Blog

Bailey Trumm ’24 was overjoyed when she received her first acceptance letter to medical school. As a Division I basketball player and a top scholar of Western Carolina University’s biology program, she elevated her team and earned the praise of professors with a ferocious work ethic.

The road to “The Show” is a steep climb.

Julie Spiro Donaldson ’99 believes there’s no amount of effort too small to give, and it’s with that belief in mind that she’s changed Jackson County.

The energy inside the then-Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte was electric.

A planned gift from a longtime Western North Carolina economic development and marketing professional and his spouse has pushed Western Carolina University’s “Fill the Western Sky” comprehensive fundraising campaign past its minimum goal of $100 million in philanthropic support.

A packed slate of weekend events is on tap as Western Carolina University rolls out the welcome mat for alumni and friends to return to campus Nov. 7-8 for Homecoming 2025, including a parade and party in the university’s adopted hometown of Sylva.

Supporters of Western Carolina University’s athletics program are finding new ways to back the Catamounts in today’s rapidly shifting intercollegiate sports environment, which now permits financial rewards in recognition of academic performance.

The history of Western Carolina University is held by its people. Though archives and images can provide a framework for the past, there is no richer or truer contribution to the story than the lived experiences of alumni, staff, faculty and students.

Approximately 50 new Western Carolina University students were welcomed into the Catamount family by parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and other relatives who previously matriculated at the westernmost institution of the University of North Carolina System.

Andrew Bivens strums the strings on his guitar, looking for the right sound in Blue Ridge Hall. He tunes his instrument to find it, sliding his fingers across its neck as he jams out with five of his best friends.