Japanese Program News

Western Carolina University invites faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members to register for the 16th Annual Rooted in the Mountains Symposium, taking place September 24-25, 2026, at the Bardo Arts Center on WCU's main campus.

Shelley and Kevin King are the founders of Ochre Hill Farms, two Western Carolina University Catamounts who first met as performers of the Pride of the Mountains Marching Band. But as they’d tell their story, Ochre Hill Farms was as much their children’s project as their own.

This July four Western Carolina University graduates were chosen to serve communities across the state as Lead for North Carolina fellows. Lead for NC is a government fellowship program started in 2019 with a mission “to strengthen North Carolina’s public institutions, support its local communities and create a new generation of transformational public service leaders.”

Eric Hall sat in his mother’s North Carolina living room with one of his proudest achievements in his hands. The Western Carolina University alumnus had worked on his book for years and had no bigger supporter than his mom, Beth.

Amanda Turiçi, then Doll, sat in a Haywood County school desiring a change. She loved what she was doing as a student-teacher, but she knew North Carolina wasn’t where she wanted to be forever. The United States wasn’t either. She wanted to go overseas.

From the mountains of Western North Carolina to the streets of London, the "Baddest Band in the Land" is preparing for its next international performance.

As faculty and staff gathered for Opening Assembly on Aug. 12, Brown celebrated a university experiencing unprecedented momentum.

For over a century, Western Carolina University has helped put teachers in classrooms across the region and beyond. Now, looking to address the state’s ongoing teacher shortage, WCU’s impact on education in North Carolina just grew stronger.

Alicia Littlejohn has always been fascinated with space, so when there was an opportunity to intern with NASA, she jumped at the chance.

Alumni and friends interested in obtaining information about how to support Western Carolina University through a planned gift have a new resource to assist them.