Skip to main content

Impact Stories

Our alumni, community, faculty, staff, and partners are dedicated to supporting the success of current and future Catamounts. Western Carolina University is committed to sustaining and improving individual lives through education and by enhancing the economic and community development of our region. Discover the philanthropy and the people who make this happen...

Grace Blizzard

Meet Chatty Cat Engagement Officer Grace Blizzard

Curious about what it means to be a Chatty Cat Engagement Officer? We spoke with Grace Blizzard about her experience and the insight she's gained from it.  

I LOve WCU

Donors turn out online to support annual ‘I Love WCU’ month

Western Carolina University’s “I Love WCU” campaign for 2021 wrapped up Feb. 28 with more than $500,000 in gifts to the WCU Foundation to support scholarships, endowments and other funds across campus for students and faculty.   

Gabriela Garcia

Learning leadership skills through the military and veteran community

The active military and veteran community is familiar to Gabriela Iglesias Garcia, a Western Carolina University sophomore from Jacksonville, majoring in English. Garcia’s father is a service member, along with many others in her family.  

Nancy LIddle and Husband Matt Liddle

Nancy Liddle, an I Love WCU Story

As the executive assistant in Western Carolina University’s College of Business, Nancy Liddle sees firsthand the direct impact scholarships make on students. This alone motivates her to be the generous donor that she is.   

Locklairs

Two Generations of Fundraisers

A family of Catamounts, and a family of fundraisers. Tim Locklair, is a 1995 graduate of Western Carolina University, and his daughter, Hailee Locklair, is a junior at WCU majoring in communication, with a broadcasting concentration and a minor in philosophy.  

Denise Drury-Homewood

Denise Drury Homewood, executive director of the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center, an I Love WCU Story

Art takes a venue or vehicle, a place online, or physical space to disseminate it. It also takes the artists and performers to make it,” Drury Homewood said. “Plus, it takes the audience to receive that information. At the heart of that Venn Diagram, you will find art and the Bardo Arts Center. It is our job to put all those pieces together.”  

Moller's

Alumni keep pieces of WCU close to their hearts and in their backyard

Ask former Catamounts, Daniel and Jordan Moeller, why they love Western Carolina University and it all comes down to the most important building blocks of life.  

Chris Moore

Fire Marshal Chris Moore '01: An I Love WCU Story

“We may not be out in the light, but you’ll definitely know when the light bulb’s out.” Western Carolina University’s own Fire Marshal, safety professional and alumnus Chris Moore, succinctly noted this when discussing the Facilities Management team’s impact.  

Kelly Kent

Alumna Kelly Kent says she really does love WCU

Kelly Kent, of Mooresville, thanks Western Carolina University for providing her with opportunities she didn’t know existed. “My time as a student is filled with great memories,” said Kent, who graduated in 1984 with a degree in early childhood education and reading. “Opportunities opened up for me that I wouldn’t have known existed otherwise. WCU offered me the chance to do things, to join clubs, meet people and make lifelong friends, to participate in various activities, attend concerts and events, and of course, learn through quality academic instruction. It helped me chart my life.”  

Office of Web Services