CULLOWHEE – How many universities can say 15-20 percent of each freshman class plays in their marching band? “The Pride of the Mountains Marching Band is a phenomenon,” Western Carolina University Chancellor David Belcher declares in the accompanying video. “It’s become a tradition here,” Belcher says.  “But I tell you, it’s part of the learning experience… READ MORE

CULLOWHEE – Western Carolina Chancellor David Belcher isn’t bashful about Western’s origin as a teacher’s college. “Western Carolina University really began to produce teachers to educate the children of the mountains.  And from that moment ‘til now, education has been a focus, and we have been really good at it,” Belcher says in the accompanying video…. READ MORE

CULLOWHEE –  While people in other parts of the state wring their hands over the rural-urban divide, the folks at Western Carolina University live it every day. The university is intensely focused on its students, Western Carolina Chancellor David Belcher says in the accompanying video. “This is what Western lives every single day,” he says…. READ MORE

CULLOWHEE – Western Carolina University’s commitment to its region is nearly as strong as its commitment to its students – it seems most of Chancellor David Belcher’s sentences end with “Western North Carolina” or “this region.” So what will it take to make Western greater? Students from Western North Carolina, which tends to lag the rest… READ MORE