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WCU Stories

Cherokee Rep. Choir

WCU to host Echoes Across the Smokies

Western Carolina University Bardo Arts Center, in collaboration with the WCU Mountain Heritage Center, invites you to Echoes Across the Smokies: A Night of Stories, Strings, and Songs. This program offers the WNC community an opportunity to explore Appalachian culture in new ways on Thursday, October 30, at the BAC Performance Hall.  

Riverside Cemetary

Looking Back: Hurricane Helene

Sept. 27 marked the one-year anniversary of the devastating storm that tore through Western North Carolina. The Catamount community stepped up then and continues to help in the rebuilding process today.  

Cherokee Center in the 1970s

Living history: WCU researchers work to capture Cherokee oral histories

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.   

WCU player Cord Stansberry taking a shot during a 2024 home game

Donors support Alston Awards for WCU student-athletes’ academic achievements

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.  

Catamount family members at the pinning ceremony

All in the family: Legacy Pinning event celebrates generations of Catamount connections

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.  

WCU nursing students

WCU launches master’s entry program in nursing to address regional workforce needs

Western Carolina University’s School of Nursing has announced the launch of its new master’s entry program in nursing, designed to prepare graduates with a strong foundation in nursing practice and leadership while meeting the critical need for nurses across Western North Carolina and beyond.  

Up Basketball WCU

Nowhere but UP

Western Carolina University’s Unite UP basketball game brought students from the University Participant program and Catamount student-athletes together for a first-of-its-kind face-off in the Ramsey Regional Activity Center this past March.   

WCU students enjoy MHD activities

Mountain Heritage Days earns NC green travel designation

Western Carolina University keeps its nature in mind. Situated as our lush campus is in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the importance of environmentally-minded, sustainable action is easily understood to all who visit and dwell here. And every day presents a new opportunity to take that action further. The latest efforts, spearheaded by passionate faculty, staff and students, have earned this year’s Mountain Heritage Days celebration the NC Green Travel designation.   

WCU Campus

Bluegrass in Blue Ridge: WCU students, alumni start Upstream Rebellion band

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.  

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