when Western joined the Southern Conference and also undertook compliance with Title IX in women’s sports. Perhaps the athletic highlight of the period came in 1983 when Coach Bob Waters led his football team to the NCAA Division I-AA national championship game, losing to Southern Illinois. At Chancellor Robinson’s retirement in 1984, Western had undergone perhaps the most dramatic period of change in its history.
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