WCU Stories      August 14, 2024

By Marlon W. Morgan

Time flies when you’re accomplishing big things. Just ask Western Carolina University Chancellor Kelli R. Brown.

Brown, who last month celebrated her fifth year as WCU’s Chancellor, addressed faculty and staff Wednesday, Aug. 13, during the annual Fall Opening Assembly, a prelude to the start of the 2024-25 academic year. In doing so, she reflected on some of the university’s accomplishments during her tenure.

It began with navigating through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also included a drastic change in the campus landscape with the completion of Apodaca Science Building, the Rocks Residence Halls, a modern steam plant and the installation of a new, more ferocious cat statue at the front entrance.

“I am so gratified by the amazing amount of positive change we’ve seen,” Brown said.

The pandemic brought about a small dip in enrollment, but WCU has since recovered with some of its largest incoming freshman classes in the university’s history. WCU saw nearly 20,000 first-year students apply for admission this fall.

In addition to the ongoing success of NC Promise, WCU rolled out Catamount Commitment in 2022 which provides first-year students from North Carolina with varying levels of annual award money based on their high school GPA.

“Catamount Commitment, in partnership with the NC Promise tuition reduction program generously funded by the state legislature, has helped make WCU one of the most affordable, high-quality universities anywhere for so many incoming and continuing undergraduate students,” Brown said.

With the support of the General Assembly, WCU was able to add new concentrations and faculty/staff within the College of Engineering and Technology. Also, external grants and funding for nursing and birth-to-kindergarten programs will help address critical needs.

Brown also spoke of how WCU continues to strengthen its ties with the community and the region. For example, when the Canton paper mill closed after more than 100 years, WCU faculty and staff helped provide expertise in areas ranging from business to health care. Hunter Library’s Special and Digital Collections team assisted the Canton Area Historical Museum and Haywood County Public Library with a community scanning event to help preserve its memories.

“This is the kind of innovative and unexpected regional outreach that Western is known for,” Brown said.

WCU also ushered in a new era of partnership with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians:

• In 2021, WCU approved a historic land acknowledgment recognizing that it occupies the ancestral homeland of the Cherokee people.
• WCU celebrated the naming of the “Two Sparrows Town” Archaeological Collections Curation Facility.
• WCU honored and immortalized Cherokee culture and heritage in the design and orientation of Apodaca Science Building.
• This summer, the WCU Board of Trustees elected the first known member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Casey Cooper, as its chair.

Brown proceeded to explain the importance of WCU’s role as a regional comprehensive university.

“Regional universities are the workhorse of American higher education – more than 40% of all baccalaureate degrees in America are awarded by regional universities like WCU,” Brown said. “Our country’s teachers, social workers, writers, artists, musicians, scientists, entrepreneurs, nurses, engineers, and so many more, are educated within our walls or digital classrooms.

“WCU consistently outperforms others in two critical areas – access affordability. We are a destination for students seeking a high quality, affordable university education with an outstanding return on investment.”

In closing, Brown lauded the success of “Fill the Western Sky” comprehensive fundraising campaign, which will enter its public phase this fall. This past fiscal year, WCU broke all fundraising records with more than $35 million in gifts and commitments from nearly 4,000 donors.