Japanese Program News

A Western Carolina University faculty member with a long track record of financially supporting the place where she works has found a new way to add to her philanthropy toward the university while simultaneously providing her with a future stream of income.

Do you want to know how the world ends? Visit Antarctica. Travel to the southern tip of South America to the port city of Punta Arenas, Chile. Then board a small research vessel with 20 other scientists from a dozen universities across the United States and cross the perilous seas of the Drake Passage.

Western Carolina University welcomed North Carolina State Human Resources Director Staci Meyer to campus at the close of the Spring 2026 semester, providing an opportunity for meaningful engagement with faculty and staff.

Kayleigh Kassel and Amanda Clapp aren’t usually the ones raising their hands in the classroom, but during a staff meeting, their arms shot up like one of their most eager students.

A Macon County husband and wife already providing financial support of the Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum and its effort to expand the range of artists represented in its galleries are now backing the endeavor in a new way – through a gift of artwork from their personal collection.

A stack of journals sits in Avery Luft’s bedroom back home. They each provide an escape into a world the Western Carolina University senior created.

Several soon-to-be-graduates of Western Carolina University were thanked by campus leaders for financial contributions they have made to the institution where they are currently wrapping up requirements for their college degrees.

The 2026 Research and Scholarship Conference at Western Carolina University had the largest participation in the conference’s history.

Western Carolina University men’s golf coach Tim Eckberg believes things happen for a reason, and there was a reason he and his family vacationed at the beach last offseason. He caught word that Tyler Jones, a golfer from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, had entered the transfer portal.

A recent study led by a faculty member in the College of Business at Western Carolina University provides potential strategies for destination managers and policymakers to implement to help increase the economic impact resulting from the positive experiences of previous visitors.