Skip to main content

WCU Stories

Three portraits of people wearing masks

Going Viral

The cover of the Fall 2020 publication of the Western Carolina University Magazine highlights a small portrait of the many ways the COVID-19 global pandemic has impacted our faculty, staff and students. Inside this issue, we take a look at how in times of adversity, our Catamount Community displayed innovation, creativeness and a willingness to support Western North Carolina.  

Screenshot of a woman with a sign that says 'votes for women'

19th Amendment Centennial Celebration

2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, guaranteeing women’s right to vote. To celebrate that milestone of democracy, the School of Stage and Screen has assembled a team of women to present Rosemary H. Knower’s “Failure is Impossible”. The short script is taken from Congressional and other public records, commemorating the fight for women’s suffrage. “Failure is Impossible” has an all-female cast of performers, and an entirely female film crew from the Film and Television Production Program in the School of Stage and Screen.  

Diana Gabriel

Latinx Student Honored with Statewide Award

Her father came from San Salvador and her mother from Colombia, but Diana Gabriel was born in the United States and grew up mostly in Shelby. So, who was she, she wondered, aside from being an academically gifted student, a sister to two brothers and the daughter of immigrant parents from two different countries?  

Students in a classroom

Pandemic Drives Demand for Professional and Graduate Programs

As Asheville’s population and economy look to recover from months of slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, regional professionals are increasingly seeking ways to develop their skills, increase their credentials and stand out among the competition for new opportunities and career advancement. Increased demand resulted in a record enrollment this fall for Western Carolina University’s Asheville-based programs, with a 10 percent growth in students served compared to fall 2019.   

Learn More  

Students at a march

Winds of Change

In the midst of nationwide civil unrest, Western Carolina University renews its commitment to inclusive excellence. When Charity Leigh Moon Henry ’93 was studying theatre in the early 1990s, she had no inkling while on stage in what was then called Hoey Auditorium that she was performing in a building named to honor an individual who would have vehemently disapproved of her selection of a spouse and denied their multiracial children enrollment at her alma mater.  

aerial of the black lives matter mural from Reggie Tidwell, Curve Theory

Asheville's Black Lives Matter Mural

Lakisha Blount ’04 is one of four African American alumni of Western Carolina University’s School of Art and Design who participated in the creation of a Black Lives Matter mural in downtown Asheville over the summer. Blount painted the letter “M,” with imagery evoking a mountain range, an Appalachian quilt and an African kente cloth. Take a closer look at the project and the artists involved...  

Roya Scales

Roya Scales named a UNC System literacy fellow

Roya Scales is one of eight appointees to a University of North Carolina System literacy fellowship, an effort intended to develop a common framework for literacy instruction in teacher preparation.  

Close up of a touchless candy despenser

Engineering Treats

Engineering students find creative ways to distribute Halloween candy. The traditional ways to celebrate Halloween will be the next victim of the global pandemic, COVID-19.  

Explore the Project  

Alex Gary on a football field with Coach Spier

Calling An Audible

When Alex Gary was introduced as Western Carolina University’s director of athletics on Feb. 28, the former Catamount baseball player had visions of what his first 90 days would look like when he officially started May 1. Gary imagined he would spend a lot of time meeting and talking to as many people as he could, while also learning the current campus landscape.  

Office of Web Services