Teaching: COVID-19 Style

There was a time when faculty members spent most of their days preparing their lectures, presenting them to their students and being available during office hours for extra instruction. Some also had the additional task of preparing for laboratory work or work outside of campus, such as hospitals and nursing homes. Then came the coronavirus, COVID-19, and a new way of teaching was born.  

WCU’s Newest Professor Sees ‘virtue’ in Middle Grades Students

David Virtue has been involved with middle grades education for 20 years. So, when he first learned that he was named Western Carolina University’s Taft B. Botner Distinguished Professor of Elementary and Middle Grades Education this summer, it’s no surprise that he compared his reaction to the excitement of a middle schooler learning “they were getting a snow day.”  

Meet David Virtue  

Developing future teachers is what fuels professor Brad Witzel

Brad Witzel said he has a lot of teaching left in him, at least 15 to 20 years. That’s why it’s taken him some time to get used to being called a distinguished professor. Witzel will join Western Carolina University’s College of Education and Allied Professions this fall as the Adelaide Worth Daniels Distinguished Professor of Special Education. Rather than look at the honor as a career-defining moment on the downside of his teaching, Witzel views it differently.   

Read His Story  

New flexible, online program at WCU makes it easier to be a teacher

Becoming a teacher through Western Carolina University just got a little easier for people wanting to switch careers and enter high-demand fields of education. The College of Education and Allied Professions is offering new comprehensive education master of arts in teaching concentrations for people who already have bachelor’s degrees and want to become a teacher.  

Learn More About the Program  

Distinguished professorships in education, computer info, musical theatre filled by WCU trustees

The WCU Board of Trustees approved the appointment of four new distinguished professors to teach, conduct research and provide community outreach.  

Students team with MAHEC for HR pro bono consulting project

The Mountain Area Health Education Center recently hosted 12 students from Western Carolina University's Master of Science in Human Resources Program for a mutually beneficial collaboration.  

‘Gifted’ graduate grateful for opportunity to maximize her students’ learning

When Elizabeth Watson decided she wanted a master’s degree in education to better serve her gifted students, she didn’t have to look far for inspiration. “My sister attended Western Carolina University and graduated with a degree in special education. To this day, she is the best special education teacher I've ever seen,” said Watson, who graduated in May with a master’s degree in special education with a focus on gifted education. “I chose to attend WCU for the simple fact that I thought, ‘Well, they must be doing something right at this university.’”  

New online art and wellness magazine is a real Masterpeace

Filled with photographs, paintings and artwork supplied by students from across Western North Carolina, “Masterpeace” was created to celebrate student art while delivering mental health and wellness information.  

The Catamount School teachers are adjusting, but still miss their students

Rewind to pre-COVID-19 pandemic days when life was normal and one would be hard-pressed to find a middle school student who wouldn’t welcome having a month off from school. Now fast-forward to today, and what most middle school teachers are finding is that their students are not only missing their classmates, but also their teachers.