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Skip to main content Search the WCU site News & Events Get the Latest Latest News COVID-19 Updates Events Calendar Catamount Sports Venues Bardo Arts Center Ramsey Activity Center Give to WCU Partner with Us Make a Gift Now Current Campaigns Ways to Give Quick Links Student Resources myWCU Blackboard Canvas Email Library IT Help Academic Calendar Students Accounts COVID-19 Updates COVID-19 Self-Reporting Maps & Location Visit WCU Main Campus Biltmore Park Campus Map Find People Faculty Directory Staff Directory Contact Us Social Media University Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube LinkedIn Admissions Facebook Twitter Catamount Sports Facebook Twitter Instagram Alumni Association Alumni Association Menu Back to Home Alumni Association Connect With Us WCU Alumni Facebook WCU Alumni Twitter WCU Alumni Instagram WCU Alumni LinkedIn Close Subnav Alumni Blog At Western Carolina University, we know that a university isn't just a place, it's a community. A community that's built from and defined by the people who call Western Carolina home, first as students and then as alumni. Our Alumni Association fosters a lifelong connection to WCU through programs and services so that no matter where you are, you'll always have a home in Cullowhee. Learn more about the Alumni Association... categories All Posts Alum of the Month Alumni Events Alumni Spotlight WCU Magazine Going Viral The cover of the Fall 2020 publication of the Western Carolina University Magazine highlights a small portrait of the many ways the COVID-19 global pandemic has impacted our faculty, staff and students. Inside this issue, we take a look at how in times of adversity, our Catamount Community displayed innovation, creativeness and a willingness to support Western North Carolina. Winds of Change In the midst of nationwide civil unrest, Western Carolina University renews its commitment to inclusive excellence. When Charity Leigh Moon Henry ’93 was studying theatre in the early 1990s, she had no inkling while on stage in what was then called Hoey Auditorium that she was performing in a building named to honor an individual who would have vehemently disapproved of her selection of a spouse and denied their multiracial children enrollment at her alma mater. Asheville's Black Lives Matter Mural Lakisha Blount ’04 is one of four African American alumni of Western Carolina University’s School of Art and Design who participated in the creation of a Black Lives Matter mural in downtown Asheville over the summer. Blount painted the letter “M,” with imagery evoking a mountain range, an Appalachian quilt and an African kente cloth. Take a closer look at the project and the artists involved... Calling An Audible When Alex Gary was introduced as Western Carolina University’s director of athletics on Feb. 28, the former Catamount baseball player had visions of what his first 90 days would look like when he officially started May 1. Gary imagined he would spend a lot of time meeting and talking to as many people as he could, while also learning the current campus landscape. Bank Shot Jake Robinson ’10 has come a long way from the days he got paid in honey buns for picking up aluminum cans in the auction ring after a sale at his grandfather’s stockyard. Pipeline Engineer Part-time admissions counselor serves as a conduit to Cullowhee for students from Georgia. When there’s an increase in student enrollments from the metro Atlanta area, an alumnus who jokingly refers to himself as “the oldest college recruiter in the state of Georgia” is usually the reason why. Bob Folsom ’66 MAEd ’68, a retired teacher and counselor from Gainesville, has turned the Peach State into a “significant pipeline” of new students for WCU, said Phil Cauley ’83 MS ’90, associate vice chancellor for undergraduate enrollment. Bugs Life A UC-Davis researcher examines global environmental consequences, beginning with insects and arachnids. Jason Bond ’93 is the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair in Insect Systematics and a professor in the Department of Entomology and Nematology at the University of California, Davis, where he specializes in research into the evolutionary diversification of terrestrial arthropods, particularly spiders, millipedes and beetles. Value Added Vice provost for academic affairs leads and represents campus, community. Could Carol Burton ’87 MAEd ’89 be the quintessential Catamount? A lot of people would say yes. Streaming Now Not long ago, Drew Starkey ’16, one of the stars in a hit Netflix television series, had doubts about whether his hope for a full-time career in the entertainment industry was realistic. 1 2 Quick Links Quick Links Maps and Locations Library Careers at WCU Emergency Information Student Resources Student Resources Email Blackboard myWCU Academic Calendar Faculty & Staff Resources Faculty & Staff Resources Faculty Directory Staff Directory Human Resources Space Reservations Community Resources Community Resources Community Classes Programs for Kids Mountain Heritage Center Other Community Resources Parent Resources Parent Resources WCU Parent Tips Family Weekend Student Accounts Financial Aid © Copyright by Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC 828.227.7211 Contact WCU Privacy Statement Office of Web Services...