2016 Summer Institute for Administrative Support Professionals NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 27, 2016 � Email This Post � Print This Post � Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

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TOP STORIES 2016 Summer Institute for Administrative Support Professionals NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

SAVE THE DATE!! EVENTS

2016 Summer Institute for PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES

Administrative Support Professionals

July 19, 1:00pm – 4:30pm

July 21, 8:30am – 12:00pm CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern REGISTRATION AND SESSION INFORMATION WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON! 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'

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TOP STORIES Africa! More Than a Continent events NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 6, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS

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As you plan the rest of your semester, please be aware of the following events that are linked to our campus theme, Africa! More Than a Continent. CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern If you have any question or additional events to add, please contact Laura Wright at [email protected]. Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond April 4-8, 2016: Serah Mucha and Ronnie Mdawadi the Glass Matrix Serah Mucha (project manager and public relations) and Ronnie Mdawadi (Kenyan country manager) for Kosmos Solutions 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Tyroler International, an NGO working on sustainable development, women’s empowerment, etc. in Kenya will be on campus. Details will be Musical Variety Show forthcoming. 6/9/2017 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show April 13, 2016 (Campus Dining Hall): African Menu 'Livin' the Dream' During the International Festival there will be an African Menu offered during the lunch hours in the Campus Dining Hall. Recipes include: Chicken Couscous, Eggplant Curry, Okra and Greens, Futari (coconut-peanut pumpkin), and Chinchin (fried pastries) or Banana LINKS Enrolada (banana rolled in pastry) Calendar April 13, 2016 (4:00-5:30pm; UC Multipurpose Room): WCU Global Spotlight Series: Africa in World Affairs Higher Education NewsWatch Join us for the last Global Spotlight Series of the semester. Presenters include: Dr. Jackie Sievert, Dr. Saheed Aderinto, Dr. Mike McDonald, and Dr. Jennifer Schiff. Sponsored by: Political Science, History, and International Studies. WCU Hub

April 21-22, 2016: Professor Kwesi Yankah AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT We are honored to have Professor Kwesi Yankah from Ghana joining us as part of the campus theme celebration. Professor Yankah is a world-renowned scholar on African proverbs. He is currently the president of Central University College, the largest private university in Ghana. Previously, he was the pro-vice chancellor (provost) at the University of Ghana, the preeminent university in Ghana. He is a former professor of linguistics. Professor Yankah earned his doctoral degree at Indiana University.

Professor Yankah will give a campus wide lecture, Between 9-11 and national tragedies in Africa: Comparative perspectives, on Thursday, April 21 at 4pm. In addition, he will be available to visit classes on Friday, April 22. If you are teaching a Friday class that addresses issues on Africa and would like for Dr. Yankah to visit your class, please contact Dr. Kofi Lomotey right away. Please encourage students to attend the lecture on April 21.

Click here for more information and the complete calendar

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TOP STORIES ‘American Idol’ winner David Cook to perform at WCU’s Spring Concert on NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 28 ACHIEVEMENTS April 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | EVENTS

“American Idol” season seven winner David Cook and Secondhand Serenade will perform during Western Carolina University’s Spring Concert at 8 p.m. PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES on Thursday, April 28.

The concert will take place on the Central Plaza. In the event of rain, the concert will move to the Ramsey Regional Activity Center with doors opening at 7 p.m. The free concert is sponsored by Last Minute Productions, Student Government Association and the Department of Campus Activities.

WCU students were polled in February, and Cook and Secondhand Serenade were the CALENDAR top two performers chosen. Also performing will be local group Ten More Years. 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds Since winning “American Idol,” Cook’s self-titled debut album has sold 1.5 million 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond copies. His follow-up album, “This Loud Morning,” debuted in Billboard’s top 10, LINKS before Cook became an indie artist. He moved to Nashville in 2012 and became a Calendar songwriter, while continuing to tour. Higher Education NewsWatch In 2014, Cook began recording his current album, “Digital Vein,” in his home WCU Hub recording studio. The project was funded in part by contributions from fans through a PledgeMusic campaign. David Cook will perform in concert at WCU on April 28. AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT

In 2012, Secondhand Serenade, otherwise known as musician John Vesely, saw his album, “A Naked Twist in My Story,” peak at No. 58 on the iTunes Top 200 albums list, as well as No. 19 on its top Alternative list. His current album, which was funded entirely by his fans via PledgeMusic, is scheduled to be released this spring.

For more information on the Spring Concert, contact Stephanie Sue Rowell at 828-227-3751.

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TOP STORIES Anantatmula’s text about project teams published NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

BEP Business Expert Press has just released a new text by Vittal Anantatmula, professor and director of WCU’s Master of Project EVENTS Management Program, titled “Project Teams: A Structured Development Approach.”

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The publisher’s description of the work says, “This book creates a structured approach and presents key concepts about the importance of teams, development of teams, team process, management of teams, and transitioning them into productive teams for enhanced project performance.”

The book is expected to be in stock on Wednesday, April 27. CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Tags: Vittal Anantatmula Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: LINKS Calendar

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TOP STORIES Autism Awareness Week to include workshop, panel discussion, 5-K NOTEWORTHY NEWS race ACHIEVEMENTS April 6, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | EVENTS

Last fall, the number of Western Carolina University students self-identifying themselves as having autism spectrum disorder doubled PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES from the previous year, reflective of a nationwide trend as individuals with autism make up an increasingly higher percentage of the college-age population.

WCU’s Office of Disability Services is sponsoring Autism Awareness Week on campus from Monday, April 11, through CALENDAR Friday, April 15, to educate the campus community on best practices for working with individuals with autism, to help prepare faculty and staff for the shift in the student LINKS population, and to increase awareness, Calendar understanding and acceptance, said Meredith Oakley, a graduate intern in the Higher Education NewsWatch office who has been working with Wesley WCU Hub Satterwhite, WCU’s director of disability services, to organize the week of activities. AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT

“Students with autism live in residence halls, work on campus, go to the Campus Recreation Center, eat in the dining halls, go to advising meetings, attend classes, and participate in clubs and organizations,” Oakley said. “There are no areas on WCU’s Paws, WCU’s athletics mascot, gets ready for Autism Awareness Week by asking a pertinent campus that are not touched by students, question. staff or faculty with autism.

“We are trying to provide support for these Catamounts, their families and their friends through this week and get our campus thinking about the best ways we can support and interact with members of the autism spectrum community.”

Activities begin April 11 as staff from the Office of Disability Services join with members of Alpha Xi Delta sorority on the lawn of A.K. Hinds University Center to talk to WCU community members about autism and sign people up to participate in a 5-K race the sorority is sponsoring on April 15. Alpha Xi Delta’s philanthropy area is Autism Speaks, an autism science and advocacy organization, and proceeds from the race will benefit that organization.

Tuesday, April 12, will be “Wear Blue Day” on WCU’s campus as members of the university community are asked to wear blue in support of their fellow Catamounts who have autism.

A workshop for faculty and staff, “College Students on the Autism Spectrum,” will be held from noon until 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, to highlight best practices for working with students with autism. The event in Multipurpose Room A of Hinds University Center will feature Jean Alvarez, former assistant director of disability services at WCU, who is now disability services coordinator at Asheville- Buncombe Technical Community College. Alvarez has been affiliated with the N.C. Autism Society for more than a decade and is extremely knowledgeable about the autistic population, Oakley said. Attendees are invited to bring their lunch.

WCU’s College of Education and Allied Professions will host an autism “Diversity Dialogue” panel discussion from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 14, in Room 102 of Killian Building. Participants will include a current student who has autism.

Alpha Xi Delta’s “Light It Up Blue” 5-K race will begin at 7 p.m. April 15 at the Central Plaza. The fee will be $10, and the first 30 runners who sign up receive a T-shirt. Registration is available online at http://events.autismspeaksu.org/faf/home/default.asp? ievent=1156679 or on the University Center lawn on April 11. More information is available by contacting Katlyn Smith at [email protected].

WCU’s Autism Awareness Week comes during April, which is national Autism Awareness Month.

“Students on the autism spectrum add to the diversity and richness of the university community,” Satterwhite said. “These students have much to contribute to the academic, social and cultural environment at WCU. It is our hope that with increased awareness and understanding, we will also see greater acceptance of our students with autism and the unique perspectives they provide.”

For more information about Autism Awareness Week, contact Satterwhite at [email protected] or Oakley at [email protected].

By Randall Holcombe Tags: Autism

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TOP STORIES Bailey teaches career development courses for colleagues NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Herb Bailey, director of gift planning at WCU, taught modules VIII and IX of the Certified Fundraising Executive Review Course for the EVENTS Western North Carolina Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals on Tuesday, April 5, and Wednesday, April 6.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The two-day conference was held on the Asheville campus of Lenoir-Rhyne University.

Bailey will be speaking on the topic “Increasing your ROI: The 3-Part Ask” for an AFP luncheon at The Renaissance Asheville Hotel, 31 Woodfin Street in Asheville, from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 20.

Registration is available through Tuesday, April 19, at this link. CALENDAR

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TOP STORIES Bands unite to present spring concert April 26 NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

The Western Carolina University Concert Band and Symphonic Band will take the stage at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts EVENTS Center at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, to perform their final concert of the spring semester.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The Concert Band, under the direction of David Starnes, director of WCU’s award-winning Pride of the Mountains Marching Band, and Margaret Underwood, visiting director of bands and assistant professor of music, will feature works by Vaughan Williams, Grundman, Young, La Plante and Bryant. The performance will also feature guest conductor Mark Ewing Jr., the winner of the student concerto competition.

The Symphonic Band, under the direction of Starnes, will perform works by Bach, Grainger, Dello Joio, and a new piece by David CALENDAR Biedenbender. They also will be welcoming Underwood as a guest conductor.

Admission is free and the concert is open to the public. For more information, call WCU’s School of Music at 828-227-7242. LINKS Calendar

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TOP STORIES ‘Barefoot Games’ to be held on WCU campus to help put shoes on feet NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Western Carolina University will host fun competition for the rst-ever “Barefoot Games” on campus Saturday, April 23, to raise awareness and EVENTS funds for Samaritan’s Feet, a global humanitarian aid organization.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The games, open to WCU students, will consist of an ultimate Frisbee tournament and a 500 meter relay, with entrants required to go barefoot. Competition starts at 11 a.m. at the Catamount Athletic Complex. All proceeds from the event will be used to send shoes to children in South Africa and elsewhere, part of a continuing eort by WCU’s Center for Service Learning and the university’s learning theme “Africa! More Than a Continent.”

Teams of ve will seek sponsorships from friends, family, classmates and the CALENDAR community to raise money. A minimum of two sponsors per person is required. 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern “This event is a great opportunity for classes and groups to get involved, as well as Minds having a team building experience for a greater purpose,” said Josh Vance, a WCU 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond junior from Denver and games organizer. “I encourage everyone to sign up at the Glass Matrix www.tinyurl.com/SamaritiansFeet so we can reach above and beyond our goals 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara for Samaritan’s Feet.” Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' Lane Perry, director of the Center for Service Learning, said the student 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show committee helping guide the Barefoot Games “deserves a lot of credit for their 'Livin' the Dream' creativity, energy and steadfastness” to bring about the event. The deadline for team sign-ups is 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 20. The WCU community created and autographed painted LINKS footprints in support of a barefoot walk-a-thon in October, For more information, contact Vance at [email protected]. Calendar 2015. Higher Education NewsWatch Tags: Barefoot Games, Lane Perry, service learning WCU Hub

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TOP STORIES Campus community rallies to show support for chancellor NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

About 250 members of the Western Carolina University community braved rain showers to gather for a noon rally Friday, April 22, to show their EVENTS support for Chancellor David O. Belcher, who is dealing with a health issue.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES Belcher announced to the university community Thursday, April 21, that he has been diagnosed with a small brain tumor, which is having an eect on his speech and expression, a condition called expressive aphasia.

“The purpose (of the rally) is simply love and support for him as he has consistently shown for

Western Carolina University,” Dale Carpenter, CALENDAR dean of WCU’s College of Education and Allied 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Professions, said in a message to campus Minds encouraging participation in the event. 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix Carpenter led the crowd in a chant of “WCU 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara loves and supports Chancellor Belcher,” which Tyroler also adorned a large banner held by several of 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' the rally participants. 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' Belcher received hugs and well wishes from numerous students, faculty and sta, and a group of students spontaneously broke into a LINKS rendition of the university’s alma mater. Calendar

Higher Education NewsWatch In his announcement to campus, Belcher said he does not yet have many specics to share, but Chancellor Belcher shares a hug with a well-wishing student at a rally in support of his battle against WCU Hub that he is optimistic as he engages with medical a serious health concern. specialists to learn more about his condition. AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT

“I felt it important that you hear this news immediately and directly from me. I know that you care deeply for our university and I also know that you care for me personally. I am sure that this news will prompt many questions, many of which I cannot currently answer,” he said.

“Please know, however, that the members of Executive Council and I have a robust plan in place to ensure that we continue to move the university forward,” Belcher said.

He said that he remains fully committed as chancellor of WCU and will fulll his executive responsibilities even when not on campus, although he will be curtailing many of his personal speaking appearances.

Belcher announced that Provost Alison Morrison-Shetlar will be his primary representative when he is unavailable.

The complete text of his email to campus can be found here: http://www.wcu.edu/discover/leadership/office-of-the-chancellor/personal- message.aspx

By Bill Studenc

Tags: Chancellor

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TOP STORIES Catamount Singers, Electric Soul to perform on campus NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS Western Carolina University’s Catamount Singers and Electric Soul, an auditioned student group of 12 vocalists and 12 instrumentalists, will perform a spring concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 22.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The performance will take place in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. Admission is free.

The theme is “Blame It on the Boogie,” a celebration of song and dance that features hits by artists such as Adele, Lady Gaga, the Jackson 5, Pentatonix, Walk the Moon, Megan Trainor and others. The program will be accompanied by a multimedia slideshow and live video close-ups of the group in performance. CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern In addition to campus concerts, the group regularly performs across Western North Minds Carolina and for public schools throughout the Southeast. Next up are concerts in 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond Nashville in May. LINKS Calendar WCU music faculty members Bruce Frazier and Jon Henson lead the student performers. Frazier is a composer, conductor and educator and WCU’s Carol Grotnes Higher Education NewsWatch Belk Endowed Professor in Commercial and Electronic Music. Henson is WCU’s Catamount Singers and Electric Soul perform in concert WCU Hub assistant director of athletic bands. April 22. AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT For more information, go to www.catamountsingersandelectricsoul.com.

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TOP STORIES CEAP Scholarship Golf Tournament, June 11 NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS If you’re wondering how to work more golf into your summer and you want to support scholarships for students in the College of Education and Allied Professions, please consider playing in our golf tournament on Saturday, June 11, at Crooked Creek in Hendersonville. You only need a set of clubs, $80

(pretty good for a tournament that includes your lunch), and one friend (this is a two-person scramble). And if you don’t have a friend, we’ll find you one. PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES

Print the attachment, ll it out and send it in, or just email me back with the important stu from the entry form. You can pay on the day of the tournament. I just need to know how many people we have playing.

I hope you’ll play with us in June. CALENDAR David Claxton 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS

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TOP STORIES Ceramics students create bowls for fundraiser NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS Heather Mae Erickson and students in her advanced ceramics class, along with student members of the Mudcat Club – WCU’s ceramics club – created 100 handmade bowls for the Empty Bowl event Friday, April 22, benefiting The Community Table in Sylva.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES “That’s about double what we donated last year,” said Erickson, assistant professor of ceramics and coordinator of the program. “The students took part in community scholarship by helping to set up, run and engage with the guests about ceramics, bowls and WCU.”

Students involved in the eort said that they also benefited from their participation. CALENDAR “As an intro ceramics student who has an 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern interest in the eld, it was really cool to see Minds not only how many potters participated, but 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond how they also came together for such a LINKS charitable event,” said Laura Casas, a student Calendar taking the introductory ceramics course. Higher Education NewsWatch Suzanne Rose, a master’s of education WCU Hub candidate and 2015 WCU graduate with a bachelor’s degree in ne art, said she had AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT donated bowls through the WCU Ceramics department for three years. “But this was the rst year I was able to attend the event,” Rose said. “Despite the rainy weather, it was Students gather with their bowls and ceramics program coordinator Heather Mae Erickson (right) exciting to see how many people in the before packaging them for the Empty Bowl event at the Community Table in downtown Sylva. community came out to support The Community Table. I had a great time volunteering with some of my fellow classmates and ceramicists while interacting with the community, restocking the bowls, and even helping a few people make the tough decision of which bowl to take home. I look forward to attending next year.”

Another student, BFA candidate Kimberly Fansler, said she appreciated seeing all parties benet from the event. “Participating in the annual Empty Bowl fundraiser has been a great opportunity for me to contribute to our community in a creative way. I think it’s great that, with this event, people get to take home a piece of handcrafted art and at the same time are giving to those in need,” Fansler said.

Attendees paid $20 at the door to receive their choice of a handmade bowl made by local potters, as well as enjoy soups and desserts while listening to live music at the event.

All proceeds beneted The Community Table’s mission to provide nutritious meals to neighbors in need in a welcoming environment. To learn more about the organization, see its website at

Members of the community select their favorite bowl to take home from dozens made by area potters — including 100 from WCU contributors. http://www.communitytable.org/index.htm.

For more information about the club, class, program or WCU’s participation in the event, contact Erickson at 828-227-3595 or by email at [email protected].

By Keith Brenton

Tags: College of Fine and Performing Arts, Heather Mae Erickson, The Community Table

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TOP STORIES Classic musical ‘Gypsy’ to be staged April 14-17 as Mainstage season continues NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 6, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Western Carolina University’s School of Stage and Screen continues its spring Mainstage theatre season as the beloved classic musical “Gypsy” opens EVENTS Thursday, April 14.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES Performances are scheduled at WCU’s John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. April 14 through Saturday, April 16, and at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 17.

“Gypsy,” with book by Arthur Laurents, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and music by Jule Styne, is loosely based on the memoir of Gypsy Rose Lee, a CALENDAR notorious burlesque performer. The story centers 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern around Mama Rose, a larger-than-life stage Minds mother and impresario to her daughters, June and 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond Louise. The family story unfolds as the Vaudeville the Glass Matrix era comes to an end and is replaced by the 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara burgeoning “talkies.” Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' “Gypsy” combines family drama with the glitz and 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show glamor of show business, and intimate and 'Livin' the Dream' heartfelt character songs are interlaced with highly spirited numbers, said Jayme McGhan, director of the School of Stage and Screen. The LINKS production is accompanied by a 22-piece live Calendar orchestra. Higher Education NewsWatch

Elena Maria Cope, a senior musical theatre major WCU Hub from Sylva, takes on the role of Mama Rose, and

Michael Gallagher, a senior acting major from AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT Morrisville, plays her love interest, Herbie. Louise/Gypsy is played by Kylee Verho, a junior musical theatre major from Jacksonville, and that character’s sister, June, is portrayed by Kelsey Aycock, a sophomore musical theatre major from Henderson. WCU’s production of the classic musical “Gypsy” features students (clockwise from top left) Elena Maria Cope (Mama Rose), Michael Gallagher (Herbie), Kylee Verho (Louise/Gypsy) and Kelsey Aycock The large ensemble of theatre and musical (June). theatre students is supplemented by a cast of child performers from the Cullowhee and Sylva areas, as well as a few live animals.

Students and faculty from the School of Stage and Screen are thrilled to have Sarah Norris, a New York City-based director and artistic director of New Light Theatre Project, guest directing the production, McGhan said. Others contributing to the show are Katya Stanislavskaya, music direction; John Scacchetti, choreography; Andrew Mannion, set design; Susan Brown-Strauss, costume design; Daniel Gonko, sound design; David Bortle, lighting design; and Miranda Poindexter, properties mistress.

The production contains adult themes and uses strobe lighting effects.

The April 16 presentation of “Gypsy” will be the centerpiece of an evening of fundraising activities organized by WCU’s Friends of the Arts to benefit students in the College of Fine and Performing Arts. For more information, visit the Friends of the Arts website at foa.wcu.edu.

Tickets for “Gypsy” are $25 for adults, $20 for senior citizens and WCU faculty and sta, and $10 for students. Tickets are available by contacting the Bardo Arts Center box office at 828-227-2479 or online at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

— Contributed information

Tags: College of Fine and Performing Arts, School of Stage and Screen

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TOP STORIES Controlled Chaos Film Festival, featuring the best of student productions, NOTEWORTHY NEWS returns to WCU ACHIEVEMENTS April 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | EVENTS

Films created by Western Carolina University students will be screened at the eighth annual Controlled Chaos Film Festival in the John W. Bardo Fine PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES and Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m. Friday, April 29.

Tickets are $10 cash at the door. Proceeds and donations benet the Motion Picture Student Project Fund, which helps students in WCU’s Film and Television Production Program with the cost of creating their senior thesis films.

“There are all sorts of student-made lms that will be showcased, including this year’s senior CALENDAR project lm, ‘Love is the Longest Con,’ and free food, photo ops and more,” said Mikayla 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Ronnow, a student spokesman for the festival. “I think it will be the perfect night to put on Minds your fanciest black tie, if you’d like, and provide encouragement to your fellow students in 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond support of their artistic efforts while having a fun evening out.” the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Along with “Love is the Longest Con,” there will be showings of a web series titled “Senior Tyroler Nightmare,” two senior project documentaries and several other student-produced films. 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show Several of the lms have mature subject matter and are not suitable viewing for children. For 'Livin' the Dream' more information, contact the Film and Television Production Program at 828-227-7491. LINKS Tags: Controlled Chaos Calendar

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As students in Western Carolina University’s AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT 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.

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TOP STORIES Could WCU be magazine’s ‘Top Adventure College’ again? NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS Could it be three straight titles for Western Carolina University as the “Top Adventure College” in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic region?

Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine is expected to announce the results of its online poll Monday, May 16, with a feature article. WCU is poised for a “tree- PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES peat,” to coin a phrase drawing on the outdoors and avoiding trademark infringement with former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Pat Riley, who holds the copyright on the term “three-peat.”

Following a “March Madness” theme, WCU progressed to the nals to face Emory and Henry College, of Emory, Virginia. Voting for the top spot began at 1 p.m. Monday, April 18, and concluded 9 a.m. Monday, April 25. CALENDAR WCU has much going for it as an outdoor recreation hotspot, starting with location, location, location. Nestled in a 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern scenic valley between the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky mountains, WCU is ideally located for mountain and road Minds biking, hiking, rock climbing and rappelling, camping, paddle sports, fishing, skiing, and trail and road running. WCU 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond opened a seven-mile multi-use trail system behind the Health and Human Sciences Building on its West Campus LINKS in 2013, oering hiking, running and mountain biking activities to members of the campus and surrounding Calendar community. Polling closed at 9 a.m. Higher Education NewsWatch Monday, April 25, for the nal The university’s Base Camp Cullowhee, the outdoor programming unit at WCU, oers dozens of outdoor WCU Hub round of the “Top Adventure recreation trips to students annually, provides experiential education services and has an equipment rental College” contest. service. Among the academic programs oered by WCU of interest to students pursuing careers in the outdoors AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT are forest resource management, hospitality and tourism management, natural resources conservation and management, and parks and recreation management.

Blue Ridge Outdoors is a monthly magazine for outdoor sports, health and adventure travel in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, distributed from Baltimore to Atlanta. Learn more at www.blueridgeoutdoors.com.

By Geoff Cantrell

Tags: Top Adventure College

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TOP STORIES Counseling and Psychological Services receives internship grant NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

The Counseling and Psychological Services Center at Western Carolina University has received a grant of $7,900 from the American EVENTS Psychological Association to help with the accreditation of the center’s internship program through APA.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES “As of February, we submitted our self-study for initial accreditation for our internship program to the American Psychological Association, and used a portion of the grant funds to pay for the application fee,” said Jay Manalo, training director at CAPS. “APA accreditation is considered the highest level of accreditation for a psychology internship program.”

Manalo coordinates the internship program for psychology doctoral students from various universities who come to WCU for a year to train as part of a clinical internship. CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, In addition to application fees, the grant is being used to offset the cost of the application fee for initial accreditation, site visit fees, and the Modern Minds first year of accreditation fees if CAPS is successfully granted APA accreditation. The grant is in effect until April 30, 2018. 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: LINKS For more information about CAPS and the center’s use of the grant funding, contact Manalo by email at [email protected] or by Calendar phone at 828-227-7469. To learn more about the grant itself, see the APA’s informational web page at http://www.apa.org/about/awards/internship-program-grants.aspx?tab=4. Higher Education NewsWatch

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TOP STORIES Crow contributes to new text on dissertation research NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS Robert Crow, assistant professor of educational research at WCU, is a contributing author to the newly published text “Contemporary Approaches to Dissertation Development and Research Methods.”

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The book was edited by Valerie A. Storey, associate professor in the School of Teaching and Learning, University of Central Florida, and Kristina A. Hesbol, assistant professor of educational leadership and policy studies, University of Denver.

The work, published by IGI Global, is available in hardcover and e-access editions. The publisher’s description of the book describes it as a “reference source that focuses on current models used for CALENDAR doctoral dissertations and how these techniques impact future research and knowledge in various 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern scholarly fields.” Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS

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TOP STORIES Data Management and Archiving Workshop, April 21 NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS Data Management and Archiving Workshop, April 21 | 2 – 3 p.m. | UC Dogwood Room | Presenters: Mark Stoan, head of Digital Access and Technology Services; Liz Skene, Digital Initiatives librarian.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES An increasing number of grant funders require a data management plan describing the storage, protection and dissemination of data after a research project. With the tools available at WCU, researchers can accomplish this task quickly and effectively, improving their chance at funding.

Come learn what data management is, why it is important, and how to create a data management plan to satisfy funders’ requirements. You will also see a demonstration of the Data Management Plan Tool that provides templates and a librarian review of your DMP. CALENDAR RSVP to Jan Riggs at [email protected]. 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS

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TOP STORIES ‘David Holt’s State of Music’ picked up by PBS as series NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

The Emmy-nominated TV series “David Holt’s State of Music,” including an episode featuring a Western Carolina University show, will appear on EVENTS Public Broadcasting Service stations across the country.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The traditional music series, presented by UNC Center for Public TV, is produced by WCU alumnus Will McIntyre and directed by his wife, Deni. The host is traditional music icon David Holt.

The WCU performance took place last Nov. 22, on the stage of John W. Bardo Fine and Performing

Arts Center to a packed house. It will be broadcast CALENDAR in the second season of the show. Acts joining 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Holt that day were international sensation Minds Rhiannon Giddens of the Carolina Chocolate 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond Drops, award-winning bluegrass favorites Balsam the Glass Matrix Range, emerging ballad singer Josh Goforth, and 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara the African-American gospel duo of Wilbur Tyroler Tharpe and Lena Mae Perry, performing as The 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' Branchettes. 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' Holt will be inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in October 2016. In addition to hosting the PBS series, he tours extensively with LINKS his group David Holt and the Lightning Bolts and Calendar with Goforth. For more information go to Higher Education NewsWatch www.davidholttv.org. Holt’s WCU performance will be featured in the series’ second season. WCU Hub Tags: David Holt, Music AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT

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TOP STORIES Earth and Wellness Celebration, April 22 NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

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April 22, 2016 | UC Lawn This free event combines the national celebration of Earth Day along with health and wellness. It will consist of several booths from our community including vendors, non-profits, and student organizations. In addition, there will be educational activities, games, and tons of freebies. Come join us and have some fun!

Schedule:

10:30 am: Inaugural Sustainable Energy Initiative: A Sneak-Peak Reveal! (Electron Garden on the Green) 11:00 am – noon: Walking tour: WCU hiking trail and Nature-Based Sculpture Project (Electron Garden on the Green) 11:00 am – 2:00 pm: Games, free giveaways, educational activities, vendors, community and student organizations. (UC Lawn) 11:00 am: “MountainTrue: Environmental Activism and Advocacy in WNC” Susan Beam, Community Engagement Manager, MountainTrue (UC Raleigh Room) 12:00 pm: Drum Circle (UC Lawn) 12:20 pm: “Cherokees and Rivers” Barbara R. Duncan, Ph.D. Education Director (UC Raleigh Room) 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm: LIVE MUSIC! Lognoggins (Catafount)

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Walking tour of WCU public art (Bell Tower)

For questions please contact Lauren Bishop at 227-3562 or [email protected] .

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TOP STORIES Earth and Wellness Celebration coming up Friday NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

A preview of Western Carolina University’s new Electron Garden on the Green and presentations focusing on environmental advocacy EVENTS and the Cherokees’ relationship with rivers top the agenda for WCU’s Earth and Wellness Celebration.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The annual campus celebration, which coincides with the observance of Earth Day this Friday, April 22, will begin at 10:30 a.m. with a “sneak peek reveal” at the site of the Electron Garden on the Green, which is still under construction. A project of WCU’s Sustainable Energy Initiative, the “EGG” is believed to be the first combination solar power generating facility and hammock “hanging lounge” on any college campus in the nation.

Concrete footers are now being created CALENDAR that will provide a support base for the 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, EGG’s 40 solar panels that will convert Modern Minds sunlight into electricity. It is being 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: constructed in green space across LINKS Memorial Drive from Walker Residence Calendar Hall, near Cullowhee Creek, and also will have hanging space for about 10 Higher Education NewsWatch hammocks, Internet and USB ports, and WCU Hub electrical outlets.

AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT The EGG preview will include remarks from WCU Provost Alison Morrison- Shetlar and students who have been involved in the EGG’s design and financing through a student fee.

Beginning at 11 a.m., a walking tour will be offered from the EGG site that will Construction continues on the concrete footers for the Electron Garden on the Green. feature a second project of WCU’s Sustainable Energy Initiative – the Nature-Based Sculpture Project. That project has brought a team of artists to campus to help create a site-specific art experience inspired by the Great Smoky Mountains – a sculpture made of reclaimed wood that will be created adjacent to the university’s multi-use trail. The artist team will be in residence on campus through Saturday, May 21.

The Earth and Wellness Celebration also will take place on the lawn of A.K. Hinds University Center, where games, give-a-ways and educational activities will be going on from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The first of two presentations will begin at 11 a.m. as Susan Bean, community engagement manager for the regional conservation organization MountainTrue, speaks on “Environmental Activism and Advocacy in Western North Carolina” in the Raleigh Room at Hinds University Center. Bean’s talk will be followed at 12:20 p.m. in the Raleigh Room by a presentation on “Cherokees and Rivers” by Barbara Duncan, education director for the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee.

Other activities included in the Earth and Wellness Celebration are a drum circle on the University Center lawn from noon to 1:30 p.m.; musical entertainment featuring the Lognoggins on the Central Plaza from 1 to 2 p.m.; and a walking tour of WCU public art that starts from the Alumni Tower at 2 p.m.

The celebration is sponsored by WCU’s Office of Sustainability and Energy Management, and Campus Recreation and Wellness.

For more information about the Earth and Wellness Celebration, contact Lauren Bishop, director of the Office of Sustainability and Energy Management, at 828-227-3562 or [email protected].

Note: Organizers of WCU’s Earth and Wellness Celebration have released this revised schedule with venue changes due to inclement weather.

10:30 a.m.: Inaugural Sustainable Energy Initiative: A Sneak-Peak Reveal (University Center Raleigh Room)

11 a.m. – noon: Walking tour: WCU hiking trail and Nature-Based Sculpture Project (Meet at University Center Memorial Drive entrance)

11 a.m. – 2 p.m.: Games, free giveaways, educational activities, vendors, community and student organizations. (University Center Atrium) 11 a.m.: “MountainTrue: Environmental Activism and Advocacy in WNC” with Susan Beam, Community Engagement Manager, MountainTrue (University Center Raleigh Room)

Noon: Rally for Dr. Belcher! (Catafount)

12:20 p.m.: “Cherokees and Rivers” with Barbara R. Duncan, Education Director at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian (University Center Raleigh Room)

2 – 3 p.m.: Walking tour of WCU public art (Alumni Tower)

By Randall Holcombe

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TOP STORIES Engineering & Technology Symposium-Open House, April 29 NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

You are invited to the EVENTS

WCU Engineering & Technology PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES Annual Capstone Project Symposium Open House

April 29, 2016

1:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. CALENDAR

Center for Applied Technology (CAT Building)

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TOP STORIES Faculty members to join in ‘Science at the Market Day’ at Jackson NOTEWORTHY NEWS County Farmers Market ACHIEVEMENTS April 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | EVENTS

Two academic departments from Western Carolina University are partnering with the Jackson County Farmers Market to present the first PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES “Science at the Market Day” on Saturday, April 16.

The free and family friendly event will begin at 8 a.m. at the farmers market located beside Bridge Park in Sylva.

Scientists from WCU’s Department of

Chemistry and Physics and Department of CALENDAR Biology will join local growers in giving 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, presentations about the science of Modern Minds sustainable farming practices, nutritional 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: eating, cooking, and creation of local crafts, LINKS s a i d Enrique Gomez, WCU associate Calendar professor of physics and astronomy. Hands- on activities for children will allow them to Higher Education NewsWatch experience the behavior of bees, the inner WCU Hub structure of plants, and the chemistry of natural dyes, he said. AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT

“Jackson County Farmers Market farmers use plant biology to optimize the quantity and quality of sustainable produce,” Gomez said. “Beekeepers must understand insect biology to manage pathogens and provide pollination to farmers. Goat keepers use chemistry to prepare cheese sold locally. The Jackson County Farmers Market has become even more of an educational experience Chemists also help local craftspeople in with the addition of a booth from WCU. preparing dyes for wool, also made locally.

“Sharing the science of farming can help develop a community appreciation for the quality of the products that reach the market, the unique knowledge that local farmers and craftspeople have, and the environmental impact of various ways in which food is grown,” he said.

The event at the Jackson County Farmers Market is one of more than 300 public events that are included in the statewide North Carolina Science Festival, which spans two weeks, April 8-24. The event in Sylva is funded through the festival’s Challenge Grant Program. More information about the festival can be found at ncsciencefestival.org.

For more information about “Science at the Market Day,” contact Gomez at 828-227-2718.

By Randall Holcombe

Tags: Department of Biology, Department of Chemistry and Physics, Enrique Gomez

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TOP STORIES Fine Art Museum project bridges art, sustainability on campus NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 6, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS A nature-based sculpture project launched by Western Carolina University’s Fine Art Museum will feature outdoors art while promoting discussion of sustainability and aesthetics on campus.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The project will bring Camp Little Hope, a team of artists, to WCU to help create a site-specic art experience inspired by the Great Smoky Mountains on the university’s multi-use trail. Walker Tufts, Mary Rothlisberger, Greg Stewart and Aislinn Penetecost-Farrin will be in residence on campus Friday, April 8, through Saturday, May 21.

The Fine Art Museum will host a project orientation meeting led by Tufts at 11 a.m. CALENDAR Monday, April 11, in Room 130 of the John W. 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center for Minds interested collaborators and volunteers. 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond Volunteers can sign up to participate in the LINKS project at that time. Calendar

The project is funded by the WCU Sustainable Higher Education NewsWatch Energy Initiative, with support from the WCU Hub College of Fine and Performing Arts, Facilities Management, Base Camp Cullowhee, School of AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT Art and Design, and the Fine Art Museum. The museum will be responsible for the installation and care of the outdoor exhibition as part of the university’s public art collection.

The student-comprised Sustainability Energy Initiative Committee began taking proposals Representatives of the Sustainable Energy Initiative Committee, Base Camp Cullowhee and the Fine last year for environmentally-friendly ideas Art Museum meet at the university’s multi-use trail, site of a future public art project featuring a from WCU students, faculty and sta to nature-based outdoor sculpture. They are (from left) Claire Lippy, Taylor Stack, Jeremiah Haas, improve campus sustainability while providing Denise Drury Homewood, Lauren Bishop, Monica Suarez and Cole Sutton. educational value for students at the same time. The committee’s annual operating budget comes from a $5 per semester fee paid by students.

“We were thrilled to receive the proposal for the nature-based sculpture,” said Zack Waldroup, a member of the committee and a WCU senior majoring in environmental science. “This project was unique in that it wasn’t what most people would think of as a sustainability project.” However, the use of natural materials as well as the project’s location on the campus trail system, which adds to the aesthetic appeal, meets requirements perfectly, while promoting environmental consciousness and heritage, he said.

“Our committee is excited for the outcome of this project to show students that they can think of ‘out-of-the-box’ projects that can still fall within our requirements for funding,” Waldroup said.

The outdoor sculpture will be titled “LUNG” and represent an intimate experience of the relationship between the lungs of visitors and hikers, and the lungs of the Earth. “The sculpture is inspired by the exhaled plant vapor that composes the ‘smoke’ of the Great Smoky Mountains,” said Tufts of Camp Little Hope. “Two great winding contraptions, representative of pipelines, nurse logs, ear horns, and old gramophone speakers, will twist along the paths. They will be created from reclaimed wood in a visual language that references both the old sawmills that used to operate in and around the Great Smoky Mountains and the regenerative nature of nurse logs in the deep forest. In addition to being recycled, biodegradable and living, the sculpture asks a deeper question about the sustainability of humans on the planet.”

“Aesthetics and sustainability are the heart of this project,” said Denise Drury Homewood, executive director of WCU’s Fine Art Museum. “The artists will work with interdisciplinary teams of students to foster collaboration across the arts and sciences. During the residency, Tufts and the Camp Little Hope team will work with Great Smoky Mountains National Park educator Susan Sachs to bring interdisciplinary groups of students to the national park for an in-depth study of the flora and fauna of the region.”

During fall semester 2015, a committee of representatives from across the WCU community narrowed down a list of potential artists from 44 to one.

“I really have to say thank you to members of the artist selection committee: Lauren Bishop with the Oce of Sustainability and Energy Management; Galen May, university architect; Jeremiah Haas with Base Camp Cullowhee, Morgan Kennedy and Matt Liddle from the School of Art and Design; and Greg McPherson from the Fine Art Museum,” Drury Homewood said.

For more information on the project, visit the website fineartmuseum.wcu.edu or contact Drury Homewood at [email protected] or 828-227-2550.

For more information about the Sustainable Energy Initiative, visit the website energy.wcu.edu or contact the Oce of Sustainability and Energy Management at [email protected] or 828-227-3562.

By Geoff Cantrell

Tags: Denise Drury Homewood, Fine Art Museum

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TOP STORIES Fine Art Museum to host ‘Next Wave’ exhibition by first-year MFA students NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS Western Carolina University’s Fine Art Museum is partnering with the WCU School of Art and Design to host an exhibition of works by rst-year students in the Master of Fine Arts Program.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The “Next Wave” exhibition runs Monday, April 18, through Friday, April 29, featuring work by Brendan Best, Ali Burnette, Javier Fox, G. Vincent Gaulin, Martha Neaves, Zach Rogers, Don Sawyer and Charlotte White. A public reception and performance will be held to close out the installation, from 4 to 6 p.m. April 29.

“The MFA at WCU is an inter-disciplinary studio art program and creative research environment where ideas are given form,” said Tom Ashcraft, MFA Program director. “Through close association with a diverse faculty, visiting artists, scholars, and their peers, students develop a contextual and historical CALENDAR awareness of their psractice focusing on exploration, creative research, and art making. The MFA positions students to engage in conceptual strategies 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern towards the independence necessary to navigate as professional artists and creative world citizens.” Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond The Fine Art Museum is located in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center and is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, with extended the Glass Matrix hours on Thursdays to 7 p.m. Admission and parking are free. The museum is closed on university holidays and breaks. To learn more about the 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: exhibition, contact Ashcraft at [email protected]. Barbara Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' Tags: College of Fine and Performing Arts, Fine Art Museum 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream'

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TOP STORIES Forum set with chancellor, provost for discussion about Staff Senate survey NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 6, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS Western Carolina University’s Sta Senate will hold an open forum Monday, April 11, for review and discussion about the results of a sta survey conducted last fall.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES WCU Chancellor David O. Belcher and Provost Alison Morrison-Shetlar will be on hand to join in the discussion, which will be held in the Blue Ridge Conference Room from 2 to 4 p.m.

Sta Senate ocers report that the new survey continues to show the increasing overall satisfaction levels shown in the 2014 survey, with a strong majority of sta members stating that WCU is a good place to work. However, an increasing percentage of sta are indicating that they need to work more than 40 hours per week to finish their duties, up 8 percent from 2014. CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern For more information about the forum and survey, email [email protected]. Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond Tags: Chancellor, Provost, Staff Senate LINKS Calendar

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TOP STORIES Friends of the Arts anticipating ‘best ever’ spring fundraiser April 16 NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS An increase in local sponsorships, fast-selling rae tickets, unique auction items and an authentic Broadway-style experience are providing the right ingredients for Western Carolina University’s Friends of the Arts to have its “best ever” spring fundraiser, said WCU first lady Susan Belcher, chair of the event organizing committee. PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES

The Saturday, April 16, fundraiser will be focused around the WCU School of Stage and Screen’s production of “Gypsy,” part of its Mainstage theatre season. The event at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center will help provide scholarships and programming for students in the university’s College of Fine and Performing Arts. CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern “This is our fourth annual fundraiser, and I think the idea of combining a fun benefit Minds evening with a WCU Mainstage musical is catching on,” said Belcher, wife of WCU 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond Chancellor David O. Belcher. LINKS Calendar Based on the memoirs of Burlesque queen Gypsy Rose Lee, “Gypsy” brings “a special punch” to the evening with choreography by John Schiacchieti, who danced Higher Education NewsWatch with Patti Lupone in the Broadway production, and guest direction by Sarah Norris of New York, Belcher said. The large cast, including children from local WCU Hub schools, will be accompanied by a 22-piece live orchestra. The production is rated PG for adult themes.

AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT “Audience members can come as early as 5 p.m., before the 7:30 p.m. curtain, to shop the silent auction, buy some great wine at bargain prices, and take a chance at a rae that could win them $500 and two season tickets to all the WCU entertainment and sports events for next year,” Belcher said. Refreshments and a cash bar will be available. Admission to the benefit is free, but tickets are required for the performance of “Gypsy.”

“Area merchants and individuals have donated exceptional auction items such as original Cherokee art, a truck load of mulch, Old Edwards and High Hampton golf, overnight stays at the Hilton Biltmore Park and at Sundrops on Caney Fork, and dining and spa certificates,” Belcher said.

“This year’s rae oers an extraordinary collection of arts, cultural, sporting and one-of-a-kind events that showcase the outstanding work of students at WCU,” she said. “The lucky winner will receive 2016-17 season tickets to more than 20 campus arts and sporting events, chancellor’s box seats at WCU home football games, a faculty-selected student art piece and a $500 cash card for personal use.”

Raffle tickets are $25 each, or ve for $100. Rae winners will be announced at “Gypsy” and tickets can be purchased anytime leading up to the event through the Bardo Arts Center box office at 828-227-2479.

Tickets for “Gypsy,” priced at $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and WCU faculty and sta, and $10 for students, can be purchased through the box oce or by visiting foa.wcu.edu.

Top sponsors for the fundraiser, which also includes a sold-out gala dinner, include Entegra Bank, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and the Ascent Partnership, an initiative involving WCU and Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital. They are joined in supporting the eort by Evolution Wine Kitchen, F. Patrick McGuire Dentistry, Baxley’s Chocolates, WCU Catamount Athletics and Carolina West Radiology.

WCU’s Friends of the Arts organization is currently celebrating its fth year, and since its inception has raised more than $870,000 in support of WCU’s College of Fine and Performing Arts, $87,000 of which was raised at last year’s spring fundraising event. The group hopes to reach the $1 million mark at this year’s spring fundraiser.

Friends of the Arts holds two events per year, including the spring benet and a fall membership drive concert. The group oers multiple levels of membership for anyone wishing to provide support throughout the year. More information can be found at foa.wcu.edu.

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TOP STORIES Friends of the Arts Benefit, 5 p.m., April 16 NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Friends of the Arts Benefit featuring the musical “Gypsy”, Silent Auction & a “Let WCU Entertain You” Raffle EVENTS

Benefit: Saturday April 16th, 5-7:30 p.m., includes silent auction, wine cork pull, raffle drawing, appetizers and cash bar | FREE PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES

“Gypsy”: April 14-16, 7:30 p.m. and April 17, 3 p.m. | John W. Bardon Fine and Performing Arts Center | Tickets required

Click for complete information and to buy tickets

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TOP STORIES Geology students, faculty present at conference NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS Current and former geology students and faculty from Western Carolina were a “heavy presence” in presenting research at the southeastern sectional meeting of the Geological Society of America, according to Mark Lord, professor of geology and head of the Department of Geosciences and Natural

Resources. PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES

Eight talks, 12 posters and 20 abstracts were presented by 13 faculty and 35 student/recent graduate/recent rst graduate authors at the conference held in Columbia, South Carolina, in late March.

Presentations represented the disciplines of hydrology, geomorphology, tectonics/structure, paleontology, coastal processes and geoscience education. CALENDAR “Undergraduate research remains a hallmark of the geology program,” Lord said. “By graduation, over three-quarters of our majors have presented their 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern research at a professional conference – many of them multiple times. All geology and earth science education students complete authentic research Minds during their senior year. 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS

“We’re the only geology program in the state with this requirement.” Calendar

Student authors included Kat Allen, Morgan Beldon, Joe Brazelton, Micheal Cato, Kyle Cocoran, Lauren Dodgin, Gracie Erwin, Jesse Gatlin, Allison Haddon, Higher Education NewsWatch Sean Hartigan, Rainee Howard, Stacie Howard, Holly Hurding-Jones, Cecilia Lily, Leslie Montoya, Bryant Mountjoy and Marcy Reiford. WCU Hub

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Faculty and sta presenters in addition to Lord were Frank Forcino, assistant professor of geology; Trip Krenz, assistant professor of geosciences and natural resources; Emily Staord, geology instructor; J.P. Gannon, assistant professor of geology; Amy Fagan, assistant professor of geology; Dave Kinner, associate professor of geology; Jerry Miller, Whitmire Distinguished Professor of Environmental Science; Ben Tanner, associate professor of geology; Cheryl Waters-Tormey, associate professor of geology; Rob Young, professor of geology and director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines; Blair Tormey, adjunct instructor in geology and researcher for the PSDS; and Katie Peek, research scientist for the PSDS.

For more information about the conference and/or the program, contact Lord at 828-227-2271 or by email at [email protected].

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TOP STORIES Global Spotlight Series, 4 p.m., April 13, UC Multipurpose Room NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES

Join us for the last Global Spotlight Series of the semester Global Spotlight on: Africa in World Affairs CALENDAR Wednesday, April 13, 2016 | 4 – 5:30 p.m. 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern UC Multipurpose Room Minds Presenters: 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond Dr. Jackie Sievert, Political Science and Public Affairs – Introductory Remarks LINKS Dr. Saheed Aderinto, History – Transition Without End: Politics and Democracy Calendar in Post Cold War Africa Higher Education NewsWatch Dr. Mike McDonald, Political Science and Public Affairs – Economic and Human Development in Africa: Successes and Remaining Challenges WCU Hub Dr. Jennifer Schiff, Political Science and Public Affairs – Africa’s Environmental

Challenges – Desertification, Water Scarcity, and Food Insecurity AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT Sponsored by: Political Science; History; International Studies

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TOP STORIES Global Spotlight Series looks at Africa’s role in world affairs NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 6, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS Western Carolina University will host a Global Spotlight Series event on “Africa in World Affairs” on campus Wednesday, April 13.

A.K. Hinds University Center The 4 to 5:30 p.m. event in the Multipurpose Room of is free and open to the public, and is the nal presentation of PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES this semester’s series of panel discussions on national and international issues.

Africa is the focus of a two-year interdisciplinary learning theme ongoing at WCU. The theme allows faculty, students and sta, as well as campus oces and organizations, to explore and connect with Africa in a broader context of politics and policy, as well as history, culture, arts and heritage.

The scheduled Global Spotlight Series presentations: CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Jackie Sievert, assistant professor in the Political Science and Public Affairs Department, introductory remarks. Minds Saheed Aderinto, assistant professor in the Department of History, “Transition without End: Politics and Democracy in Post-Cold War Africa.” 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS Mike McDonald, lecturer in international relations and comparative politics in the Political Science and Public Affairs Department, “Economic and Calendar Human Development in Africa: Successes and Remaining Challenges.” Jennifer Schiff, assistant professor in the Political Science and Public Affairs Department, “Africa’s Environmental Challenges: Desertification, Water Higher Education NewsWatch Scarcity, and Food Insecurity.” WCU Hub

The event is sponsored by the Political Science and Public Aairs Department, History Department and the International Studies Program. For more AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT information, contact Niall Michelsen at 828-227-3336 or [email protected].

Tags: Africa, Global Spotlight Series, History, Jackie Sievert, Jennifer Schiff, Mike McDonald, Niall Michelsen, Political Science and Public Affairs, Saheed Aderinto

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TOP STORIES Grant-writing workshop offered at Biltmore Park NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS A grant-writing workshop for WCU faculty, sta and students will be oered Thursday, April 14, at the university’s instructional site at Biltmore Park Town Square in Asheville.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES Erika Thompson and Frank Grae, sta members at the Grants Resource Center in Washington, D.C., are oering the free workshops to individuals interested in pursuing grant funding. The schedule includes proposal development tips from 9 to 10:30 a.m., information about health and human services opportunities from 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., and private consultations by appointment from 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. The sessions will take place in conference room 344.

The workshop at Biltmore Park, and one held on WCU’s Cullowhee campus Wednesday, April 13, are sponsored by the university’s Oce of Research CALENDAR Administration. The Grants Resource Center is a service of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds To sign up for the Biltmore Park workshop, contact Pan Riggs at [email protected]. 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS

Tags: Biltmore Park, Research Calendar

Higher Education NewsWatch

WCU Hub

AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT

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EVENTS CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER

TOP STORIES Grantwriting Workshops offered April 13, 14 NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 6, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS Grantwriting Workshops offered:

Wednesday, April 13 – Cullowhee – UC Raleigh Room PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES

8:30 a.m. – Welcome and introductions 9-10:30 a.m. – Applying to the US Department of Education and select education foundations 10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. – Finding federal funding for undergraduate research 1:15 – 2:45 p.m. – Opportunities in health and human services via HHS / NIH / HRSA 3 – 5 pm. – Private consultations CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond Thursday, April 14 – Biltmore Park – BP Conference Room 344 LINKS Calendar 8:30 a.m. – Welcome and introductions 9 – 10:30 a.m. – Proposal development tips Higher Education NewsWatch 10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. – HHS / NIH / HRSA WCU Hub 1:15 – 2:45 p.m. – Private consultations

AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT Sponsored by WCU’s Office of Research Administration

Please RSVP to Pan Riggs, [email protected]

The Grants Resource Center is a service of AASCU / http://www.aascu.org/grc/

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TOP STORIES High-achieving faculty, staff honored during ceremony NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

The best of Western Carolina University’s teaching, scholarship and service for academic year 2015-16 was recognized Friday (April 22) during the EVENTS annual spring Faculty and Staff Excellence Awards ceremony held in the Grandroom of A.K. Hinds University Center.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES Top teaching awards honored the achievements of Carmen Human, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Physics, who is WCU’s 2016 recipient of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching, and Sudhir Kaul, assistant professor in the Department of Engineering and Technology, who received WCU’s Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award. Human is among 17 recipients of the UNC teaching honor and will receive her award during WCU’s undergraduate commencement that begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 7.

WCU staff members recognized for the exemplary quality of their work were Dawn CALENDAR Brown, technology support specialist with the Division of Information Technology, 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Star Sta Award; Anne Lane, administrative support associate with the Mountain Minds Heritage Center, Bright Idea Sta Award; Irene Welch, business ocer in the 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond budget oce, Judy H. Dowell Outstanding Support Sta Award; and Jane Adams- the Glass Matrix Dunford, assistant vice chancellor in the Division of Student Aairs, Paul A. Reid 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Distinguished Service Award for Administrative Staff. Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' Teaching, scholarship and service honors presented to faculty members included 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show Ann Johnson, professor in the School of Nursing, Paul A. Reid Distinguished Service 'Livin' the Dream' Award for Faculty; Alvin Malesky, associate professor and department head in the Carmen Huffman Department of Psychology, University Scholar Award; Burton Ogle, professor in the School of Health Sciences, Excellence in Teaching Liberal Studies Award; Chip LINKS Ferguson, associate professor and associate dean in the Kimmel School of Construction Management and Technology, Innovative Scholarship Award; Calendar and Todd Collins, associate professor and director of the Public Policy Institute in the Department of Political Science and Public Aairs, Excellence in Higher Education NewsWatch Community Engagement Award. WCU Hub Other honors went to Windy Gordon, associate professor in the Department of Psychology, who was chosen by students to deliver the 2016 Last

Lecture, and the Parks and Recreation Management Program, winner of the Academic Program of Excellence Award. Chosen to participate in the AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT Scholarly Development Assignment Program are Annette Debo, Axelle Faughn, David Henderson, John Williams, Mary Adams and Niall Michelsen.

Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award

WCU Provost Alison Morrison-Shetlar presented the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award to Sudhir Kaul and said his teaching philosophy emphasizes the “open-ended and iterative nature of engineering problem solving” and that it consistently connects the theoretical and practical.

“He recognizes that, in his course, students begin to see the concepts from their earlier learning come together, and he sees his position as that of a guide, helping students to apply the math and physics they have already learned to practical systems. The committee was impressed with Dr. Kaul’s obvious love of teaching and delight in pursuing teaching excellence,” Morrison-Shetlar said.

University Scholar Award

Alvin Malesky, recipient of the University Scholar Award, has conducted research on the eectiveness of sex oender registry websites, the use of social networking websites and integrity violations in online classes, Morrison-Shetlar said as she presented the honor.

“The research in online class integrity has numerous implications for how faculty could or should develop courses as we develop online pedagogies to complement, and in some cases replace, classroom, laboratory and outdoor teaching methods,” she said. Excellence in Teaching Liberal Studies Award

Morrison-Shetlar presented the Excellence in Teaching Liberal Studies Award to Burton Ogle. “Dr. Burt Ogle denes excellence as a teacher of liberal studies,” she said.

“A deep commitment to students and a visible enthusiasm for environmental health serves to open minds and expand worldviews that prepare students for life at the university and change their lives. At a university full of great teachers, Burt Ogle is one of the best,” Morrison-Shetlar said.

Innovative Scholarship Award

As she presented the Innovative Scholarship Award to Chip Ferguson, Morrison- Shetlar spoke about a program designed by Ferguson that brings about multiple benets for science, technology, engineering and math (also known as STEM) students and programs.

The program, titled Scholarship Program Initiative via Recruitment, Innovation and Transformation (also known as SPIRIT), “has produced signicant scholarship” and “demonstrates Dr. Chip Ferguson’s commitment to improving students’ learning experiences through innovative scholarship,” she said.

Excellence in Community Engagement Award

The Excellence in Community Engagement Award was presented to Todd Collins. Morrison-Shetlar related to the audience that Collins was recently named WCU’s Steed Distinguished Professor in Public Policy, a position that is focused on expanding engagement with local governments and nonprots in the area. “This explicitly aligns with Todd’s perspective on community engagement,” she said.

Collins “has clearly and publicly demonstrated a sustained, distinguished and superb commitment to university public service and outreach,” Morrison-Shetlar said.

Last Lecture Award

The Last Lecture Award is the only teaching award at WCU in which the recipient is selected solely by students, Morrison-Shetlar said as she presented the award to Windy Gordon. “Students use superlatives such as inspiring, passionate and fantastic to describe him and his classes,” she said. “Dr. Gordon’s students provided example after example of his interaction with students that made them want to stay in school. One stated, ‘Dr. Gordon is the reason I am still attending classes. He made me believe in myself.’”

Paul A. Reid Distinguished Service Award for Faculty

Morrison-Shetlar presented the Reid Service Award for Faculty to Ann Johnson. Speaking about Johnson’s 30 years in the WCU nursing program, Morrison-Shetlar said she “has often worn multiple hats, jumping in to serve as acting head or interim dean for colleges outside of nursing.

“She exemplies Western’s commitment to education and sharing knowledge by leading and presenting programs on both a regional and national level,” Morrison-Shetlar said. “She has lent her talents to many outside institutions, helping to develop and improve health care outcomes for students and our communities.”

Academic Program of Excellence Award

Maurice Phipps, professor in the Parks and Recreation Management Program, accepted the Academic Program of Excellence Award from Morrison-Shetlar on behalf of the program’s students and faculty. The parks and recreation faculty prepare leaders for the recreation resource and outdoor education professions by promoting resourcefulness, independent thinking, the ability to cope with change and service to society, and “student experiential education is a foundational aspect of the program,” she said.

Paul A. Reid Distinguished Service Award for Administrative Staff Jane Adams-Dunford received the Reid Service Award for Administrative Sta. In presenting the honor, Mike Byers, vice chancellor for administration and nance, said Adams-Dunford has been described by her peers as someone who has “an innate need to help others through actions and deeds without looking for something in return.”

“An accomplished, award-winning leader, Jane has worked tirelessly in support of campus diversity, student engagement and recognizing that all students need a voice,” Byers said. “She developed retention programs for academically challenged students; provided academic, career, personal and peer-to-peer counseling; provided cultural awareness programs for the campus and community; and developed disability awareness training.”

Star Staff Award

Dawn Brown was announced as recipient of the Star Sta Award. Byers said Brown is a model leader and supportive mentor who works just as hard as her team in IT. “Dawn is committed to a work environment not built around job descriptions, but one focused on serving the faculty, sta and students of WCU, because that’s where her heart is,” he said.

“Dawn is a wealth of knowledge and has a super positive infectious attitude,” Byers said. “She encourages her team to be the best they can be in all situations, adding humor, toys and hats to rally the team when the queue lights up, a system goes down or whenever they just need a reminder that ‘we’re all in this together.’”

Bright Idea Staff Award

Anne Lane of the Mountain Heritage Center sta has been working at WCU for only a little over two years, “but fortunately, she brought her inventive side with her to Western,” Byers said.

Lane was charged with coming up with a safe and accessible storage system for the museum’s collections, and with the help of the university architect, she developed a system utilizing industrial shelving and rolling baker’s racks that are “working like a charm” and that were much less expensive than conventional museum storage systems, he said.

Judy H. Dowell Outstanding Support Staff Award

Byers said Irene Welch, recipient of the Judy H. Dowell Outstanding Support Sta Award, “has been part of the WCU family for almost 28 years.” The individual who nominated Welch for the award, which is given to a non-exempt SHRA employee for outstanding service, said she is “always willing to help, give advice or just listen if you need an ear,” he said.

Continuing to relate the nominator’s comments, Byers said, “Irene has helped many, many employees feel at ease because she’s such a kind and generous person. She is dependable, loyal to the university’s mission and goals, and provides the best customer service you will ever find.”

Scholarly Development Assignment Program

Recipients and their projects:

Annette Debo, professor in the Department of English, a monograph titled “The Necessary Past: The Historical Poem in Contemporary African- American Poetry.”

Axelle Faughn, associate professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, research on the role of professional development in the transfer of resources from teachers’ collectives into the mathematics classroom, and research on a “Mathematic Seles” study on student- produced representations of visual mathematics concepts through photography.

David Henderson, associate professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion, a book titled “Tending the Wilderness: Natural Science and the Love of Nature.”

John Williams, professor in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology, a co-authored monograph: “The Arvilla Complex Revisited. (The complex is a late Woodland burial mound on the northeastern plains of North Dakota.)

Mary Adams, associate professor in the Department of English, writing two chapters and an introduction to a volume on Shakespeare and chiasmus, a way of mirroring sentence structure and sounds.

Niall Michelsen, associate professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Aairs, research on the interplay of domestic and international forces as they pertain to democracy and democratic governance, and research on international summit agendas of the G-family (G7, G8 and G20) members.

OTHER UNIVERSITY HONORS

Office of the Provost Professional development grant recipients are Risto Atanasov, Marsha Lee Baker, Melissa Birkhofer, Paromita Biswas, David Brown, Lyn Burkett, Brian Byrd, Kristen Calvert, Andrew Carnes, Emily Darnell, Annette Debo, Andrew Denson, Pamela Duncan, Mimi Fenton, Brian Gastle, Jay Gerlach, Yue Cai, Adriel Hilton, Beth Huber, Brent Kinser, Marco Lam, Diane Martinez, Jon Marvel, James McLachlan, Rain Newcomb, April Perry, Carrie Rogers, Honor Sachs, Krista Schmidt, Michelle Sorensen, Robert Steffen, Peter Tay, Paul Worley and Jayne Zanglein.

College of Arts and Sciences

Board of Governors College of Arts and Sciences Teaching Award – John Whitmire

College of Business

Board of Governors Creative and Innovative Teaching Award – Julie Johnson-Busbin

Professor of Excellence – Mary Beth DeConinck

College of Education and Allied Professions

Board of Governors Award for Superior Teaching – Russ Binkley

Botner Superior Teaching Award – Kia Asberg

Dean’s Research Award – Tom Ford

Exemplary Service Award – Jenny Stewart

Soaring High Award – Melinda Cooper

College of Fine and Performing Arts

Board of Governors College of Fine and Performing Arts Teaching Award – Ian Jeffress

Faculty Scholarship Award – Heather Mae Erickson

Robert Kehrberg Service Award – Heather Mae Erickson

Graduate School and Research

Faculty Research and Creative Activities Award – Robert Clines, Chris Cooper, Bora Karayaka, Mary Anna LaFratta and Honor Sachs

College of Health and Human Sciences

Board of Governors Innovative Teaching Award – Carol MacKusick and David Wells

Faculty Leadership Award – Sharon Metcalfe

Faculty Scholar Award – Sharon Metcalfe

Faculty Service Award – Brian Byrd

Faculty-Student Engagement Award – Amy Murphy-Nugen

Inter-professional Education Award – Colleen Hayes

Health and Wellness Award – Kae Livsey

Hunter Library

Hunter Scholar Award – Mimi Fenton

Kimmel School of Construction Management and Technology

Board of Governors Distinguished Teaching Award – Sung Joon Suk

Distinguished Research and Scholarly Engagement Award – Paul Yanik

Distinguished Student Engagement Award – Robert Adams

Excellence in Mentoring and Advising Award – Sean June

Outstanding Early-Career Faculty Award – Omidreza Shoghli

The George Reeser Outstanding Faculty Award – Wes Stone

EMPLOYEE MILESTONES Ten Years of Service

Vittal Anantatmula, Arledge Armenaki, Scott Barlowe, Lauren Bishop, Linda Carmody, Diana Catley, Peg Connolly, Mary Beth DeConinck, Anna Fariello, Susan Fouts, Brad Glenn, Elizabeth Heelnger, Glenda Hensley, Sunny Himes, Mary Anne Hollis, Steven Honbarger, Carmen Human, Scott Human, Tom Johnson, Tony Johnson, Cheryl Johnston, Kelly Kelley, Brent Kinser, James Kirkpatrick, William Kreahling, Jerey Lawson, Karen Mason, Sharon Metcalfe, Kellie Monteith, Bill Richmond, Phyllis Robertson, Judy Robinson, Baldwin Sanders, Michelle Scifers, Benjamin Tanner, Erin Tapley, Blair Tormey, Lori Unruh, Melissa Wargo, Barbara Jo White, John Whitmire, Steve Wohlrab, Laura Wright, Paul Yanik and Jayne Zanglein.

Fifteen Years of Service

Melissa Allen, Kay Benson, Jason Brady, Patricia Bricker, Heidi Buchanan, Donald Carringer, Brian Chamberlin, Misty Colton, Annette Debo, Brian Dinkelmeyer, Jane Eastman, Matt Henley, Kimberly Jamison, Thomas Martin, William Martin, Thelma Mathis, Patricia McGraw, Niall Michelsen, Peter Nieckarz, Sean O’Connell, Linda Painter, David Steinbicker, Lisa Surber, George Sutton, Vicki Szabo, Jed Tate, Denise Wilfong, Rachel Wike and Lisa Wilson.

Mike Byers, Marissa Ray and Marilyn Chamberlin were present and honored as 20-year employees.

Twenty Years of Service

Mary Adams, David Burress, Mike Byers, Janet Cabe, Aaron Carter, Marilyn Chamberlin, Wiley Danner, Keith Dills, Donna Jones, Matt Liddle, Mark Murphy, Marissa Ray and Valerie Schwiebert.

Between the provost and the chancellor, Dawn Coward and William Frady were recognized for 25 years of service.

Twenty-Five Years of Service

Je Bewsey, Pamela Buchanan, James Busbin, Jerry Cagle, David Cowan, Dawne Coward, William Frady, John Freeman, Glenda Gainor, Maxine Massingale, Sue McPherson, John Surber, Thomas Walawender, Donna Watson, Margaret Watson, Cindy Williams and Karen Woody. Thirty-year honorees present were (front row, left to right) Tammy Haskett, Phil Cauley, Mario Gaetano, Gregory Plemmons, Renee Corbin; (back row, left to right, anked by the provost and the chancellor) Andy Degrove, Debbie Justice, Carolyn Wiggins, Timothy Carstens, Gwen Nicholson, Dale Carpenter and Pam Degraffenreid.

Thirty-Plus Years of Service

Aaron Ball, Roseanna Belt, Linda Bowers, Dale Carpenter, Timothy Carstens, Phil Cauley, John Clark, Bill Clarke, Renee Corbin, Je Davis, Pamela DeGraenreid, Andy Degrove, George Frizzell, Sheila Frizzell, Burton Fox, Sherry Fox, Mario Gaetano, Je Hagberg, Tammy Haskett, Bruce Henderson, Anthony Hickey, Yvonne Hooper, Jack Hoyle, Jon Jicha, Ann Johnson, Debbie Justice, Rebecca Lindsay, Don Livingston, Carla Luker, Steve McClure, Gwen Nicholson, Sharon Painter, Gregory Plemmons, Dona Potts, David Shapiro, Kay Turpin, Terry Welch, John West, Michael Wheatley, Carolyn Wiggins and Ronald Wiggins.

Retiring Faculty and Staff

Margaret Ashe, Candace Benson, Josie Bewsey, Donna Carpenter, Timothy Carstens, Steve Christison, Peggy Cope, Kimsey Corzine, R.B. Danner, Stephen English, Victoria Faircloth, Terry Curtis Fox, William Gates, Mac Gossett, Rosie Greenwood, Sandra Grunwell, Mary Jean Herzog, Lisa Hoyle, Luther Jones, Robert Kehrberg, Phillip Kneller, Steve McClure, Anna McFadden, Bill Moore, Jenny Owen, Ernie Plemmons, Eleanor Prochaska, Mike Razdrh, Anne Rogers, Barbara Schade, Peg Shafer, Alan Sellars, Laura Sellers, Cynthia Soderstrom, Ronnie Stillwell, Deborah Tarmann, Mary Teslow, Chris Tuten, Vicky Wade and Tommy Westbrook.

Faculty Entering Phased Retirement, 2015-16

Casey Hurley, Kathy Starr and Jayne Zanglein.

Information compiled by Randall Holcombe

Tags: Faculty, Provost Alison Morrison-Shetlar, Staff

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TOP STORIES History professor leads project to study how ancient Norsemen used marine NOTEWORTHY NEWS mammals ACHIEVEMENTS April 6, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | EVENTS

With her research interests centering on Vikings, the medieval North Atlantic, marine mammal exploitation and environmental history, Western Carolina PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES University Department of History associate professor Vicki Szabo is familiar with the early travels of Norwegians who ventured out to Scotland, Iceland, Greenland and eventually North America from around 800 to 1500.

And while it’s clear how the Norwegians changed the lands they settled in, one area is not so easily understood. Norwegians used whales, seals and walruses, but there is very little information on how they used those mammals, and how often. It’s a story Szabo and about 15 other researchers from seven countries have set out to uncover. CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Szabo is the principle investigator for a project titled “Assessing the Distribution and Variability of Marine Mammals through Archaeology, Ancient DNA, Minds and History in the North Atlantic.” The three-year project is being funded through a grant from the National Science Foundation for $473,183. It 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond runs through November 30, 2018. LINKS Calendar During the period researchers are examining, there were massive climate uctuations, from Higher Education NewsWatch the medieval warm period that allowed the WCU Hub Vikings and Norwegians to travel across the North Atlantic, to the Little Ice Age around AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT 1300, which was a cold period.

“What we want to do in our project is see how they are using all of these marine mammals, which were trade commodities, but also, rather often, starvation foods,” Szabo said. “How are they using these marine mammals throughout this really interesting climate change period? We’re looking at Iceland, Scotland, Greenland and maybe North America to try and track patterns of marine mammal use. It’s an exciting story to tell. We really want it to be accessible to the school kids, the public, our students and our The interdisciplinary project “Assessing the Distribution and Variability of Marine Mammals through colleagues.” Archaeology, Ancient DNA and History in the North Atlantic” uses the resources of history, ancient DNA analysis, archaeology, literary studies, biology and folklore to reconstruct medieval Norse uses of The grant allowed Szabo to hire a student marine mammals over a 1,000-year span. WCU faculty members Vicki Szabo (left) and Kelly Grisedale assistant, senior Hannah Van Hooser, a history (right) watch as senior Hannah Van Hooser (center) examines a whale bone. major from Demorest, Georgia. Van Hooser has completed an archaeological survey and is currently working on a historical project.

“I’m kind of a history nerd,” Van Hooser joked. “I’ve always liked medieval history. I like learning about other cultures and their history. I’m currently working on an Icelandic law book and the history of Greenland.”

The project is a collaboration of historians, archaeologists, biologists, literary scholars and DNA specialists. Among the DNA experts assisting will be Kelly Grisedale, assistant professor and interim director of WCU’s Forensic Science Program. Originally, the project was going to use a laboratory in Sweden for its forensic research. When that fell through, Grisedale offered the use of her lab.

Grisedale said the most challenging part is working with potentially 1000-year-old samples of whale and seal bones and walrus ivory buried or left exposed to various environmental conditions. “The DNA is very degraded and broken down,” she said. “It’s only in tiny fragments.”

“We have great lab facilities in the Forensic Science Program,” Grisedale said. “My role, in conjunction with other labs, is to take some of these old burned samples that can’t really be identied just by looking at them, and doing DNA analysis to determine what species these are, particularly what species of seal or whale or walrus.”

Szabo said most of the bones they will be studying already have been found, although some are still being excavated. In the nal year of the project, researchers may go to Greenland and collect bones that have just come out of the permafrost and sample those on the spot, extracting DNA as quickly as possible. Glaciers are melting so quickly, archaeological material is being lost, she added.

“We want to tie this into biology,” Szabo said. “We want to tie this into reconstruction of past animal populations. We want to understand these Norse people better because right now, we only understand how they used the land. We don’t understand how they used the sea. These are longstanding questions in Norse history and archeology. “I’m excited that Western is the home for a project like this, but we are also partnering with Duke University’s marine lab, the University of Iceland, the National Museums of Scotland and many other partners where students may be able to conduct research. I think the really cool thing about this project is giving students the opportunity to participate in this pretty cutting-edge project.”

Szabo said students from the participating institutions will have the opportunity to go to dierent locations where research is being done, such as doing lab work in Nova Scotia or going to Iceland to work on archeology.

“Part of the project is to show students how projects like this require interdisciplinary collaboration,” Szabo said.

In June, Szabo will go to Iceland, which is the heart of the project, and then perhaps Nova Scotia next year. One of the goals of the project is to create a short course to prepare students to go abroad and be able to work independently. Szabo said Van Hooser has been her test case.

“She had never really studied the Norse, so I started her o with some books and some readings to get the big picture,” Szabo said. “She has familiarized herself with archaeology. Now, she’s doing some of the history. Hopefully, by the end of this student assistantship, Hannah’s going to be sort of the model of what we do with other students. When she goes off to graduate school, she’s going to have this really unique interdisciplinary skill set.”

For more information on the project, contact Szabo at 828-227-3911.

By Marlon W. Morgan

Tags: Forensic Science, Kelly Grisedale, Vicki Szabo

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NOTEWORTHY NEWS CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER

TOP STORIES Hunter Library books National Library Week events, April 10-16 NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 6, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

“Eat this book” may sound like a biblical instruction, but it is also at the heart of one of the activities during Hunter Library’s annual celebration of EVENTS National Library Week, April 10-16.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The edible book contest returns to this year’s observance, among other popular activities – including the display of some of library patrons’ favorite books and a monthlong food drive.

On Monday, April 11, two card-making classes will be oered, one from 2 to 4 p.m. and the second from 4 to 6 p.m. in Hunter Library Room 157B. The classes will be limited to 10 participants each, and interested individuals must sign up at the circulation desk in advance.

CALENDAR No sign-up is required for “Coloring at the Library,” a stress-reducing activity oered in the same room, 157B, from noon until 5 p.m. Wednesday, 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern April 13. Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond Entries in the edible book contest are not required to resemble books or their covers (though some in the past have done so), but only express some the Glass Matrix aspect of the book represented, said Elizabeth Marcus, undergraduate experience librarian. The entries are due by 10 a.m. Thursday, April 14, at 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara the library’s main entrance. Voting will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., when sampling will take place, followed by the announcement of a winner at Tyroler 2:30 p.m. 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show Hunter Library’s food drive, held during April as an extension of National Library Week, benets individuals and families in the local community. 'Livin' the Dream' Participants are asked to bring food items not packaged in glass jars, but with a long shelf life. Examples given include canned vegetables, soups, juices, sauces, mixes, rice, pasta, beans, peanut LINKS butter, oatmeal and cereal. Boxes for donations Calendar will be located near the library’s circulation desk. Higher Education NewsWatch

At any open-hours time during the week, patrons are invited to make a book ornament for the library’s “book tree,” or communicate how the library WCU Hub has transformed them (or their studies).

AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT First observed in 1958, National Library Week is sponsored by the American Library Association to promote the use of all types of libraries – public, school and university. A nonprot citizens group, the National Book Committee, organized the rst observance, hoping to encourage Americans to read more books. All of Hunter Library’s events are open to the public.

Visit the circulation desk or call 227-7485 for more information.

Tags: Hunter Library

Entries in the annual edible book contest do not have to resemble a book or its cover — as this 2013 entry does — but simply express some aspect of the book.

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TOP STORIES Hunter Library open 24/5 last two weeks of spring semester NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS Western Carolina University students who need a quiet place to study for nal exams will nd Hunter Library open on a 24-hour weekday schedule starting at noon Sunday, April 24.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The library will be open continuously from then until 10 p.m. Friday, April 29. Library hours for Saturday, April 30, will be 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. The library will re-open at 9 a.m. on Sunday, May 1, and remain open until 6 p.m. on Friday, May 6.

“Free coee and other hot beverages will be available every night starting around midnight while the library is operating on the 24-hour schedule,” said Elizabeth Marcus, undergraduate experience librarian. CALENDAR “Students looking for a truly quiet place to concentrate and study should check out the Silent Corner of Hunter Library’s ground floor,” she added. 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds WCU Parking and Transportation Services will extend the Cat-Tran shuttle service from Hunter Library beyond its regular 2:30 a.m. end time to 7:30 a.m. 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond while the library is on its 24-hour schedule. LINKS Calendar Final exams will be Saturday, April 30, through Friday, May 6. Higher Education NewsWatch For more information about extended hours and services, see the library’s blog page at http://hunterlibrarynews.blogspot.com/ WCU Hub 2016/04/245-library-hours-for-final-exams.html.

AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT Tags: Hunter Library

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NOTEWORTHY NEWS CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER

TOP STORIES Inclusion, difficult conversations subject of upcoming workshops for faculty, NOTEWORTHY NEWS staff ACHIEVEMENTS April 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | EVENTS

As part of Western Carolina University’s ongoing eorts toward improving the campus climate on the issues of race, diversity and inclusion, the Coulter PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES Faculty Commons and Oce of Intercultural Aairs will host a series of activities leading into the fall semester that are designed to equip faculty and staff with skills to help them tackle the often-tricky subjects.

The “Inclusion and Dicult Conversations” series will begin Monday, May 2, with three discussion-based “snack and learn” sessions aimed at helping participants learn how to facilitate dicult conversations. The 90-minute workshops will examine topics of self-awareness, aiding the conversation and creating space. CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Sessions will be held from 3:30-5 p.m. Monday, May 2; noon-1:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 4; and 9:30-11 a.m. Thursday, May 5. All sessions will take place in the Minds Catamount Room of A.K. Hinds University Center. 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS

Similar sessions will be scheduled the week before the opening of the fall semester, Aug. 15-19. Calendar

The schedule of activities also includes a series of summer informational workshops on the subject “Viewpoints on Dicult Conversations.” The Higher Education NewsWatch sessions, to be held in June and July, may be attended in person, online or via video archive. WCU Hub

Sta members from Intercultural Affairs will provide information about the oce’s services and activities to incoming faculty members as part of AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT new faculty orientation, set for Aug. 11-12.

Intercultural Aairs also will host a “Courageous Conversations” series throughout the fall semester, which is designed to help faculty members and students participate in meaningful classroom discussions on issues of race, diversity and inclusion.

The upcoming activities are coming in the wake of anonymous postings on social media platforms and chalked messages on campus sidewalks in March. Some of the social media postings have contained language deemed racist, hurtful, oensive and frightening to many members of the campus community.

The university held a series of campus conversations about issues of race, diversity and civil discourse throughout the month of April. Among the suggestions that came out of those conversations was the need for additional faculty and sta training on how to talk about those issues with other members of the campus community.

For more information about the “Inclusion and Difficult Conversations” series, contact Coulter Faculty Commons at 828-227-7196.

Tags: Coulter Faculty Commons, Intercultural Affairs

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TOP STORIES International Festival to be held April 13 on University Center lawn NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 6, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Western Carolina University will celebrate the diverse cultures and traditions of its international student population during the university’s EVENTS 37th annual International Festival on Wednesday, April 13.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES Hosted by WCU’s Office of International Programs and Services, the festival is designed to foster cultural awareness, appreciation and understanding of the world’s diversity through music, food,

dance, arts and crafts. CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, The event will begin at 11 a.m. on the Modern Minds lawn of A.K. Hinds University Center with 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: a world flag parade. Brandon Schwab, LINKS associate provost for academic affairs, Calendar and Ling LeBeau, director of international programs and services, will Higher Education NewsWatch welcome attendees at 11:15 a.m., and WCU Hub performances will begin at 11:30 a.m. with Whimzik providing Celtic, New AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT Students pause during the parade of flags at a previous year’s celebration of WCU’s Zealand and Scandinavian music. International Festival. Other performances will be Japanese Bon Odori folk dance at noon, Sri Lankan and northern Indian music at 12:30 p.m., traditional Saudi dance at 1 p.m., and Latin dance by the Latino Appreciation Student Organization at 2 p.m.

The festival also will offer about 25 internationally flavored booths staffed by food and craft vendors, campus organizations and international students. Aramark, the campus food service provider, will be giving out food samples, and other booth crews will distribute information about WCU’s Study Abroad and Intensive English programs.

Activities will conclude at 2:30 p.m. The event is free and open to everyone. For more information, contact the Office of International Programs and Services at 828-227-7494.

By Randall Holcombe

Tags: Brandon Schwab, Intensive English, International Programs & Services, Ling LeBeau, Study Abroad

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TOP STORIES Kimmel School will hold annual Capstone Symposium on April 29 NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Western Carolina University’s annual Kimmel School Capstone Symposium will be 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Friday, April 29, in the Center for Applied EVENTS Technology building.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The Capstone Symposium, which is free and open to the public, is the culminating experience for the engineering and technology industry-sponsored capstone projects. More than 20 capstone projects will be on display.

Among the numerous regional North Carolina manufacturers that sponsored projects are BorgWagner, Advanced Superabrasives, Haywood Electrical Cooperative, GE Aviation, Optical Cable Corporation and the U.S. Army Special Operations at Fort Bragg. One such project focused on the design and integration of custom features into a powered wheelchair for a specic physically challenged operator requiring assistive features for collision and CALENDAR obstacle avoidance, path and elevation changes such as a curb or step, and similar maneuvering assistance. 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds “The applied projects are the hallmark of our project-based learning curriculum and allow our students to be a part of the economic development of 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Western North Carolina region,” said Jeffrey Ray, dean of the Kimmel School of Construction Management and Technology. the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara For more information, call the Kimmel School at 828-227-7368. Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' Tags: Kimmel School 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream'

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TOP STORIES ‘Kings, Queens’ film to close out spring’s ACE series at WCU NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

The nal presentation of the 2015-16 Arts and Cultural Events series at Western Carolina University will be the Southern Circuit series lm EVENTS “Kings, Queens & In-Betweens,” a documentary about gender identity, on the lawn of the A.K. Hinds University Center at 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 26.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES Through the personal stories of eight drag performers and their troupes in Columbus, Ohio, the lm seeks to make a complex subject approachable for mainstream audiences, inviting viewers into a conversation about the distinct and important dierences between gender, sex CALENDAR and sexuality. 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds “The topic is ever so pertinent to North Carolina 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond right now,” said Francis Ann Ortiz-Pineda, the Glass Matrix assistant director for campus programs, 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara referring to the recent passage of House Bill 2, Tyroler dubbed “the bathroom bill.” The new law has 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' stirred protest because of its provision requiring Virginia West makes an appearance — and an entrance — in “Kings, Queens and In-Betweens.” 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show usage of gender-specic bathrooms according to 'Livin' the Dream' the gender on the user’s birth certificate. (Photo courtesy Five Sisters Productions)

“The timing of all this is very coincidental since we’ve had this lm booked since last May,” Ortiz-Pineda said. “As of now, I am curious to see what LINKS type of conversations this film will bring to the WCU community.” Calendar

Higher Education NewsWatch Sister lmmakers Gabrielle Burton and Ursula Burton represent the family business – Five Sisters Productions – on the tour with their lm. Ursula, an actress who has appeared on shows including “Silicon Valley” and “The Oce,” produced “The Happiest Day of His Life” – which won a Viewer’s WCU Hub Choice Award on MTV’s LOGO Channel. Gabrielle, who recently won the Ohio Arts Council’s Individual Excellence Award as a lmmaker, is a regular speaker on topics such as gender expression and identity. AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT

The documentary screening is free and open to the public. Discussion on topic will take place after the lm at 9:30 p.m. Light snacks and refreshments will be served. An alternate screening room in case of rain will be Illusions at the University Center.

The Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers is a program of South Arts. Southern Circuit screenings are funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

More information about the lm can be found at http://www.kingsqueensinbetweens.com. For more information about the ACE series, visit ace.wcu.edu or contact Ortiz-Pineda, at 828-227-2612.

Tags: ACE Series, Southern Circuit

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TOP STORIES Kossick to serve on national association’s scholarship committee NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 6, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Mark A. Kossick, WCU professor of nursing and graduate anesthesia simulation education coordinator, accepted an invitation from the EVENTS American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Foundation to serve on its 2016 Scholarship Review Committee.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES His responsibilities include critiquing submitted student essays and assisting in the selection of recipients for funded scholarships.

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TOP STORIES Lab provides nursing students with realistic hospital experience NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS Simulation is often used in nursing programs to give students an idea of what actual patient interactions are like in a hospital.

It can come in various forms, such as human-patient simulations, the use of manikins, virtual simulations or role playing. Western Carolina University PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES School of Nursing assistant professor David Wells has taken simulation to another level, his colleagues say.

On the third oor of WCU’s Health and Human Sciences Building, Wells has created a simulation lab known as “Simulamen Laboratorii Regional Hospital.” It is designed to resemble an actual hospital room in every way, Wells said.

The lab was created by Wells last fall to allow students to become familiar with the experience of providing care in an acute setting, with students CALENDAR participating as both nurse and patient. Patient barcodes synchronize information with a computer system, bedside monitors and IV lines. 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds “If it wouldn’t be in an actual hospital, I don’t want to use it,” Wells said. 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS

Video recordings are made of students working in the simulation lab. Second-semester students Calendar use the lab for basic scenarios, while third-semester students use more advanced, process-based situations. Higher Education NewsWatch

WCU Hub Wells earned his master’s degree in nursing at Gardner-Webb University, and his master’s project included an evaluation of the eectiveness of simulation on skill integration. He still lists AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT simulation effectiveness as one of his primary research interests.

Wells recently gave a presentation about his simulation project at a Southeastern Nursing Sta Education Symposium, and educators at that event reported being amazed by his creation.

With fewer opportunities for nursing undergraduates to work in actual hospital settings because of legal liability, increased competition for clinical sites and the regional need for highly skilled nurses to provide care in areas with nursing shortages, WCU’s simulation lab is a critical training ground for students, Wells said. David Wells leads a classroom discussion. Wells said he was inspired to create the lab from his community college days of working with manikins, which are models of the human body. He remembers the lack of reality involved in that training.

“You lose voice inexion and facial expression, and you don’t learn about the nuances,” Wells said. “Why simulate the human patient when you can have the real thing?”

In areas where it was impossible to replicate exact circumstances, Wells adapted, such as using a synthetic arm equipped with rubber tubes that simulate veins for intravenous injections.

Mock medications are stored, coded and accessed with a computer system similar to those used in hospital systems. When necessary, complex and interactive manikins that include articial intelligence are used as patients. The manikins are able to cry, talk and receive airway tubes. One model is even capable of simulating childbirth.

In order for the simulation lab to stay relevant, Wells makes sure to incorporate current research ndings into the lab. Wells said he aims to “keep pushing the boundaries of simulation and the immersion experience.” WCU nursing students fill the role of both patient and nurse in the simulation lab.

For more information, contact Wells at 828-654- 6522 or [email protected].

Much of the information in this story was compiled by WCU graduate assistant Joshua Taylor. Video recordings are made of students working in the lab.

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TOP STORIES Let’s Talk: Building an Inclusive Community – April 5, 7, 11, 12 NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 6, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

“Let’s Talk: Building an Inclusive Community” … April 5 & 7, noon – 2 p.m., UC Multipurpose Room | April 11 & 12, 8 – 10 p.m., UC Dogwood Room EVENTS

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TOP STORIES Local residents take top spots at Valley of the Lilies races NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 6, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Residents of Cullowhee and Sylva took the four top spots during the sixth annual Valley of the Lilies Half Marathon and 5-K held on EVENTS campus Saturday, April 2.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The winner of the half marathon was Ben Stephenson, 26, of Cullowhee, who recorded a time of 1:23:40 for the 13.1 miles. The top female half marathon finisher was Jennifer Black, 24, of Cullowhee, with a time of

1:40:13. There were a total of 127 finishers for CALENDAR the half marathon.

The 5-K was won by Victor Jones, 18, of Cullowhee, with a time of 19:38 for the 3.1 LINKS miles. The women’s 5-K winner was Annalise Calendar Hicks, a 14-year-old from Sylva, with 23:39. A total of 148 runners and walkers completed Higher Education NewsWatch the 5-K. WCU Hub

More results can be seen by going to AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT halfmarathon.wcu.edu (link no longer active) and clicking on “Results and Photos.” Participants in the Valley of the Lilies Half Marathon get off to a running start. Race hosts were WCU’s School of Health Sciences and Department of Campus Recreation and Wellness. Proceeds will be used to assist WCU students with professional development, presentations and travel to conferences. The title sponsor for the races was the Ascent Partnership, an initiative involving WCU and Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital.

Tags: Valley of the Lilies

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TOP STORIES Lori Lewis appointed vice chancellor for development, alumni engagement NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 6, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS Lori A. Lewis, an advancement executive with nearly 20 years of experience in development and alumni aairs in higher education, will join Western Carolina University later this spring to lead its fundraising efforts.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES Lewis, currently vice president for institutional advancement at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland, will assume the position of vice chancellor for development and alumni engagement at WCU effective June 6.

She lls a vacancy created by the departure of Jim Miller, former associate vice chancellor for development and alumni relations, who is now executive director of development for regional and major gifts programs in the Office of University Development at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Lewis is an accomplished and seasoned advancement professional with extensive experience leading Minds fundraising campaigns at a variety of higher education institutions, from large universities to small liberal 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond arts colleges, Chancellor David O. Belcher said in announcing her appointment. the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: “Lori Lewis possesses exactly the skill set, the experience and the vision the university needs to take our Barbara Tyroler development eorts to the next level,” Belcher said. “Lori will build upon the solid foundation already in 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' place as we gear up for our upcoming comprehensive fundraising campaign and as we endeavor to 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show increase the number of endowed scholarships to provide financial assistance to deserving students.” 'Livin' the Dream'

Lewis will function as the senior development and alumni engagement ocer at WCU. She will report directly to the chancellor and be a member of the chancellor’s Executive Council. LINKS Calendar Her primary responsibilities will be to design and implement strategies for development and alumni Higher Education NewsWatch engagement initiatives at the university and college levels; build and lead the stas and volunteers Lori Lewis needed to support the university’s fundraising activities; and support the chancellor and other key WCU Hub internal and volunteer leaders in their work with top donors and donor prospects. AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT “I see my role as vice chancellor for development and alumni engagement as twofold: advise campus leadership on all aspects of development and alumni affairs and effectively promote internal and external support of the university’s mission as correlated with giving and engagement goals,” she said.

Lewis will oversee annual giving, major giving, planned giving, prospect research, donor relations, advancement services and alumni engagement. She also will work closely with the Catamount Club and others in the athletics offices on fundraising efforts in support of the intercollegiate athletics program.

Vice president at McDaniel College since 2012, Lewis has led the college’s philanthropy and engagement programs, including annual giving, major gifts, gift planning, advancement engagement, alumni relations and advancement services. Under her leadership, McDaniel annually exceeded all fundraising goals over the last three scal years, increasing the baseline of philanthropic support by 36 percent. During the same period, the college grew its number of alumni donors by 17 percent.

Prior to her work at McDaniel, Lewis was vice president for advancement of Marietta College in Ohio from 2005 until 2012, where she developed and oversaw a successful three-year, $50 million comprehensive campaign.

Lewis was assistant dean and director of development at Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering from 2004 until 2005 and was director of development there from 2002 until 2004. She worked at Ohio University in development roles from 1997 until 2002, rst as assistant dean of development and alumni aairs in the College of Health and Human Services and then as assistant dean for development for that university’s Russ College of Engineering and Technology.

She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in special education, both from Ohio University. Prior to her fundraising career, Lewis was a special education teacher, administrator and adjunct faculty member at Ohio University’s College of Education.

By Bill Studenc

Tags: Advancement, Lori Lewis

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TOP STORIES Magician Mike Super closes out WCU series May 1 at Bardo Arts Center NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS Magician Mike Super, winner of NBC’s TV series “Phenomenon,” will perform at Western Carolina University’s John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center on Sunday, May 1, at 3 p.m.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES It will be the nal performance in this year’s Galaxy of Stars Series.

Super uses a down-to-earth form of magic that enables him to connect with the audience on a level they can relate to, TV critics say. His CALENDAR performance on “Phenomenon” made him the 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern rst and only magician to win a live magic Minds competition on primetime U.S. network television. 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS

Super is the recipient of numerous accolades, Calendar including Performing Arts Artist of the Year, Best Performing Artist, Campus Entertainer of the Higher Education NewsWatch Year, Best Live Novelty Performance, Best Male WCU Hub Performer, and being voted America’s Favorite Mystifier. AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT

Tickets for the event are $21 for adults, $16 for WCU faculty and sta, and $7 for students. They can be purchased online at bardoartscenter.edu or by calling the box office at 828-227-2479. Mike Super will perform at WCU on May 1.

Tags: Galaxy of Stars Series

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TOP STORIES Menickelli to be interviewed on Yahoo Sports Radio NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Justin Menickelli, associate professor in the School of Teaching and Learning, will be an interview guest on “The Big E. Sports Show” with Elissa Walker EVENTS Campbell on Friday, April 22, to talk about his book, “The Definitive Guide to Disc Golf.”

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The program will air from 8until 10 p.m. on Yahoo Sports Radio, and a podcast of the show will be available at www.eradiosports.com/podcast/ after the broadcast.

“I am tremendously excited for the opportunity to reach so many people,” said Menickelli. The interview was arranged by the book’s publisher, Chicago-based Triumph Books

(www.triumphbooks.com). CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Yahoo Sports Radio is a Sirius XM channel and reaches an estimated ve million listeners each Minds week. 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix Another interview with Menickelli and co-author Ryan “Slim” Pickens conducted by Jordan Mardis 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara o f DiscGolfHeaven.com can be heard at https://www.youtube.com/watch? Tyroler v=uRWeL9K7IVU. 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream'

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TOP STORIES Morse addresses hospitality group NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS “The Economics Of Tourism: Trends, Data and Uses” was the topic of a presentation given by Steve Morse at the April 14 member meeting of the Pigeon Forge Hospitality and Tourism Association in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES Morse, associate professor and director of the Hospitality and Tourism Program at WCU, presented a new program developed specifically for the East Tennessee/Smoky Mountain region.

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TOP STORIES ‘Mountain Classroom’ offers exploration of Smoky Mountain region NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Western Carolina University’s Oce of Continuing and Professional Education is oering “Mountain Classroom,” a program for all ages that features EVENTS guided day trips that explore the history, geology and culture of the Smoky Mountain region.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The second trip in the series will be a wildflower walk through Panthertown Valley with Adam Bigelow on Friday, April 29.

Scenic Panthertown valley is a 6,300-acre U.S. Forest Service tract often referred to as the “Yosemite of the East” due to its granite domes and stunning setting. At an elevation of 3,600 feet, the at valley oor is traversed by slow-moving, tannin-stained streams and dotted with rare Southern Appalachian bog communities. On this trip, participants we will learn about the varied plant communities and view many spring wildflowers.

CALENDAR This will be a more strenuous hike of more than ve miles with several steep, half-hour climbs and descents. Participants will want to be in good 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern shape and bring a pack, extra water and rain gear. Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond Bigelow is the garden manager for the Cullowhee Community Garden, an organic community garden located in Cullowhee. He holds an associate the Glass Matrix degree in horticulture from Haywood Community College and a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from WCU. 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Tyroler The fee is $69 per person, including transportation to and from the location along with a bagged lunch. Learn more at mtnclassroom.wcu.edu (link no 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' longer active) or call the Office of Continuing and Professional Education at 828-227-7397. 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' Tags: Continuing Education

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TOP STORIES Mountain Heritage Center craft series to feature basketmaker Junaluska NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 6, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Faye Junaluska will demonstrate the craft of creating white oak baskets on Thursday, April 14, and oer a workshop for participants who would like to EVENTS weave a basket of their own on Sunday, April 17, at Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The rst of the two hands-on programs in the Appalachian Living series featuring Cherokee basket weaving will begin at 3 p.m. April 14 in the center’s gallery at 161 Hunter Library on the campus.

The demonstration program and is free and open to the public, continuing until 5 p.m. The workshop program on April 17 will be oered from 2 to 5 p.m., and

there is a cost to participants of $70. CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern To sign up for the workshop, call 828-227-7129. The event, part of a series of Minds hands-on programs at the center celebrating crafts in Southern Appalachia this 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond spring, is sponsored in part by Dogwood Crafters of Dillsboro. the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara “Faye Junaluska is a longtime basket weaver,” said Peter Koch, education Tyroler specialist at the center. “Several generations of her family have been involved 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' with this craft for many years. Her mother was the renowned basket weaver 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show Emma Taylor. Faye’s sister, Louise Goings, and her nephew, George Edward 'Livin' the Dream' Goings, have also followed in Taylor’s footsteps.” LINKS A white oak basket created by Emma Taylor, mother of Faye Koch said that, like others in her family, Junaluska works with many dierent Calendar Junaluska. Photo from the WCU Digital Archive “Cherokee materials and specializes in white oak baskets. “Using splints cut from white oak Traditions.” saplings and a variety of natural dyes, she creates baskets of varying sizes and Higher Education NewsWatch designs,” he said. WCU Hub

Junaluska is a member and an employee of Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual in Cherokee, and has demonstrated with her mother and sister at many AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT festivals and locations in North Carolina. Her work has been featured at the Asheville Art Museum.

The Appalachian Living series will continue with two more programs this spring. Erin Tapley, associate professor of art and design at WCU, will involve audience members in natural dyeing on Thursday, April 21. Jeff Gottlieb, a naturalist and outdoor educator, will oer a workshop on creating poplar bark baskets on Thursday, May 26.

For more information about these and other programs, contact the Mountain Heritage Center at 828-227-7129 or at http://mhc.wcu.edu.

Tags: Mountain Heritage Center, Peter Koch

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TOP STORIES Mountain Heritage Center to host bark basket workshop May 26 NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

The Mountain Heritage Center will host a bark basket workshop with biologist Je Gottlieb as part of its ongoing Appalachian Living craft and skills EVENTS series on Tuesday, May 26, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The workshop will engage participants in all phases of creating bark baskets, from peeling poplar bark to constructing and nishing the basket. Each participant will complete a basket during the workshop.

Gottlieb has been a naturalist, outdoor educator and primitive skills instructor for more than 30 years. He works with school groups, nature centers, museums, scout troops and summer camps, builds full-sized wigwams and longhouses, and replicates primitive tools and artifacts for display. His areas of special interest include fiber arts, flintknapping, basketry, edible and utilitarian plants, and nature awareness. CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern A resident of Whittier, Gottlieb is on the sta of the Nantahala Outdoor Center but also travels widely in the eastern U.S., teaching at gatherings and Minds historic fairs. He has written a how-to manual on building wigwams, an instructors’ manual “Teaching Primitive Skills to Children,” and a book on 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond natural fibers and rope making. the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara The fee for the workshop is $25, and includes the cost of all materials. Space is limited, and reservations must be made on or before Monday, May 23. Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' The workshop will take place in the Mountain Heritage Center’s gallery at Hunter Library 161. For more information about the workshop and to make 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show reservations, contact the Mountain Heritage Center at 828-227-7129 or email [email protected]. 'Livin' the Dream'

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TOP STORIES New lot designations expected to ease parking challenges NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Fred Bauknecht says he wants parking on Western Carolina University’s campus to make more sense. EVENTS

The parking and transportation director at WCU, appointed to the new position in November, wanted to make meaningful changes to PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES make finding a parking space on campus easier for everyone – and to make the campus more pedestrian-friendly.

His solution is to redesignate the parking lots, effective with the start of fall semester.

“We are trying to limit the traffic caused by vehicles searching for a parking space in the center of campus,” Bauknecht said. “As we add parking lots, they will be constructed on the perimeter of campus and drivers will walk, bike or take CatTran into the core.” CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Bauknecht said he recently was given a mission by Mike Byers, vice chancellor for administration and finance, to come up with ideas for Modern Minds improving the overall parking situation, especially in light of three construction projects currently underway or planned in the center of 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: campus – Noble Hall, Brown Building and a replacement for the Natural Sciences Building. LINKS Calendar The challenge was complicated, Bauknecht said. “With growth comes change. Anywhere there’s construction, the lots will be closed. So we redesignate the parking lots,” he said. Higher Education NewsWatch

WCU Hub He began to put together a plan, incorporating the addition of 500 spaces that will be available with the removal of the old faculty and staff apartment building across N.C. Highway 107, and adding lighting for the pedestrian bridge over the highway and a CatTran stop. The AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT plan will move the less-frequently used cars away from the campus center and out to the perimeter, Bauknecht said.

He designated the lots by Ramsey Center for commuter use, so that students won’t be confused about which weekends they might have to move or be towed during football season. Traffic for special events will be directed to come in at the Forest Hills entrance, and a CatTran commuter shuttle will be created to take visitors from there to events in the A.K. Hinds University Center or elsewhere on campus.

Lately, Bauknecht has been taking a Powerpoint show about the changes “on the road,” making presentations to various groups:

Freshman Parking

This move allows all freshman parking to be located in one area of campus.

Walker “A” Lot (19A) and Catamount Center Lot (73) allows freshmen who live in Scott and Walker residence halls to have parking closer to their rooms and within walking distance.

A CatTran stop also will be added for student convenience.

Commuter Parking

Commuter parking will be moved to one area of campus to allow students to enter and access commuter lots through Forest Hills Road, reducing traffic flow problems at the main entrance during peak hours.

Commuter students will have the freedom of entering and exiting the university without driving through the core of campus searching for a parking space.

The newly designated lots will allow convenient parking for athletic and special events.

Resident Parking

Resident parking will be located directly around the living areas on campus. This should allow students to park their vehicles near their residence halls and walk, bike or use the Cat Tran to travel into the core of campus for classes, dining and other activities.

More Wal-Mart shuttles have been added for student convenience.

Metered Lots

Two metered lots will be added in 2016, one at Noble Hall, where the bank previously stood, and one at the Reid Gym Lot (18A). The two metered lots will enable students, faculty/staff and visitors to park and explore the center of campus while enjoying dining, shopping and the Noble Hall retail area.

Meter rates are $1 per 30 minutes for all metered lots.

Metered lots are now monitored until 7 p.m., and will be monitored until 11 p.m. beginning Aug.1.

Resident Storage Lot

A portion of the Health and Human Sciences overflow lot (76B) will be converted to a storage lot for resident students who wish to store their vehicles for a minimum fee. This lot will have its own permit, but will not allow students to park on campus.

This is a storage parking lot. The CatTran already accesses this lot during business hours.

Faculty/Staff Parking

Faculty/staff lots will stay the same except for the addition of Buchanan Lot (54) for additional employee parking at Brown Cafeteria renovation.

Composite Lot Designation Map

One of Bauknecht’s initial solutions to finding temporary parking in the core of the campus was introduced in August 2014 when the Coulter Lot (33) was converted to metered parking. “A metered lot means more movement in the center of campus. It means a lot anyone can use,” Bauknecht said. “This was one of the first things we needed to do, so we could use resources more efficiently. Students had nowhere to park short-term in the middle of campus.”

After several months study of usage, the decision was made to reduce the fee from $3 per hour to $1 per half-hour beginning in January of this year and to extend the hours of monitoring from 5 to 7 p.m. “We found we could lower prices and more people would use it; we wanted everyone to be able to use it,” Bauknecht said.

For more information about the changes in campus parking, visit parking.wcu.edu or contact Bauknecht at 828-227-7275.

By Keith Brenton

Tags: Campus Police, Fred Bauknecht, Parking

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TOP STORIES New portal ‘myWCU’ to open May 28; information sessions begin April 18 NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

One door will close and another will open on Saturday, May 28, when “MyCat” is replaced by the new “myWCU” portal, oering a much greater EVENTS variety of information sources and services to the Western Carolina University community.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES “It is much more than a MyCat replacement,” said Dan Berk, WCU’s associate chief information ocer and director of IT applications and systems information technology. “In eect, it will be putting into place a collaboration-and-productivity platform for applicants, students, faculty and sta. Most new applications also will be enabled through myWCU. It consolidates data and access from multiple sources, including Banner, WCU.edu, the Hub/intranet, Office 365, R25 and Blackboard, in a single environment. It’s based on the SharePoint platform.”

SharePoint is the Microsoft Oce tool that enables secure sharing, including the CALENDAR licensed use of Office 365 for the campus community. 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds “A single sign-on will enable access to many of the resources,” Berk said. “And 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond myWCU will offer a number of capabilities in a mobile device-friendly experience.” the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara A description of the new secure, web-based portal at its temporary landing page Tyroler says myWCU.wcu.edu will make it easier to accomplish tasks and nd information 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' such as dates and deadlines, nancial aid information, registration, housing, 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show academic resources and student records, CatCard balances, timesheets and leave 'Livin' the Dream' reports. A graphic announcing the new portal is already visible at the MyCat site. A brief, sound-free video outlining the continuing and new capabilities of myWCU LINKS can be seen at the website as well. Calendar

Higher Education NewsWatch The project began a year ago with a steering committee recommendation and has progressed steadily toward the portal’s launch on May 28. “Further phases are being planned,” said Berk, who has shepherded the project from the beginning. “It is governed by the Portal Working Group – a WCU Hub committee of 30-plus leaders across campus – and has included involvement from every group in IT.”

AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT Working together, the group has kept usability the driving factor in the new portal’s creation, Berk said. “Content, look and feel, and overall functionality has been heavily governed using a user-centered design approach through prototyping, focus groups and demos given to faculty, sta and student organizations,” he said. “It even includes a feature to submit feedback, providing a mechanism for users to constantly request new features and access.”

Information sessions about myWCU will be oered seven times beginning Monday, April 18, all in the ground-oor auditorium of the H.F. Robinson Building:

Monday, April 18 – 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 19 – 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 20 – 2 p.m. Thursday, April 21 – 9 a.m.

Monday, April 25 – 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 26 – 4 p.m.

Thursday, April 28 – 4 p.m.

For more information about the myWCU portal, contact the IT Help Desk by email at [email protected].

By Keith Brenton

Tags: DoIT, myWCU

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TOP STORIES Next Wave: 2016 MFA Candidacy Exhibition, April 18-29 NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Please Join The School of Art and Design for EVENTS

Next Wave PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES 2016 MFA Candidacy Exhibition

Exhibition Dates April 18 – 29

Public Reception/Closing & Performance CALENDAR Friday April 29 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, 4pm – 6pm Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: WCU Fine Art Museum LINKS John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center, School of Art and Design Calendar

Exhibiting WCU MFA Students: Higher Education NewsWatch Brendan Best, Ali Burnette, Javier Fox, G. Vincent Gaulin, Martha Neaves, Zach Rogers, Don Sawyer, Charlotte White WCU Hub

For more information please contact Tom Ashcraft AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT [email protected]

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TOP STORIES Nominations for 2016 Coulter Regional Leadership Program being accepted NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS Nominations are being accepted through Monday, May 2, for the 2016 Coulter Regional Leadership Program.

The program, which is funded by the Cherokee Preservation Foundation and administered locally by Western Carolina University, is a six-month PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES leadership program for adults who are interested in growing as regional leaders in Western North Carolina, and who have the ability to work with professionals across counties and industries on projects that will positively impact the region economically, culturally and environmentally.

Nominees must live in the counties of Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon or Swain, or on the Qualla Boundary. Nominations are due by 5 p.m. The nomination form can be found at https://goo.gl/lasghY. CALENDAR For more information, or to nominate offline, contact program director Juanita Wilson at [email protected], 828-497-7920, or 828-788-2579. 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds Tags: Coulter Regional Leadership Program 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS

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TOP STORIES Nursing, EMC, social work students learn how to handle mass casualty situation NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 6, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS Imagine an explosion just took place on the campus of Western Carolina University. Picture it occurring at the soon-to-be replaced Natural Sciences Building, if you like.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES What would you do?

That’s the scenario junior and senior students from the School of Nursing, the Emergency Medical Care Program and the Department of Social Work recently faced while participating in a CALENDAR mass casualty drill at the Health and Human 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Sciences Building. Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond It’s a drill the nursing and EMC students have LINKS taken part in for several semesters, but this was Calendar the first time social work students were included. Higher Education NewsWatch The drill began with junior nursing students WCU Hub dressed and acting as if they were victims of the explosion. The “actors” ranged from being AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT deceased, to those with minor injuries, and to bystanders.

“I’m supposed to be a disoriented patient,” said Anna Norris, a junior nursing major from Fayetteville. “I get to act and be crazy and fake cry. It’s going to be really exciting.” A social work student speaks with a traumatized and injured patient/participant during the assessment phase of the mass casualty drill. Junior Chelsea Mosley, a nursing major from Hot Springs, was playing an unresponsive patient with closed head trauma. “It’s going to be interesting to see how they figure it out,” Morley said.

Three-person triage teams consisting of two senior nursing students and one EMC student evaluated the patients to decide their transport priority. Those given a black card were deceased. Red meant the patient needed to be transported immediately while yellow was for delayed transport. Green meant the patient had minor injuries.

“(Nurses) don’t see (mass casualty situations) all the time,” said WCU School of Nursing assistant professor David Wells. “When we’re able to simulate, we’re able to at least get an appreciation for what happens. Other than getting out there and really doing it, this is the best way to do it.”

Social work students observed and evaluated the interaction between the nursing and EMC students with the patients and bystanders.

In another room, deemed incident command, a group of nursing and EMC students decided what jobs were assigned. From there, they decided where to direct each patient as they came in based on their color-coded card.

“They actually have to make some decisions,” said Colleen Hayes, a School of Nursing assistant professor. “When nurses go out into hospitals, hospitals have drills like this at least once a year. It gives them a little idea of what happens in a drill. I think it’s good that they see the EMC side and work with them.”

Nursing students gather to determine role responsibilities and a procedure plan as the injured are Chandler Spires, a junior EMC student from brought into the room for treatment. Hillsborough, said the drill allowed students to have a real-world application.

“This isn’t something you see very often, but when you do, you want to be really ready,” Spires said. “It’s really nice to bring emergency medical care and nursing together so we can really learn how to work together so we don’t just know our own camp, we know how the whole system works.” Finally, the social work students provided critical incident stress debrieng for the care providers. Denise Wilfong, director of the Emergency Medical Care program, said that debriefing is imperative.

“We’re unbelievably excited to have the social work students,” Wilfong said. “It’s an element you don’t see very often. I’ve never actually seen that in a scenario where social workers have been included, but it’s so important. Social workers were at Hurricane Katrina counseling. It’s like they’re the perfect last side to this triangle of groups.

“Interprofessional education has become so important in all of these medical elds. We’re trying to get as many programs working together because students are going to be working together out in the eld. If we can get them started here, and learning how to work as a team, and learning what each of the other programs do and their role of importance in this, and how we can better function, they’re going to be able to function better once they get out working in the field,” she said.

Judy Robinson, assistant professor of social work and director of field education, was also glad to see her students involved in the drill.

“They’re really paying attention to the emotional things that are going on with the patients, and trying to make them feel like there’s someone with them, even though they feel really scared and even hysterical,” Robinson said.

“We’re even going to try and ask things like, ‘Do you need us to call somebody for you?’ I saw one of our students pretending to get out their cell phone and call somebody’s spouse or mother. At the end of the exercise, they’re going to do some debrieng to see how (the nursing and EMC students) might be affected in terms of trauma as having been first responders,” she said.

Senior social work major Caroline Pierce of Hickory said she currently works in a group home, but that paled in comparison to the mass casualty drill.

“I think it’s a really good learning experience, denitely for social workers because we can work in all types of dierent areas,” Pierce said. “It’s a really good learning opportunity.”

By Marlon W. Morgan

Tags: nursing

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TOP STORIES Open forum about timely campus issues to take place April 25 NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS Western Carolina University will host a forum open for members of the campus community – students, sta and faculty – who want to learn about and discuss items of current interest at 3 p.m. Monday, April 25, in the theater of A.K. Hinds University Center.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES “The forum will very much follow suit with the spring 2015 open forum and the fall 2015 open forum,” said Tim Metz, assistant vice chancellor for university planning and eectiveness. “It’s an opportunity to highlight achievements and progress towards the Strategic Plan and Campus Master Plan, keep the community informed on our progress towards rearmation of our SACSCOC accreditation, and address important and timely campus issues – including diversity and inclusion.”

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges is the umbrella organization responsible for the process used to accredit CALENDAR institutions throughout the 11 southern states, including North Carolina, that grant associate, baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral degrees. Colleges and 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern universities are appraised for rearmation of accreditation every 10 years, and considered in a reporting process the fth year after it is granted. WCU’s Minds next appraisal will take place in 2017. 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS

In 2012, the WCU Board of Trustees approved the Strategic Plan proposed by the university’s 2020 Commission. The main points of the plan are to Calendar enrich the total student experience, fulll the educational needs of the state and region, enhance external partnerships, invest in the university’s people, and garner support for WCU’s vision. The plan’s conclusions and recommendations led to the creation of the Campus Master Plan, finalized in 2014. Higher Education NewsWatch

WCU Hub For more information about the open forum, contact Metz by email at [email protected] or by phone at 828-227-3046.

AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT By Keith Brenton

Tags: Master Plan, Open Forum, SACSOC, Strategic Plan

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EVENTS CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER

TOP STORIES Pitch Party, April 21 NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS Pitch Party: Open for Business | Thursday, April 21 | 6 p.m. | UC Theater | Hosted by Joseph Lakatos – Listen to creative business ideas from your fellow students as they compete for cash prizes. PitchPartyEventFlyer (PDF).

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES

CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS

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Dr. Joseph Lakatos Elingburg Distinguished Professor of Business Innovation

Listen to creative business ideas from your fellow students as they compete for cash prizes

April 21 @ 6pm in UC Theatre

TOP STORIES CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER

TOP STORIES Professor is lead author of AARP report on aging American Indian population NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

A Western Carolina University professor was an author for a recent AARP report on older American Indians that found population shifts, continuing EVENTS health care issues and traditional strengths within the community.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES R. Turner Goins, WCU’s Ambassador Jeanette Hyde Distinguished Professor of Gerontological Social Work in the College of Health and Human Sciences and a nationally known specialist in American Indian aging issues, was the lead author of the work, which examined socioeconomic and health issues among the nation’s 5.2 million native peoples. The research, writing and independent review to complete the report took nearly two years.

AARP is a national organization for people

over the age of 50, serving as an advocate for CALENDAR members and as a lobbying group for issues 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern related to them. Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond The report shows a demographic shift the Glass Matrix resulting in nearly four out of ve Indians 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara now residing in urban areas, rather than on Tyroler tribal lands or reservations. The report also 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' included recommendations for broader 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show strategies, including inter-agency 'Livin' the Dream' cooperation, to bring needed services to Indians living in America’s cities and other LINKS non-tribal communities. Calendar

While the report is titled “Lifelong Higher Education NewsWatch Disparities Among Older American WCU Hub Indians and Alaska Natives,” Goins said she feels that “disparities” might not be the AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT best word to reect what the study and R. Turner Goins subsequent report determined.

“American Indian communities are tired of researchers coming in and pointing to all of the disparities and shortcomings associated with their community,” she said. “I think it is important to focus on community strengths. We have to not only focus on pointing to where the problems are, but pointing to solutions. This, in turn, helps build these community strengths.”

By 2050, the number of American Indians and Alaska Natives who are 65 and older will more than triple, and the number of those 85 years old and up will increase from 42,000 now to 300,000.

“Policymakers have much to do to address longstanding socioeconomic and health coverage disparities that have historically characterized their lives and which remain, to a large extent, unresolved,” said Debra Whitman, AARP’s chief public policy ocer. “This new research presents some compelling ideas to move forward.”

With a background in public health, Goins has worked with tribal communities throughout the U.S. for nearly 20 years and has a longstanding relationship with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Formerly the associate director of the Center for Healthy Aging Research and associate professor in the College of Public Health and Human Sciences at Oregon State University, she serves on the board of the International Association for Indigenous Aging. She also serves on the editorial board of The Gerontologist and the Journal of Applied Gerontology.

By Erika Joseph, a senior communications major with an emphasis in public relations who is conducting an internship in the Office of Communications and Public Relations during spring semester

Tags: R. Turner Goins

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NOTEWORTHY NEWS CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER

TOP STORIES Professor to speak on photographing insects NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 6, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Western Carolina University biology professor Kefyn Catley will present a program on photographing insects for the Sylva Photography Club on EVENTS Saturday, April 9.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The program begins at 2 p.m. at the Cullowhee United Methodist Church, 416 Central Drive. In addition to information on macrophotography techniques, methods and equipment for shooting insects, Catley will discuss arthropods, including spiders and insects, and their behavior and habitats. A “bugs and things” show-and-tell session will follow the presentation, with attendees encouraged to bring subject matter photos.

CALENDAR The program is free for members and $5 for guests, which can be applied toward 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern membership. Membership is a $20 per year; $10 for students. For more information, Minds email [email protected] or call 828-226-3840. 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix Tags: Kefyn Catley 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'

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TOP STORIES Reception Honoring Tim Carstens and George Frizzell, May 4 NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Reception Honoring Tim Carstens and George Frizzell, May 4 EVENTS

After 32 years (26 at WCU) of service to the state of North Carolina, Tim Carstens, Associate Dean of Library Services will be retiring. Tim PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES started his career at N.C. State University as an assistant catalog librarian. He began working for Hunter Library in 1990 as the Head of Cataloging. In 2014 Tim was named Associate Dean of Library Services.

and

George Frizzell, Director of Special Collections will be retiring after 34 years of service to the state of North Carolina. George began his CALENDAR career at Hunter Library as a student worker in June of 1974. He later became a ¾ time employee in the library, and has been a 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, permanent full-time employee for the last 31 years. George has served as the Director of Special Collections since September of 1989. Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Please join us in honoring them… LINKS Calendar Retirement Reception Higher Education NewsWatch Honoring Tim Carstens and George Frizzell WCU Hub

Wednesday, May 4, 2016 AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Hunter Library Conference Room on the 2nd floor (HL 245)

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TOP STORIES Record class expected for spring commencement ceremonies May 6-7 NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Western Carolina University will hold a trio of commencement ceremonies over a two-day period – Friday and Saturday, May 6-7 – to recognize the EVENTS academic achievements of what is expected to be the university’s fifth straight record spring graduating class.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES Commencement for WCU’s Graduate School will be held at 7 p.m. May 6. Commencement for the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Education and Allied Professions, and Fine and Performing Arts will begin at 10 a.m. May 7, and that event will be followed the same day by a 2 p.m. ceremony for the College of Business, College of Health and Human Sciences, and Kimmel School of Construction Management and Technology. All the ceremonies will take place at Ramsey Regional Activity Center.

After all the scores from nal exams are tallied CALENDAR and academic records are nalized, WCU’s 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern spring class, including recipients of both Minds undergraduate and graduate degrees, is 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond expected to total approximately 1,465 the Glass Matrix graduates, which would be the largest class in 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara university history and about 50 more Tyroler graduates than were in last year’s record 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' spring class. Boosted by surging enrollments, 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show the size of WCU’s spring class has doubled 'Livin' the Dream' since 2004.

The university schedules three LINKS commencements on the Cullowhee campus in Calendar the spring to allow the Ramsey Center to Higher Education NewsWatch accommodate the number of graduating Marisa Beatty, a graduating student from Chapel Hill, joined in a campus tradition recently as she had students who will be participating in the WCU Hub her photo taken with the Catamount statue. Beatty and her classmates in WCU’s spring class will be ceremonies and the audiences that will attend. participating in commencement ceremonies Friday, May 6, and Saturday, May 7. A total of about 1,350 students are expected AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT to don caps and gowns for this year’s events. WCU commencements are open to everyone, with no limit on the number of family members and friends who can attend.

For those who cannot attend, all three ceremonies will be streamed live at http://www.wcu.edu/commencement-stream.aspx.

WCU faculty member Carmen Human, the university’s recipient of the 2016 University of North Carolina Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching, will deliver the primary address at the Friday night Graduate School commencement, and then she will be presented the award during the Saturday morning ceremony.

Trac is always heavy for commencement on WCU’s campus. University ocials urge those attending to plan on arriving at the Ramsey Center at least one hour before the events begin. On-campus shuttle services will be available for the Saturday ceremonies.

WCU police recommend that those attending the events consider using Route 1002 (Old Cullowhee Road) to access campus through the back entrance. Drivers also are asked to refrain from dropping o visitors while sitting in travel lanes around the Ramsey Center, as that endangers visitors and creates traffic backups.

More driving and parking information, including a link to a map of traffic patterns, is available at the website http://graduation.wcu.edu.

For more general information about WCU’s May commencement ceremonies, contact the university Registrar’s Office at 828-227-7216.

By Randall Holcombe

Tags: Commencement

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TOP STORIES RISA helps foster youth, orphans and others adjust to college life at WCU NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS When Lowell Davis came to Western Carolina University two-and-a-half years ago to become the assistant vice chancellor for student success, he wanted to bring with him his passion for serving foster youth, something he developed at his previous job at the University of Alabama.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES During the 2014-15 academic year, Davis worked with the Oce of Financial Aid to identify WCU students who were either emancipated from their parents, homeless, orphans, wards of the state, or had aged-out of foster care. He invited them to a pizza party, but attendance was low.

Davis then partnered with North Carolina Reach, a state program that provides scholarships to the kinds of students Davis CALENDAR was targeting. Currently, there are about 30 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern such students attending WCU, Davis said. Minds Eventually, he formed a group that met about 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond once a month for social gatherings such as LINKS game night, pizza parties and bowling. The Calendar students named their group RISA – Resilient, Independent Student Association. Higher Education NewsWatch

WCU Hub While most colleges and universities across the country have these students in their AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT population, they often go unnoticed and are underserved. While they are academically prepared for college, they are often hampered WCU student Judia Watson pauses to gather herself while telling her story. with social, personal and nancial issues that prevent them from being successful.

For example, Davis said when WCU closes its residence halls and the dining facilities for fall break, spring break or holiday break, many of those students have nowhere to go. And those who live o campus either barely have enough money to pay their rent, or are working two and three jobs to try and make ends meet.

“They don’t have parents to say, ‘Hey, I need $10 or $15,’” Davis said. “It’s just them. There’s just dierent challenges. You have a student who you know can do the work, but when you talk to them, they’re working two-three jobs. They have health issues. A lot of them are dealing with mental health issues that prevent them from doing everything that any other student would be able to do if they didn’t have those challenges. It’s just different.”

Davis said many of the students receive assistance from Counseling and Psychological Services. But it also helps being around other students who come from similar situations.

Davis was assisted last year by Jill VanOrder, a student services specialist with teacher recruitment, advising and career support.

Following several meetings, Davis wanted to publicize the group by holding an event called “Telling our Stories.” It gave those who were willing a chance to share their story. Davis limited the audience to those who the students invited, along with some special guests.

WCU Board of Trustees member John Lupoli and his wife, Anita, who own TJ Bailey for Men, a men’s clothing store in Highlands and Cashiers, outtted the male students with suits, shirts, ties, socks and shoes. An anonymous trustee gave a donation to purchase items for the females.

“The reason that it’s not public is because you have a student who says, ‘I was abused. This is what happened to me.’ Many students would not feel comfortable if everyone heard this,” Davis said.

Seven members shared their powerful stories last spring. One of those was Sophia Calhoun, now a junior environmental health student from Lexington who is currently assisting Davis with the program this year.

Calhoun’s mother died when she was 9, and she became an orphan after her father passed when she was 14. She was left to split time with her grandparents and her aunt and uncle. Her grandparents were later awarded full custody.

“I got up and I don’t remember what I said in my story,” Calhoun said. “I just started crying. It can be a lot to tell that many people, who you have no idea who they are.

“It’s a lot of pressure to make these people feel like you’re talking about something that’s worthwhile. You want them to know that your program is something that they should be interested in, and that they should be willing to push for it in any way that they can. When you get up there, you’re hoping that whatever sadness you feel connects with them on some level because that’s what you need, for them to be invested.”

This year’s event was held Monday, April 11, and featured even more powerful stories.

“I didn’t understand that some foster students, once they hit 18, a lot of them don’t have a home to go back to,” Calhoun said. “I didn’t understand that’s how the foster care program worked. So you’re stuck at 18 with no health insurance, no income from anyone. Once I heard stories of people not having anywhere to go, I can’t imagine who I would talk to or go to if I became homeless as soon as my dorm doors closed. I don’t know how you would live that way and still be a student.”

Calhoun said RISA has focused this year on developing programs such as a nutrition event to teach students how to buy healthy food on a budget and how to cook that food with the resources they have available, noting that many students like herself never had an opportunity to sit with their mother in the kitchen and learn how to cook for themselves. They also are looking into having more outreach events instead of just social events, she said.

“It’s amazing when you sit these students down, and the rst few sessions we had we were like, ‘What can we do to help you guys, what is it you guys need,’ and within two or three meetings the students started saying, ‘Can we get start doing outreach? Can we get involved in local high schools? Can we start doing events that make our situation something that people know about?’” Calhoun said.

As RISA grows, Davis said he would like to see the program spearheaded by someone full-time.

“I am personally passionate about this population, but I do not have the time to commit to it that I think the program deserves,” Davis said. “I think that someone, one person that this is what they do, is the kind of direction this program needs. The student doesn’t want to be bounced around from person-to-person.”

Davis added that he would like to see similar programs develop across North Carolina. For more information on RISA, contact Davis at 828-227-7495 or [email protected].

By Marlon W. Morgan

Tags: Lowell Davis, RISA

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TOP STORIES Safety more than a priority for Department of Emergency Services NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Sta in the Department of Emergency Services for Western Carolina University stand ready for a long list of situations, most in the category of EVENTS “when things go wrong.” Consider the descriptive words that can be found in their work plan: “crisis, catastrophe, disaster, eminent danger.”

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES Theirs is a constant vigil to prevent harm and provide or coordinate assistance when needed. Which means being ready for a long list of situations, such as natural hazards, man-made hazards and technological hazards.

Shane Stovall is the WCU director of emergency services and responsible for the development of personnel, plans, processes and systems to provide for safety, protection and preparedness. That means for people and property on the main campus in Cullowhee, as well as the satellite facilities in

Cherokee and at Biltmore Park in Asheville, and at Highlands Biological Station. The department has three components: an emergency CALENDAR communications center; public safety technologies; and emergency management, which includes planning, training and exercises. Communications is 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern vital within each. Department personnel partner with WCU Police Departtment, campus Emergency Medical Services and various other campus Minds departments and agencies to create a culture of preparedness across all campuses. 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix “We want to make people feel safe and actually 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara be safe,” Stovall said. “It is similar to managing a Tyroler small city. Our challenge is it’s a largely rotating 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' population. Every year we have students who 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show have been here before and others who have not. 'Livin' the Dream' So that’s where a culture of outreach and communication is so important for safety LINKS measures, providing the information needed to Calendar know your surroundings and taking the steps to take care of yourself. We want students, sta, Higher Education NewsWatch faculty and visitors to be aware of their WCU Hub surroundings, to report suspicious activities and be an active partner in campus safety. AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT

“To promote a safe environment, the department has some specic techniques to use, like the WCU Alerts, the campus siren system, WCU’s Emergency Operations Center stands ready to assist the campus community when there is emergency blue light phones around campus and an alert. issuing warnings through online notications,” he said.

WCU’s Emergency Communications Center receives and processes more than 20,000 calls a year. There are more than 400 cameras monitoring the Cullowhee campus, with additional camera projects scheduled to enhance campus safety. The center relocated to the ground oor of the H.F. Robinson Building last fall.

“We will have 38 emergency blue light phones across campus by the fall semester,” said Thomas Hooks, the WCU telecommunications center manager. “WCU is the rst (and so far only) of the 17 universities in the University of North Carolina system to be emergency medical dispatch certied. We work closely with campus police, local law enforcement, re and rescue and EMS. For a university, the level of operations and professionalism is unparalleled.”

Along with the campus Police Department, the WCU Department of Emergency Services has hosted “Whee Safe,” a series of brown bag discussions to provide faculty, staff and students with information on a variety of personal and community public safety topics.

Future awareness and outreach are planned, Stovall said. “Safety is an ongoing concern, which takes an eort from everyone, coordinated with regular training and drills, so that students, faculty, sta, visitors and neighbors in surrounding communities can be as safe as possible.”

By Geoff Cantrell

Tags: Campus Safety, Department of Emergency Services, Shane Stovall

Shane Stovall, director of emergency services

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TOP STORIES Scholar to keynote history of mathematics conference April 16 NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Duncan Melville will deliver the keynote address, “Teaching and Learning Mathematics in Mesopotamia,” at Western Carolina University’s EVENTS eighth annual Smoky Mountain Undergraduate Research Conference on the History of Mathematics on Saturday, April 16.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES Melville, the Peterson Professor of Mathematics at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, will speak at 9:45 a.m. in the theater of the A.K. Hinds University Center on campus.

He also will share a colloquium about “Early Word Problems” in the Blue Ridge Conference Room at 10:10 a.m. Friday, April 15. The session is free and open to the public.

CALENDAR An abstracts editor for the journal Historia Mathematica, Melville completed his undergraduate 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, work in London, England, and earned a doctorate in mathematics from Yale University. His Modern Minds research pursuits range from Lie algebras, quantum groups and exotic representations to the 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: history of mathematics, especially in ancient Mesopotamia. LINKS Calendar Other presentations at conference include poster sessions and 15-minute talks on research in the history of mathematics. Higher Education NewsWatch

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For more information, visit https://sites.google.com/a/unca.edu/smurchom_eight/home online or contact Sloan Despeaux, WCU professor of mathematics and conference organizer, at [email protected] or 828-227-3825. Duncan Melville

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TOP STORIES School of Nursing hosting rural health symposium in Asheville on April 22 NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Western Carolina University’s School of Nursing will host a sold-out audience for the second annual Western North Carolina Rural Health Symposium on EVENTS Friday, April 22, at the Hilton Asheville Biltmore Park.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The symposium is one of the activities supported by a federal workforce diversity grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration that has allowed WCU and Mission Health in Asheville to partner in an eort to increase the quality of nursing care provided to patients in rural WNC. The grant, worth just over $1 million, is for three years and helps WCU oer scholarships, monthly stipends and mentoring to eligible registered nurses with two- year degrees who are working to earn their bachelor’s degrees in nursing.

In just its second year, the symposium is drawing in a full house of 150 people, including a group from as far away as Raleigh. CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern “The word has really gotten out there,” said the School of Nursing’s Karen Cochran, who directs the grant program at WCU. “I have no idea how the Minds Raleigh group heard about it because we advertise locally. Obviously, people are talking. People are sharing information about this event.” 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix Last year, the symposium focused on the needs and health care challenges across Western North Carolina. This year’s event will feature programs that 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara are in place to meet those needs and solutions for meeting the needs, Cochran said. Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' “Different communities might come up with an idea to deal with a particular issue, and this is a forum for sharing those ideas so that folks can go back to 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show their county and maybe start a similar program, or have some ideas on how they can address some of the issues they’re experiencing,” she said. 'Livin' the Dream'

Among the topics that will be discussed during the symposium are “WNC Rural Communities – the State of Aairs”; “Serving Migrant Farmworkers”; “Strategies and Partnerships to Improve Diabetes”; “Challenges of the Rural Hospital”; “Rural Nursing”; “A Model for Education in Rural Communities”; LINKS and “Preparing Providers to Serve Rural Populations.” Calendar

Higher Education NewsWatch For more information about the symposium, contact Cochran at [email protected]. WCU Hub

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TOP STORIES Sholder to speak at workshop, double feature event NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 6, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Jack Sholder, professor of film and television production at WCU, will speak at a lecture Wednesday, April 6, and a film directing EVENTS workshop Thursday, April 7, for the Department of Electronic Media and Film at Towson University.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES Shortly thereafter, he will present and discuss two films he directed, “The Hidden” and “Nightmare on Elm Street II,” at a Saturday night double-feature April 9 at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Denver, Colorado.

Tags: Jack Sholder

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TOP STORIES ‘Solving Problems with Kenyan Youth’ presentation will be April 7 in NOTEWORTHY NEWS Natural Sciences Building ACHIEVEMENTS April 6, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | EVENTS

A public presentation on “Solving Problems with Kenyan Youth” will take place Thursday, April 7, at 3:30 p.m. in Room 1 of Western PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES Carolina University’s Natural Sciences Building.

The speakers are Serah Mucha and Ron Mdawidi, both of whom work for Kosmos Solutions International, a Kenyan nonprofit and non- government organization headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, with a branch office in Cookeville, Tennessee.

Its focus is on educating and equipping communities by providing them with the knowledge, skills and tools that are necessary to develop CALENDAR empowered and sustainable communities. 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds For more information, contact Tony Hickey, WCU professor of sociology, at 828-227-3832 or [email protected]. 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: LINKS Tags: Africa, Kenya, Tony Hickey Calendar

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TOP STORIES Staff Senate awards four scholarships; fundraising efforts continue NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS Four Western Carolina University students have been chosen to receive Staff Senate Scholarships for academic year 2016-17.

Recipients of $1,000 scholarships are Hannah Adams, a junior elementary education major and daughter of Jerry Adams of the WCU Police Department; PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES Tiany Frady, a junior math education major and daughter of William Frady of the Division of Information Technology and Lisa Frady of the OneStop student service center; Haley McLeod, a freshman interior design major and daughter of Emily McLeod of the Oce of Financial Aid; and Kylie Yacuzzo, a senior psychology major and daughter of Randy Yacuzzo and Kelly Smith, both of the Office of Facilities Management.

Children and relatives of SHRA and EHRA non- faculty employees and who will be attending WCU CALENDAR are eligible to apply for the scholarship. 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds Early in January, WCU’s Sta Senate began its 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond “100 Days – 100 Names” Scholarship Campaign to LINKS provide an opportunity for WCU employees to Calendar donate to the scholarship fund through payroll deduction. With the campaign ending Friday, Higher Education NewsWatch April 15, an opportunity remains for employees to WCU Hub donate through payroll deduction or by making an outright gift, said David Rathbone, a facilities AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT management sta member who is past chair of Sta Senate and current co-chair of its scholarship committee.

The campaign is ending, but there are two other ways that WCU employees are pitching in to help boost the Sta Senate scholarship fund, Rathbone said. Members of the U-Club will be holding their annual get-together to boost the fund from 5:30 to 9 p.m. April 15, with the theme “Wild, Wild West Casino Night.” Then, on Saturday, April 23, Representatives of WCU’s Sta Senate meeting with 2016-17 recipients of the Sta Senate scholarship the Sta Senate yard sale will be held at the are (from left) Brian Wood, co-chair of the scholarship committee; scholarship recipients Tiany Ramsey Regional Activity Center from 7 a.m. to 2 Frady, Hannah Adams and Haley McLeod; David Rathbone, co-chair of the scholarship committee; p.m. Donations of items for sale are being and Pam DeGraffenreid, chair of Staff Senate. Not pictured is scholarship recipient Kylie Yacuzzo. accepted at the WCU Bookstore, or they can be brought to the Ramsey Center on the morning of the yard sale or picked up by contacting Rathbone at 828-550-9562.

Tags: Scholarships, Staff Senate

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TOP STORIES Students excel at Model UN conference NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS Twenty Western Carolina University students recently attended the Southeastern Regional Model United Nations Conference in Charlotte, where they competed with students from 33 other colleges and universities located across the Southeast.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES “We brought home a number of awards, including distinguished delegation, outstanding delegate, the recognition and excellence awards, and even a couple for best smile,” said Chris Cooper, department head and professor of political science.

The WCU delegation representing the Netherlands won a distinguished delegation award, and was comprised of: Meghan Classen, sophomore, political science major, Holly Springs; Kevin Diaz Morales, sophomore, philosophy and political science double-major, Monroe; Lillian Hatton, junior, political science major, Sanford; Mecca Kanyinda, political science and sociology double-major, High Point; Julia O’Connor, senior, political science and psychology double- CALENDAR major, Blowing Rock; Christopher Trogdon, junior, political science major, Gastonia; Joseph Gravely, senior, political science major, Brevard; and Noah 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Brown, senior, political science and history double-major, Valdese. Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond The Japan delegation was represented by Beth Ehlers, freshman, emergency medical care major, Zebulon; Tony Esquivel, senior, political science major, LINKS Charlotte; Roslyn Gowens, senior, criminal justice major, Asheville; Zachary Morgan, senior, history major, Andrews; Brooke Reynolds, sophomore, political Calendar science major, Hayesville; and Logan Meader, senior, history major, Reidsville. Higher Education NewsWatch Gravely won an individual outstanding delegate award. Brown won an individual recognition of excellence award, and O’Connor and Hatton won the best WCU Hub smile award, according to Jackie Sievert, assistant professor of political science. “The students did an excellent job, and made WCU proud,” Sievert added.

AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT Cooper pointed out that Model U.N. and similar events help students prepare later for real-world career situations by learning skills such as critical thinking and negotiation.

“This is a key part of our department’s engaged experience requirement, a touchstone for internationalization on campus, and has clear integration with the Quality Enhancement Plan,” Cooper said.

A Facebook page featuring photos and more information about WCU’s participation in the event can be found at https://www.facebook.com/WesternMUN.

The delegation from the Netherlands displays their Distinguished Delegation Award.

Tags: Chris Cooper, Quality Enhancement Plan, Southeastern Regional Model United Nations Conference

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TOP STORIES University Open Forum – April 25 NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 6, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

University Open Forum EVENTS

Monday, April 25, 3 – 4:30pm PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES

UC Theater

Presentation and discussion of the following topics:

Strategic Plan status report CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern SACS COC accreditation update Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond Campus Master Plan Update LINKS Calendar Campus Conversations: Diversity and Inclusion Higher Education NewsWatch Everyone is welcome WCU Hub

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TOP STORIES Upcoming Training and Professional Development Opportunities NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 6, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

As a member of Western Carolina University faculty or staff, you have access to many training resources designed to help sharpen job EVENTS skills and promote effective and progressive practices which will promote both personal and professional excellence.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES

Optional Retirement Program < Click to Register

April 13 – 9:00-10:00 – Camp 139

CALENDAR This seminar is designed to provide in-depth information regarding the Optional Retirement Plan. The ORP is the defined contribution plan created as an alternative to the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System. The plan is specific to and available only to UNC System employees. General information about the structure of this program will be covered as well as discussion about benefits upon retirement, income streams, and assessing one’s need for their retirement years. LINKS Calendar

Higher Education NewsWatch Mindfulness: Being Present in Your Work and Life < Click to Register WCU Hub

April 20 – 10:00-11:00 – Camp 143 AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT

The idea of mindfulness or being mindful is complete engagement in the present moment. It is a state where you are not thinking, reflecting, judging or deciding, but are instead simply experiencing the things currently in your available experience. In many ways people are largely unaware of our present moment, and often operate on “auto-pilot” to some degree. The auto-pilot mode is our default mode of operation. Even when we find ourselves in a pleasurable quiet moment we automatically begin to daydream about others, plan/worry about the future or ruminate about the past. We miss living in the present moment because we fail to pay attention to it. Mindfulness is about waking up to the present moment and paying attention to our experience. Learning mindfulness is not difficult; however, it is difficult to remember to do it. This training discusses mindfulness and how to incorporate its practice into your life.

Legal Hiring & Equal Employment Opportunity < Click to Register

April 27 – 3:00-5:00 – Camp 139

An overview of the laws and regulations that govern University hiring processes. Individuals completing this workshop should have knowledge and general understanding in the following areas:

Role of Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity at WCU Basic understanding of the Federal laws that govern employment Overview of legal hiring processes

Identification of common hiring problems

Please direct any inquiries to Chris Dahlquist at 227-2590 or [email protected]

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TOP STORIES Vocal ensembles to present Spring Choral Concert on April 28 NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS The talents of two Western Carolina University vocal ensembles – the University Chorus and Concert Choir – will be featured as the WCU School of Music presents its Spring Choral Concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 28.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The performance will take place in the recital hall of Coulter Building. Admission is free.

The University Chorus will sing a variety of compositions, including works by Handel and Stephen Chatman, along with a gospel arrangement by composer Robert Ray. The Concert Choir will present selections from “Messa da Requiem” by Giuseppe Verdi. Also featured will be “The Peace of Wild Things,” the poetry of Wendell Berry set to music by American composer Jake Runestad. CALENDAR For more information, contact the School of Music at 828-227-7242. 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds Tags: Concert Choir, Music, School of Music, University Chorus 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS

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TOP STORIES ‘Watershed Moments’ project gets underway for Cullowhee Valley School NOTEWORTHY NEWS students ACHIEVEMENTS April 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | EVENTS

With a splash, a couple of whoops and lots of careful adult guidance, the “Watershed Moments” project got underway in Cullowhee Creek on Thursday, PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES April 7.

Every Thursday this month, weather permitting, 22 students from Cullowhee Valley School will wade into the water, take samples of aquatic life, and record observations and data while CALENDAR conducting research as part of an afterschool 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern activity led by the Western Carolina University Minds biology department and the Highlands Biological 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond Station. On this outing, they were at the Jackson LINKS County Recreation Center, within sight of the Calendar school. Higher Education NewsWatch The project is funded by a three-year $159,123 WCU Hub grant from the Burroughs-Wellcome Fund to enhance science, technology, engineering and AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT math education (also known as STEM) outside of traditional classrooms in North Carolina, and to provide hands-on experiences for students.

“This is a mayy nymph and we found it in The waters of Cullowhee Creek teem with aquatic life. Here, WCU senior Brittany Timpson shows a protected waters,” said fourth-grader Emma macroinvertebrate to an inquisitive group of elementary students in the “Watershed Moments” Wike, consulting a macroinvertebrate project at Cullowhee Valley School. identication sheet while delicately cradling a larval insect. She made additional observations, such as aquatic creatures like the nymph are intolerant of pollution and her particular sample was smaller than a similar nymph caught in a mesh net by other students a few steps away. Addison Holt, another fourth-grader, took notes on the ndings, pointing out that a mayy nymph has two or three tails while a stonefly nymph has two. Then Wike added the nymph to a water-filled container with other wiggly things from the stream.

The students in the project will examine levels of sediment and the velocity of water ow, gauge the health of aquatic life in the creek, and see the impact of land use, said Karen Kandl, project leader and associate director of Highlands Biological Station, a University of North Carolina system facility administered by WCU. They will get a better understanding of how a small stretch of their local stream has global implications, she said. Cullowhee Creek empties into the Tuckaseigee River, which ows into the Little Tennessee and Tennessee Rivers, and nally the Mississippi River before entering the Gulf of Mexico. Its watershed covers 15,062 acres of steep, mountainous terrain in Jackson County and is a significant water resource for the region.

“The ‘Watershed Moments’ project enables our students to participate in creative scientic activities, have fun and make connections to the natural world around them,” said Lora Cox, a Cullowhee Valley School teacher coordinating the project with WCU and Highlands Biological Station. “Some of these students haven’t been in a creek before, and even for those who have, this is not about playing so much as it is exploration and discovery. So, it’s a new activity for everyone. And fun. We’re fortunate to host this project and we’re all getting something from it.”

Assisting the project are WCU School of Teaching and Learning students Brittany Timpson, a senior from Hayesville, and WCU senior Elizabeth Vickery peers into a dip net along with student Landon Spangler, a participant Elizabeth Vickery, a freshman and Cullowhee in the “Watershed Moments” project, to see what they’ve just sampled from a section of Cullowhee resident, along with Traci Ballance, a graduate Creek. student in biology from Elizabeth City. They described how the project incorporates dierent facets of aquatic ecology and science, including biology, physics and chemistry. “The students are enthusiastic,” Ballance said. “They are fourth-, fth- and sixth-graders at Cullowhee Valley School and have formulated a hypothesis that they are researching this spring.” The students will give presentations on their completed work during an afterschool reception on Thursday, June 9, at the school. Also, the nal Zahner Conservation Lecture of the season at Highlands Biological Station on Thursday, Sept. 8, in Highlands will be devoted to the “Watershed Moments” project, with a presentation by Kandl and Patricia Bricker, associate professor of science education and associate director of WCU’s School of Teaching and Learning.

For more information about the project, contact Kandl at 828-526-2602 or [email protected].

By Geoff Cantrell

Tags: Highlands Biological Station, Karen Kandl, Patricia Bricker, School of Teaching and Learning

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TOP STORIES WCU advances to ‘final four’ in quest for ‘Top Adventure College’ title NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Western Carolina University has made it to the “nal four” round of voting as the university seeks another “Top Adventure College” title through an EVENTS online readers’ poll conducted by Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES After defeating Virginia Commonwealth University, Liberty University and the University of Georgia over the rst three rounds, WCU is now going against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in fourth-round voting to decide the winner in a division for schools with more than 5,000 students. Fourth-round voting continues until 9 a.m. Monday, April 18.

CALENDAR If WCU defeats UT-Chattanooga, the university will face the winner of the division 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern for smaller schools (fewer than 5,000 students) in the championship round that Minds takes place April 18-25. The two remaining schools in the small-school division are 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond Emory and Henry College and the University of North Carolina Asheville. the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara WCU captured the title of “Top Adventure College” in the Southeast and Mid- Tyroler Atlantic region in the magazine’s poll in 2014 and 2015. 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show Visitors to the Blue Ridge Outdoors website can vote once each day. To vote, go 'Livin' the Dream' to the contest website, http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/best-outdoor- school/, and click on the WCU matchup in the “large schools” category. LINKS Calendar Tags: Top Adventure College Higher Education NewsWatch

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TOP STORIES WCU advances to final round of voting for ‘Top Adventure College’ title NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS Western Carolina University is looking to make it three in a row as the nal round of voting takes place to determine the premiere outdoor adventure college in the region.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The university appears to be on the brink of earning its third straight “Top Adventure College” title through an online readers’ poll conducted by Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine.

WCU already has defeated four schools over four rounds of voting in a division for larger schools – those with more than 5,000 students. The university is now going for the title against Emory and Henry College of Emory, Virginia, which won CALENDAR the division for smaller schools, including a seminal victory over the University of 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern North Carolina Asheville. Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond Voting for the title began at 1 p.m. Monday, April 18, and continues until 9 a.m. LINKS Monday, April 25. Calendar

Visitors to the Blue Ridge Outdoors website can vote once each day. To vote, go Higher Education NewsWatch to the contest website, http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/ A WCU student mountain bikes on the university’s multi-use WCU Hub best-outdoor-school/, and click on “Emory and Henry College vs. Western trail system. Carolina University.” AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT

By Randall Holcombe

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TOP STORIES WCU advances to third round of voting for ‘Top Adventure College’ title NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 6, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Western Carolina University continues to progress toward another “Top Adventure College” title through an online readers’ poll conducted by Blue Ridge EVENTS Outdoors magazine.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES WCU defeated Virginia Commonwealth University in the rst round of this year’s contest, and then Liberty University in the second round, and is now going up against the University of Georgia in third-round voting that continues until 9 a.m. Monday, April 11.

WCU is competing in a 16-school division for institutions with more than 5,000 CALENDAR students. If WCU makes it through two more rounds in its division, the university 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern will face the winner of the division for smaller schools (fewer than 5,000 students) Minds in the championship round in late April. 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix WCU captured the title of “Top Adventure College” in the Southeast and Mid- 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Atlantic region in the magazine’s poll in 2014 and 2015. Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' Visitors to the Blue Ridge Outdoors website can vote once each day. To vote, go to 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show the contest website, http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/best-outdoor-school/, and 'Livin' the Dream' click on the WCU matchup in the “large schools” category.

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TOP STORIES WCU heroes of first-year student experience recognized, honored NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Western Carolina University’s rst-year students recognized and thanked some of the key people in helping them during their initial collegiate EVENTS experience.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES “As our students prepare for the excitement of the end of their rst year at WCU, we asked them to nominate those faculty, sta and graduate assistants who have been exemplary advocates for the class of 2019,” said Glenda Hensley, director of First Year Experience at WCU. “As we explained during the nomination period, an advocate is someone who you know has your best interest in mind someone who cares deeply about your success in and out of the classroom, someone you can count CALENDAR on to give you sound advice, and someone you know will be in your corner.” 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds This year, rst-year students nominated 202 advocates. “This is a phenomenal 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond statement about the quality of WCU faculty and staff,” she said. the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara FYE Advocate Awards were presented to three individuals. The faculty category had Tyroler 14 nalists and the winner was Tara Peterson, assistant professor in health sciences. FYE sta advocate award winner Veratta Pegram-Floyd 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show (center) is congratulated by David Starnes, 2015 winner, and 'Livin' the Dream' The sta category had six nalists and the winner was Veratta Pegram-Floyd, case Provost Alison Morrison-Shetlar. 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show manager in residential living. Among graduate student assistants there were three 'Livin' the Dream' nalists and the winner was Meredith Oakley with the Higher Education Student Affairs Program. LINKS For more information, go to http://www.wcu.edu/learn/academic-success/first-year-experience/about-fye/fyeadvocate.asp. Calendar

Higher Education NewsWatch Tags: David Starnes, First Year Experience, Glenda Hensley, Meredith Oakley, Provost Alison Morrison-Shetlar, Tara Peterson, Veratta Pegram-Floyd WCU Hub

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FYE faculty advocate award winner Tara Peterson (center) is congratulated by David Starnes, 2015 winner, and Provost Alison Morrison-Shetlar.

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TOP STORIES WCU jazz festival scheduled for April 23 on campus NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS Western Carolina University’s 14th annual jazz festival will feature an afternoon and evening of music, special guests and celebration from 1 to 10 p.m. on campus Saturday, April 23.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES All classes, rehearsals and performances will be open to the public free of charge and held in the recital hall of the Coulter Building.

Special guests for WCU Jazz Festival 2016 are two renowned jazz musicians, alto saxophonist Jim Snidero and pianist Dan Haerle, performing individually and together, and with faculty and students.

Haerle is a regents professor emeritus of jazz studies at the University of North Texas, where he taught 35 CALENDAR years. He has performed with jazz legends Pat Metheny, Clark Terry and Freddie Hubbard, among others, 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern and recorded numerous albums. He currently serves as the artistic director of the Dallas Jazz Piano Minds Society. 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS

Snidero is an adjunct music instructor at New School University and formerly was a visiting professor at Calendar both Indiana and Princeton universities. He has recorded numerous albums and his “Blue Afternoon” is included in “The History of Jazz in 1001 of the Best Recordings.” A onetime member of the famed One Higher Education NewsWatch O’clock Band, he also was a sideman with the Mingus Big Band and Frank Sinatra. Snidero is an active WCU Hub clinician for the Conn-Selmer Company.

AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT Pavel Wlosok, WCU associate professor of jazz and organizer of the campus festival, calls the event a celebration of a “true American art form.” Wlosok, a Czech-born pianist, composer, arranger and educator, also will perform during the evening. Alto saxophonist Jim Snidero The tentative festival itinerary:

1 p.m. Haerle jazz masterclass on improvisation, harmony and jazz theory. 2 p.m. Snidero masterclass with WCU Jazz Ensemble saxophone students. 3:15 p.m. WCU Jazz Ensemble with Snidero dress rehearsal and sound check. 4:30 p.m. Featured artists sound check and duet rehearsals. 7:30 p.m. Snidero with the WCU Jazz Ensemble, then with WCU Jazz Combo. 8:30 p.m. Snidero and Haerle duet, followed by Wlosok and Snidero duet. If time allows, a Haerle and Wlosok duet. 9:45 p.m. Reception with guest artists, with location to be announced.

For more information, contact Wlosok at 828-227-3261 or [email protected].

Tags: Jazz Festival, Music, Pavel Wlosok

Pianist Dan Haerle

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TOP STORIES WCU Programs at Biltmore Park to hold April 19 Open House NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Prospective students will have an opportunity to find out about the wide variety of graduate and professional programs offered by EVENTS Western Carolina University during an Open House set for Tuesday, April 19, at WCU’s instructional site in Asheville.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The event will be held at WCU’s location in Suite 100 at 28 Schenck Parkway (beside P.F. Chang’s) in Biltmore Park Town Square. The Open House will be a drop-in, and interested individuals can come by anytime between 5 and 7 p.m. to enjoy refreshments and talk to WCU faculty and staff.

CALENDAR WCU’s offerings taught either partly or entirely in Asheville include 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, doctoral programs in educational leadership and nursing practice; Modern Minds master’s programs in accountancy, business administration, counseling, 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: English, health sciences, nursing, public affairs, social work and LINKS technology; bachelor’s programs in mechanical engineering and nursing; Calendar and several certificate programs such as professional and technical WCU’s instructional site at Biltmore Park will be writing, and family nurse practitioner. Higher Education NewsWatch showcased at an upcoming Open House. WCU Hub For more information, call 828-654-6498 or email [email protected]. AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT

Tags: Biltmore Park, Open House

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TOP STORIES WCU sponsors speaker in Sylva on communism, human rights, LBGT NOTEWORTHY NEWS issues ACHIEVEMENTS April 6, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | EVENTS

Mario Rollig, a gay man imprisoned by the East German government in the 1980s, will be the guest speaker at the Jackson County Public PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES Library in Sylva on Wednesday, April 13.

The event begins at 4 p.m. in the community room. Rollig will tell of his experiences being captured as a gay teen trying to flee an oppressive society, held as a political prisoner and subsequently tortured, and his views of communism, human rights and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.

CALENDAR Western Carolina University’s Department of World Languages and Department of English are sponsoring the event along with the 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Jackson County Public Library and City Lights Bookstore. Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Today, Rollig lives in a unified Berlin, where he gives tours and lectures at the Hohenschonhausen Memorial Museum. The museum LINKS occupies the infamous detainment camp and prison where he was held and tortured. Calendar

For more information, go to www.fontanalib.org/sylva or call 828-586-2016. Higher Education NewsWatch

WCU Hub Tags: English, World Languages

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TOP STORIES White Oak Basket Weaving, April 14 NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS White Oak Basket Weaving Appalachian Living Craft Series

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES Thursday, April 14 | 3 – 5 p.m. | Mountain Heritage Center Gallery at Hunter Library

CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS

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TOP STORIES Wind Ensemble to perform final concert of the semester NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

EVENTS The Western Carolina University Wind Ensemble will be performing its nal concert of the spring semester in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 25. It is free and open to the public.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES The ensemble, under the direction of Margaret Underwood, visiting assistant professor with the WCU School of Music, will include works by Edward Gregson, Vincent Persichetti, Robert Kurka, J.S. Bach and Michael Gandolfi.

The eclectic program will feature the student concerto competition winner, tuba player Andre Thacker, performing the rst movement of Gregson’s “Tuba CALENDAR Concerto.” 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds The WCU Wind Ensemble is an auditioned group of musicians performing a 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond challenging repertory that includes premieres of commissioned works. For more LINKS information, contact the School of Music at 828-227-7242. Calendar

The Wind Ensemble performs in concert Monday, April 25. Tags: Music, School of Music, Wind Ensemble Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub

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ACHIEVEMENTS CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER

TOP STORIES Wright contributes to teaching module about climate literacy NOTEWORTHY NEWS April 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS

Laura Wright, associate professor and head of WCU’s English Department, is among the co-authors of a teaching module about climate literacy called EVENTS “Cli-Fi: Climate Science in Literary Texts,” offered free to teachers on the site of the publisher, InTeGrate.

PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES Developed in collaboration with Jennifer Hanselman of Westeld State University, Rick Oches of Bentley University and Jennifer Sliko of Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg, the two- to three-week teaching module addresses two aspects of climate literacy: understanding of climate science through data analysis and interpretation, and understanding of literary tools and techniques through which climate science is portrayed.

According to InTeGrate, the module is designed to be completed in introductory CALENDAR natural science classes where literature is not typically included as a resource, as 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern well as in humanities classes where climate change science is not normally Minds addressed. 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix “Cli-Fi: Climate Science in Literary Texts” is available online at 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' http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/climate_fact/index.html.

Wright can be reached at 828-227-3976 or by email at [email protected]. LINKS Calendar

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