WCU Educational OUTREACH • page 1
See The Power of Partnership, page 5
The Power of Partnership:
U. S. Army Green Berets Attend Western
by Chuck Gross
Whether their knowledge has come
from personal experience, or from
watching a Hollywood movie or the
History Channel, many people know at
least a little bit about the U. S. Army
Special Forces. Known commonly as
“ Green Berets,” these unique soldiers
make up the most specialized combat
forces in the Army. Their activities
range from thwarting acts of terrorism
to supporting humanitarian efforts.
They engage in foreign internal
defense, special reconnaissance,
unconventional warfare, and a broad
range of other types of military
missions. However, what few people
at Western Carolina realize is that,
through a partnership with the US
Army and the Servicemembers
Opportunity College, Special Forces
Medical Sergeants are now enrolled
as students in Western’s Emergency
Medical Care ( EMC) Bachelor of
Science online degree program.
Western’s online EMC degree program
allows paramedics with roughly two
years of college to complete a four-year
bachelor of science degree. This
program, the first of its kind in the
country, has been in operation since
1977. In the fall of 2000, EMC faculty
members began offering courses in an
online format, primarily to paramedics
in North Carolina who wished to
complete a bachelors degree while
continuing to work.
In 2006, knowing that Special Forces
Medical Sergeants, who are also
referred to by their occupational
specialty code of 18 Delta, would
make superb candidates for the
online EMC program, leaders from
the Educational Outreach Division and
Department of Health Sciences began
exploring the possibility of offering
the EMC program to this elite group.
After more than a year of coordination
with officials from the Army
Continuing Education System and the
Servicemembers Opportunity College
in Washington, D. C., and also from the
Army’s JFK Special Warfare Center
and School at Fort Bragg, Western’s
Educ ational Ou tre ach
November 2008
Patricia A. Brown
Dear
Colleagues:
Fall 2008 marks
the launch of the
University’s new image.
Its brand message,
“ WCU offers opportunities for those who
aspire to make a difference in their world”
sets the tone and direction of the University
in serving the learning needs of our students,
the role of our faculty and our engagement in
the community. This issue of the Educational
Outreach newsletter features a number of
partnership relationships that capture the
meaning behind the message. It further invites
faculty to engage in opportunities of engaged
scholarship and service. And, it updates the
reader on directions of the Division in fulfilling
its core mission.
Since our last issue, Educational Outreach
has gone through a review and subsequent
restructure to include oversight for the
Asheville Graduate programs and all off- site
programs both distance learning and resident.
A roster of offices and contacts are included for
ready reference.
Our 2007- 2008 annual report is now in print.
Should you want a copy please contact our
main office at 828- 227- 7397.
Our goals for 2008- 2009 continue to include
enrollment growth and the enhancement and
integration of distance learning. Our expanded
focus includes resident as well as distance
learners thus blurring the lines between what
were distinctively separate entities. As we move
forward we are focusing more and more on
student retention. How can we best serve our
learners? UNC Tomorrow is now serving as
our framework for action with a strong focus
on 4.2 “ Expanding Access to Underrepresented
Populations.” As we forge ahead in our efforts
we look forward to working with you in
fulfilling our common goals.
Patricia A. Brown, Dean
Educational Outreach
Tri- County Community College is
located in the westernmost tip of
North Carolina on Highway 64 in
Murphy, NC with the Graham County
Center in Robbinsville, NC. The
College serves commuter students
in a remote, rural area consisting of
Cherokee, Clay and Graham counties.
The Distance Education programs
offered by Western Carolina University,
Educational Outreach and Tri- County
Community College have helped
students successfully achieve their
educational goals by working together
to provide services and degree
programs that allow students to take
classes closer to their home on the
campus of Tri- County Community
College.
Western Carolina University and
Tri- County Community College
partnership currently offers two
cohort degree programs on the
campus of Tri- County Community
College; the Bachelor of Science in
Elementary Education and Bachelor
of Science in Birth- Kindergarten.
Students can complete Liberal Studies
core requirements and other required
prerequisites courses through Tri-
County Community College prior
to starting the cohort program.
Western Carolina University offers
the remaining classes for the major
through various formats that include
face to face, on- line, ITV and hybrid
classes.
Students like Rebecca Mathis
would not have been able to pursue
their educational goals without the
opportunity to take classes on the
campus of Tri- County Community
College through the Elementary
Education cohort program. Rebecca
explains, “ I have always wanted to be a
teacher, but after high school I wanted
to start my family right away. Little did
I know how hard it would be to go back
and finish a degree. Since I'm a single
mother with a full time job, I would
not have time to travel the distance
to Western to attend classes. The
cohort program has allowed me the
opportunity to achieve my dream of
being a teacher." Rebecca is scheduled
to graduate in May 2009.
Partnership with Tri- County Community College
Helps Students Reach Their Goals
By Debra Smith
Our partnership with TCCC also
allows students an opportunity to
talk to an advisor prior to visiting the
campus. WCU's office on the campus
of TCCC has been set up to help
students understand the admission
process, transfer of credits, degree
requirements and prerequisites
needed for a particular major. WCU’s
recently implemented 2 Step program
has been a great recruiting tool and a
resource guide for students interested
in transferring and completing a four
year degree. Our partnership with Tri-
County Community College results in
students that are more successful in
achieving their educational goals and
the benefits of attending each college
is recognized.
- - - - - -
Lonnie Dockery, our new regional
coordinator at Tri- County Community
College, began work this month. To
contact Lonnie, see the phone listings on
page 8 of this newsletter.
Educational Outreach is increasingly receiving requests for speakers for
community events. The range of interests is broad and provides faculty
numerous opportunities to share their expertise with others. If you are
interested in being listed in the roster of speakers please contact our
office at 828- 227- 7397.
We will be updating the list over the next few months. If you are
currently listed you will be contacted to update your file. Check out the
Educational Outreach Web site to see who and what opportunities are
in the roster.
WCU Speaker’s Bureau
By Pat Brown
page 2 • WCU Educational OUTREACH
WCU Educational OUTREACH • page 3
The partnership between Western
Carolina University ( WCU) and Western
Piedmont Community College ( WPCC)
is more than a partnership between
two schools; it is a relationship
between two communities— WCU and
Burke County. Indeed, the business
and education ( all levels) communities
have warmly welcomed and embraced
having a Regional Coordinator for WCU
in Burke County. Soon after arriving
last summer ( 2007), I was invited to
join the Education Committee of the
Burke County Chamber of Commerce
and the local Business/ Industry/
Education Council ( hosted by the
public schools). Both groups meet
monthly and offer great opportunities
for collaboration.
The nearly three dozen Burke County
leaders in business and education who
have been participating in the current
Educational Needs Assessment
express great pleasure at Western’s
initiating the process. The community
clearly looks forward to the continued
and growing association with Western.
One of the business folks commented,
“ I hope you’re here to stay.”
WCU has been reaching out to the
Burke County community for many
years and has established a wonderful
reputation. A Western Piedmont
Community College student, a mother
of five, sat in my office recently and
exclaimed, “ I just love Western.” She
said it rather matter- of- factly, largely
because she greatly appreciates the
responsiveness of everyone with whom
she has had contact at Western as
she looks forward to completing her
associate degree and transferring to
Western. Other students have made
similar remarks for the same reason.
WPCC students have enjoyed having
someone from Western on the WPCC
campus where they can just drop in if
needed, if only to brainstorm options
and to get contact information. They
appreciate having such ready access
to help them look beyond community
college. This seems especially true of
those who have lost jobs in which they
had worked for many years. Returning
to school offers new hope for many
of those affected in a region that has
been hit hard with many plant closings
and the loss of several thousand jobs.
WCU/ WPCC Partnership is a Benefit for Both Institutions
By Jim Craig
As with many areas of the state there
is a growing need for more people
trained in various areas of technology
and healthcare ( Burke is promoting
itself as an area to which people would
like to retire), and there is a great need
for teachers in the public schools.
Helping to promote and to recruit for
these areas is a shared responsibility.
The relationship among WPCC, Burke
County, and WCU will continue to
grow. There is a common vision of
sharing and complementing respective
strengths to meet the educational
needs of our current and future
workforce.
- - - - - -
Jim Craig is WCU’s regional
coordinator at WPCC.
page 4 • WCU Educational OUTREACH
Wanted:
A Few Good Faculty Members
By Cynthia Bruce
Military Education Director, American Council of Education
While many colleges and universities
accept the American Council on
Education ( ACE) Military Programs
recommended credit for military
courses and occupations, some
may not be aware of how those
recommendations are formulated.
ACE Military Programs evaluators
are drawn from postsecondary
institutions, professional and
disciplinary societies, education
associations, and regional accrediting
associations. Therefore, if you are
actively teaching college- level courses
and are receptive to recommending
academic credit for learning in
an extra- institutional setting, we
encourage your participation.
The Evaluation Process
Courses are evaluated by teams
of at least three subject matter
specialists ( college and university
professors, deans, and other
academicians). Through discussion
and the application of evaluation
procedures and guidelines, team
members reach a consensus on the
amount and category of credit to be
recommended. Evaluation materials
include the course syllabus, training
materials, tests, textbooks, technical
manuals, and examinations. Additional
information may be obtained from
discussions with instructors and
program administrators, classroom
observations, and examination
of instructional equipment and
laboratory facilities.
Evaluators have two major tasks
for each course: the preparation
of the courses description and
the formulation of a credit
recommendation. The credit
recommendation consists of the
category of credit, the number of
semester hours recommended,
and the appropriate subject area.
Evaluators phrase the course
description ( which appears in the
Guide exhibits under the headings
Learning Outcomes or Objectives
and Instruction) in terms meaningful
to civilian educators. The course
description supplements the credit
recommendations by summarizing the
nature of a given course.
Military students are increasingly finding Western Carolina University a military friendly
institution. This past year we saw a 32% increase in the number of military students. These
include active duty personnel, many of whom are enrolled in online programs, National
Guard members, veterans and military dependents. Some 70% of our military students are on
campus as resident students.
Military students come with a history of credit worthy education and training that is
not always understood. The American Council of Education manages the process of
assessment and credit award for military education. Cynthia Bruce, Director of Military
Education recently published the article “ Wanted: A Few Good Faculty Members” in the
Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges newsletter and has given us permission to publish
her invitation in our newsletter. Cynthia has also agreed to come to campus in February to
conduct a military education workshop. Details of her visit will follow.
Opening Doors
By Pat Brown
WCU Educational OUTREACH • page 5
Selection of Evaluators
Evaluators are drawn from a pool of
faculty members. Evaluation teams are
selected by the Program Evaluations
Content Review Committee. The
Content Review Committee meets
weekly to determine the appropriate
content/ academic areas from which
the slate of potential evaluators for
each review team should be drawn.
Members of the Committee reflect a
diversity of backgrounds in academe
as well as professional experience.
After the evaluation team has been
formed, the Associate Director of
Military Evaluations confers with
them, reviewing the procedures and
responsibilities with which they are
charged in conducting the review.
Signing up to Serve
ACE Review Teams ensure that what
an individual learns is more than
when, where, and how the individual
learned it. Serving on a team helps
ensure a formalized process that
colleges and universities can trust
and allows team members to network
and learn from colleagues across
the country while validating and
supporting students' non- traditional
learning.
ACE is currently seeking faculty
evaluators to aid in recommending
academic credit for learning in
extra- institutional settings. To be
considered as a prospective evaluator,
please complete and submit the
online Evaluator Application at
https:// militaryguides. acenet. edu/
EvaluatorForm. htm. To qualify, you
must be actively teaching college- level
courses. If you have specific questions
about signing up or the evaluator
process, send an email to evaluator@
ace. nche. edu; call the Lifelong
Learning Resource Center at 202- 939-
9470 or toll free 866- 205- 6267; or
visit our Evaluator website at http://
www. acenet. edu/ evaluators.
When a review is scheduled that
requires your area of content
expertise, you will be contacted
directly and advised of the opportunity
to serve on the ACE team. ACE pays
all evaluators an honorarium and
reimburses all travel expenses related
to the review.
We need faculty from all disciplines,
but are conducting more reviews in
the following fields:
• Bioethics
• Ergonomics
• Foreign language
( Arabic, Farsi, Tajiki, Urdu)
• Gaming
• Homeland Security
• Information Security
• Intelligence
• Logistics and Supply
• Materials Management
• Military Technologies
• Ordnance and Munitions
• Seamanship and Navigation
• Weaponry
To learn more about Military Programs
and its other programs visit our
homepage at http:// www. acenet. edu/
militaryprograms.
page 6 • WCU Educational OUTREACH
This summer marked Western’s 14th
year as a host site for the North
Carolina Teacher Academy.
The North Carolina Teacher Academy
is a professional development
program for teachers established
and funded by the North Carolina
General Assembly. The mission
of the Academy is to support
continuous learning to the growth of
a career teacher by providing quality
professional development in the areas
of school leadership, instructional
methodology, core content, and use of
modern technology in order to enrich
instruction and enhance student
achievement.
From its opening session in July of
1994 through the 2006- 2007 fiscal
year, the Teacher Academy has trained
39,418 teachers and principals,
representing 1,783 schools ( 78%)
from every local education agency in
North Carolina. During the 2006- 2007
fiscal year, two hundred six ( 206)
Teacher Academy trainers provided
instruction.
All North Carolina teachers are eligible
to attend the Teacher Academy as
WCU Hosts North Carolina
Teacher Academy for 14th Year
By Bobby Hensley
part of a team. The Teacher Academy
sessions are held as both Residential
Academies and Local Partnership
Academies. Each Residential session
begins on Sunday evening and ends
after lunch on Thursday. Participants
receive an honorarium of $ 100.00 per
day from the Academy and continuing
education units toward licensure
renewal upon completion of the follow-up
sessions.
Priority in selecting attendees is
given to teams that indicate how their
attendance at a Teacher Academy
session supports their school
improvement goals, specifically
in regard to the professional
development needs identified in that
goal. An administrator is required to
attend as a member of each team.
This year participants chose from
twenty- one topics statewide. All
modules are designed to include
a combination of current theory
complemented by direct hands- on
activities.
This summer, Western will hosted
approximately 600 teachers from
across the state in seven planned
weeks.
" Western Carolina University
has been a Teacher Academy
residential site since our first
Academy in 1994. Through the
years, Western has provided
exceptional service to the
thousands of teachers and
administrators who have
attended Teacher Academy
sessions there. Western's
personal touch and commitment
to honoring teachers is
unsurpassed."
– Julia Kron,
Director, NC Teacher Academy
WCU Educational OUTREACH • page 7
The Power of Partnership
Continued
Bachelor of Science in Emergency
Medical Care became an official Army
Career Degree program in March of
2007. Ten 18 Delta soldiers entered
the program in the spring of 2008,
and another thirty- four entered the
program in the fall term.
Becoming a fully qualified 18 Delta
requires mental discipline, physical
endurance, and a devotion to
academic studies that is possessed by
relatively few people, either military
or civilian. Carefully selected soldiers
must complete an extremely intense
and demanding training program
of instruction in medical sciences,
emergency medical procedures,
and advanced foreign language.
This training lasts over one year,
includes rotations in various medical
specialties, and qualifies the soldier as
the equivalent of an EMT paramedic.
Prior to the establishment of Western’s
EMC program as an Army Career
Degree program,
there was no accredited college or
university that would maximize the
value of this training in terms of
academic credit or allow the soldier
to apply it towards the completion
of a bachelors degree in emergency
medicine. Western’s agreement with
the Army now allows the typical 18
Delta to begin the EMC program
with a guaranteed 52 to 56 transfer
semester credit hours, a figure that
includes 15 hours in liberal studies.
18 Delta soldiers who have never
stepped foot into a traditional college
classroom can enter the EMC program
with nearly two full years of college
credit. In addition, graduates of the
EMC program are fully prepared to
enter medical school or a physician
assistant program— two very common
professional goals of these soldiers.
It should be noted that these
transfer credit hours are not merely
token credits granted as a show of
support for military students. On
the contrary, they are based on the
stringent academic standards and
recommendations of the American
Council on Education ( ACE).
Western’s partnership with the Army is
a classic win- win agreement. Western’s
EMC degree offers the strength and
features that military students must
have: high quality instruction that
is accessible from anywhere in the
world, extremely affordable tuition,
ease in using education benefits, and
ultimately, a degree from a nationally
renowned and regionally- accredited
university. There is no requirement
for these military students to ever
be physically present on campus
or be logged in to online courses at
a specific time. The EMC program
is not cohort based, and the
flexibility offered by EMC professors
is unsurpassed. Several 18 Delta
students currently enrolled in the EMC
program are deployed to Iraq and
other locations.
Western Carolina University also
benefits in a major way from this
partnership. The mandates of UNC
Tomorrow require UNC system
universities to significantly increase
their outreach and services to military
members, as well as military spouses
and children, stationed in NC. This
already fruitful partnership helps
Western to become a system leader
in meeting these mandates, and by
subsequently multiplying enrollments
by military students.
- - - - - -
For more information on military
education at Western Carolina
University, contact Charles Gross,
Director of Military Education
( 828- 227- 2135; cgross@ wcu. edu).
Information on U. S. Special
Forces extracted from
http:// www. goarmy. com.
Western Carolina University is a University of North Carolina campus and an Equal Opportunity Institution. 750 copies of this
public document were printed at a cost of $ XXX. XX or $. XX each. Office of Public Relations/ Publications: November 2008
08- 561
Administration
Dr. Pat Brown, Dean
828- 227- 3070
Dr. Regis Gilman, Associate Dean
828- 227- 3072
Lisa Hoyle, Office Manager
828- 227- 3068
Distance Learning
Distance Education, General
Inquiries 866- 928- 4723
Enrollment Management, Graduate
and Distance Education
Phil Cauley, 828- 227- 2923
Military Education, Services for Military
Students and their Families
Charles Gross, 828- 227- 2135
Distance Learning and Online
Course Development
Valerie Dillard, 828- 227- 3022
Outreach
Programs in Henderson, Transylvania
and Polk Counties; Gerontology and
Aging Programs
Marcia Caserio or Paula Smith,
828- 693- 8375
Programs at Western Piedmont
Community College/ Burke County
Jim Craig, 828- 448- 3507
Programs at Tri- County Community
College ( Murphy, Andrews, Robbinsville
and surrounding areas)
Lonnie Dockery, 828- 227- 7397
Asheville
Programs in Asheville ( UNCA
Graduate Center)
Patsy Miller, 828- 227- 7423
Shirley Bateman, 828- 227- 7423
Student Services
Student Services, University
Experience Course
Bronwen Sheffield, 828- 227- 3074
Continuing Education
Continuing Education, Non- credit
Programs and Certifications,
Professional Development, Conferences
and Workshops
Dr. Susan Fouts, 828- 227- 3688
Bobby Hensley, 828- 227- 3066
Educational Outreach Contacts
Communications and Marketing
Communications, Marketing,
Publications, Web and Print Services
Joni Kenyon, 828- 227- 3069
Jamaica Program
Lois Stiles, 828- 227- 3065
Dr. Patricia Brown, administrator
828- 227- 3070
Cherokee Center
Cherokee Center, Cherokee Students
Roseanna Belt, 828- 497- 7920
Jane Kneller, 828- 497- 7920
Qualla Financial Freedom
Bruce Yarrington, 828- 497- 7920
Contract Programs
Sue Deitz, 828- 227- 3073
Other
Online/ WebCT Technical Assistance
IT Services Help Desk, 828- 227- 7487
Educ ational outre ach
138 Cordelia Camp
Cullowhee, NC 28723