• Veterans Day service honoring Oscar Metcalf

    WCU launches Veterans and Military Alumni Society

    November 11

    Melissa Metcalf Le Roy believes her father, the late Oscar William Metcalf Jr., would have been the first to apply for membership in Ƶapp’s new Veterans and Military Alumni Society. Metcalf, a decorated Vietnam War vet, died Oct. 18, at the age of 72 in Shelbyville, Tennessee. “He dearly loved Western,” said Le Roy. “He was proud of his alma mater, the opportunities it gave him. He went to college while working full time and raising a young family. The university supported him, and (his bachelor’s degree) really meant something.”

  • Close up of a touchless candy despenser

    Engineering Treats

    October 26

    Engineering students find creative ways to distribute Halloween candy. The traditional ways to celebrate Halloween will be the next victim of the global pandemic, COVID-19.

  • Jake Robinson

    Bank Shot

    October 24

    Jake Robinson ’10 has come a long way from the days he got paid in honey buns for picking up aluminum cans in the auction ring after a sale at his grandfather’s stockyard.

  • Portrait of Nick

    No Bones Ƶapp It

    October 16

    As a forensic anthropologist, Ƶapp assistant professor Nicholas Passalacqua has always believed he was doing important work through his teaching and his research.

  • Portrait of rivercane

    Master's Degree in Biology Cultivates a Career

    September 30

    Rivercane was once plentiful in Western North Carolina. The tall, slender plant, a member of the bamboo family, still grows in thick stands along some riverbanks, but not in an abundance as in years past. Increased development and intentional removal throughout the region have reduced its presence on the local landscape, in some instances quite dramatically.

  • Annie Vasquez

    Annie Vasquez: The Value of People

    May 5

    Annie Vasquez, a graduating senior studying Spanish, was drawn to Ƶapp by its close-knit community and the importance the university places on every student. She knew that becoming a Catamount would mean that she would be more than just a number in a system, rather she would be valued as a person.

  • David Benoit portrait

    Organizing a Future

    May 4

    First-generation senior David Benoit is graduating with a double major in political science and international studies. “I told upcoming freshman to say yes to everything, try everything at least once. Go to every organization, every meeting, at least one time, so you really know what you like and what you might not be fond of,” Benoit said. That’s what he did.

  • Paws on the Football Field

    Missing All Things WCU? Download These Zoom Backgrounds!

    April 21

    Show your Catamount spirit by utilizing one of these Zoom backgrounds the next time you virtually attend class, meet with colleagues, or visit with friends.

  • Eli building out his installation project

    MFA student leaves his mark

    March 17

    The stadium is stunning, a beautiful geometric design built from contrasting woods that highlight the warmth and strength of the handcrafted structure. Sited in a public green space, surrounded by grass and trees, the small-scale model invites passersby to step inside and imagine its power — exactly what its builder had in mind.

  • Alumni Tower in the snow

    Not Just Brick and Mortar

    March 1

    Late Ƶapp Chancellor Myron Coulter, who led the university from 1984 to 1994, was looking to create a symbol worthy of representing the institution when he proposed the construction of what is now known as the Alumni Tower. The 66-foot-tall brick structure was built on the lawn of A.K. Hinds University Center in 1989, WCU’s centennial year, and officially presented to the university as a gift from the WCU Alumni Association on Homecoming day that October.