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WCU Stories

Brinkley Weigh Room

Catamount student-athletes benefit from generosity of alumni

David and Marie Brinkley believe in the Catamounts so much they donated $400,000 to improve the weight-lifting facility at Western Carolina University, their alma mater, which benefits all WCU athletes. Yes, they’ve been blessed with money, they say, but the joy is in helping others.  

High Falls, DuPont State Forest, Cedar Mountain, NC

Wife endows scholarship to honor late husband’s work ethic

Hazel Hawkins always admired her late husband’s work ethic, a man who spent years working fulltime while attending WCU to complete his degree. She honored him by easing the burden on other students, with an endowed scholarship in his name.  

Joan Humphries

Grateful Student Pays Homage to Dedicated Teacher Through Career, Establishment of Scholarship

Lena Dula Mayberry Engstrom had a passion for teaching that changed the trajectory of Joan Davis Humphries’ life. To honor her former high school teacher and mentor, Humphries established an endowed scholarship in Engstrom’s name.  

Harold and Henrietta Saltz Anderson

Saltz Anderson endowed scholarship honors family of educators

They traded Western North Carolina for central Washington, where he farmed and she taught school. When it came time to settle their affairs and with no children of their own, Harold and Henrietta Saltz Anderson looked homeward, to North Carolina.  

Members of the board of directors of Entegra Bank participate in a signing ceremony marking the creation of the Entegra Bank Endowed Scholarship Fund.

Entegra Bank announces $250,000 contribution for scholarship effort

In recognition that more than 20% of Entegra Bank's workforce in Western North Carolina graduated from WCU, the financial institution's board of directors announced a $250,000 contribution to provide scholarship assistance to students from the region who want to study in WCU's College of Business.  

Burton during WCU's Dec. 2017 commencement.

Campus fixture Carol Burton creates scholarship to aid international graduate students

Through cash gifts, pledges and an estate gift totaling $50,000, Acting Provost Carol Burton has established a scholarship fund designed to help international students, especially those from Jamaica, earn graduate degrees at WCU.  

MichaelPenland

Scholarships Unleash Student’s Potential

The power of scholarships reaches beyond simply alleviating financial burden from students and their families. Scholarships are oftentimes the determining factor in whether a student pursues a college education at all.  

WCU Campus

Car Ride with Chancellor, Scholarships Prove Turning Point for Future Vet

Students, pets, pets, students. It seems to be one or the other for Western Carolina University senior Sarah Bennett, who graduated in May with a biology degree and an eye on veterinary school.  

erin-west

Scholarships Mean More than Money to Erin West

Erin West knows the value of a scholarship can go well beyond its dollar sign. A senior in the College of Business, West has received slightly more than $17,000 in WCU scholarships since her sophomore year. But besides helping to pay for her education, the financial support has helped to position her as a student with some cachet, a good bet, a smart cookie who knows a thing or two.  

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