(Oct. 6, 2020) – Let’s hear it for the little guys. As several of the UNC System’s largest institutions were forced to quickly shift classes online as the coronavirus erupted on their campuses, many of the System’s smaller institutions – including its Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) – have managed to keep the virus… READ MORE
Recent grads urge students to ‘Embrace the Weirdness’
CHAPEL HILL – Three recent graduates of UNC System schools urge students to “Embrace the Weirdness” and abide by community standard during the pandemic in a lively video produced as a public service announcement. Graduates Annalee Banks of Western Carolina University, Liz Chung of UNC Asheville and Najawa Huntley of N.C. A&T State University worked… READ MORE
Reflection on Dr. David Belcher
By Teresa Williams Former Chair, WCU Board of Trustees When Dr. David O. Belcher swept into our lives in 2011, the Western Carolina University family saw only a glimmer of the powerhouse he would soon reveal himself to be. Seen then as the highly energetic, personable and visionary new chancellor coming to campus, he quickly… READ MORE
UNCG/GTCC/ACC: Building expectations for a 4-year degree
GREENSBORO – There are fancy names for the partnerships UNC Greensboro announced last week to make it easier for students from Guilford Technical Community College and Alamance Community College to transfer to UNCG and earn bachelor’s and in some cases master’s degrees.1 But for UNCG Provost Dana Dunn, it’s about building expectations – especially among… READ MORE
NC Promise: $500 a semester tuition at WCU, UNCP, ECSU
CULLOWHEE – It was a bold move by the 2016 General Assembly – reducing tuition at three state universities to $500 a semester for in-state students, starting in the fall of 2018. Once room, board, books and fees are taken into account, Western Carolina University Chancellor David Belcher says, the NC Promise program should reduce… READ MORE
WCU Pride of the Mountains Marching Band: “A phenomenon”
CULLOWHEE – How many universities can say 15-20 percent of each freshman class plays in their marching band? “The Pride of the Mountains Marching Band is a phenomenon,” Western Carolina University Chancellor David Belcher declares in the accompanying video. “It’s become a tradition here,” Belcher says. “But I tell you, it’s part of the learning experience… READ MORE
Western Carolina Lab School: Make a huge difference
CULLOWHEE – Western Carolina Chancellor David Belcher isn’t bashful about Western’s origin as a teacher’s college. “Western Carolina University really began to produce teachers to educate the children of the mountains. And from that moment ‘til now, education has been a focus, and we have been really good at it,” Belcher says in the accompanying video…. READ MORE
WCU/Community Colleges: Nursing degrees under $20K
CULLOWHEE – North Carolina faces a nursing shortage, but the need is particularly pronounced in Western North Carolina. So Western Carolina University’s School of Nursing came up with what Chancellor David Belcher describes in the accompanying video as an “ingenious” effort to educate nurses quickly – and affordably. Under RIBN, which stands for Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate… READ MORE
WCU Chancellor: “Intentional relationships” with students
CULLOWHEE – While people in other parts of the state wring their hands over the rural-urban divide, the folks at Western Carolina University live it every day. The university is intensely focused on its students, Western Carolina Chancellor David Belcher says in the accompanying video. “This is what Western lives every single day,” he says…. READ MORE
WCU: Jobs, economic mobility for WNC
CULLOWHEE – Western Carolina University’s commitment to its region is nearly as strong as its commitment to its students – it seems most of Chancellor David Belcher’s sentences end with “Western North Carolina” or “this region.” So what will it take to make Western greater? Students from Western North Carolina, which tends to lag the rest… READ MORE