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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...

POTM Field

Giving Tuesday efforts to focus on band’s trip to Macy’s, student-athletes

WCU will kick off the season of generosity five days after Thanksgiving with Giving Tuesday. This year, the focus will be on two special projects – upgrading the student-athlete computer lab and sending the Pride of the Mountains marching band to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2019.  

Enid and Curtis Melzter

Meltzer scholarship endowment will benefit hundreds of students from array of disciplines

When former Highlands resident Curtis Meltzer died Dec. 17, 2017, he left a multimillion dollar estate gift to WCU to support students in the College of Arts and Sciences, increasing his and wife Enid’s overall scholarship endowment to $3.3 million.  

Foundation Board

Foundation Board honors Belchers with endowed scholarship

WCU’s Foundation Board of Directors express gratitude for David and Susan Belcher with a new endowed scholarship in their honor.  

Soccer Alumni

Soccer lovers keep kickin’ long after game is over

It’s for the love of the game that former members of WCU’s men’s soccer team keep coming back to campus to see former teammates, play a little soccer and raise money for the WCU soccer program.   

Campus

WCU employees give back in time, talent, treasure

Members of WCU’s faculty and staff senates do their part by coming together to support those in need.  

Sigma Kappa

Love for Cats keep Greeks coming back

It’s a family affair during WCU’s Greek Challenge each fall, when fraternities and sororities past and present compete to raise money for Catamount athletics. While the competition is a win for all student-athletes, only one fraternity and one sorority get to claim bragging rights when the fundraising totals are announced during Homecoming.  

Sandi McCracken with scholarship recipient

McCracken endows scholarship to accelerate pathway to change

Sandi McCracken spent her professional life in education as a business teacher and administrator, and as a stock broker. Now she’s continuing her support for students with her Sandra Jayne McCracken Endowed Scholarship to help ease the financial burden for WCU education majors.  

Brinkley Weigh Room

Catamount student-athletes benefit from generosity of alumni

David and Marie Brinkley believe in the Catamounts so much they donated $400,000 to improve the weight-lifting facility at Western Carolina University, their alma mater, which benefits all WCU athletes. Yes, they’ve been blessed with money, they say, but the joy is in helping others.  

High Falls, DuPont State Forest, Cedar Mountain, NC

Wife endows scholarship to honor late husband’s work ethic

Hazel Hawkins always admired her late husband’s work ethic, a man who spent years working fulltime while attending WCU to complete his degree. She honored him by easing the burden on other students, with an endowed scholarship in his name.  

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