The Reporter, July 2014

• Main Author: Western Carolina University;
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Hunter Library Digital Collections, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC 28723; 2014
• Subjects: Western Carolina University > Periodicals; Aldrich; Austin; Belcher; Canada; Coulter; Flint; Hannah; Kay; Keller; Marvel; Morrison; Morse; Parris; Quinton; Randall; Snyder; Weaver; Barrow; Alaska; morse
• Online Access: http://cdm16232.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16232coll20/id/6999

The Reporter is a publication produced by Western Carolina University featuring news, events, and campus community updates for faculty and staff. The publication began in August of 1970 and continues digitally today. Click on the link in the “Related Materials” field to access recent issues. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2014 ???????? Email This Post ???????? Print This Post ???????? Share | NOTEWORTHY NEWS Bardo Arts Center receives national accolade BestValueSchools.com listed WCU’s John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center among “The 25 Most Amazing University Performing Arts Centers.” The website listed the Bardo Arts Center at No. 19 and said the facility “combines a state-of-the-art space with a naturally beautiful setting to promote the arts education throughout the region.” The Bardo Arts Center, which houses WCU’s School of Art and Design, opened in 2005 with a performance by Jay Leno. The facility includes a 1,000-seat performance hall and houses WCU’s Fine Art Museum. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2014 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2014 ???????? Email This Post ???????? Print This Post ???????? Share | ACHIEVEMENTS Bose, Marvel and Schilling to participate in UNC-system event centered on online course development Three WCU faculty members have been selected through a competitive process to participate in the University of North Carolina General Administration’s inaugural i3@UNC Incubator event, which will be held in August at WCU’s Biltmore Park site. The event is a multiday intensive workshop event for developing online courses that fit the needs of the state of North Carolina. Selected to participate from WCU are Indrani Bose, assistant professor of biology; Jon Marvel, associate professor of management; and Ethan Schilling, assistant professor of psychology. Upon completion, Bose, Marvel and Schilling will be named i3@UNC Faculty Fellows and will work closely with UNC General Administration and the Coulter Faculty Commons to facilitate high quality online teaching and learning. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2014 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2014 ???????? Email This Post ???????? Print This Post ???????? Share | NOTEWORTHY NEWS Criminal justice ranked No. 1 ‘Best Buy’ by website The distance education information website GetEducated.com ranked WCU’s online bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at No. 1 in affordability. The program was ranked the top “Best Buy” for students seeking a “high quality, low-cost” online criminal justice degree following a national survey of 43 regionally accredited higher education institutions that o????????er online bachelor’s degrees in the same subject area, said Melissa Eubank, director of information services for GetEducated.com. For more information, visit the WCU news site. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2014 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2014 ???????? Email This Post ???????? Print This Post ???????? Share | ACHIEVEMENTS Hartley addresses Tennessee Judicial Conference, authors Arizona Law Review article Roger E. Hartley, director of the master’s degree program in public a????????airs and professor of political science and public a????????airs, gave an invited talk titled “Building E????????ective Intergovernmental Relations” at the Tennessee Judicial Conference in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The talk was based on his research into how courts lobby other branches of government. Also, the Arizona Law Review recently published an article by Hartley titled “’It’s Called Lunch’: Judicial Ethics and the Political and Legal Space for the Judiciary to Lobby.” CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2014 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2014 ???????? Email This Post ???????? Print This Post ???????? Share | Ron Rash TOP STORIES Incoming freshmen reading Ron Rash bestseller ‘Serena’ Western Carolina University’s incoming freshmen will be spending this summer reading “Serena,” the New York Times bestselling novel that was penned by WCU faculty member Ron Rash, as they participate in “One Book,” a program directed by the university’s O????????ce of First Year Experience and sponsored by WCU’s Division of Student Success. “Serena,” the Western North Carolina-based story of a timber baron, George Pemberton, and his ruthless wife Serena, was published in 2008 to critical acclaim nationwide. Rash, WCU’s Parris Distinguished Professor of Appalachian Culture, is also the author of four other novels, ????????ve collections of short stories and four books of poems. As the 2014 “One Book” selection, “Serena” will be integrated into many ????????rst-year courses this fall and is intended to provide WCU’s new students with a “common intellectual conversation” as they begin their academic careers in Cullowhee, said Glenda Hensley, director of First Year Experience. The program also will complement the university’s interdisciplinary theme for the 2014-15 academic year – “North Carolina: Our State, Our Time,” she said. Students are receiving the book free when they attend orientation. Rash recently sat down with Joseph Hader, videographer in WCU’s O????????ce of Communications and Public Relations, to discuss various aspects of his writing and the writing profession, including his advice for aspiring writers, writing about a single region, developing characters and having a sense of place. By Randall Holcombe CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2014 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2014 ???????? Email This Post ???????? Print This Post ???????? Share | Jeffrey L. Ray TOP STORIES Jeffrey L. Ray to lead the Kimmel School Je????????rey L. Ray, dean of the School of Engineering Technology and Management at Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, Georgia, will be the next dean of the Kimmel School of Construction Management and Technology at Western Carolina University. Ray, dean and professor of mechanical engineering technology at SPSU since 2007, is ????????lling a vacancy created by the recent departure of James Zhang, who accepted the position of provost at Kettering University in Flint, Michigan, after leading the Kimmel School since October 2012. The appointment of Ray, e????????ective Aug. 1, was announced Monday, July 7, by Alison Morrison-Shetlar, provost at WCU, following approval by the executive committee of the WCU Board of Trustees. Ray also will join the Department of Engineering and Technology as a tenured professor. “Dr. Ray brings a wealth of experience in engineering education, working with industry and in developing engaged learning opportunities for students and faculty,” Morrison-Shetlar said. “His ability to work with many di????????erent types of business and industry, his reputation and leadership positions in his professional organizations and his interdisciplinary collaborations are all attributes that will bring recognition to the Kimmel School, building on the very strong foundation that James Zhang and the faculty and sta???????? of the Kimmel School have developed.” During his tenure as dean at SPSU, Ray helped develop his school’s ????????rst strategic plan, coordinated three major accreditation processes, and acquired funding for more than $2.5 million in new and replacement equipment. He also created and developed two new undergraduate programs and one new graduate program that have been approved by the Georgia Board of Regents. Ray said he was drawn to the Kimmel School position in part because of the school’s emphasis on project-based learning, in which students not only study theoretical aspects about engineering and technology, but also apply those theories in hands-on projects designed to help solve real problems faced by industry partners across Western North Carolina, under the oversight of faculty mentors. “Further developing applied, industry- and government-sponsored research projects for undergraduate and graduate students is a high priority for applied science and engineering, technology and construction management, including entrepreneurial opportunities,” he said. “Promoting experiential and project-based learning for students is critical in meeting the needs of students and employers.” Prior to joining SPSU, Ray served as director and professor in the School of Engineering at Grand Valley State University from 2004 until 2007, and as associate professor and chair of the mechanical engineering program there from 1997 until 2004. He also previously was an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Youngstown State University and a biomedical research engineer at Vanderbilt University. Ray is a member of the American Society for Engineering Education, serving as chair of the organization’s engineering technology council and vice president of its institutional councils. He earned his doctorate in mechanical engineering at Vanderbilt University and his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering at Tennessee Technological University. Southern Polytechnic State University, founded 65 years ago with a focus on science, engineering and technology, is merging with Kennesaw State University this fall to create an institution with a combined enrollment of more than 31,000 students. George DeSain, former head of WCU’s industrial education and technology department who led the transformation of the industrial arts program into industrial technology and then into engineering technology, has been serving as acting dean of the Kimmel School since Zhang’s departure in May. The Kimmel School is home to the Department of Construction Management, Department of Engineering and Technology, and Center for Rapid Product Realization. The “engagement arm” of the Kimmel School, the Rapid Center provides technical assistance to companies, organizations and entrepreneurs through faculty expertise and hands-on learning activities for students. The Kimmel School is expanding its Cullowhee-based undergraduate engineering program to WCU’s instructional site at Biltmore Park beginning this fall, a step designed to help meet increasing industry and business demand for a highly quali????????ed workforce in the fast-growing corridor between Asheville and Hendersonville. WCU will host an “instant decision day” for prospective students interested in enrolling in the new bachelor’s degree program in engineering at Biltmore Park from 3:30 until 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 22. Representatives of the Kimmel School, including its newly named incoming dean, will be on hand to meet prospective students and answer questions about the program, and admissions counselors will be available to o????????er same-day decisions to students who apply that day. For more information about programs in the Kimmel School, visit the website kimmel.wcu.edu. By Bill Studenc CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT Tags: Jeffrey Ray, Kimmel School © 2014 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2014 ???????? Email This Post ???????? Print This Post ???????? Share | ACHIEVEMENTS Jicha’s artwork featured in Wilmington exhibit An exhibit of new work by Jon Jicha, professor of graphic design, was featured in an exhibit titled “Awkward Sensibility” held at Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2014 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2014 ???????? Email This Post ???????? Print This Post ???????? Share | From left, Jeanne Dulworth, assistant professor of social work, and Russ Curtis, associate professor of counseling, participate in a workshop at the 2014 Leadership Retreat. The retreat was centered on finding balance. From left, David Evano????????, assistant professor of chemistry, and Robbin Brooks, director of systems and procedures with the accounting office, participate in a discussion at the 2014 Leadership Retreat. TOP STORIES Leadership Retreat participants explore balance The fourth annual day-long WCU Leadership Retreat held at A.K. Hinds University Center drew a record 118 participants from across the campus community and from some of WCU’s partners. The theme for 2014 was “Finding Your Balance,” and participants explored the role balance plays in successful leadership. Workshop sessions centered on topics such as decision analysis, ????????nding core strengths, balancing work and life, prioritizing work and time management, managing stress and analyzing leadership behaviors. The day also included a hands-on group activity; a keynote address by Richard Starnes, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; a panel discussion; and closing remarks from Provost Alison Morrison-Shetlar. In the keynote address, Starnes examined the array of challenges that leaders must balance, from balancing the daily grind with the big picture to balancing responsibility with empowerment. He talked about trust as key to leadership and the importance of leading by example. “When we make decisions, we are in fact making decisions that re????????ect priorities,” said Starnes. “As leaders, it is important those priorities are clearly articulated to everyone involved so they understand why those decisions are made and how those decisions are made.” He also discussed the need to balance work and life. “If you can find happiness in both, you’ll probably be more effective in both,” said Starnes. Later in the day, panelists shared some of their personal strategies for maintaining balance of work and life, and leadership. Panelists included Lee Smith, director of operations and maintenance; Kathy Wong, director of human resources; Tony Johnson, executive director of Millennial Initiatives; Karen Glover, head volleyball coach; Dan Berk, director of applications and systems; Jane Adams-Dunford, assistant vice chancellor of student a????????airs; and Dale Carpenter, dean of the College of Education and Allied Professions. In closing, Morrison-Shetlar emphasized that everyone can be a leader. She shared such ideas as stepping forward to express interest and o????????ering to serve when opportunities arise. “Let people know you are interested in your own professional development and giving back,” she said. Ninety-four percent of participants who completed the post-retreat survey said the free event was a worthwhile experience and they would recommend participation to others, said Laura Cruz, director of Coulter Faculty Commons. Douglas Keskula, dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences, participated in the retreat and said he appreciated and enjoyed the chance to meet people from across campus. Erin McNelis, associate professor of mathematics, also said she always ????????nds it rewarding at the annual event to spend time with members of the campus community with whom she does not often have the opportunity to interact. “I learn a lot from hearing other people’s perspectives,” said McNelis. “I appreciate the new viewpoints, and it also reaffirms how similar we are in our core values.” McNelis said some of the suggestions Morrison-Shetlar shared were actions she felt she could adopt immediately, such as waiting to speak until two or more people have spoken and removing the word “but” from conversations. Others McNelis said she would work toward, such as the idea of “leading CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT Debby Singleton, an instructor in the School of Teaching and Learning, participates in the 2014 Leadership Retreat. from beside” and seeking out multiple mentors. Anne E. Aldrich, executive assistant to the provost, said her participation in a workshop centered on recognizing her core strengths was a “wake-up call” to not forget what she needs to do to stay balanced in her daily life. She also participated in a workshop that involved guided meditation. “It was only seven minutes long, however, I emerged refreshed and energized at 3 o’clock in the afternoon,” said Aldrich. “Every year when this retreat is o????????ered, I tell myself I am too busy to take a whole day out of my schedule to attend,” said Aldrich. “However, in the end I realize how important it is to ????????nd ways to take care of myself, to take advantage of opportunities for professional and personal growth as well as having the chance to mingle with faculty, sta???????? and students from across campus.” Lisa Frady, academic adviser, said she also enjoyed having colleagues lead workshops. “I was reminded that we each have something to contribute beyond our everyday duties,” said Frady. “Thanks to everyone involved in executing the event. It was a great way to spend the day. I can’t wait to see what next year’s group exercise will be.” The annual leadership retreat is the result of a collaboration of the O????????ce of Leadership and Student Involvement, the O????????ce of Human Resources and Payroll, and the Coulter Faculty Commons. By Teresa Killian Tate © 2014 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2014 ???????? Email This Post ???????? Print This Post ???????? Share | Jill Manners, associate professor, has no di????????culty getting students to raise their hands in class. She simply asks them to, as she demonstrates clinical techniques. ACHIEVEMENTS Manners wins national athletic training award Jill Manners, associate professor and director of the athletic training program at WCU, was selected as one of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association’s Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer award recipients for 2014. The award is presented to NATA members who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to leadership, volunteer service, advocacy and distinguished professional activities as an athletic trainer. Manners, a Cullowhee resident, began teaching at WCU in 2004 and was named director of the athletic training program in 2010. She received the North Carolina Athletic Trainer’s Association’s Educator of the Year Award in 2009 and the Gail Weldon Award of Excellence in 2013. For more information, visit the WCU news site. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2014 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2014 ???????? Email This Post ???????? Print This Post ???????? Share | NOTEWORTHY NEWS New Campus Dining Services partnership to benefit Community Table WCU’s Campus Dining Services entered a partnership in May with Food Donation Connection to better track and facilitate the donation of surplus food that would expire before it can be served to be used at nonprofit organizations such as the Community Table in Sylva. Campus Dining Services sta???????? members discussing surplus food donation last fall were contacted by Willie Jones, an AmeriCorps VISTA with the Center for Service Learning working with food security, about donating procedures. The team reached out to the corporate o????????ce of Aramark, WCU’s food service partner, for assistance developing a more formal process, and was connected with Food Donation Connection, a global network committed to helping restaurants and food service companies donate rather than discard surplus food. Food Donation Connection programs have specific guidelines to ensure the safety of food donations for tracking how much food is donated. “We are excited to partner with this program as it is a great opportunity to give back and assist our local community,” said Sarah Caruso, marketing coordinator for Aramark at WCU. “There are so many people locally who go hungry each day. Being able to provide any assistance to make a difference in their lives is a value Aramark and WCU both agree on and work together towards.” CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2014 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2014 ???????? Email This Post ???????? Print This Post ???????? Share | ACHIEVEMENTS Paper co-authored by Marvel wins award at international symposium A paper co-authored by Jon Marvel, associate professor of management, and presented at the 2014 International Supply Chain Symposium held in Edmonton, Alberta, in June received the symposium’s Best Paper Award. The paper was titled “Lean, Green, or Resilient? An Explorative Study of Manufacturing Firms.” Supply chains adopt a variety of strategies to respond to market changes and increased environmental turbulence. The research team investigated how the level of integration of the strategies typically adopted by manufacturing companies to improve competitiveness impacts the performance of the firms. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2014 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2014 ???????? Email This Post ???????? Print This Post ???????? Share | From left, pilots Thomas Stovall and Debasish Banerjee give a thumbs up from inside the Cessna 182 they ????????ew from Franklin to Barrow, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Thomas Stovall) From left, Thomas Stovall and Debasish Banerjee prepare for flight. (Photo courtesy Thomas Stovall) OFF THE CLOCK Professor participates in Cessna flight from WNC to Alaska, plans trip around the world Two years ago, Debasish Banerjee, professor of computer information systems, and Franklin retiree J. Thomas Stovall ????????ew a Cessna 182 from Franklin across the country, into Canada and on to Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost point of the United States. Stovall chronicled the 14-day round-trip adventure, which included a landing in which the duo could not see a horizon because of dense smoke, in an article that was published in the Macon County News. Now, Banerjee is planning a trip around the world in a single engine plan to raise awareness of diabetes. The ????????ight will take place in the summer of 2015 and is connected to Banerjee’s nonpro????????t organization, Awareness Education and Prevention of Diabetes. He also will be hosting meetings and events in advance of the ????????ight to raise awareness of the disease in Western North Carolina. Banerjee has diabetes and said several of his family members have su????????ered dire consequences of having the disease. “That’s the motivation, he said. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2014 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2014 ???????? Email This Post ???????? Print This Post ???????? Share | NOTEWORTHY NEWS ‘Prove Your Purple’ campaign underway WCU’s Department of Athletics is giving Catamount pride a new name with the “Prove Your Purple” campaign. The campaign urges WCU students, faculty, sta???????? and alumni to invest in and support student-athletes by donating to the Catamount Club, purchasing season tickets, attending Catamount games and cheering on the team, which will help WCU rise to the top of the Southern Conference. For more information, visit the Catamount Athletics news site. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2014 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2014 ???????? Email This Post ???????? Print This Post ???????? Share | Haley Medford participates in the WCU Employee Summer Challenge. Participants in the WCU Employee Summer Challenge take part in a yoga class. Patrick Hinkle visits a farmers’ market, one of the activities included in the WCU Employee Summer Challenge. NOTEWORTHY NEWS Registration still open for Employee Summer Challenge WCU employees can still register for W.H.E.E. for Life’s Employee Summer Challenge, which concludes Friday, July 25. The event encourages WCU faculty and sta???????? to participate in various wellness activities. For every two activities completed, participants earn a prize. The challenge will wrap up on July 25 with an event at noon in the Courtyard Dining Hall. There will be food, fun and more prizes. Lunch costs $5 at the all-you-care-to-eat venue on Fridays. For more information or to register to participate in the summer challenge, email [e-mail]. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2014 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2014 ???????? Email This Post ???????? Print This Post ???????? Share | ACHIEVEMENTS Reitz co-authors article in Journal of Library Administration Christina L. Reitz, assistant professor of music, co-authored “Information Literacy in Music History: Fostering Success in Teaching and Learning,” which will be published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Library Administration. The article by Reitz and former WCU librarian Alessia Zanin-Yost is the culmination of two years of collaborative work centered on undergraduate music history research methodology. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2014 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2014 ???????? Email This Post ???????? Print This Post ???????? Share | Sherry Robison ACHIEVEMENTS Robison honored by North Carolina Dietetic Association Sherry Robison, assistant professor and internship director for the Nutrition and Dietetics Program at Western Carolina University, was recently awarded the North Carolina Dietetic Association’s Outstanding Dietetics Educator Award for 2014. Candidates are selected based upon demonstrated innovative teaching skills, mentoring skills and leadership skills. Robison was applauded for her “expansion of partnerships with the community and providing unique opportunities for student learning,” said Sherry Held, a former preceptor for the dietetic internship program at WCU. Janette Hammett, a WCU alumna and the child nutrition director at Cherokee Central Schools, credited Robison for support she received to advance professionally. “I strongly believe that my pursuit of higher education and the drive to climb the professional ladder is due to Sherry’s mentorship and support she provided me during my term in the dietetic internship,” said Hammett. Robison also is a leader in local food and Farm to School initiatives and an advocate for local, sustainable food systems. “Sherry is an outstanding partner and a strong leader in the community as well as among dietetics across the country in implementing an innovative program that teaches nutrition and dietetics students and interns about local food, Farm to School and hands-on education,” said Amy Paxton-Aiken, who works with the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project in Asheville. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2014 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2014 ???????? Email This Post ???????? Print This Post ???????? Share | WCU’s Ripple E????????ect learning community takes in a 360-degree view from the London Eye, the world’s tallest observation wheel. TOP STORIES Students from Ripple Effect learning community serve foreign communities A group of Western Carolina University students from the Ripple Effect learning community traveled to Europe to learn and bring about social change in May. The Ripple E????????ect is an initiative at WCU that challenges students to observe the ripples that small acts can a????????ect and to make ripples themselves. The students in the learning community participated in four courses that focused on social change last school year. Cyndy Caravelis Hughes, a professor in WCU’s Criminology and Criminal Justice Department, taught a course designed to explore issues of diversity, oppression and social justice. Students in the class learned to turn awareness of social justice into social action. Lane Perry, director of WCU’s Center for Service Learning, taught a course that helped students create and in????????uence social change by developing an implementable business plan for an organization. Fourteen students from the classes traveled to London, Paris and Munich to focus on di????????erent community issues and to work with local nonpro????????t organization to help address the issues. “By visiting the refugee centers, the students were challenged to focus on the inequalities that occur between racial, ethnic, social and economic lines,” Hughes said. “The objective most totally captured by the experience was applying the concepts of social justice to reevaluate their worldviews. I don’t think that there was a single student who returned unchanged from the experiences.” Visiting, serving and learning at the two refugee centers in Munich took an issue that is typically at arm’s length and brought it to life, Perry said. “While our attitude, drive and passion are still important ingredients, the circumstances and environment where we exist have much to say about future outcomes. Many of the students identi????????ed this reality and took with them a heightened sense of respect and value for the opportunities they have at WCU,” said Perry. Michelle Powers, a student Service Corps Member from Rolesville, said the experience was meaningful to her. “Through traveling abroad and engaging in the community, you learn so much about yourself because you are thrown into di????????erent places and scenarios that you are not used to,” said Powers. “Sometimes you do not speak the language, and you have to learn to adapt and experience the things that are coming your way,” she said. Another student, Mary Hannah Hughes from Wilmington, said she appreciated the chance to participate in a range of service learning projects in Europe as part of the trip. “From revitalizing an iconic agricultural landmark in London to providing food for homeless people and refugees in Paris and Munich, having the chance to actively participate in projects focused on improving the lives of individuals was truly rewarding,” said Hughes. Another student participant, Quinton Toler from Benson, described a memorable conversation he had with someone at the refugee center. “I met a guy named Chance who gave me more than a conversation; he gave me an experience, showing me more than I could ever bargain for,” said Toler. “He told me about how he doesn’t look for happiness; he ????????nds it in everything he does. This won’t be something that I forget.” Tyler Melvin, a student from Hickory, said he realized he was blessed to have the things and the opportunities he has in America. “This experience was de????????nitely eye-opening,” Melvin said. For more information about the Ripple E????????ect, contact Perry at 828-227-2643 or [e-mail]. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT WCU students prepare 150 sandwiches for people who are homeless in Paris, France. WCU students lend a hand with the English Garden and Community Garden located at the English Heritage site in London, England. By Kaitlyn Connelly © 2014 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2014 ???????? Email This Post ???????? Print This Post ???????? Share | Karyn Tomczak ACHIEVEMENTS Tomczak wins national teaching award Karyn Tomczak, assistant professor and director of the WCU dance program, will receive one of Dance Teacher magazine’s 2014 awards recognizing excellence in teaching dance at the Dance Teacher Summit to be held in New York City in August. The magazine published a feature about Tomczak and other winners in the July issue. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2014 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2014 ???????? Email This Post ???????? Print This Post ???????? Share | As students in Western Carolina University’s Film and Television Production Program, Grant Gilliard and Samantha Hunt worked with classmates on “The Radical Notion of Gene Mutation,” which was screened at the 2014 Controlled Chaos Film Festival. A Best of the Controlled Chaos Film Festival event will be held at The Country Club of Sapphire Valley on Sunday, Aug. 17. TOP STORIES WCU Best of Controlled Chaos Film Festival to be held Aug. 17 in Cashiers Some of the most riveting and moving student-created films from Western Carolina University’s annual Controlled Chaos Film Festivals will be shared at the inaugural Best of Controlled Chaos Film Festival in Cashiers on Sunday, Aug. 17. The event will be held at The Country Club of Sapphire Valley and will open with a reception at 6 p.m., followed by the screening of an hour-and-a-half of the most entertaining student films from the past five years. The line-up will include two longer senior project films and shorter films ranging from 15 seconds to four minutes. In addition, attendees will have the chance to bid on the opportunity to have students and faculty in WCU’s Film and Television Production Program create a short custom-made film, either a promotional short film or family documentary. Adair Simon, event co-chair and an award-winning producer from Cashiers with more than 35 years of industry experience, has attended WCU’s Controlled Chaos Film Festival and said she looks forward to sharing the work of WCU student filmmakers with a broader audience. “The quality, the variety and visual excitement of the films in the festival impressed me, and I encourage everyone who has not had the opportunity to attend before to join us for what promises to be an entertaining – and perhaps inspiring – evening,” said Simon, CEO of Video Progressions. “We are fortunate to have such a high-quality film school in Western North Carolina that is not only providing a top-notch education to students, but also helping capture the stories, the beauty and the imagination of our mountains.” Simon and Susan Belcher, wife of WCU Chancellor David O. Belcher, are members of the WCU Friends of the Arts Advancement Council. Both stepped forward to co-chair the festival after Marcia Shawler inquired about the possibility of sharing student films with the Cashiers community. Shawler, president of Mountain Youth Charities in Cashiers, was involved with a fundraiser last summer for which a WCU team from the Film and Television Production Program created a 4-minute, documentary-style film centered on the organization and needs of at-risk youth. “Each time I viewed the video, I kept thinking about what an excellent group effort this project was,” said Shawler, honorary chair for the Best of the Controlled Chaos Film Festival event. WCU established the Film and TV Production Program in 2006 and launched the festival in 2009 as a way to celebrate student work throughout the year. The event was named “controlled chaos” – the phrase Jack Sholder, director of the program, uses to describe the process of filmmaking. An award-winning Hollywood director and screenwriter at the helm since the inception of the WCU program, Sholder served as an editor on the documentary “King: From Montgomery to Memphis,” which was nominated for an Academy Award; won an Emmy for his editing work on “3-2-1- Contact,” and directed such blockbusters as “Nightmare on Elm Street II” and “The Hidden.” CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT Other faculty who work with students in the program include Arledge Armenaki, a cinematographer with more than 30 feature film and documentary credits including “South of Hell,” “Club Fed,” “Howling V,” “Dennis the Menace,” “Focus on Africa” and “Wesley”; screenwriter and producer Terry Curtis Fox, whose credits include “Hill Street Blues,” “JAG,” “The Hunger” and “Stargate SG-1”; and Brenda Lilly, who worked as writer on series including “Big,” “Shades of L.A.,” “Parker Lewis Can’t Lose,” “L.A. Law,” “Christy,” “Walker: Texas Ranger,” “Xena: Warrior Princess,” “Bobby’s World,” “Second Noah,” “Fame L.A.,” “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” and “State of Grace.” Almost 90 percent of the program’s graduates go on to work in the industry, and the films they create as students win awards. Most recently, “Jerry,” a senior project film from the 2012-13 academic year, was honored with the jury award for the best student film at the 2013 Asheville Cinema Festival. “When you see our students’ films in relation to other work, the technical skills are at least as high if not higher than other films but where they really shine is with the storytelling skills,” said Sholder. “Their films are really well done, entertaining and thought-provoking. When people come to our festival for the first time, they say, ‘Wow, I can’t believe how good these films are.’” Belcher said the creativity and energy of the students and quality of their work brings her back to the festival year after year. She enjoys everything from the 15-second short films that center on topics such as lost keys to documentaries on subjects ranging from a Vietnam War memorial to a local weaver who raises animals, shears them and prepares her own wool. She said the longer senior-project films are unforgettable and diverse, including “Strigoii,” a horror movie about a town terrorized nightly by a mysterious creature; “Black, White and Blue,” a film about a girl overcoming depression that incorporated underwater sequences; and “Jerry,” an off-kilter black comedy about a homeless man who comes back to haunt the local politician who ran him over. “I have watched these films many times for my own enjoyment,” she said. “What impresses me about the program and the festival are that the films are written, produced, directed, edited and performed all by students. That, to me, is the most impressive part, and that’s what makes it so exciting. You see the progress and the promise inside what these students are doing.” Students in WCU’s School of Stage and Screen write, direct, perform, film, edit and produce the films and incorporate musical compositions created by students in the Commercial and Electronic Music Program and title sequences developed in the School of Art and Design. Meg White, director of development at WCU, said the festival will demonstrate the quality instruction that students are receiving from WCU faculty who are trained professionals from the film industry. “It’s been my experience that when any audience has the opportunity to see WCU students in action, they are entertained and impressed,” said White. Belcher said the response so far to hosting the Best of the Controlled Chaos Film Festival in Cashiers has been overwhelming. “Every person we have asked to be involved has said ‘yes,’ immediately,” said Belcher. More than two dozen people, many of whom are Cashiers and Highlands residents, have volunteered time to assist on the events’ committees. In addition to Belcher, Shawler, Sholder, Simon and White, assisting with the event are Ann McKee Austin, Grace Battle, Bob Bryan, Sandra Davis, Andrew Dyson, Stephanie Edwards, Steve Johanessen, Pat Kaemmerling, Kathy Kaye, Kay Keller, Mary Adair Leslie, Penny Pollock Mawyer, Anne McKee, Ginger Mead, Cindy Moore, Jack Morse, Brien Peterkin, Chuck Self, Marilyn Staats, Irv Welling, Meg White and Wes Wofford. Tickets to the Best of the Controlled Chaos Film Festival are $75 and will be available starting in mid-July. The money raised will be used to assist students with making senior project films, which typically cost upward of $5,000 to create, and acquire much needed equipment for the program. For more information, contact the WCU College of Fine and Performing Arts at 828-227-7028. By Teresa Killian Tate © 2014 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2014 ???????? Email This Post ???????? Print This Post ???????? Share | ACHIEVEMENTS WCU Institutional Planning and Effectiveness staff members lead sessions at national conference Sta???????? members from the WCU O????????ce of Institutional Planning and E????????ectiveness led sessions at the Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum in Orlando, Florida, in May. Elizabeth Snyder, social-clinical research specialist, and Billy Hutchings, social-clinical research assistant, conducted a roundtable discussion on “Improving Online Course Evaluation Processes and Increasing Response Rates.” David Onder, director of assessment, and Alison Joseph, business and technology applications analyst, made three presentations at the conference, including a three-and-a-half-hour pre-conference workshop with 50 participants titled “Power Tools for IR Reporting: Hands-on Introduction.” Two additional presentations, “Reporting Program-Level Student Success Measures” and “’Power’ Tools for IR Reporting,” were well-attended, with the latter having an estimated audience of more than 250 people, making it one of the most popular concurrent sessions of the conference. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2014 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2014 ???????? Email This Post ???????? Print This Post ???????? Share | WCU participants in the Asheville Buzz breakfast included, from left, Alison Morrison-Shetlar, Robin Oliver, Jessica Shirley, Jolene Elkins, Patsy Miller, Tony Johnson and Chad Gerrety. NOTEWORTHY NEWS WCU participates in Asheville Buzz breakfast WCU sponsored a table at a breakfast held in June as part of Leadership Asheville’s Asheville Buzz Summer Breakfast Series. Leadership Asheville is committed to enhancing community leadership by developing, connecting and mobilizing people in the region, and the summer breakfast series sessions include panel discussions on topics such as entertaining Asheville, young innovators and secrets to enduring businesses. Participants at the session in June from WCU included Jolene Elkins, associate vice chancellor for administration and ????????nance; Chad Gerrety, associate athletic director for external a????????airs; Tony Johnson, executive director of Millennial Initiatives; Patsy Miller, director of WCU Programs in Asheville; Alison Morrison-Shetlar, provost and vice chancellor for academic a????????airs; Robin Oliver, director of marketing; and Jessica Shirley, director of nursing student services. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2014 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2014 ???????? Email This Post ???????? Print This Post ???????? Share | NOTEWORTHY NEWS WCU team takes part in AAC&U Institute Western Carolina University was one of 40 institutions selected from across the country to participate in the Association of American Colleges and Universities Summer Institute on High-Impact Practices and Student Success. The institute was held at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, in June. AAC&U summer institutes are designed to enable teams from colleges and universities to work collaboratively on a project important to their campuses and a curriculum focused on important trends, research and best practices, with a resident faculty of educational experts. Participants of the Institute on High-Impact Practices and Student Success will work on projects related to improving completion rates and the quality of student learning, and address barriers to student success and devise integrative learning-centered plans. The team from WCU sought to focus on creating a new learning community model that extends beyond students’ ????????rst years and connects them with other high-impact experiential learning opportunities such as undergraduate research, international experiences, co-ops and internships, and service learning. Their goals included increasing access to education among underserved populations, increasing participation of underrepresented groups at the degree-program level and improving student success and retention, said Chesney Reich, director of the Writing and Learning Commons at WCU. Participating from WCU in addition to Reich, the team’s leader, were Lowell Davis, assistant vice chancellor of the Division of Student Success; Mark Lord, head of the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resources; Alex Macaulay, associate professor of history; and Gayle Wells, associate professor of health and physical education. A.J. Grube, head of WCU’s Business Administration and Law and Sport Management Department, assisted the team with the application to participate. For more information, contact Reich at [e-mail] or 828-227-2273. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2014 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2014 ???????? Email This Post ???????? Print This Post ???????? Share | TOP STORIES WestCare to open primary care clinic in Health and Human Sciences Building WestCare Health will launch a new full-time primary care clinic in the Health and Human Sciences Building on the West Campus of Western Carolina University, with a targeted opening in September. The clinic is the result of a partnership between the hospital and the university in which access to care will be expanded in the community and educational opportunities will be provided to health sciences students. A family nurse practitioner will begin seeing patients this fall when the clinic opens and will be joined by a physician recruited to the community specifically for the clinic at WCU. The practice will treat patients ages 16 and older. Doug Keskula, dean of WCU’s College of Health and Human Sciences, hailed the opening of the clinic as the latest collaborative e????????ort between the college and health care partners to help meet the needs of people from the region while providing students opportunities for hands-on education and faculty members with opportunities for professional practice and research. “We are excited to welcome the WestCare primary care clinic to the Health and Human Sciences Building at Western Carolina University,” Keskula said. “Through this important partnership, we can provide exceptional health services to our community while supporting the development of a highly skilled health workforce for the future.” Steve Heatherly, president and CEO of WestCare, said the health care provider serving four counties of Western North Carolina has a tradition of working with WCU to serve the health care needs of the community. “There is a need for additional access to primary care in our community and we are pleased to serve the residents of southern Jackson County as well as the faculty and sta???????? of Western Carolina University. Serving the educational needs of local health sciences students through clinical rotations is an important feature of the clinic and we are privileged to participate,” said Heatherly. The clinic will occupy 2,000 square feet within the 160,000-square-foot Health and Human Sciences Building, a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to the critical intersection of health sciences and technology. In December 2013, WestCare opened a rehabilitation and sports medicine clinic in the building. Carolina West Sports Medicine provides care to the community and collaborates clinically with WCU rehabilitation and sports medicine faculty, sta???????? and students. WestCare donated the onsite therapy pool used in treating speci????????c injuries and conditions. The new primary care clinic will be located adjacent to the Carolina West Sports Medicine space. “WestCare is committed to serving the community through access and education so that local healthcare can be strengthened from both the patient and provider aspects,” Heatherly said. “The clinic at WCU creates an environment for the hospital to partner with the university in improving lives.” The Health and Human Sciences Building is the ????????rst facility to be built on WCU’s West Campus, 344 acres across N.C. Highway 107 from the main campus that were acquired in 2005 as part of the Millennial Initiative. A comprehensive regional economic development strategy, the Millennial Initiative promotes university collaboration with private industry and government partners to enhance hands-on student learning and collaborative research. Health care has emerged as a point of emphasis for the Millennial Initiative and for the university, said WCU Chancellor David O. Belcher. “We have long envisioned this building as a place of learning, collaboration and community – a point of intersection between our educational pursuits and our community engagement values,” Belcher said. “Thanks to partnerships such as the one we have with our friends at WestCare, that vision is becoming reality.” WestCare Health System was formed through a partnership of Harris Regional Hospital and Swain County Hospital in 1997 and serves Jackson, Swain, Macon and Graham counties with primary and subspecialty care, outpatient facilities and urgent care. Founded in 1889 to bring education and career opportunities to Western North Carolina, Western Carolina University is one of the 16 senior institutions of the University of North Carolina system. WCU enrolls more than 10,100 students in undergraduate and graduate programs of study. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2014 Western Carolina University.