Western Carolina University (WCU) is a public university in Cullowhee, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the University of North Carolina system.
The fifth oldest institution of the sixteen four-year universities in the UNC system, WCU was founded to educate the people of the western North Carolina mountains. Enrollment for the fall 2020 semester was 12,243 students.
History
In 1888, the residents of Cullowhee desired a better school for the community than was offered in public schools of that day, organized a board of trustees and established a community school that came to be known as Cullowhee Academy. Founded in August 1889 as a semi-public secondary school and chartered as Cullowhee High School in 1891 (also called Cullowhee Academy), it served the Cullowhee community and boarding students from neighboring counties and other states. The founder, Robert Lee Madison, wanted to provide an education for the young people in the region and train teachers to spread education throughout the western part of the state. In 1893, through the efforts of Walter E. Moore, representative from Jackson County, the North Carolina Legislature authorized an appropriation for the establishment of a normal department at the school "for the purpose of training teachers". This designation became the first publicly funded normal school in North Carolina.
In 1905, the state assumed title to the school's buildings and property and made it a state institution. That same year, the school's name was changed to Cullowhee Normal & Industrial School. In 1925, the school's name was changed to Cullowhee State Normal School. During its years as Cullowhee Normal, the stated purpose of the school was to train teachers for the North Carolina public schools. A coeducational institution, Cullowhee Normal trained over two thousand teachers by the mid-1920s.
Over the next forty years, the school expanded its curriculum and evolved into a junior college, and in 1929 it was chartered by the Legislature as a four-year institution under the name Western Carolina Teachers College. Called "the Cullowhee experiment", Madison's idea became a model for the other regional colleges in the state.
The demand for both liberal arts and other programs led to an expansion of the school's offerings. Postgraduate studies and the Master of Arts in Education degree were added to the curriculum in 1951. In 1953, the name Western Carolina College was adopted.
In 1967, the institution was designated a regional university by the North Carolina General Assembly and given its current name, Western Carolina University. On July 1, 1972, WCU became a member of the University of North Carolina system.
One of the residence halls, Shining Rock, has been the target of several arson attacks in 2023 and 2024. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation entered into a joint investigation with the campus police to find the perpetrator, but the investigation stalled and the perpetrator has not been caught.
Campuses
Western Carolina University is located in Jackson County, in the unincorporated village of Cullowhee, North Carolina. The university operates learning centers in both Asheville and Cherokee with programs offered online and at various community colleges. The main campus is located in a valley of the Tuckasegee River, between the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains, west of Asheville, North Carolina and south of Sylva, North Carolina. The university lies close to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Reservation (officially known as the Qualla Boundary), and national forest lands. The campus is at an elevation of , but is located in a thermal valley, shielding it from some of the most extreme temperatures by the surrounding mountains. Cullowhee usually has a mild winter season and can go some winters with little to no snowfall.
Main campus in Cullowhee
The main campus in Cullowhee offers twelve residence halls, two full-service cafeterias, a food court with fast-food outlets, health services, counseling, a bookstore, library, a swimming pool, tennis and basketball courts, movie theater, jogging trail and quarter-mile track, hiking and biking trails and intramural fields.
The campus center is the A.K. Hinds University Center. The UC contains the university post office, a movie theater, video and commuter lounges, student organization HQs including the Student Government Association and Last Minute Productions, meeting rooms and office spaces. Outside of the UC is the "Alumni Tower", built in 1989, on the 100th birthday of the university.
A $13.5 million Student Recreation Center, was completed over the summer of 2008. Harrill Residence Hall was renovated to add 6,000 square feet (557 m2) and bring the 1971 building to LEED standards of environmental friendliness and energy efficiency, and re-opened in fall 2012.
The new $46.2 million Health and Human Sciences Building opened for use at the start of the 2012–13 academic year, also built to LEED standards. This facility is the first project on the Millennial Initiative property and houses WCU's educational and outreach programs in the College of Health and Human Sciences. The four-story facility is home to the undergraduate and graduate programs in social work and communication sciences and disorders; graduate programs in physical therapy and health sciences; and undergraduate programs in athletic training, emergency medical care, environmental health, nutrition and dietetics, nursing and recreational therapy.
Asheville campus WCU's educational facilities in Asheville focus on professional and graduate degrees for working students.
Cherokee campus The Western Carolina University Cherokee Center in Cherokee, North Carolina, was established in 1975 in cooperation with the tribal government of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians. The center serves Cherokee and the surrounding communities and is available to all of the people of the region. Their services include the application process, transcript request, scholarships, internships placement, high school recruitment.
Organization and administration
The university is led by Chancellor Kelli R. Brown, the chief administrative officer, along with Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Richard Starnes and several advisory groups. The institution operates under the guidance and policies of the Board of Trustees of Western Carolina University. WCU also falls under the administration of University of North Carolina system president Thomas W. Ross. The university moved to a provost and senior vice chancellor model in 2004.
Presidents
1889–1912 Robert Lee Madison 1912–1920 Alonzo Carlton Reynolds 1920–1923 Robert Lee Madison 1923–1947 Hiram Tyram Hunter 1947–1949 William Ernest Bird 1949–1956 Paul Apperson Reid 1956–1957 William Ernest Bird 1957–1968 Paul Apperson Reid 1968–1972 Alexander Simpson Pow 1972 Frank Hamilton Brown, Jr. (Acting)Chancellors
1972–1973 Jack Kenneth Carlton 1973–1973 William Hugh McEniry (Acting) 1974–1974 Frank Hamilton Brown, Jr. (Acting) 1974–1984 H.F. Robinson 1984–1994 Myron L. Coulter 1994–1995 John H. Wakeley (Interim) 1995–2011 John W. Bardo 2011–2017 David Orr Belcher 2018–2019 Alison Morrison-Shetlar (Acting) 2019–Present Kelli R. BrownProvosts
2004–2010 Kyle R. Carter 2010–2011 Linda Stanford (Interim) 2011–2012 Beth Tyson-Lofquist (Interim) 2012–2013 Angela Laird Brenton; 2013–2014 Beth Tyson-Lofquist (Interim) 2014–2017 Alison Morrison-Shetlar 2018–2019 Carol Burton (Acting) 2019 Alison Morrison-Shetlar 2019–Present Richard Starnes
University media The university produces the following publications and broadcasts: Western Carolina Magazine: A seasonal publication primarily for alumni and friends of WCU, Western Carolina Magazine contains features on university people and programs, alumni updates, and news and events. Inside WCU: A weekly electronic newsletter for the faculty and staff of WCU, The Reporter features news, events and campus community updates. MountainRise: An open, peer-reviewed, international electronic journal published twice a year by the Coulter Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning at Western Carolina University for the purpose of being an international vehicle for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (SoTL).
WCU students, faculty and staff also contribute to: WCU on iTunes U Faculty and students are podcasting using WCU on iTunes U service from Apple Inc. This media repository was publicly listed on the iTunes U Colleges and Universities listings in August 2009.
Rankings
Academics and research
Academic structure Western Carolina University's academic programs are housed in six colleges: Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Allied Professions, David Orr Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts, Health and Human Sciences, and Engineering and Technology.
In addition, Western Carolina University's Brinson Honors College coordinates courses and events in every area of student and offers several interdisciplinary program, the Graduate School coordinates the admission process, funding support, and awarding of degrees to graduate students, and Hunter Library provides academic support for all academic units.
Academic programs With its main campus located on the site of an ancient Cherokee Indian village and adjacent to the Great Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains, Western Carolina has a commitment to the rich traditions of both the Appalachian and Cherokee cultures. The university's Mountain Heritage Center; Cherokee Center; Craft Revival Project; Cherokee Studies Program and WCU's partnership to preserve the Cherokee language all reflect that influence – and provide educational resources for the region.
Western is classified among "M1: Master's Colleges and Universities – Larger programs" and in the elective "community engagement" category. WCU is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award degrees at the bachelor, masters, intermediate, and doctoral levels. The university holds 21 program accreditations and is a member of more than 30 state and national associations and organizations to which its professional programs are related. In 2009, the Corporation for National and Community Service recognized WCU by awarding the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction for "exemplary commitment to service and civic engagement" on WCU's campus and beyond.
As the sixth-largest producer of teachers in North Carolina, the College of Education and Allied Professions was the national winner of the Association of Teacher Educators' Distinguished Program in Teacher Education Award in 2006. The college is also the 2007 co-winner of the Christa McAuliffe Excellence in Teacher Education Award presented by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. The Christa McAuliffe Award nationally recognizes outstanding programs in teacher education at AASCU member institutions.
Western Carolina's Forensic Research Facility (commonly referred to as the "FoREST") is just the second facility of its kind nationally. The decomposition research station is an extremely valuable resource for researchers and forensic anthropology students to study natural decomposition.