Western Carolina University

Western Carolina University

File:WCU Seal.gif
Motto	Facultas Vestri Mentis (Power Your Mind)
Type	Public University
Established	1889
Chancellor	John W. Bardo
Undergraduates	8891
Postgraduates	1,600
Location	Cullowhee , North Carolina , United States
Campus	Rural/Valley 589 acres
Athletics	Division I 13 varsity teams
Colors	Purple and Gold
Nickname	Western; WCU
Mascot	Catamount
Website	www.wcu.edu
File:Western carolina logo.gif

Western Carolina University is one of the sixteen public universities that make up the University of North Carolina System. It offers degree programs at the bachelor, masters and doctoral levels. WCU is located in Cullowhee, North Carolina in the county of Jackson with two satellite campuses in Asheville, North Carolina and Cherokee, North Carolina.

History

WCU was founded in August 1889 as a semi-public secondary school and chartered as Cullowhee High School in 1891. The founder, Professor Robert Lee Madison, wanted to provide an education for the young people in the region and train teachers to spread education throughout the western part of the state. In 1893 the Legislature designated the school as the first publicly funded normal school. Over the next 40 years, the school expanded its curriculum and evolved into a junior college, and in 1929 it was chartered by the legislature as a four-year institution under the name Western Carolina Teachers College. Often called “the Cullowhee experiment,” Madison’s idea became the model for the other regional colleges in the state.

The demand for the liberal arts and programs in other areas of learning led to an expansion of the school's offerings. Postgraduate studies and the Master of Arts in Education degree were added to the curriculum in 1951 after several decades of rapid growth and sweeping changes. In 1953, the name Western Carolina College was adopted.

In 1967 the institution was designated a regional university by the North Carolina General Assembly and Western Carolina University was given its current title. And, on July 1, 1972, WCU became a member of the University of North Carolina system.

Adjacent to the Great Smoky mountains, WCU has a commitment to the rich traditions of the Appalachian and Cherokee cultures. Its Mountain Heritage Center, Cherokee Center, and Craft Revival Project reflect this influence—at the same time providing irreplaceable educational resources for the region.

The recently announced Millennial Initiative, doubling the size of the campus in 2005, will be a knowledge enterprise zone where university faculty and students, private industry, and government partners conduct research and development into scientific and technological innovations that have commercial applications. WCU continues its promise to the region by giving students intensive, hands-on educational opportunities while simultaneously promoting economic development.

A member of the University of North Carolina system, WCU now provides an education to more than 9,000 students from 46 states and 39 countries. The university’s mission is focused on quality education and preparation for responsible citizenship in a changing world. Since its founding, WCU has grown in size to become a major cultural, scientific, and educational force in the region and the state—and we’re still growing.

WCU academic programs span more than 120 specialties—including the nation’s highest-ranked entrepreneurship and project management programs, a national award-winning teacher education program, a criminal justice program used as a model for North Carolina’s accreditation program, and the nation’s first accredited four-year emergency medical care program.

WCU distinguished faculty includes national award-winning authors, nationally and internationally recognized experts, and winners of Emmy, O. Henry, and National Endowment for the Arts awards—to name a few

Athletics

The university mascot is the Catamount, any of various feline animals such as a lynx, cougar, or bobcat. It is one of only two universities in the United States with this mascot. The other is the University of Vermont.

Western Carolina University intercollegiate athletics include men's football, men and women's basketball, men's baseball, women's softball, women's soccer, golf, track and field, cross country running, women's volleyball, and tennis among others. The university competes in the Southern Conference as part of the NCAA Division I-AA for football. In all other sports, the school participates in NCAA Division I athletics. The Catamounts currently hold a NCAA Mens Basketball record for their 1996 1 point loss to Purdue University. A #16 seed has never won a NCAA Div I. tournament game against a #1 Seed. The Catamount football team were runners-up in the Division I-AA National Title Game in 1983. Western Carolina and Appalachian State have a strong rivalry in football where they battle for the Old Mountain Jug on an annual basis. Western Carolina is currently the only school in the Southern Conference to have a former athlete in all 3 of the major professional sports: Jared Burton (MLB, Reds) Brad Hoover (NFL, Panthers) and Kevin Martin (NBA, Kings)

Fight Song

Fight on! You Catamounts,
Fight for purple and gold.
Fight on to victory,
True warriors bold.
Wave the royal banner high,
And let it fill the Western sky.
So, fight on! you Catamounts,
Fight to vic-to-ry!

Western, Western, Go-Western! Go--Cats!

Fight on! You Catamounts,
Fight for purple and gold.
Fight on to victory,
True warriors bold.
Wave the royal banner high,
And let it fill the Western sky.
So, fight on! you Catamounts,
Fight to vic-to-ry!

Audio Link

Adopted in 1981, Western Carolina's fight song was composed by members of the University faculty.

Former Students

• Gerald Austin - National Football League referee
• Sean Bridgers - Actor, HBO Original Series “Deadwood” (2004), Sweet Home Alabama (2002), Once Upon a Time… When We Were Colored (1995), and Nell (1994).
• Ronnie Carr - Basketball Player, made the first three-point field goal in College Basketball history on Nov 28, 1980
• Ernest A. Fitzgerald (1947) - a Bishop of the United Methodist Church

• Larry Hendricks - President / CEO of Boyles Furniture.
• {Brad Hoover - Athlete, running back for the Carolina Panthers (NFL).
• Wayne Tolleson - Athlete; former Major League Baseball player.
• David Patten -Athlete; wide receiver, three-time Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots. Currently with the Washington Redskins(NFL) View his player profile
• Clyde Simmons - Athlete; defensive end, Philadelphia Eagles
• Eric Rudolph - Domestic terrorist known for his bombings of the 1996 Olympics as well as several abortion clinics. Rudolph only attended for two semesters¹
• Michell Hicks - Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
• Kevin Cassels and Tommy Dennison - Musicians with the popular rock band Mother Vinegar
• Kevin Martin - Basketball Player, Starting Guard for the Sacramento Kings
• Dave Bristol- Former Major League Manager (Reds , Brewers, Braves, Giants)
• Kurt Bonnett - Trumpet player in Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps in 2003, World Champions.
• Tony White- President and CEO of Applera Corporation. Graced the cover of Forbes Magazine and was called the 24 billion dollar gene machine.

Trivia

• WWCU, the campus radio station at WCU is the only fully licensed FM radio station in Jackson County, North Carolina.
• The WCU Forensic Anthropology program operates one of only two "Body Farms" in the United States. The other one is located in Knoxville, Tennessee at the University of Tennessee.
• The Ramsey Center at WCU is one of the largest arenas in Western North Carolina.
• Cullowhee was named the most wired small town in the United States by Yahoo!
• The main campus is located on the site of an ancient Cherokee Indian village.
• Hunter Library is the largest library in Western North Carolina

External links

• Catamount Crazies - Western Carolina University News
• University of North Carolina-Association of Student Governments

Campus Links

• Western Carolina University's main website
• Student Government Association
• Hunter Library
• Catamount Athletics Website
• Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center (Arena)
• The Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University
• The Mountain Heritage Center
• Power 90.5 - WCU's student run radio station
• Undergraduate Admissions Website
• The Western Carolinian (University Newspaper)
• WCU Pride of the Mountains Marching Band

Maps and Aerial Photos

• Street map from Google Local or Yahoo! Maps.
• Satellite image from Google Local.