CWAeRsOteLrnINA Winter
2017
INNOVATIVE EMC PROGRAM
CELEBRATES ITS BIG 4-0
SOLAR ECLIPSE WILL DARKEN
THE SKIES OVER CULLOWHEE
WCU’S NEW MIXED-USE FACILITY
ALREADY IS LEAVING A MARK
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS BRING GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES TO CAMPUS
2 | The Magazine of Western Carolina University Winter 2017| 3
CONTENTS
WINTER 2017 | VOLUME 21, NO. 1
CHANCELLOR
David O. Belcher
CHIEF OF STAFF
Melissa Canady Wargo
MANAGING EDITOR
Bill Studenc MPA ’10
CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Mark Haskett ’87
LEAD DESIGNER
Will Huddleston
STAFF WRITERS
Keith Brenton
Geoff Cantrell
Sean Forrester
Randall Holcombe
Daniel Hooker ’01
Christy Martin ’71 MA ’78
Marlon W. Morgan
Teresa Killian Tate
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Ashley T. Evans
STAFF DESIGNERS
John Balentine
Will Guthrie
VIDEO EDITOR
Samuel Wallace ’16
MARKETING DIRECTOR
Robin Oliver
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Ashley Beavers
CIRCULATION MANAGER
Cindi Magill
BUSINESS MANAGER
Linda Mallonee
Search for this icon throughout the
magazine for stories that feature
online extras – videos, photographs
and more, available ONLY online.
magazine.wcu.edu
Western
CAROLINA
The Magazine of Western Carolina University is
produced by the Office of Communications and
Public Relations for alumni, faculty, staff, friends
and students of Western Carolina University. The
views and opinions that appear in this publication
are not necessarily those of the editorial staff or
the official policies of the university.
SECTIONS
4 Opening Notes
5 The Inbox
6 News from the Western Hemisphere
14 Catamount Athletics
40 Alumni Spotlight
44 Class Notes
56 Events Calendar
58 The View from Here
59 The Last Look
NOBLE CULTURE
The Nov. 14 “super moon” rises above
WCU’s new mixed-use facility. See story
on Page 26
FEATURES
20 PASSPORT TO EDUCATION
Students from around the world
bring international perspectives to WCU
30 CREATING OPPORTUNITY
$1 million estate gift will provide
support to future art, design students
34 IN TOTALITY
Great American Solar Eclipse to darken
campus on fall semester opening day
36 THE BIG 4-0
Emergency medical care program
celebrates another milestone
BACK COVER
Kylie Leek ’16 gives a thumb-up to WCU’s new purple graduation gowns, which debuted at the fall
commencement ceremony in December 2016. The concept of switching the color of undergraduate
gowns from traditional black to Catamount purple with a gold chancellor’s seal on one shoulder was
the brainchild of Pam DeGraffenreid ’80, supervisor of the WCU Bookstore, where graduation regalia
is sold.
36 34 20 30
4 | The Magazine of Western Carolina University Winter 2017| 5
OPENING
Notes
THE
INBOX
COMMENTS FROM OUR READERS
Email us at magazinestories@wcu.edu
or send us a letter to 420 H.F. Robinson,
Cullowhee, N.C., 28723. We’ll select a
few to share with your fellow readers.
Letters may be edited for clarity and length.
Have a comment about this
issue? Let us hear from you!
Just got my copy of the Magazine
of Western Carolina University. Oh
boy...happier than a Catamount
with a rainbow trout!
Chuck Smith ’77
I enjoyed the article on STEM. I’m
sure one of the reasons for the
article was to increase awareness
of the importance of the bond
referendum and a new science
building at Western. I certainly
understand and support that focus.
However, I need to add that the
computer information systems
program in the College of Business
is solidly STEM.
Every semester, our graduates
are getting exactly the kind of
technology jobs mentioned in the
article. Computer science is not the
only attractive option for students
interested in the information
technology field. While CS and CIS
students don’t usually compete for
exactly the same jobs, they both
are getting technology jobs in the
IT arena. I thought the article was
very good and I hope you have
more like it in the future. I’d just
ask that you consider including CIS
as one of the programs mentioned.
Dan Clapper, WCU professor of
computer information systems
I read with interest the “View from
Here” article by Jim Rowell ’71
and Chuck Wooten ’73 regarding
early bond funding to support
growth of WCU. I, too, remember
a bond issue during my years
at WCU. We had a promotional
program called “From Murphy
to Manteo.” One group carried a
torch from Murphy and another
group from Manteo. We were to
meet at the State Capitol in Raleigh.
I carried the torch through the
Nantahala River Gorge. This was
before whitewater rafting came
to the gorge. I did not see a single
vehicle during my run.
As for my years at WCC, as we
were called in those days, I was
not sure if I could compete in the
business world after graduation.
I attribute much of my success
after graduation to another STEM
program. We installed an IBM
1620 computer during my time
at Western. For any of you that
remember, it was a variable
word length decimal computer.
We programmed it using SPS or
Fortran. I graduated with a degree
in mathematics, but I credit much
of my success after graduation
in the computer industry to my
experiences with that computer.
Robert L. Mayhew ’65
Enjoyed the issue very much.
However, I hope that the large
misspelling on page 59 was
intentional... but I can’t really
imagine how it could be.
Wayne Richard ’76 MS ’78
Editor’s note: As much as we’d
like to say that we intentionally
misspelled the word ‘purple’
as ‘puprle’ on the Homecoming
schedule page to avoid a lawsuit
from the estate of late musician
Prince, that is not the case.
We goofed!
I am a retired elementary school
teacher and my husband and I
teach the adult special needs
class at our church. So there were
two articles in the fall issue that I
greatly appreciated. (They are “A
Joyful Noise” and “Shedding a Tear
for the author of ‘The Year of the
Perfect Christmas Tree.’”) What
David Starnes has done to provide
musical experiences for students
with special needs is fantastic!
The article about Gloria Houston
was great, too. I had read her book
“The Year of the Perfect Christmas
Tree” to my students. Also, I am
from the Spruce Pine area and had
the privilege of visiting the Sunny
Brook store. In fact, “Ruthie” wrote
in my book that I purchased there.
She specifically mentioned her
family’s love of God and complete
faith in God as being so important
in her life. They are very important
to me, too.
Nellie L. Vea ’62
The fall issue brought forth
meaningful memories from my
time at WCU. The piece about
the new science building quoted
biology classmate Ski Chilton
’80. Like Ski, I practically lived
in the Natural Sciences Building
and migrated to biochemistry
research at the Wake Forest School
of Medicine. Our boss, Dr. Robert
Wykle ’63, was a WCU alum. Jay
Strum ’87 and Susan Strum ’87
were graduate students. Our lab
included Mark Venable ’83, now
at Appalachian State, and WCU
biology professor Roger Lumb
was a research collaborator. For a
time, Wake Forest was thick with
Catamounts.
The other meaningful item was
the piece on the National Park
System and North Carolina state
parks, which figure profoundly
in my work. I left biochemistry
in 1990 and landed in graduate
school at Idaho State University.
In 1992, armed with my graduate
degree, the only job offer I got was
back home, with North Carolina
state parks as a natural resource
management biologist. And 24
years later, I am still at it. And like
that Wake Forest lab so many years
ago, state parks have proven to be
thick with Catamounts.
I am often reminded there are not
many who get to spend their lives
doing what they really want to do.
Not a day goes by that I don’t thank
my lucky stars for what I learned in
that old Natural Sciences Building.
It is sad to see the old building
go, but we can only applaud the
vision and support for staying
ahead of “the curiosity curve.”
Just imagine how it will affect a
future generation of scientists.
Many thanks for a fine issue and for
reminding me – yet again – of what
a great place Cullowhee remains.
Marshall Ellis ’80
Happy New Year, Catamount Nation!
As 2016 was coming to a close, I took some time to
reflect on the events of this past year and to anticipate the
opportunities and challenges that await us in 2017. Western
Carolina University had a great 2016. Thanks to the voters of
North Carolina, we received $110 million to replace our aging
Natural Sciences Building through the Connect NC Bond.
Our enrollment reached another record high this past fall.
And, our quality metrics, including our freshman retention
rate, continue to steadily improve. Your university is thriving
even as we continue to tackle significant obstacles such as
controlling costs for our students and recruiting and retaining
high quality faculty and staff in the face of stiff competition
from other universities and private agencies.
As most of you know, this past year was challenging
personally for me, to say the least. Susan and I continue to be
grateful for the outpouring of support in the wake of my brain
tumor diagnosis, surgery, treatment and recovery. My father
passed away last January and that, along with my diagnosis in
April, turned everything upside down. My doctor told Susan
that my diagnosis would change my perspective, and he was
right. There is nothing quite like facing your own mortality.
It is sobering.
However, in what I might describe as unemotional clarity,
I recognized that I have never had a guarantee of another
day; it is just that my tumor helped me see this clearly. So, my
question for myself has become: What will I do with the time
that I have? And the natural follow-up question is this: If I
only have limited time, which is the case for all of us, what do
I do – what is important, or what is not? Honestly asking this
rhetorical question will change anyone; it did me.
So, what is “the important stuff” for me as chancellor? As
I see it, I must build relationships with elected officials; court
philanthropic investment; invest time and energy interfacing
with new University of North Carolina system President
Margaret Spellings’ administration in order to ensure that
WCU is effective in integrating the system’s strategic priorities;
ensure WCU’s successful implementation of NC Promise; and
maintain relationships with faculty, staff, and students. This
is the important stuff for me at this moment.
My thoughts also logically turned to our university. What is
“the important stuff” for Western Carolina University? WCU
will be here long after you and I are gone, and it is critical that, in
our roles as stewards for a time, we focus on the important stuff.
There are lots of big questions, challenges, opportunities – all
of which qualify as “important stuff” – but there is one critical
question that I think necessitates our regular contemplation:
Who are we? Yes, it is a “meaning of life” question.
So, who are we as a university? We are a university at which
42 percent of our students are eligible for Pell funding, a
significant indicator of financial need, and at which, in 2015-16
alone, students took out more than $63 million in loans. We
are one of the most affordable colleges and universities in the
country, but that fact does not matter to those students who
still cannot afford to attend WCU at all or without taking on
the burden of crippling debt.
Yet, we also are a university of outstanding academic quality
with a consistently increasing reputation, and with a history
of graduating thousands and thousands of proud alumni who
have taken their places in society and are leading productive
lives, who have been the building blocks of their families, their
communities and our economy.
We are a university that has achieved an 80 percent retention
rate and shattered our previous enrollment records. We are an
institution that once again has been recognized by U.S. News
and World Report as one of the top regional universities in the
South and by Kiplinger’s, which included WCU in its list of the
top 100 best value public colleges and universities in the nation.
We are a university that values diversity and inclusion, and
a place where students become active and engaged members
of their community, and where undergraduate research leads
not only to advanced analytical skills and critical thinking,
but also to real-world applications that can help improve lives.
Who are we? Western Carolina is a dynamic university
that represents the American Dream. Our university is in
the business of changing lives, and I challenge you to put
your passion, your commitment and your living belief in
our common purpose and mission to work in support of our
students and their promise.
Go Cats!
David O. Belcher
Chancellor
6 | The Magazine of Western Carolina University Winter 2017| 7
Western Carolina University’s
Center for Career and Professional
Development moved in September
to newly renovated space in Reid
Gymnasium, a location that not only
gives the center twice the amount of
space it previously had, but that also has
a more modern feel, the center’s director,
Theresa Cruz Paul, said.
“I had an employer stop by who just
happened to be on campus, and they
came in the front door and were pretty
surprised and happy to see a nice center
that they can come and hang out in and
have their own space,” Cruz Paul said.
“The students seem to be reacting nicely
to it, so that’s good.”
The center has its own entrance
into Reid, facing Memorial Drive and
a new metered parking lot. Inside, it
features a conference room that can
be used for information sessions with
prospective employers and webinars
for students. There are two interview
rooms for students to meet one-on-one
with employers, or students can reserve
them for Skype interviews with them,
Cruz Paul said.
“I think we’re finally starting to figure
out what exactly we’re offering students
and how to offer it in the best way for
Western,” she said. “I think it’s time
for students to really start building
and developing themselves personally,
and they’re starting to do that across
campus, which is nice.”
Prior to moving, the biggest change
Cruz Paul had implemented since
coming to WCU in 2015 was changing
the name from the Office of Career
Services to a more encompassing title
that supports the extended services the
center now offers. Those services include
resume-writing, cover letters, mock
interview sessions, job and internship
searching, career counseling, vocational
testing, preparation for graduate school
applications, virtual workshops and
webinars. Services are available to
current undergraduate and graduate
students, as well as WCU alumni.
Moving forward, Cruz Paul said she
would like to see more use of technology
in the career center, along with more
engagement and employer opportunities
so that students have time to interact
with employers both on and off campus
in meaningful ways.
-By Marlon Morgan
CAREER CENTER RELOCATES, UPGRADES SERVICES
Stuff just got real for students in the
Mathematics and Computer Science
Department, where a new virtual
reality laboratory offering three-dimensional
visualization of math
concepts and computer science object
models now provides them with a
unique tool for their assignments and
projects.
Geoff Goehle, associate professor in
the department, said the Mathematics
and Computer Science Virtual Reality
Laboratory uses the state-of-the-art
HTC Vive virtual reality system. “The
system’s headset has two screens, one
per eye, which allows the user to see
and interact with a three-dimensional
environment,” Goehle said. “The
entire device uses more than 70 sensors including a MEMS
gyroscope, accelerometer and laser position sensors to track
users’ motion as they move around a predefined area within
that environment.”
Goehle, associate professor Erin McNelis and others are
using the VR system to create and deliver lessons that will
allow students to see and interact with three dimensional
mathematical structures such as solids of revolution or 3-D
surfaces. “These objects can typically only be represented in
two dimensions,” Goehle said. “With the VR Lab, students will
be able to experience them as if they were true 3-D objects.”
Others teaching in the department are using the VR system
to model and create visualizations for computer science
concepts such as the runtime stack, the heap and objects.
“The goal is to create a visual syntax for how these concepts
interact with one another and to research its potential impact
on computer science education,” Goehle said.
Goehle has compared the new system with others that are
currently available, and says that the speed of tracking users’
movements and matching the virtual environment to them
with very little lag gives it an advantage. “So far, nobody who’s
used ours has felt nauseated,” he said.
-By Keith Brenton
NEW VIRTUAL REALITY LAB PROVIDES 3-D VISUALIZATION OF MATH CONCEPTS
FRESHMAN ENROLLMENT RECORD FROM VIETNAM ERA FALLS
Enrollment records keep tumbling
like dominoes at Western Carolina
University, where the size of the
student body and the freshman class
both reached all-time highs in the fall
2016 semester.
The official enrollment number for
fall 2016 is 10,805 students, smashing
the old record of 10,382 students set in
2014. WCU’s 2016 freshman class totals
1,913 students, surpassing the old mark
of 1,859 students set in 1972 during an
enrollment boom near the end of the
Vietnam era.
Total student enrollment increased
by 466 students over last year, a 4.5
percent jump. That surge was driven in
large part by a nearly 18 percent increase
in the number of first-time, full-time
freshmen. This year’s freshman class
grew by 289 students over last year.
Phil Cauley ’83 MS ’90, WCU’s
director of student recruitment
and transitions, said many factors
contributed to the size of the freshman
class, including some that are external,
such as growth in the numbers of
high school seniors. In addition,
the Office of Admission revamped
its communications with potential
students and school counselors and
strongly encouraged students to visit
campus. As a result, attendance at open
house events and for weekday campus
tours increased over prior years, with
those coming to campus having a
chance to see construction taking place
on several exciting building projects,
he said.
“The old adage ‘it takes a village to
raise a child’ can be amended to ‘it
takes a campus community to attract
and retain a student’,” Cauley said.
“Of course, word-of-mouth is the best
advertisement, and the enrollment and
retention gains that WCU has made in
recent years mean more continuing
students and graduates are sharing
WCU success stories with friends,
relatives and colleagues.”
The “retention” referred to by Cauley
is the freshman-to-sophomore retention
rate, the percentage of fall 2015 freshmen
who returned in fall 2016 to start their
sophomore years. WCU’s census report
indicates that retention has remained
steady since last year at just over 80
percent. That figure has risen about 14
points in the last decade.
Another factor in the growth in total
enrollment over last fall is an increase in
the number of students taking graduate
courses offered by WCU. That number
grew by 7.6 percent, from 1,519 students
in 2015 to 1,633 students this year.
Brian Kloeppel, dean of WCU’s
Graduate School and Research, said the
jump in graduate enrollment is a result
of a combination of factors including
the quality of the academic programs,
an increase in resources targeted toward
marketing and student recruitment, and
an effort to streamline application steps
and reduce hurdles to enrollment.
-By Randall Holcombe
Students who are
part of WCU’s record
student body pack
the Central Plaza for
Valley Ballyhoo, the
annual back-to-school
welcome celebration.
Christine Harriger
(left), associate
director of
career integrated
learning, and
Theresa Cruz
Paul (center),
director of the
Center for Career
and Professional
Development, talk
to student Paige
Phillips about the
center’s offerings.
Students Daniel
Powell (seated)
and Anthony
Benavente
(standing) test out
new virtual reality
equipment.
8 | The Magazine of Western Carolina University Winter 2017| 9
UNIVERSITY NAMED TO PRESIDENT’S COMMUNITY SERVICE HONOR ROLL
For the eighth consecutive year,
Western Carolina University has been
named to a national honor roll of
institutions of higher education that
provide exemplary community service
and civic engagement, both on and
off campus. WCU is among the colleges
and universities listed in the 2015
President’s Higher Education
Community Service Honor Roll,
announced at the annual conference
of the American Council on Education
in Washington, D.C. The honor was
given in recognition of WCU’s actions
and achievements in the 2013-14
academic year.
Cited for the recognition, the WCU
Center for Service Learning works to
strengthen the relationships between the
campus community and local residents
by helping students, faculty and staff
find opportunities to align service
opportunities with course content, and
by connecting community groups with
volunteers who can help them. In the
past year, the center has worked with
organizations within Jackson County
and expanded with international efforts
to assist impoverished peoples in Africa.
For students, service learning is
provided as a special form of experiential
education designed to meet community
needs while enhancing the students’
understanding of course content,
developing their career-related skills
and helping them become responsible
citizens, said Lane Perry, director of
WCU’s Center for Service Learning.
WCU has more than 3,000 students
involved in some form of course-based,
curricular academic service-learning
experience, with thousands
of other students who are engaged in
an extracurricular capacity. “Simply
put, WCU has fertile soil, a conducive
campus climate and environment, and
hearty seeds in our students,” Perry
said. “We have fertile soil for personal
growth, academic development and
character building.”
Highlights for the WCU Center for
Service Learning include a Farm-to-
Pantry gleaning program that gleaned
20,000 pounds of produce from local
farms and gardens that was donated
to local pantries; four alternative
break experiences (Oklahoma City,
Charleston, Cincinnati and Nashville)
that engaged nearly 50 students in
intensive service, discussion and
reflection within different communities
across the U.S.; and students conducting
an afternoon workshop for patrons of the
Waynesville center of LifeSpan Services,
a disabilities assistance nonprofit
group, and holding a barefoot walk-a-
thon to raise awareness and funds
for Samaritan’s Feet, a humanitarian
group dedicated to distributing shoes
to impoverished communities around
the world.
-By Geoff Cantrell
WCU RECEIVES $1.8 MILLION GIFT FOR THE STUDY OF FREE ENTERPRISE
Western Carolina University
announced in September the launch of
a new center focused on issues revolving
around economic development in North
Carolina, especially in its western region.
Seed funding for the project comes from
a $1.8 million gift commitment from the
Charles Koch Foundation.
“The gift to the university from the
Charles Koch Foundation will enable the
Center for the Study of Free Enterprise to
move forward with supporting student
and faculty research projects,” WCU
Chancellor David O. Belcher said in
announcing the gift. “The center will
take a multidisciplinary approach to
the study of free enterprise and its
implications for economic development
in Western North Carolina and across
the state, with the involvement of faculty
and students from across the academic
disciplines.”
The center was proposed by Edward
J. Lopez, WCU professor of economics
and BB&T Distinguished Professor
of Capitalism. Its work will include
scholarly activity, research, policy
analysis, educational endeavors,
thought leadership and community
outreach. Its activities are expected to
include research seminars, workshops
and other scholarly events; a guest
speaker series; training programs
for school teachers; presentations by
students and faculty at professional
conferences; and scholarship support for
affiliated students.
Darrell Parker, dean of the WCU
College of Business, said the Charles
Koch Foundation has been providing
support to the university since 2009.
“The foundation was impressed by
the vision of Dr. Lopez to foster
cross-disciplinary student and faculty
research projects on the subjects
of economics, free enterprise and
economic development,” Parker said.
“We appreciate the foundation’s ongoing
support of Dr. Lopez’s leadership and
look forward to future research on
timely and important topics related to
economic development through the lens
of faculty and staff scholars from a wide
variety of disciplines.”
The announcement comes after
a review of the gift agreement by a
WCU faculty committee assembled
in 2015 under a university policy that
calls for faculty review of external gifts
that may have academic implications.
The committee, in a written report to
Belcher, offered three recommendations
designed to ensure ongoing oversight
and review of the center, which he
later accepted.
Funding for the center is expected to
be distributed by the foundation over
a five-year period. The contribution is
considered “seed funding.” The center
is expected to be self-sufficient and to
identify other sources of funding for
its continued operation.
-By Bill Studenc MPA ’10
The University of North Carolina Board of Governors in October appointed
Gaither M. Keener ’72 (left), former chief legal counsel for Lowe’s Companies Inc.,
to fill an unexpired term on the Board of Trustees at Western Carolina University.
Keener is filling a vacancy created by the departure of former board member George
W. Little, who was appointed by Gov. Pat McCrory earlier this year to the Board of
Trustees at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
A 1977 graduate of the Wake Forest University School of Law, Keener joined Lowe’s
in 1985, fostering the growth of the company’s legal department from 18 employees
to more than 130 while significantly reducing the corporation’s legal costs. He has
earned a superior rating from legal information services company Martindale-
Hubbell and in 2011 was recognized by his peers, as published in Business North
Carolina, as the state’s best business lawyer and deserving of “elite lawyer status.”
Keener, a veteran of the U.S. Marines and active on a national level in veterans’
affairs, is a native of Newton. He lives in the Lake Norman community in Iredell
County. His appointment on the WCU board is effective through June 30, 2017.
FORMER LOWE’S LEGAL COUNSEL FILLS VACANT SEAT ON WCU BOARD
Nutrition majors
Mallie Billing and
Lee Patillo work
with students in
a “kinder garden”
class at Cullowhee
Valley School.
Faculty member
Edward J. Lopez,
who proposed
the creation of a
cross-disciplinary
center to study
free enterprise and
regional economic
development,
teaches an
economics class.
10 | The Magazine of Western Carolina University Winter 2017| 11
10 NEW APPOINTEES COMPRISE LATEST CLASS OF WCU BOARD OF VISITORS
The Western Carolina University Board of Visitors is now at full strength with approval last year by the Board of Trustees of
the slate of 10 nominees comprising the third class of the university volunteer organization.
Launched in 2014, the Board of Visitors is designed to serve as an advisory body to the university’s chancellor. Members of
the Board of Visitors act as advocates and ambassadors for WCU; promote and advance the mission, vision and strategic plan
of the university; make WCU a philanthropic priority; and provide the chancellor and the Board of Trustees with advice and
counsel on issues that are critical to the institution’s strategic interests.
The Board of Visitors consists of up to 30 members elected by the trustees, along with five ex officio members. Each class of
visitors serves initial terms of three years. Members of the Board of Visitors class of 2016 are:
ANGELA DILLS TAPPED AS GIMELSTOB-LANDRY DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR
Angela K. Dills, formerly associate
professor of economics at Providence
College in Rhode Island and associate
director of the college’s Center for
Teaching Excellence, is now on the job
as the inaugural Gimelstob-Landry
Distinguished Professor of Regional
Economic Development at Western
Carolina University. The appointment
of Dills was approved by the WCU Board
of Trustees during its quarterly meeting
in June.
The professorship, endowed at
$500,000, was established through
a gift of $250,000 from Florida real
estate executives Herbert Gimelstob
and Laurence D. Landry. Those dollars
were combined with matching funds
through a state program initiated by the
General Assembly to encourage private
support of public institutions of higher
education in North Carolina.
The professorship is designed to
address core issues in education and
regional economic policy development
for Western North Carolina, said
Darrell Parker, dean of the WCU
College of Business. “We are pleased
that Dr. Dills has joined our faculty.
She will provide a new dimension to
our ability to understand and contribute
to economic development in Western
North Carolina and across the state,”
said Parker. “She has the expertise to
help Western Carolina in its role as a
key leader in regional and community
development efforts for the mountain
region that this university was founded
to serve.”
On the economics faculty at
Providence College since 2010, Dills
focuses her research on the areas of
public economics and on economic
issues related to education, labor, crime
and health. She is a member of the
editorial board of the Eastern Economic
Journal and the Economics of Education
Review. She has taught previously at
Wellesley College, Mercer University
and Clemson University.
Dills said she was drawn to the
position by WCU’s commitment
to its students and to helping meet
the needs of the people of WNC and
surrounding states. “I’m excited to
work at an institution that engages
with its community members and
creates partnerships between students,
alumni and community stake holders.
As the Gimelstob-Landry Distinguished
Professor, I seek to build on this
foundation by developing relationships
with policy makers, entrepreneurs and
creative thinkers who have questions
and potential answers on how to further
enhance the quality of life in Western
North Carolina. These questions will
serve as the basis for undergraduate
research projects that will deliver useful
knowledge for decision-makers while
also providing real, hands-on research
experiences for students,” Dills said.
She is no stranger to WNC, as she is
the daughter of WCU alumni Gary Dills
’71 and Nancilee Brown Dills ’70, who
live in Otto.
-By Bill Studenc MPA ’10
• Terry M. Fortner ’77, vice president of corporate sales for
international auto parts distributor LKQ Corp., a resident
of Dahlonega, Georgia.
• Jacqueline D. Grant ’92, a partner with the law firm of
Roberts & Stevens in Asheville.
• Keyonna Hornbuckle, tribal liaison for the Tribal Gaming
Enterprise Board of Advisers in Cherokee.
• Barbara Hyde, former legal secretary in the state of Louisiana,
Atlanta children’s wear company employee and manager
of family real estate holdings, a resident of Sapphire.
• Fran Johnson, retired director of hospitality and senior
business development executive for the Charleston Metro
Chamber of Commerce in South Carolina, a resident of
Mills River.
• John S. Martin ’90, senior vice president and financial
adviser at CAPTRUST in Raleigh.
• Clay Poindexter ’82, founder, president and general manager
of VERSA Technologies Inc., a telecommunications industry
company in Winston-Salem.
• Bob Roberts, regional executive vice president for First
Citizens Bank & Trust Co. in Asheville.
• Jeff Tomberlin ’81, program manager at Lockheed Martin
Space Systems at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
• Ann Treadaway ’83, director of sales and innovation at
Essentra, an international supplier of plastic, fiber, foam
and packaging products, and a resident of Clemmons.
In addition to the 10 members of the class of 2016, the trustees
also appointed two new members to fill the unexpired terms
of Donna Winbon ’80 and Rebecca Schlosser ’73, who
have joined the WCU Foundation board. Holding one-year
appointments:
• Sarah Nunez MPA ’10, assistant director for the Cultural
Center’s Hispanic and Latino initiatives at the University
of Louisville.
• Romie Patel ’11, financial adviser with Prudential Financial
in Florida.
-By Bill Studenc MPA ’10
Chancellor David O.
Belcher (seated, far left)
welcomes new Board
of Visitors members
(front row, from left)
Keyonna Hornbuckle,
Ann Treadaway ’83,
Sarah Nunez MPA ’10
and John S. Martin ’90;
and (back row, from
left) Bob Roberts, Terry
M. Fortner ’77, Barbara
Hyde, Clay Poindexter
’82, Fran Johnson,
Jacqueline Grant ’92
and Jeff Tomberlin ’81.
Angela K. Dills
is working in the
classroom and in
the region as the
university’s new
distinguished professor
of regional economic
development.
12 | The Magazine of Western Carolina University Winter 2017| 13
AND THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD GOES TO…
Terry Welch, former assistant to the chancellor, received one
of the highest honors bestowed by Western Carolina University
when she accepted the Distinguished Service Award during
Homecoming activities in October. Welch retired in August
with a total of 34 years of service at WCU, including 20 years
in the Chancellor’s Office.
After holding positions in the university’s business affairs
office and at the Ramsey Center, she joined the Chancellor’s
Office staff in 1996. She served as assistant to former WCU
Chancellor John W. Bardo before taking on that role for
Chancellor David O. Belcher when he and wife, Susan Belcher,
came to Cullowhee in 2011. For the past five years, she was
responsible for managing Belcher’s calendar – a task that
prompted him to give her the nickname “The Schedulator.”
Welch’s duties for the past two decades also included serving
as assistant secretary to the Board of Trustees, a task that
involved the “care, handling and organization” of a total of
66 trustees over the years, Belcher said. In appreciation for
her work, the current trustees presented Welch the Trustees’
Award in June.
“What can I say about what Terry has meant to me as
chancellor of our great university,” Belcher said. “In a nutshell,
I could not have done it without her. Her competence, multi-tasking,
know-how, poise, patience and wicked sense of humor
have been such a blessing for me, for Susan, for the Chancellor’s
Office staff, and for our university. Her unwavering support
of, and dedication to, this institution have been indispensable
for the entire university community and integral to Western
Carolina’s success.”
As she accepted the award, Welch recalled first moving
to Cullowhee. “I was a city girl from the huge metropolis of
Salisbury,” she said. “I was a bit apprehensive, to say the least.
All these years later, I’m still here. What I realized after a while
was that Cullowhee, and Western Carolina University, were
exactly where I was supposed to be.”
-By Randall Holcombe
SEQUOYAH PROFESSOR RECOGNIZED BY CHEROKEE NATION
Brett Riggs, Sequoyah Distinguished Professor of Cherokee
Studies at Western Carolina University, has received the
2016 Cherokee National Worcester Award for his efforts
to preserve Cherokee culture. It is the highest honor the
Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma presents to non-Cherokees for
their dedication to tribal history, heritage and sovereignty.
The award was presented by Cherokee Nation Principal
Chief Bill John Baker during the 64th annual Cherokee
National Holiday Awards dinner in Tahlequah, Oklahoma,
in September.
“Dr. Riggs is a fitting and deserving honoree for the
Cherokee Nation’s Samuel Worcester medal because he has
devoted so much of his time, research and expertise on the
unique history of our tribal government in America, first in
our homelands in the Southeast and the eventual removal to
modern-day Oklahoma,” said Baker. “His admirable work as
an academic historian has enriched our ability and capacity
to know more about the past and where Cherokee people
came from originally. He has dedicated his life to protecting
Cherokee Nation’s rich story and this is a small way to say
‘thank you’.”
US NEWS & WORLD REPORT AGAIN LISTS WCU AMONG TOPS IN SOUTH
Western Carolina University has
maintained its status as one of the
top universities in the South in two
categories in the 2017 edition of the U.S.
News & World Report “Best Colleges”
guidebook, released in September. The
guidebook lists WCU as 13th among
“top public regional universities” in the
South, the university’s same ranking
as last year. The publication also has
WCU tied with two other schools at
No. 37 on a list of the “best regional
universities” in the South.
The “best regional universities”
category in which WCU appears
includes 653 public and private higher
education institutions that offer a wide
range of bachelor’s and master’s degrees,
and that tend to attract most of their
students from surrounding states. The
universities are ranked against their peer
group in one of four regions – North,
South, Midwest and West.
The annual rankings are based
on a variety of indicators, including
assessment by administrators at peer
institutions, graduation rates, retention
of students, faculty resources, average
class size, student/faculty ratio, student
selectivity, financial resources and
alumni giving.
“The latest rankings from U.S. News &
World Report provide further evidence
of Western Carolina University’s
reputation of high academic quality,”
said WCU Chancellor David O. Belcher.
“Our rapidly increasing profile as an
institution of high academic quality
didn’t just happen. Our faculty and staff
have built an environment in which our
students thrive, made high retention
rates reality, nurtured our successes in
undergraduate research, and worked
with our students and helped them to
punch their tickets to promising lives.”
-By Bill Studenc MPA ’10
Distinguished
Service Award
recipient Terry Welch
(center) is known
for her prowess on
stage as well as for
her ability to keep
chancellors and
Board of Trustees
members on time.
Brett Riggs
(center), Sequoyah
Distinguished
Professor of
Cherokee Studies,
shares his knowledge
of Native American
history and culture
with a group of staff
and faculty leaders.
Riggs has been instrumental in documenting removal-era
roads, trails and Cherokee home sites that provide the basis
for the expansion of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
in southwestern North Carolina. He also is continuing to
work toward interpretive development and marking of the
historic landscape in the region.
“I feel deeply honored to receive this recognition from the
Cherokee Nation,” Riggs said. “Native peoples sometimes
take a dim view of archaeology, my chosen profession, and if
my work helps connect Cherokee people with their personal
and community histories, then I think I’m addressing one
the most pressing mandates of our discipline. I’m grateful
to the people of the Cherokee Nation, the Eastern Band of
Cherokee Indians and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee
Indians for allowing me to work with them in illuminating
the Cherokee experience, and I hope to continue these
cooperative efforts in the spirit of Rev. Samuel Worcester.”
Previously a research archaeologist at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Riggs joined the WCU faculty
in 2015. He has worked continually with the Eastern Band of
Cherokee Indians on various projects throughout the years.
-By Geoff Cantrell
14 | The Magazine of Western Carolina University Winter 2017| 15
J.T. POSTON IS THE FIRST CATAMOUNT GOLFER TO MAKE THE PGA TOUR
By MARLON W. MORGAN
J.T. Poston ’15 may not admit to being a golfer who plays
with a chip on his shoulder, but if he did, you could understand
why. After graduating as one of the most decorated golfers in
Western Carolina University history, Poston failed to make
it onto the Web.com Tour, a developmental step for the PGA
Tour. With no “status,” meaning he was not yet a member of
the Web.com Tour, Poston faced the daunting task of trying to
qualify into its events on a tournament-by-tournament basis.
Not only was Poston up for the challenge, he excelled at it.
By the end of his rookie season on the Web.com tour, Poston
finished 14th on its money list, earning his PGA Tour card and
becoming the first golfer in WCU history to do so.
Poston’s rise to the PGA Tour has been filled with overcoming
obstacles. As a senior at Hickory High School, he wasn’t heavily
recruited, and efforts to play his way onto teams at two Atlantic
Coast Conference schools did not work out.
A visit to Cullowhee led to a scholarship and a place Poston
could call home. “I enjoyed the atmosphere around Western,”
Poston said. “It was so laid back. The coach at the time (Carter
Cheves) was somebody that I had known for a little while. I
liked the guys on the team a lot. It was a good fit, and it was
somewhere that I knew if I kept playing like I had been, I would
get a lot of playing time and be able to build off it.”
the rest of the year, I had some weeks where I played really
well and had some really great finishes. I never won, but I had
opportunities,” he said.
Poston went on to have four top-10 finishes, including a pair
of second-place showings. He was top-25 eight times and made
the cut in 12 of 18 events. He finished the year fourth on the
tour in scoring average at 68.90.
Poston, 23, is still grasping the fact that his dream of playing
on the PGA Tour has come true. Like so many of his generation,
he grew up watching Tiger Woods and hoping that would
someday be him. To have it happen – and as quickly it did – is
almost unthinkable.
“Six months ago, I had no status or anything to my name or
my career. It’s crazy how in that little amount of time, I can go
from nowhere to playing against or with guys I’m used to seeing
on TV. It’s crazy seeing names that I recognize in the locker
room and on the leaderboards. It’s pretty surreal,” he said.
It’s been surreal for the current WCU golf team as well.
FORMER FOOTBALL, GOLF COACH IS REMEMBERED
Johnny Daniel Wike, who spent more than 30 years of his life working in the
Catamount athletics program, died Sept. 3, 2016, at the age of 82.
Western Carolina’s first paid assistant football coach, Wike began with the program
in 1964 under the direction of Head Coach Dan Robinson ’50. During his 21 years
on the sidelines, Wike was assistant to four head coaches. He also served as head
coach of the men’s and women’s golf teams at WCU, and did a four-year stint as head
football coach at Carson-Newman College from 1974 to 1977.
“Coach Wike was a very successful recruiter in his 21 years with our football
program and was instrumental in landing five football players who would later
compete in the NFL, including three who played in Super Bowls,” said Steve White
’67, former WCU sports information director. “He also loved golf and coached our
men’s and women’s programs for several years. He had a unique coaching style in
which he would analyze a player’s skills and strengths, and then utilize those assets
accordingly. He called it ‘not trying to fit a square block into a round hole.’ He made
a lot of friends for WCU over five decades with his folksy style and humor.”
A member of the U.S. Marine Corps from 1954 to 1956, he was a National Junior
College Football All-America selection as a lineman at Wingate College in 1957 and
a two-way starter on the East Carolina University football squad’s offensive and
defensive lines in 1958 and 1959. He also lettered in golf at both Wingate and ECU,
and he is enshrined in the WCU and Wingate athletics halls of fame.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Coach Johnny Wike Endowed Athletic
Scholarship Fund.
CATAMOUNT
ATHLETICS
STATUS UPDATE
J.T. Poston ’15 admires
well-struck shots from
the tee and (inset)
shows off his recently
earned PGA Tour card.
(Photos courtesy of
Getty Images)
Coach Tim Eckberg ’04 and his
players, some of whom were Poston’s
teammates, were ecstatic to learn
Poston had earned his PGA card
after following his season on the
Web.com Tour all summer.
“He’s still such a good part of this
program,” Eckberg said. “He was
here for our alumni event in May. He
came back down this past October
and hung out with the guys. He’s still
a part of this family. J.T. Poston still
wants to be known as part of this
program. He wants to be involved
with the guys and his old teammates,
and what we’re doing in the future.”
And Eckberg believes Poston’s
newfound PGA status will be
beneficial to his team’s future. “We
don’t want to take this lightly. This is
a massive accomplishment. A lot of
guys have been all-American coming
out of college, playing at a massive school and couldn’t pull
it off. J.T. doesn’t just pull it off, he does it in his first year. We
want to push this story out there with our players and let them
know that this is possible and they can see it within their own
program,” he said.
Poston played in his first PGA Tour event in October, the
Safeway Open, where he tied for 57th. The following week, he
was 29th at the Sanderson Farms Championship. He has been
mentioned as one of the top-10 Web.com Tour graduates to
watch on the PGA Tour in 2017, thanks to his all-around game
and calm demeanor.
Poston believes his new residence in Sea Island, Georgia,
home to several professional golfers, will aid in his development.
“Moving there was a no-brainer,” Poston said. “It’s hard to beat
the practice facilities down there and always having somebody
to play and practice with that’s on the PGA Tour. It goes a long
way to be able to compete with those guys every single day,
not just tournament week.”
It’s good to have status.
A four-year starter, Poston became WCU’s career stroke
average leader at 71.73. He holds the top two individual single-season
stroke averages, including a school record 70.27 as a
junior. As a sophomore, Poston became just the second WCU
golfer to nab an at-large bid to the NCAA postseason, before
earning individual berths the next two years by winning the
Southern Conference men’s golf championship.
He would start his professional career as a relative unknown
again, but not for long. Poston not only qualified his way into
his first Web.com Tour event – the United Leasing and Finance
Championship – but he chipped in for eagle from about 20
yards away on the 72nd hole, giving him a top-25 finish and a
spot in the following week’s event at the Rex Hospital Charity
Championship, where he finished third.
“It was a bit of a grind at the beginning,” Poston said. “I
started with no status on any tour, so that’s never easy, not
knowing where your next tournament will be or when it will
be. I had this mindset of trying to get as many opportunities
as I could and see how it panned out at the end of the year.”
Finishing in the top 25 at his first event to get into the
following week’s tournament validated Poston’s belief in
himself. “It showed me that I can play my own game like
I always have. Once I got out on the Web.com Tour and played
16 | The Magazine of Western Carolina University Winter 2017| 17
Director of Athletics Randy Eaton
did not have to look far to find a new
head coach for the men’s and women’s
cross country and track and field squads
at Western Carolina University. Eaton
announced in August the appointment
of former assistant coach Cale McDaniel
’10 MAEd ’13 to lead the program.
McDaniel had been serving as interim
head coach after the retirement of
longtime coach Danny Williamson
’84 MAEd ’86 last summer.
“There were several factors as to why
Cale was clearly the person to assume
the leadership of our cross country and
track and field programs, but two stood
out in my mind. First, immediately after
announcing his retirement, former head
coach Danny Williamson was adamant
that Cale was the person who should be
the next head coach,” Eaton said.
“Secondly, and most importantly,
Cale met with over 20 members of our
athletic department including head
coaches, athletic trainers and athletic
performance, academic and NCAA
compliance staff, as well as my senior
staff. To a person, everyone who met
with each finalist for the position ranked
Cale as the most qualified and the best
person to lead the program. Rarely do
I see our staff agree 100 percent on any
issue, so this really struck home with me
in my decision-making process,” he said.
In his role as an assistant coach,
McDaniel produced five women’s
Most Outstanding Field Performers
of the Year, two men’s indoor Most
Outstanding Field Performers of the
Year, two women’s outdoor Most
Outstanding Athletes, and one women’s
Freshman of the Year in just six seasons.
He has also led 30 student-athletes
to Southern Conference individual
championships, and has had 81 student-athletes
earn all-conference honors.
“I’m excited to have the chance to do
what a lot of people work for their entire
career, which is to be the head coach of
their alma mater,” said McDaniel. “I am
very grateful to the WCU administration
for its support and I will do my best to
carry on the very successful tradition of
the Catamount cross country and track
and field programs.”
As both a student-athlete and an
assistant coach, McDaniel has helped
bring 14 Southern Conference titles
back to Cullowhee, including three
this past year with the men’s indoor
championship, and the women’s
and men’s sweep of the outdoor
championships. He also helped WCU’s
women’s team earn U.S. Track & Field
and Cross Country Coaches Association
All-Academic Track and Field Team
honors every season as an assistant
coach. As a student-athlete, McDaniel
was a six-time All-Southern Conference
performer while capturing two outdoor
team titles, in 2007 and 2010, and one
indoor championship, in 2008.
ATHLETICS LOOKS WITHIN TO FIND SUCCESSOR FOR LONGTIME COACH
By SEAN FORRESTER
SARA ANNE McGETRICK IS NAMED TO LEAD WOMEN’S GOLF PROGRAM
By DANIEL HOOKER ’01
Sara Anne McGetrick is on the job as the new head coach
for the women’s golf program at Western Carolina University.
A native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, McGetrick brings
a wealth of passion and golf knowledge to the position,
Randy Eaton, director of athletics, said in announcing her
appointment in September.
She replaces Mallory Hetzel, who took a similar position at
Old Dominion in late August, becoming the sixth coach for
the WCU women’s golf program all-time.
“We are very excited to welcome Coach McGetrick to the
Catamount family,” said Gorham Bradley ’04, associate
athletics director and former men’s golf coach at WCU.
“Her passion for student-athlete excellence and proven
experience developing collegiate golfers aligned perfectly with
our vision for the WCU golf program. Under her leadership,
the future of Catamount women’s golf is very bright.”
McGetrick previously coached at Converse College in
Spartanburg, building the Valkyries’ program from scratch.
During her four-year stint, the program climbed to a No. 29
GolfStat ranking in its third year of existence, tallied team
tournament titles at five events with eight individual medalists,
and posted a third-place finish at the Conference Carolinas
Championship in 2014. She also has coaching experience at
two high schools.
“I am honored and thrilled to have been chosen to lead the
Western Carolina women’s golf team as the new head golf
coach,” said McGetrick. “The minute I set foot on campus, I
knew it was a perfect fit for me, and I can’t wait to start this
new chapter of Catamount women’s golf.”
She is a 1985 graduate of fellow Southern Conference member
Furman. As a member of the Paladins’ golf team, McGetrick
won a pair of individual medalist honors and helped her
team qualify for the postseason championship tournament
in all four seasons – advancing to the NCAA Championships
three times and once to the AIAW Championships. She
turned pro and played on the LPGA tour from 1986 through
1992, tallying a pair of podium finishes during her career,
including a runner-up finish at the 1989 Hawaiian
Ladies Open and a third-place showing at the 1987 Denver
LPGA event.
“I AM HONORED AND THRILLED TO HAVE
BEEN CHOSEN TO LEAD THE WESTERN
CAROLINA WOMEN’S GOLF TEAM AS
THE NEW HEAD GOLF COACH.”
–SARA ANNE McGETRICK
CATAMOUNT
ATHLETICS
BACK ON TRACK
COURSE OF ACTION
Head coach
Cale McDaniel
’10 MAEd ’13
discusses strategy
with members of
the cross country
team before the
Western Carolina
Invitational on
Sept. 3.
18 | The Magazine of Western Carolina University Winter 2017| 19
Former Catamount football player Mike Biggerstaff ’70
and longtime athletics administrator Fred Cantler joined the
Western Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame as the 27th induction
class during special ceremonies Saturday, Nov. 5.
A four-year letter winner, Biggerstaff started his WCU
playing career in 1966 as a walk-on before earning a scholarship.
He played both offensive and defensive guard through his
junior season, finishing his career as a linebacker. Biggerstaff,
a team co-captain in 1968 and 1969, collected All-Carolinas
Conference plaudits from 1967 through 1969. He tallied All-
NAIA District 26 honors and was an honorable mention NAIA
All-America selection as a senior. He also was selected to the
1969 Collegiate All-State team.
Originally from Marion, Biggerstaff concluded his playing
career as a standout linebacker on Western Carolina’s first-ever
nationally ranked football team in 1969. He was named
the team’s defensive most valuable player that season, helping
guide the Catamounts to a 9-1 record and a national ranking
of eighth in the final NAIA national polls.
Following his graduation, Biggerstaff embarked on a solid
prep coaching career. As a head coach, he secured 144 career
victories over 19 seasons between three North Carolina
high school programs – R-S Central in Rutherfordton, West
Caldwell in Lenoir and East Burke in Connelly Springs. During
his career, Biggerstaff was chosen to coach both the North
Carolina/South Carolina Shrine Bowl and the 1985 East-West
All-Star Game.
In recognition of his contributions as a coach at the high
school level, Biggerstaff has been twice inducted into halls of
fame. In 1999, he was enshrined in the Caldwell County Sports
Hall of Fame and, in February 2015, he was inducted into the
East Burke High Hall of Fame, finishing his coaching career as
the Cavaliers’ second-winningest head football coach all-time.
Joining Biggerstaff in the WCU hall is former athletics
administrator Cantler. Few individuals have had more impact
on the evolution of the WCU athletics program than Cantler,
who devoted more than 33 years of his career to Western
Carolina. He came to Cullowhee in 1978 as an athletic trainer
– WCU’s first full-time employee in that role – and retired in
2011 as a senior associate athletic director.
A staple around WCU athletic events, he served as athletic
trainer for 17 years before moving on in athletic administration.
He twice served as interim director of athletics – first in 2004,
then coming out of retirement to return to the department
in 2011.
In his role as senior associate athletic director for internal
relations, Cantler was the primary sport supervisor for football,
women’s soccer, men’s basketball and baseball. In addition, he
served as NCAA compliance officer, a duty he held from 1995
until his retirement. He also was responsible for game-day
management, scheduling and supervising maintenance of
athletics facilities, organizing and scheduling athletics summer
camps, serving as a liaison with other departments on campus,
and overseeing the training, weight and equipment rooms.
Cantler helped develop the women’s soccer program from
scratch in 1999, including hiring its first head coach. Two
years later, the program captured the first of its three Southern
Conference tournament championships. Also, the Catamount
baseball team won both the regular season and tournament
titles in 2003 and won the regular season in 2007, advancing to
the NCAA regional tournaments, with Cantler as its supervisor.
He also served on the conference’s officials committee and
the basketball tournament committee – serving for many
seasons as the floor director at the championship tournament
– along with sitting on numerous NCAA committees. In
2012, he was selected as one of 12 recipients of the Southern
Conference’s Distinguished Service Awards.
Including this year’s induction class, Western Carolina’s
Athletics Hall of Fame has enshrined 117 individuals, five
athletic teams, 11 Patron Award winners and two individuals
recognized for career achievements since its establishment
in 1990.
FOOTBALL’S BIGGERSTAFF, ATHLETICS ADMINISTRATOR CANTLER
INDUCTED INTO THE CATAMOUNT HALL OF FAME
By DANIEL HOOKER ’01
CATAMOUNT
ATHLETICS
DYNAMIC DUO
Randy Eaton,
director of athletics
(far left) and
Chancellor David
O. Belcher (far
right) congratulate
(from left) Mike
Biggerstaff ’70 and
Fred Cantler on
their induction.
KEVIN MARTIN SAYS FAREWELL
TO A 12-YEAR NBA CAREER
By MARLON W. MORGAN
Former Western Carolina University basketball star
Kevin Martin announced his retirement from the NBA
on Thanksgiving Day through a full-page advertisement
taken out in his hometown newspaper, the Zanesville (Ohio)
Times Recorder.
WCU assistant men’s basketball coach Willie Freeman ’03,
a former teammate of Martin’s, wasn’t surprised at the way he
hung up his gym shoes. Freeman said Martin always has been
a humble and quiet person who tried to avoid the limelight.
“Close friends and family knew he was done,” Freeman said.
“He entrusted us not to say anything. Then he decided when
and where and how he wanted to walk out, and that’s exactly
what he did. He waited until Thanksgiving to say thank you
more so to his community and his family for having his back
and supporting him throughout those years. He did it in his
own special way.”
Martin, a former first-round pick of the Sacramento Kings,
enjoyed a 12-year NBA career. He averaged 17.4 points a
game while playing for the Kings and for teams in Houston,
Oklahoma City, Minnesota and San Antonio. He last played
during the 2016 NBA playoffs with San Antonio.
During his career, Martin was one of the game’s most
dangerous shooters, averaging 38.4 percent from 3-point range.
Martin, now 34, had a breakout season during his third year
in which he averaged 20.2 points per game. He would go on to
average 20 or more points in six of his 12 seasons, including
a career-best 24.6 in his final full season with Sacramento in
2008-09.
Freeman was a senior at WCU when Martin arrived as a
freshman in the fall of 2001. He didn’t have much of a first
impression of the scrawny kid from Ohio. “When he came
in as a freshman and you saw him, he was so damn skinny,”
Freeman said. “You don’t expect much out of a kid being that
skinny. But then when he was able to do what he was able to
do as far as anticipating passes, getting steals, getting to the
free throw line, maybe that was because of his frail frame. He
was smart with it. Just to watch his maturation throughout the
year, it was something phenomenal to watch.”
Martin led the Catamounts at 22.1 points per game as a
freshman, earning national All-Freshman honors from College
Insider.com. During three seasons in Cullowhee before leaving
early for the NBA, Martin was among the nation’s top 11 scorers
each year, ranking second in 2003-04 with a 24.9 average, the
eighth highest average in school history. He ranks fourth in
points scored (1,838) at WCU, fourth in scoring average (23.3),
second in free throw percentage (.841) and eighth in 3-point
field goals made (174).
During WCU’s basketball game at Ohio State earlier this
season, Martin met up with the Catamounts and spent some
time with them. “He didn’t have to do that, but he showed up
and rode the bus with the team to shootaround, spoke to the
team afterward and rode the bus back. He took time out of his
day to come say `thank you’ to the Cats,” Freeman said.
Kevin Martin shoots
a jumper during his
days with the NBA’s
Houston Rockets. HUMBLE
HOOPSTER
20 | The Magazine of Western Carolina University Winter 2017| 21
STUDENTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD FLOCK TO WCU, BRINGING INTERNATIONAL
PERSPECTIVES TO CLASSROOM DISCUSSIONS AND AFTER-CLASS ACTIVITIES
As a student at the Korean National Police University, Marn
Pyung “Francis” Jang wanted to experience life in the U.S.
What his classmates said about Western Carolina University’s
peaceful countryside sounded perfect, Jang said. Just how much
countryside abounds in Western North Carolina, however,
took him by surprise when he arrived in Cullowhee. “No public
transportation? That was a shock to me,” he said. However, the
friendliness of students and faculty members, the thought-provoking
and interactive classes, and the change of pace from
the rigors of his home university more than made up for it, he
said. KNPU is similar to West Point in the U.S., and Jang was
accustomed to uniforms, 7 a.m. roll call and early morning
runs. “I’m living in a heaven right now,” he said.
Jang is one of more than 300 international students from
some 40 countries taking classes or enrolled at WCU during
the 2016-17 school year. Most are enrolled undergraduate
students pursuing WCU degrees in education, engineering,
emergency medical care, business and other fields. Last fall,
about 50 were exchange students taking classes at WCU while
enrolled at their home institutions, according to WCU’s
Office of International Programs and Services. The majority
of the international students hail from Saudi Arabia, where
government funds helped support their studies abroad. The next
largest contingents come from Jamaica, Colombia, Germany,
Japan, Canada and France. Additional exchange students were
expected to join the student population for the spring semester.
Later, students from Jamaica will arrive during the summer
to pursue degrees in education as part of a more than 40-year
partnership with WCU.
What tends to appeal most to international students when
it comes to WCU is the interactive academic attention they
receive in small classes and a true sense of feeling connected
and cared about by the campus and surrounding community,
said Kaitlin Ritchie, assistant director of international students
and scholar services. “Students say being here is like being
on a campus in a movie,” said Ritchie. “They are drawn to
the beauty of this campus and the mountains.” Students also
like that they can walk to classes, the dining hall and other
campus destinations and to participate in academic and social
activities, she said.
“WCU is an ideal size and atmosphere for international
students – large enough to provide a variety of excellent
academic opportunities and small enough for students to
feel connected and safe,” said Ritchie. “This is a community
where you walk across campus and see someone you know,
and they will know you by name. Students often say that this
aspect helps them make friends quickly and truly feel part of
campus life.”
WCU historical accounts shared by Mountain Heritage
Center staff mention international students coming to campus
prior to 1967 when several students from Cuba were recruited
by a Spanish faculty member. Then, under the leadership of
BY TERESA KILLIAN TATE
PA S S P O RT T O
E DUCATION
Students wave flags
representing the nations
of (from left) China,
Canada, Germany,
Netherlands, Brazil,
Cambodia, Saudi Arabia
(green, in foreground)
and Iran at the 2016
International Festival.
22 | The Magazine of Western Carolina University Winter 2017| 23
Chancellor H.F. “Cotton” Robinson in 1974 and his successor,
Myron L. Counter, WCU rapidly expanded international
programs and services, and the number of international
students increased. In 1996, WCU established the IPS office.
Today, international students comprise about 3 percent of
the university’s students, which is close to the international
percentage of the student body at WCU’s fellow institutions in
the University of North Carolina system, said Ling Gao LeBeau,
director of international programs and services at WCU.
RECRUITING WORLDWIDE
Recruiting international students is challenging, with
universities and colleges around the world vying to attract
them, said LeBeau. Word of mouth – international students
hearing about WCU from former students – is one of WCU’s
most powerful recruiting tools, she said. Another is cultivating
strong, active partnerships with institutions abroad so that
students who seek out international experiences are encouraged
to consider WCU, she said. WCU has partnership agreements
with 41 institutions in 23 countries, with more in the works.
Over the past two years, WCU has expanded its global
partnerships by collaborating with schools in countries in
which the university already has a presence and to institutions
in Sweden, Denmark, Italy, India, Ghana, Mexico, Peru, Chile,
Brazil, Turkey and Austria, said LeBeau. In addition, WCU
is working to develop partnerships with schools in Botswana
and South Africa.
To attract and serve international students who may not
be proficient enough in English to enroll as a degree-seeking
student, WCU launched the Intensive English Program in
2009. When participants in the full-time, noncredit academic
program achieve English proficiency, they can apply for
enrollment. At spring commencement in 2016, the program
celebrated the first five participants to earn their degrees at
WCU after completing the IEP.
WCU also is part of the UNC International Student
Recruitment Consortium to increase awareness abroad of
all institutions in the UNC system. North Carolina benefits
when international students stay after graduation to work in
high-demand fields where there are unmet needs or return
home as unofficial ambassadors for the state, consortium
officials say. Another benefit of hosting international students
is the indirect global experience extended to the entire WCU
community through their presence, said LeBeau. “For Western
Carolina students who don’t have a chance to see the world, the
international students who come here help them see the world
through them,” said LeBeau. “They offer different perspectives
and different thoughts in the classroom, and that enriches and
helps diversify learning for all students.”
LeBeau reiterated the value of international students at WCU
in a message to them after the U.S. presidential election in
November. She wanted to reassure students who had concerns
that they are and will continue to be welcomed, valued and
supported, she said. “We greatly appreciate your wonderful
contributions at WCU,” she wrote. “Your presence is highly
valued and you continue to provide great benefits to the
WCU community as proud representatives of your country
and culture.”
EMBRACING DIFFERENCES
International students say they value many of the ways WCU
differs from their home institutions. Joris Strobel, an exchange
student from Germany studying secondary education, likes
that he can walk to class and not have to take a bus or car.
He also appreciates the way professors treat students and
how small class size allows for interaction. “You can actually
ask a professor a question and don’t have to sign up to talk
to them,” said Strobel. Yeojin Oh, an exchange student from
South Korea studying education, was surprised when students
stopped professors to ask questions during class and, at times,
seemed to talk more than the faculty members. The interactive
learning style is something she wants to help bring to South
Korean classrooms.
Strobel and his roommate, Yoshihiro Tarui, an exchange
student from Japan studying education, also had to get used
to the idea of sharing a room in a residence hall but said the
experience has been good. Both aspiring teachers, Strobel and
Tarui came to WCU to improve their English and learn things
about American culture to share with their future students.
They have discussed school systems in their home countries,
laughed about the stereotypes they had of each other and
commiserated about missing food from home. (A care package
of Japanese noodles, snacks and cereals from Tarui’s girlfriend
helped ease that predicament.) Other international students
find themselves cooking more often when foods they are used
to, such as rice at breakfast, are not available in the dining hall.
For fun, international students say they play sports such as
volleyball, flag football and quidditch; exercise at the recreation
center; go to sports events; take in musical and theatrical
performances; and enjoy scenic hikes to mountain overlooks
or waterfalls. Getting to see the beauty of the Western North
Carolina mountains and the leaves change color has been a
highlight for Yangchenchen Li, an exchange student from
China studying accounting. Strobel said he appreciates that
he can walk to the Tuckaseigee River to fish. Awed Alshehri, a
junior from Saudi Arabia who started in the Intensive English
Program and is now majoring in emergency medical care, said
he regularly enjoys hikes and other adventures offered by Base
Camp Cullowhee, WCU’s outdoor programming organization.
South Korean student Oh and her roommate, Lia
Plankenhorn, a senior from Fort Mill, South Carolina, majoring
in forensic anthropology, went to the Blue Ridge Parkway
for a picnic lunch and hike at Waterrock Knob. Oh said her
limited English makes it difficult to explain how beautiful the
mountain range is but that the experience was one of the most
memorable from her time at WCU. She ate a turkey sandwich
at the overlook and although it was a “usual” sandwich, “it
tasted more delicious there,” she said.
Plankenhorn, a native of Germany, has been excited to be
part of so many “firsts” for Oh at WCU – first hike on the Blue
Ridge Parkway, first football game, first experience at a rock
climbing wall and first time using a clothes dryer. She was
looking forward to taking Oh home with her for Thanksgiving
Mitra Shabani MS ‘16, now a doctoral
student at Clemson University, was
attracted to WCU by its engineering and
technology programs.
From left, Moe
Takahashi, Tomomi
Hiraga and Mizuho
Sakaue take a stroll
through the Central
Plaza area of campus.
(Above right)
From left, Muteb
Almutairi and Mohammed
Alsuwayyid are among the
Saudi Arabian students to
enroll in WCU’s Intensive
English Program.
Teacher education
students from Jamaica
visit campus every
summer as part of a
40-year partnership
between the Caribbean
nation and WCU.
24 | The Magazine of Western Carolina University Winter 2017| 25
and continuing their discussions about the differences in
Korean, American and German cultures. “It also allows me
to reflect on things I take for granted or have never really
questioned,” said Plankenhorn. “It makes me realize that I
don’t always know why things are done the way they are.”
For international students, having American friends is
especially important to help them adjust to a new campus, city
and country, said Ritchie. IPS launched the International Pals
Program to match new international students with U.S.-based
student buddies who contact them before they arrive, assist with
their orientation and stay connected with them throughout
their time at WCU. The student leader of I-Pals, Sadye Riley,
a sophomore from Cary majoring in entrepreneurship, said
her experience studying abroad in Ireland made her want to
become part of I-Pals. Riley sometimes felt lost and confused,
and having someone help her understand how to get a student
identification card or finalize her schedule would have been
helpful, she said. “I didn’t want our international students to
come in feeling that way,” she said.
WCU also has an International Catamounts student
organization for U.S. and international students to share
experiences and cultures, and join together in community
service and social events, said Ritchie. The I-Cats group hosts an
international coffee hour, which includes cultural presentations
by international students, twice a month on campus. Also, to
promote friendship and cultural exchange, WCU connects
international students and scholars with day-host families
through the International Friendship Program. Students are
matched with faculty and staff members who may invite
them to activities such as family dinners or trips to a local
farmer’s market.
SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES
Off campus, international students seize opportunities to
travel on their own. Li spent fall break in Los Angeles. Tarui
has visited Washington, D.C., New York and Philadelphia.
With help getting rides to the airport in Asheville, Roudy
Chaccour, an exchange student from France who is half-
Russian and half-Lebanese and studying global management
and entrepreneurship, has visited Boston, Atlanta, Miami, Los
Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.
Other international students have participated in WCU
faculty-led travel courses or alternative break trips in which
students travel together to another city and participate in
service activities. Lane Perry, director of the Center for Service
Learning, said he will never forget going to New York in 2013
with students in a disaster response and leadership course.
The group helped repair a home damaged by Hurricane Sandy
that belonged to a first responder who had worked at the Twin
Towers on 9/11. A Muslim student from Saudi Arabia was part
of the group, and he talked with the homeowner about what
an honor it was to serve in the community. The homeowner
shared how meaningful and how healing it was that students
– and specifically the student from Saudi Arabia – would
come to his home “speaking the language of love in the form
of service,” said Perry.
For Jang, fall break afforded him and Hae Won Jeong,
another exchange student at WCU from KNPU, the
opportunity to join three KNPU classmates at the New York
City Police Department. They visited the police academy
and units including aviation, harbor, canine, highway patrol
and others; met bureau chiefs; and learned about equipment
and facilities. An NYPD employee contacted WCU
Chancellor David O. Belcher to commend the students from
KNPU, and The Korea Times and Korea Radio published
reports and photos about the visit. Stephen E. Brown,
professor and head of the Department of Criminology and
Criminal Justice at WCU, said the KNPU students’ trip to New
York was “representative of the initiative and hunger to learn
about the American justice system that all KNPU students
have shown at WCU.”
Jang said what he learned at WCU about white-collar
crimes has made him want to study the area further after he
is commissioned. “It made me rethink our criminal justice
system,” said Jang. “When we say crime, we usually think of
street crimes, paying less attention to white-collar crimes.
However, white-collar crimes can be more serious and severe,
undermining our society as much as street crimes.”
The strength of the academic experience at WCU is what
attracted students such as Alshehri, who said he wanted to
enroll in one of the best emergency medical care programs
in the nation. He has been dreaming about becoming a
paramedic ever since age 9. Mitra Shabani MS ’16, a
doctoral student at Clemson University originally from Iran,
found WCU after repeatedly seeing the name of a professor
– Martin Tanaka, associate professor of engineering and
technology – on research papers about biomechanical
engineering and tumor growth. After her father’s four-year
battle with stomach cancer, she wanted to put her math and
physics skills to work modeling cancer tumors and how
they grow. “I wanted to be able to help people with the same
condition as my dad,” said Shabani, who said her father’s
cancer is in remission. At WCU, Tanaka became her research
adviser and helped her access data for her research and make
valuable connections in the field, she said.
Chhaingheap Chea ’16, a December graduate from
Cambodia majoring in computer information systems, said he
fell in love with computers at age 7 but technology limitations in
his home country made pursuing a career in the field a challenge.
Chea wanted to earn a degree in the U.S. but needed to improve
his English skills to make it possible. When he heard about
WCU and the IEP from his aunt, Thanh Tram ‘14, he applied.
After one semester of intensive English study, he was proficient
enough to be admitted as a degree-seeking student and was
on track to complete his bachelor’s degree in December 2016.
He hopes to find work or continue his studies after graduation,
and he would be happy if that future happened to be in
Western North Carolina where everything is so “fresh and
clean,” he said. “I am one step further to my goal,” said Chea.
“I can’t wait to see what WCU has helped prepare me for after
I graduate.”
Antonio Corzo ’16, a
first-generation student
now attending graduate
school at WCU’s Biltmore
Park instructional
site, demonstrates the
dances of his parents’
Mexican homeland at the
International Festival.
Chhaingheap Chea ’16, a computer information
systems major from Cambodia, takes part in
December’s commencement ceremony.
From left, Ines Llurens
from France and Moneer
Almarhoon from Saudi
Arabia enjoy International
Day festivities.
Western Carolina University’s new four-story Noble
Hall, with its mix of student residential units and space for
commercial and dining establishments, already is ingraining
itself into the campus culture, taking on a multitude of
meanings for different members of the university community.
For a student who moved in when the facility opened last
August, it creates an ultra-convenient housing situation with
built-in dining options, within rock-throwing distance of
several academic buildings. For one WCU faculty member,
it’s an aesthetically pleasing structure that adds character to
campus; for another, it’s a prime example of an innovative
developmental concept and a worthy topic of discussion for
sociology classes. And for three entrepreneurs with close ties
to campus, it’s a chance to open a new business and infuse a
new kind of magic into WCU’s community life.
Construction of a mixed-use building on the south side
of Centennial Drive near its intersection with Central Drive
already was included in the university’s master plan for
new construction when one of the structures in WCU’s old
commercial strip at that location was heavily damaged by
fire on Nov. 21, 2013. Plans for Noble Hall were accelerated
after the fire by trustees of the Endowment Fund of Western
Carolina University, which owns the property where the
commercial strip was located. The result three years later is a
120,000-square-foot facility that can house up to 420 students,
distributed throughout all four floors, and that includes space
for commercial and dining ventures on the ground floor. Built
in three segments, the $29.3 million structure is named in
honor of the Noble Nine, a group of nine trustees from the
late 1800s who were instrumental in the development of the
school that evolved into WCU.
For local entrepreneurs Jeanette Evans and Suzanne Stone,
the day of the 2013 fire was one filled with shock and heartbreak
as they stood with dozens of other onlookers and watched their
dream businesses located in rental space in the old commercial
strip go up in smoke. “There were no tears until much later.
We were thinking, ‘this can’t be real,’” Stone recalls. Evans had
operated the Mad Batter Bakery and Cafe at the location since
1998, and Stone had led her family operation, Rolling Stone
Burrito, in adjoining rental space since 2007. Both eateries were
favorite gathering places for WCU students, faculty and staff,
and a collective community mourning followed the fire, which
also damaged space occupied by a Subway sandwich shop.
Stone, a business major in college who became a professional
counselor, said her burrito restaurant was strictly a “labor of
love,” with her sons working there after school and during
the summers, and her husband, WCU faculty member Wes
Stone, doing the accounting work. As Rolling Stone Burrito
got off the ground, the family created the business logo, made
their own signage in their garage, and came up with their
own names for menu items such as the popular “Fire in the
Hole” burrito. Stone’s business neighbor Evans said she had
dreamed of opening up her own restaurant even as a young
girl. “I just loved working there every day and being part of
the community,” she said. “There was something special about
seeing people every day and being a part of their lives.” After
the fire, a desire to keep that feeling alive prompted Evans to
open up a new version of her business, Mad Batter Food and
Film, in downtown Sylva.
As WCU officials sought tenants for the commercial space in
Noble Hall, Evans, Stone and Chris Wilcox ’95, owner of City
Lights Bookstore in Sylva, were courted as potential customers,
but each one determined that rent in the new building would
be cost prohibitive for them as individual business owners. The
solution, proposed by WCU legal counsel Mary Ann Lochner,
was a uniting of the three to create a combination bookstore
and cafe, which has been named MadStone Cafe and Catching
Light Books. The three owners will fill about 2,000 square feet
of space in Noble Hall, and as of magazine press time, were
predicting a February opening. “I am so grateful that the
university has entrusted Jeanette, Suzanne and myself with
the job of establishing an indie bookstore/cafe on campus,”
Wilcox said. “We aim to build it into an iconic hangout that
will resonate with folks in the same way as prior businesses on
Centennial Drive such as the Townhouse, Rolling Stone and
Mad Batter…a spot where great memories are made rather
than just a place to spend money.”
WCU’s old commercial strip was removed entirely to make
way for Noble Hall, and another campus landmark, Bob’s
Mini Mart, was dislodged from the space it had occupied
for about three decades. Owner Bob Hooper reopened his
new store with the same name in Noble Hall in late October.
Subway owner Scott Welch, who also lost his location to the
fire, began serving sandwiches in Noble Hall on Friday, Jan.
6, and the grand opening of the first Chili’s Bar and Grill in
North Carolina west of Asheville followed three days later
on Monday, Jan. 9. Sylva-based Blackrock Outdoor Co., an
outdoor recreation retailer and the fifth tenant in Noble Hall,
was expected to open sometime early in 2017.
Longtime WCU faculty member Leroy Kauffman, associate
professor of accounting, was among those who watched the old
commercial building burn in November 2013. Kauffman said
he believes the new business space in Noble Hall will “replace
much of the feel that was lost” when the previous businesses
in the commercial strip were burned out or closed to make
way for the new structure. Kauffman, whose office in Forsyth
Building is just across from Noble Hall, said the new facility
is much more beautiful than he expected it would be and does
not come across as “institutional.” “I particularly appreciate
the fact that there is a variety of materials, textures and colors
used on the exterior,” he said. “The lines of the building are
varied without many big flat uninteresting surfaces. The use
of glass that allows a glimpse of study spaces is a nice touch.
It adds character and variety.”
WCU sociology professor Tony Hickey’s fascination with
Noble Hall is found in the concept of locating both residential
and commercial space in one structure – a principle of the
“new urbanism” design movement that developed more than
two decades ago. The rise of new urbanism was a revolt against
the suburbanization of the U.S., which customarily involved
WCU’s new mixed-use facility already is leaving
its mark on the collective campus psyche
By RANDALL HOLCOMBE
NOBLE CULTURE
26 | The Magazine of Western Carolina University Winter 2017| 27
magazine.wcu.edu
28 | The Magazine of Western Carolina University Winter 2017| 29
Long before Noble Hall, before Bob’s Mini Mart and Subway,
there was the Townhouse Restaurant.
Originally described as a soda shop and burger joint, the
Townhouse quickly became a center for student social life when
it was opened in 1949 by owners Elsie and Frank Brown. A
jukebox featuring the latest hits sat against a wall. Hot dogs,
burgers and fries, coffee and ice cream topped the menu. It
was named for the old “Townhouse Farm” that previously
occupied the site, which was owned by David Rogers until his
death in 1924. WCU then operated the farm, complete with a
dairy, until it was discontinued in 1947.
From 1957 until 1973, Winfred Ashe ’54 MAEd ’59 and his
wife, Ellen Ward Ashe, owned and operated the restaurant,
living in an apartment upstairs.
“Other than the college cafeteria, the Townhouse was the
main meeting place for a lot of the students,” recalled Cullowhee
businessman Norman West ’68. “It had a good atmosphere,
was conveniently located and at times it was like a party. And
most importantly, a fried honey bun with butter and coffee
was a quarter. It comfortably seated about 100 but a lot of times
it seemed like 200 people were seated there…. I know that
every college has a ‘Townhouse’ but ours was as good as any.”
Lynn Hotaling ’72 MAEd ’80, retired editor of The Sylva
Herald, said the Townhouse “was our social media. Today’s
college students will likely find it hard to believe, but we didn’t
have cell phones, email or Facebook. If we needed to tell
someone something, we went to the Townhouse to find them.
If they didn’t happen to be there, we’d see someone who would
pass along our message.”
A haven, a hangout and local landmark, it was immortalized
– to another degree – in a painting by Joel Morris ’73 that
was made into prints that briskly sold as keepsakes (inset).
Morris made a career as a painter, both in traditional styles as
well as outdoor murals on buildings across the state. And the
Townhouse was his spot when he was on campus.
Morris was an original character, friends say. A denizen of
Cullowhee from the last of the ’60s and early ’70s, he died in
2014, leaving a legacy of art, friendships and memories. The
Joel Baxter Morris “Old Hippy” Scholarship was established
by his friends to benefit students in the WCU School of Art
and Design. Poster copies of his Townhouse painting were sold
with proceeds going to the scholarship fund. Last September,
a special exhibit installation of his works and memorabilia
was shown at WCU’s Fine Art Museum, with a larger-than-average
crowd attending a reception, and sharing stories and
reminiscences.
Part of the crowd with Morris at the Townhouse back in the
day was Brooks Sanders ’75, now of Tillamook, Oregon. “I
was in there before class and after, usually with black coffee,”
Sanders remembered. “Joel had returned from his service with
the Navy in Southeast Asia and made a big impact with his
Jaguar XKE convertible, probably bought it with his muster-out
pay. Helluva guy, happy to be alive and to be studying art
at Western.”
The Townhouse gave way to changes in the 1980s, and by the
1990s a Subway occupied the space but not the nostalgia of
thousands of Catamounts.
houses built with garages on the front side and a porch on the
back instead of the front, leading to less interaction among
neighbors, Hickey said. Mixing residential and commercial
space brings its own set of challenges, including how to deal
with parking, but research has shown the concept to be effective
in increasing interaction among people, he said. “From a
sociological point of view, it’s really very exciting to see this.
Noble Hall is a great example
and I’m going to use it in my
classes,” Hickey said.
For its student residents,
the appeal of Noble Hall
might tend to lean toward
the less-academic. Matt
Ford, a sophomore from
Stokesdale majoring in
parks and recreation management, reported late in the
fall semester that he is “very content” with his room in the
new building and impressed with its convenience after
living in Scott Residence Hall last year. Bob’s Mini Mart is
directly under the room that he shares with fellow student Sean
Duffy. “We can pop down and pick up necessities – drinks,
chips and Pop Tarts – in less than 10 minutes,” he said. “On
top of that, (the building’s) placement is awesome. It’s so
close to all my classes, so if I need to make a pit stop between
classes to grab something, it’s no big deal.”
Jack Hudson ’82, past president of the WCU Alumni
Association, said he maintains fond memories of visiting
the facilities that once existed along the commercial strip in
years past, including the post office, pharmacy, laundromat,
barber shop and the iconic Townhouse Restaurant. “I was
excited to hear about
(the Noble Hall) project
even in the beginning,”
Hudson said. “I have seen
mixed-use buildings be
very successful in many
cities around our state
and around our country.
Noble Hall is positioned
in a great location on campus. It’s time to make new memories
in this new facility that will serve us well for many years.”
Those in the WCU community who already have found
something to pique their interests in Noble Hall, and everyone
else, will have a chance to celebrate what the structure already
has added to campus, and what it will mean in the future,
when a dedication ceremony for the new building is held in
the spring.
“I believe the new business
space in Noble Hall will replace
much of the feel that was lost.”
–Leroy Kauffman, associate professor of accounting REMEMBERING THE TOWNHOUSE, THE
PLACE THAT STARTED IT ALL By GEOFF CANTRELL
Bob Hooper
re-opened his self-named
mini-mart
in late October,
signaling the return
of a three-decade-old
institution
on campus and
the first business
opening in
Noble Hall.
The Chili’s mascot
greets students
who flock to the
restaurant for its
January grand
opening (left), while
residents enjoy
spacious common
areas in the upstairs
living space of the
new building (right).
30 | The Magazine of Western Carolina University Winter 2017| 31
Susan Parrott Ward ’76 came to Western Carolina
University in 1973 with a deep passion for the arts and a
burning desire to make things with her hands, but without
sufficient financial resources after having dropped out from
another university a few years earlier. But, working with WCU’s
admissions and financial aid offices, Ward was able to weave
together enough dollars through a small scholarship – along
with grants, loans and a work-study position – to be able
to enroll, succeed and graduate with honors in two-and-a-half
years.
Now, 40 years later, Ward and her husband, retired Raleigh
businessman Randall Ward, are continuing a tradition of
giving back to WCU by making an estate gift of $1 million to
create an endowment fund to provide scholarships to deserving
students in the School of Art and Design, with preference to
ceramics majors. “This lets me say ‘thank you’ to the university
and to the people who took a chance on me when I was a
student,” she said. “While it is intended to repay the trust that
Western extended to me years ago, it also says that we trust
Western to continue to excel and grow its mission. It says that
we trust in the university’s leadership to successfully navigate
the political and economic challenges facing higher education.
Since we will not be here to see the gift realized, our gift is
definitely a matter of trust.”
The estate gift marks the latest in a long list of contributions
from the Wards to WCU’s School of Art and Design. In 2006,
they gave $150,000 for an endowment to support its arts
programs and another $35,000 for the purchase of a large
kiln. The ceramics studio in the John W. Bardo Fine and
Performing Arts Center is now named in their honor. With an
initial contribution of $10,000 in 2014, the Wards created the
Joan Byrd Endowed Scholarship as a retirement gift to honor
Byrd, Susan’s ceramics mentor who hired her as a student lab
assistant. “The responsibilities I was given and the confidence I
gained from my accomplishments at Western gave me the belief
I could succeed in the real world,” Ward said. Olivia Collins,
a senior art major from Sylva, became the first recipient of the
Byrd Scholarship this past fall.
The Wards’ gifts are having a transformative impact on the
arts at WCU, said Heather Mae Erickson, assistant professor of
art, who curated a three-month ceramics exhibit and hosted
a two-day symposium last fall bringing ceramicists from
across the nation to campus. “It was truly exciting to see such
a stellar group of ceramic artists and sculptors on campus,”
Erickson said. “It is exciting to think of how it affected students,
faculty, staff and visitors. Graduate students met with visiting
artists one-on-one in their studios and received critical feedback
on their work. And it would not have been possible without
CREATING OPPORTUNITY
A $1 MILLION ESTATE GIFT FROM AN ALUMNA
AND HER HUSBAND WILL PROVIDE SUPPORT
TO FUTURE STUDENTS IN ART AND DESIGN
By BILL STUDENC MPA ’10
De Mi Isla Salvaje (From
My Wild Island), by
Cristina Cordova, is among
the pieces exhibited
at WCU thanks to the
ongoing support of Susan
Parrott Ward ’76 and
Randall Ward.
From left, Heather Mae
Erickson, assistant
professor of art, works
in the ceramics studio
with MFA student
Jordan Krutsch and
Olivia Collins, the
inaugural Joan Byrd
Endowed Scholarship
recipient.
32 | The Magazine of Western Carolina University Winter 2017| 33
the support of Susan and Randall Ward.”
In addition to the Wards’ estate gift,
15 new endowed scholarships and
two new endowments to provide
programmatic support have been
added to the books recently at
Western Carolina University
as alumni and friends continue
to answer the call from
Chancellor David O. Belcher
for increased private financial
support for deserving students.
Belcher identified pursuing
addi t i onal endowed
scholarships as the
univer si t y’s top
p h i l a n t h r o p i c
priority during his
installation in March
2012, and a total of
171 new scholarship
funds have been
added since then.
Through endowments
of at least $25,000,
scholarship assistance
can be awarded on an
annual and ongoing basis.
New endowed scholarship
funds established between June
and October 2016:
Janet B. Wilson Endowed
Scholarship in Memory of
Frances B. Gilmore, for College
of Fine and Performing Arts students, preference
to students from the eight westernmost counties of
North Carolina; donor Janet B. Wilson.
Brenda and David Warlick Basketball
Endowed Scholarship, for student-athletes on the
intercollegiate men’s or women’s basketball teams,
with preference to College of Education and Allied
Professions students; donors Brenda Warlick ’76
and David Warlick ’76.
William R. Higgins - Dennis J. McKevlin
Endowed Scholarship, for upperclassmen
majoring in English; donors John Davis ’87 and
Melanie Davis.
Free and Clear Debt-Free Endowed Scholarship,
for rising sophomores or above with no outstanding
student loan debt; donor representatives Ed Cody
’79 and Andrea Cody ’80.
Frances and Tony Johnson Endowed
Scholarship, for North Carolina students
in the School of Teaching and Learning
who demonstrate financial need; donors
Frances Johnson and Tony Johnson ’70.
Frances Farlinger Memorial Endowed
Scholarship, for North Carolina students
majoring in inclusive/special education
who demonstrate financial need; donor
estate of Frances Farlinger MAEd ’58.
Jim Moore and Mallory Hetzel Endowed
Golf Scholarship, for student-athletes on
the women’s golf team; donor Jim Moore.
Myrtle Olivia Whitmire Memorial
Endowed Scholarship in Education, for
students majoring in the undergraduate
birth-kindergarten or elementary education
programs, with preference to students wishing to teach in
early education levels; donor estate of Blanton J. Whitmire
and Margaret S. Whitmire.
Blanton J. and Margaret S. Whitmire Memorial Endowed
Scholarship in Natural Resources and Geosciences, for natural
resources and geosciences students; donor estate of Blanton J.
Whitmire and Margaret S. Whitmire.
Gene and Blanche Warshawsky Memorial Athletic
Scholarship, for student-athletes with financial need; donor
representative Bruce Warshawsky ’75.
Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise Endowed Scholarship,
for students who are children of a Harrah’s Cherokee Casino
Resort and/or Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Resort employee,
preference to students demonstrating financial need; donor
Tribal Gaming Enterprise.
Dale and Debbie Sims Political Science Endowed Scholarship,
for graduate students in the Master of Public Affairs Program
or undergraduate students in political science; donors Dale
Sims ’78 and Debbie Sims.
Lena Mayberry Engstrom Endowed Scholarship, for
students majoring in middle grades education or secondary
education, with preference to undergraduate students majoring
in secondary education; donors Joan Humphries ’65, Carroll
Humphries MAEd ’69 and Dale Engstrom.
Katherine and C. Mark Whitehead Jr. Honors College Music
Endowed Scholarship, for Honors College students in the
School of Music; donors Katherine Whitehead and C. Mark
Whitehead Jr.
David M. and Lisa Long Hill Endowed Scholarship, for
student-athletes on the intercollegiate men’s baseball team;
donors David Hill ’83 and Lisa Hill.
The two programmatic endowments are:
Educational Leadership Program Endowment, providing
support for graduate research or travel related to research
dissemination or professional development to students enrolled
in the Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership, the
Master of School Administration or the Principal Licensure
graduate programs; donor Kathleen Topolka Jorissen.
Diane and Ray McPhail Honors College Study Abroad
Program Endowment, providing support for study abroad-related
expenses including travel, fees, room and board to
Honors College students; donors Diane C. McPhail and H.
Ray McPhail.
Artist Kevin Snipes,
creator of the piece
Nappy Head (inset),
demonstrates his
technique at a
ceramics symposium
on campus last fall.
2 Spectators
Climbing a Tree
by Gerit Grimm is
among the items
displayed during
a ceramics exhibit
and symposium that
attracted artists from
across the U.S.
Susan Parrott Ward
’76 (left) and husband
Randall Ward (third from
left) meet with Olivia
Collins (second from
left), recipient of a new
scholarship honoring
Joan Byrd (right).
The Great American Solar Eclipse will darken the skies over Cullowhee on
the first day of the fall semester – By BILL STUDENC MPA ’10
IN TOTALITY
Faculty members at Western Carolina University should not
be surprised if students cast their eyes skyward in the early
afternoon hours of the first day of classes for the fall 2017
semester – Monday, Aug. 21. That’s because Cullowhee
is smack-dab in the direct path of a celestial phenomenon
christened The Great American Solar Eclipse.
When the entirety of the moon passes in front of the
sun and completely covers it, plunging the campus and
surrounding areas into darkness for nearly two minutes
beginning at 2:35 p.m., it will mark the first total solar
eclipse visible in Cullowhee since July 20, 1506. Scientists
say to mark your calendars for the next one, which will occur
Oct. 17, 2153. Doing the math, that’s 136 years away, which
is why professional astronomers, amateur sky-watchers and
the local travel and tourism industry are excited about this
once-in-a-lifetime event.
Enrique Gomez, WCU associate professor of astronomy
and physics, has witnessed two total solar eclipses in his For updated information, visit www.NCEclipse.com
lifetime – in Mexico City in 1991 and in Austria in 1999.
“I can testify this is a thrilling event that can attract people
from thousands of miles away, even from abroad,” Gomez
said. “I expect we will be getting many people, perhaps
thousands, from major nearby metropolitan areas to our
region to experience this event. We could potentially see
the population of the western counties double for one day.”
Gomez and Steve Morse, director of WCU’s Hospitality
and Tourism Management Program, are serving on a task
force of people from across Jackson County working to plan
events around the eclipse and to prepare for a probable influx
of people, one that has the potential to have a large impact
on the region’s tourism economy.
“The eclipse could be considered a one-time event that can
be used as an economic development tool to showcase the
area’s appeal to first-time visitors,” Morse said. “Tourism is
sometimes thought of as a ‘first date’ for potential business
owners, college students and retirees buying second homes.
It provides a measure of whether it is worth a ‘second date’
and a stronger possibility of attracting someone to make a
longer term investment in the area.”
The economic impact of the eclipse will be greatly
enhanced if tourism officials can convince visitors to come
to the region for more than a day by encouraging them to
“make a weekend of it” and attend other events, Morse said.
Local economic development officials are in the process of
trying to do just that.
“Jackson County is a prime viewing spot given its location
in the mountains, the number of affordable accommodations
for people to stay, the number of viewing sites, the natural
beauty and recreational opportunities, combined with the
events we are planning for the eclipse weekend,” said
Nick Breedlove, director of the Jackson County Tourism
Development Authority. “We’re hoping that people not only
visit for eclipse-related events but also get to know our small
mountain towns and outdoor recreational opportunities.
We have many hikes and waterfalls, great farm-to-table
restaurants and unparalleled scenic beauty for people to
experience alongside the once-in-a-lifetime event.”
Among the possibilities on the itinerary include outdoor
concerts Friday, Aug. 18, in Sylva and Cashiers; a crafts
festival in Dillsboro on Saturday, Aug. 20.; a moonlight run
Sunday, Aug. 20, in Cullowhee; live music, entertainment,
food and panel discussions at various locations across the
county Aug. 21; and educational opportunities throughout
the weekend at WCU and Southwestern Community College.
Just how many people may be headed to town? Good
question, says Julie Spiro ’98, executive director of the
Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. “It would be difficult
to predict with any certainty the number of visitors that might
come to Jackson County to enjoy the eclipse,” Spiro said.
“Whatever the number, we’ve learned from other small towns
that have experienced similar events that you really have to
work cooperatively with your emergency management team
to ensure that visitors and locals alike have the opportunity
to safely enjoy the phenomenon and the festivities.” Public
safety officials from across the region are now having those
conversations, she said.
Speaking from experience, Gomez says the region can
expect eclipse-chasers to travel from other continents to
experience a total solar eclipse. “The 2017 eclipse is unusual
in that it cuts through or near so many major population
centers in the U.S., and many people will travel hundreds
of miles to experience it. There hasn’t been an eclipse like
this in this part of the country since 1970,” he said. “There
are towns in Missouri, Southern Illinois and Kentucky that
are expecting and preparing to host hundreds of thousands
of people. We are close to Great Smoky Mountains National
Park, which is a high profile location for the eclipse, and
there will be tens of thousands of people from the Atlanta
and Charlotte metropolitan areas who will come.”
The wild card of the weather also makes it difficult to
predict how many out-of-towners to expect, Gomez said.
“We will not know what to expect until the day of the eclipse.
People will be making plans to see an eclipse at a particular
location, but they should also be ready to hop in a car and
travel far to be able catch it,” he said.
Adding another layer of complexity is the fact the eclipse
will occur on the first day of classes at WCU. Friends and
family members helping the freshman class of 2017 and
other students on move-in weekend may find the majority of
available motel rooms in Jackson and surrounding counties
already have been gobbled up. In other words, book those
rooms now, Morse said.
Regardless of how many people flock to the area for the
eclipse, they should use special solar viewing glasses to avoid
damage to the eyes from the sun’s intense rays, which will
not be blocked by the moon.
34 | The Magazine of Western Carolina University Winter 2017| 35
magazine.wcu.edu
36 | The Magazine of Western Carolina University Winter 2017| 37
One of the early graduates, Rhonda Summers ’78,
remembers the program being instrumental in her life and
believes its establishment was one of incredible vision and
determination. “Even in high school, this is what I wanted to
do,” Summers said. “But I was told by my guidance counselor
that women had no place in medicine other than nursing.”
A couple of years later, Summers was enrolled at WCU, where
no EMC program yet existed. One day, as she was walking
with her roommate back to Moore Hall, she saw an ambulance
there manned by fellow students – the Student Emergency
Care Team, the campus emergency squad. In 1975, WCU
had the only student-run ambulance service in the nation,
funded and operated through the university’s infirmary. The
next morning, Summers was signing up for the prerequisite
class to be a part of the squad. “We had great fun learning
and we did everything together, breakfast, lunch and dinner
and everything in between,” she said. “We started IVs on each
other, learned to rappel off the side of Moore, used the Jaws of
Life to tear up a car behind Scott.”
Student EMT members went through two hours of training
each week, with at least three members on call 24 hours a day,
and the team had to be available every day of the week. The
members certainly got to put their skills to use, from student
mishaps with bumps and bruises to all-out tragedies, both
on campus and nearby, that ranged from a fatal shooting to
horrific car crashes.
It was Summers and a couple of other SECT students who
went to Garland Pendergraph, then dean of the School of
Health Sciences, to convince him there was enough interest
for an emergency medical care degree program. Pendergraph
agreed and, along with Gene Howell of the state Office of
Emergency Medical Services, helped guide the students,
instructors and curriculum in the program’s infancy.
“I don’t think any of us thought of ourselves as pioneers,”
Summers said. “We just knew what we wanted and had to make
it happen. I know we are so proud of the program, then and
now. And it’s hard to believe the WCU program is 40 years old.”
The WCU Emergency Medical Care Alumni group
celebrated both its 20th year and the 40th year of the WCU
program in September with an annual reunion held in
Greensboro in conjunction with a state EMS conference. A
typical gathering includes paramedics whose fingerprints
are all over lifesaving innovations, from a new approach to
resuscitation to the initial development of 911 dispatch calls,
and from improving hypothermia care to the unusual use of
two defibrillators to treat sustained heart problems. WCU
Chancellor David O. Belcher attended the event, congratulating
the alumni on their achievements that helped put WCU on the
map for EMS and paramedic instruction.
“Our attendees number between 50 to 80 each year,” said
Joseph Zalkin ’81, deputy director of Wake County EMS, who
retired in November after a 35-year career. “We are educators,
researchers and explorers, taught to think out of the box by
our mentors in Cullowhee, and we share a bond of being
involved in the sustainment of the first bachelor’s degree in
emergency medical care in the nation.”
Zalkin helps organize the WCU alumni meetings and serves
as a rousing cheerleader. Around the state and nation, he is
known for keeping a network of graduates in touch with one
another. He also helps build professional alliances, regardless of
alma mater, for dedicated individuals in the lifesaving business.
“I could not have met my life goals without my time at Western,”
WCU’s groundbreaking
program in emergency
medical care celebrates
another milestone
By GEOFF CANTRELL
THE BIG 4-0
Western Carolina University can claim
several notable firsts, like when Ronnie
Carr ME ’07 became the first college
basketball player to hit a three-pointer
on Nov. 29, 1980, and when WCU
became the first public university in North Carolina to
implement a computer requirement for students in 1998.
Another notable achievement – and profoundly important, as
it involves lifesaving – pre-dates the athletic and technological
milestones: establishment of the emergency medical care
curriculum for the nation’s first bachelor’s degree program
for paramedics.
Launched 40 years ago in 1976, with its first graduating
class the following year, the Emergency Medical Care Program
is now the seventh largest academic program at WCU. The
program is offered on campus and online by the School of
Health Sciences within the College of Health and Human
Sciences. It is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation
of Allied Health Education Programs, through the Committee
on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency
Medical Services Professions.
Students are taught
to be prepared to
evaluate, assess and
respond for a variety
of medical and
health situations.
38 | The Magazine of Western Carolina University Winter 2017| 39
he said. “As an EMS manager and
leader in our state, I cannot advocate
more for higher levels of education
in our profession. And WCU is the
center of the universe for me.”
Looking back over his career, Zalkin
points to those singular moments of
coming to the aid of people in need
that made his career and his life (thus
far, he quickly added) so worthwhile
and fulfilling. “Individually, we
save lives and provide comfort and
have created lifesaving systems,” he
said. “Collectively, WCU graduates
are respected in the field, known
for having a solid educational background in medical
sciences and research methods, plus ongoing peer support
and Catamount pride.”
Preparing to carry on that Catamount pride in paramedics,
current students have motivations similar to their predecessors.
Chandler Spires, a senior from Dallas, Texas, says he “didn’t
apply anywhere else, didn’t want to go anywhere else” because
he was attracted by WCU’s reputation and how it fit with his
personal goals. “The WCU paramedic program provides the
skills and protocols and prepares you to work anywhere in
the country, rural or urban,” he said. “I feel like the things
we’ve learned ready us for any situation that would happen in
any geographical area. It speaks volumes that this program
prepares us to go anywhere in the country or anywhere in the
world, and be recognized for excellence when we get there.”
Spires said he plans to return to an urban setting for his
EMT career. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
the health care field that includes EMTs and paramedics is
expected to grow by more than 20 percent in coming years in
both rural and urban areas.
Teresa Stewart ’81 ’98 MHS is one of the graduates who has
experienced almost everything, almost everywhere. Stewart has
been deployed to several catastrophes that still resonate and
that have left wounds yet to heal, such as Hurricane Katrina
that struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, Hurricane Ike that cut a
swath of destruction through the East Coast in 2008 and the
2010 Haiti earthquake.
“Our students have excelled in moving North Carolina to
the forefront in EMS delivery at local, county, regional, state
and national levels,” Stewart said. “The WCU program is now
heavily into research for patient care and techniques. The new
College of Health and Human Sciences Building is beautiful
and functional. Today’s students have access to technologies
we did not.”
Stewart was active in local, regional and state EMS for
20 years through the community college system. Today, she
works with the National Disaster Medical System, a federally
coordinated health care operation and partnership of the
U.S. departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland
Security, Defense and Veterans Affairs. The National Disaster
Medical System supports local, state and tribal officials
following emergencies and disasters. “Folks in the field of
EMS see things that most people have no clue about. We’re
privy to how people really live, from wealthy to homeless and
everyone in between, folks who have nothing and folks who
have just lost everything,” Stewart said. “I’ve had the privilege
to bring lives into this world, help people stay alive, witness
death from multiple causes, and interact with their family,
friends and caregivers.”
Away from work, Stewart continues her EMS involvement in
a volunteer capacity. She is active with the National Ski Patrol
System, where she frequently teaches outdoor emergency care
technician classes and refreshers, and mentors others. She keeps
strong ties with WCU, working with Ben Tholkes, associate
professor in the Parks and Recreation Management Program,
conducting outdoor emergency response and wilderness safety
training on campus.
Melisa McNeil ’05 MHS ’08 is director of WCU’s Emergency
Medical Care Program and an assistant professor. A product
of the program, McNeil is now in her second year as director.
From her office in the Health and Human Sciences Building,
she said with a laugh, “Once I got my bachelor’s here, I never
left.” She isn’t alone. Two-thirds of the program’s faculty are
WCU graduates, she said.
“I feel so incredibly lucky to have gotten involved and still
be involved,” McNeil said. “The people who shaped me are now
the people I work with. I can’t imagine being anywhere else.
To have been educated by a leading researcher, and a medical
director who took students under his wing working extra hours,
and the rest of the faculty, giving their best to mold me and
others…. I’ve been working with
these folks for over a decade and
I know I’m lucky.”
The dedication of instructors
helps build the university’s
reputation in the field, alumni
say. Faculty tend to teach at
WCU for many years and carry
an institutional knowledge, as
well as the best credentials in
lifesaving training techniques.
WCU was among the first
nationally to use lifelike simulation mannequins, controlled
by an instructor at a nearby computer, which presents students
with a variety of patient care scenarios.
“The EMC program has been a part of my life for almost
25 years,” said Denise Wilfong ’94 MHS ’00, an assistant
professor. “With the exception of medical director, I have
held every single role within the program: student, alumna,
part-time instructor, visiting instructor, assistant professor,
associate professor, clinical coordinator and program director,”
Wilfong said.
“This program and all involved with it have been and are
my life. The opportunities the program offers students and
alumni are invaluable over the duration of their academic and
professional careers,” she said.
Trevor Goldman, a senior from Chapel Hill, was a volunteer
firefighter and EMT back home in Orange County. His ambition
now is to further his education and, with a degree, prepare for
a long-term professional career. “With a bigger skill set comes
a bigger sense of responsibility,” Goldman said. “As an EMT,
it’s more gratifying when the outcomes are good and you feel
more responsible. And you feel bad when it isn’t, but you know
you did your best.”
A graduate’s career is not limited to the field of paramedics.
Alumni may find themselves in professions such as health and
safety education or work as physicians or physician assistants, as
well as researchers and EMS administrators. Faculty reiterated
there are many pathways from which to choose for graduates.
“Students are typically drawn to the EMC program out
of a motivation to care for others,” said Michael Hubble,
professor and director of graduate and distance programs.
“Such motivations sometimes rise out of personal experiences
such as witnessing a medical emergency and feeling ill-prepared
to offer assistance. Others may have more practical and goal-oriented
motivations such as entering into a field such as
EMS where jobs are plentiful, or using the EMC degree as
an entry mechanism into medical school or physician
assistant programs.”
EMC students select a concentration in either health science
or health management. A distance education option also has
proven popular with working professionals and students in
the military.
“We have a very large cohort of students in the distance
program,” Hubble said. “As a criterion for admission, all
students in the distance program must be practicing paramedics
or U.S. Army special forces combat medics. Consequently, the
greatest challenges for these students include balancing work
and family commitments with the commitments associated
with being a student. In addition, our military students may
be deployed to foreign lands, including combat zones, which
presents additional challenges for this student population. We
try to address these challenges of our students by ensuring that
they are aware of the demands of the program prior to enrolling.
We also provide a higher level of support in terms of academic
advising and greater flexibility in assignment deadlines.”
The EMC program stays at the cutting edge of training and
technology in preparing to meet the challenges of real-world
medical emergencies in a variety of roles. “As a paramedic for
the past 30-plus years, my patients have taught me that there
is no ‘typical’ presentation of illness or injury, and it requires
an astute clinician to pick up on the oftentimes subtle clues
that reveal the diagnosis,” Hubble said. “As well, my students
often become my teachers. They are the ones who send me
searching for answers to questions that I would likely have
never considered, and by doing so, I receive the same gift of
enlightenment as my students.”
“We are educators, researchers and
explorers, taught to think out of the
box by our mentors in Cullowhee.”
– Joseph Zalkin ’81
(Top photo)
Teresa Stewart ’81
’91 MHS captured
the photo above
during her assistance
with the 2010 Haiti
earthquake, with a
death toll of more
than 100,000 people.
(Lower photo)
Melisa McNeil ’05
MHS ’08, director of
WCU’s Emergency
Medical Care
Program, speaks at
a program alumni
reunion on campus
in June.
Recording vital signs
and observing a
patient’s condition
and symptoms under
pressure require
confidence and calm
acquired through
training and practice.
Winter 2017| 41
TAKING A STAND
AN ASHEVILLE ATTORNEY IS RECOGNIZED WITH A STATEWIDE ‘CITIZEN
LAWYER’ AWARD FOR HER CONTRIBUTIONS BEYOND THE COURTROOM
By KEITH BRENTON
A multiple award-winning attorney
recently acknowledged for her civic
contributions, Jacqueline D. Grant
’92 has been taking a stand for people
who need an advocate both inside
and beyond the courtroom since her
professional career began. The partner
and litigator at the Asheville law firm
Roberts & Stevens realized early on she
wanted to fill that role.
“I knew I wanted to be a lawyer
after taking a government and civics
class in high school,” Grant said. “I
enjoyed learning about the law and the
application of law in society. During
a mock trial exercise, I found that I
enjoyed making legal arguments and
being an advocate for people.”
She brought that ambition with her
as a WCU student and decided to major
in political science. “I chose Western
Carolina University because of its
location and size,” Grant said. “WCU
was not too large where a student could
get lost in the crowd. The class size in the
political science department
allowed me to get to
know my professors
and vice versa.”
Her academic
prowess and drive
was a factor in her
choice, as well. “I also
chose WCU because I was
admitted into the honors program
and received a scholarship,” Grant said.
“WCU had an excellent honors program.
I was fortunate to graduate from WCU
and law school with no student debt.”
Grant credits her choice of political
science as her major at WCU with
helping her build the skills she needed
to pursue a career in law. “Two of the
best political science professors I had
at WCU were Gordon Mercer and Don
Livingston. Their classes required a lot
of analytical thinking, which is essential
in the practice of law,” she said.
Mercer, professor emeritus of political
science, fondly recalls Grant as one of
his top students. “I enjoyed having her in
classes, as she was well prepared and did
well on class assignments,” he said. “She
defended her views in class discussions
very well. I can see how she became a
highly respected attorney for those she
represents, as she prepares so well for
all she does in life.”
Livingston, whose research interests
focus on American politics, Congress
and the presidency, agreed with
Mercer’s assessment of their former
pupil. “Jacqueline Grant ranks among
the very best students I have had the
pleasure of teaching during my long
career in higher education,” he said. “I
am so thankful our paths crossed here
in Cullowhee, and I am so proud of her.
She has accomplished so much.”
Graduating from WCU magna cum
laude (with high honors) in 1992, she
began her studies at the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and
received her law degree from there
in 1995. Grant’s work at the Roberts
& Stevens firm in Asheville has
encompassed the fields of complex
personal injury, employment law,
general civil litigation, labor and
employment, insurance defense and
medical malpractice on behalf of
hospitals and physicians.
“I enjoy the trial work aspect of my
practice,” she said. Preparing for trail
provides her with ongoing opportunities
to new knowledge in unexpected areas,
she said. “The medical malpractice cases
are unique because you have to learn
the medicine in order to defend the
cases. Therefore, each case provides an
opportunity to learn something new,”
Grant said. A colleague in the North
Carolina Bar Association, Brandon A.
Robinson ’05 MA ’10, calls Grant “a
devastating litigator.”
The recognitions resulting from her
focus on her practice read like a wish-list
of Who’s Who accolades for an
attorney in Western North Carolina.
They include “The Best Lawyers in
America,” 2013 Lawyer of the Year in
Asheville for Medical Malpractice Law-
Defendants Business North Carolina
Magazine’s “Legal Elite” for employment
law in 2013 and 2016, Litigation Counsel
of America Fellow from 2011 until 2014
North Carolina “Super Lawyer” in
personal injury defense and medical
malpractice since 2011 and many more.
But with one exception, professional
achievements are not Grant’s favorite
items on her resume. That exception
is being named recipient of the North
Carolina Bar Association’s Citizen
Lawyer Award in 2016 in recognition
of her contributions in the community.
“This was an unexpected and nice
surprise,” she said. “As a lawyer, I
believe it is important to give back to
the community and make improvements
in society where we can.”
So she has. Her list of community
involvement is lengthy, and includes
serving on the boards of directors of
Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity,
Asheville-Buncombe Institute of Parity
Achievement, Big Brothers/Big Sisters
of Western North Carolina, Mountain
Area Child and Family Center,
Mountain Area Hospice Foundation,
the University of North Carolina at
Asheville Foundation and both the
YMCA of Western North Carolina
and YWCA of Asheville.
Grant also has served
as a member of the
City of Asheville
S u s t a i n a b l e
E c o n o m i c
De v e l o pme nt
Task Force, and she
is a member of the WCU
Board of Visitors (along with
fellow attorney Robinson). In 2015, she
moderated a forum featuring the three
women justices serving on the North
Carolina Supreme Court.
Despite the length of her resume,
for Grant, one single professional
achievement stands out among the
rest: She served in the progression
of vice president, president-elect and
president of the 28th Judicial District
Bar Association, beginning in 2012
and concluding her term as president
in 2015. “My tenure as president of the
28th Judicial District Bar was significant
because I was the first African-American
female to serve in this position,”
Grant said.
Her many contributions outside
of the courtroom make Grant “…an
extraordinary person and a model
citizen, and we are all very grateful for
her service to our community,” said
David Whilden, president of the Board
of Directors for the Asheville Area
Habitat for Humanity.
alumni
SPOTLIGHT
“AS A LAWYER, I BELIEVE IT IS IMPORTANT TO
GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY AND MAKE
IMPROVEMENTS IN SOCIETY WHERE WE CAN.”
–JACQUELINE D. GRANT ’92
40 | The Magazine of Western Carolina University
Jacqueline D. Grant
’92 enjoys gaining new
knowledge through her
preparation for medical
malpractice cases and
other trial work.
42 | The Magazine of Western Carolina University Winter 2017| 43
TRUE GRIT
A MUSIC ALUMNUS IS HITTING THE HIGH NOTES
AS AN OPERA PERFORMER AND EDUCATOR
By RANDALL HOLCOMBE
Mitchell Hutchings ’07 has
demonstrated his operatic skills at
Carnegie Hall and in locations as far-flung
as the Czech Republic, but one
particular vocal performance sticks in
his min