Company Profile
Western Carolina University
Company Overview
Western Carolina University offers a collaborative community of faculty and staff eager to partner together to support the success of our students and our institution. We attract employees who are inspired to work in higher education because of the difference we can make together in the lives of the more than 10,000 students who study at WCU. For a few other reasons WCU is a great place to work:
Do you like being involved in the local community? So do we. We have robust service learning and community outreach efforts that invite students, faculty and staff to serve our local community in an ever-growing number of ways.
Western Carolina University has been named the Top Adventure College in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Our main campus in Cullowhee is situated 15 minutes from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway. We have a biking and hiking trail on campus and many more in the area.
We attract students who are eager to excel. WCU has the oldest and largest Honors College in the UNC system and is consistently among the Top 5 institutions nationally for undergraduate research projects accepted to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research.
We are a cultural hub for the region. Our College of Fine and Performing Arts produces professional-quality theater under the direction of Broadway star Terrance Mann, and our music programs are recognized as some of the best in the state. Our Pride of the Mountains Marching Band has been invited to the Macy's parade and the Tournament of Roses Parade.
Our healthcare programs are some of the most competitive in the southeast and are housed in an incredible LEED-certified facility complete with some of the best technology in teaching along with community clinics for applied learning.
For more information, please visit our website at http://www.wcu.edu/
Awards
Western Carolina University (WCU) has been honored in multiple areas demonstrating our commitment to our students, faculty, staff and our community. Our distinguished faculty includes national award-winning authors, nationally and internationally recognized experts, and winners of Emmy, O’Henry, and National Endowment for the Arts awards – to name a few. WCU has been named a Top Green College by Princeton Review, is among the Top 5 for Undergraduate Research in the nation, and has been named by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance as a Best College Value. Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine has named WCU the Number 1 Outdoor Adventure College for three years running. The WCU Pride of the Mountains Marching Band is a Sudler Trophy recipient, having led the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Rose Bowl Parade. WCU is ranked by U.S. News & World Report in the Top 12 Best Online Programs for the Military as well as #27 among institutions in the South for Best Colleges for Veterans.
Faculty and Staff are honored annually with a broad range of Teaching, Scholarship and service honors. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.wcu.edu/
Diversity and Inclusion
Western Carolina University has a commitment to recruiting and retaining diverse employees who bring to our campus varied perspective and cultural understanding. Our Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Programs aspires to strengthen diversity as an integral component of excellence at WCU. Among public universities, our institution leads the region in student body diversity, and our diversity metrics are growing.
Our Mission (who we are):
To improve individual lives and enhance economic and community development in our region, state and nation through engaged learning opportunities in our academic programs, educational outreach, research and creative activities, and cultural activities.
Our Core Values and Guiding Principles (what guides and inspires us):
Excellence in Scholarship, Teaching, and Learning
Collaboration with and Respect for our Communities
Free and Open Interchange of Ideas
Responsible Stewardship and Organizational Effectiveness
Organizational and Environmental Sustainability
Cultural Diversity and Equal Opportunity
Our Vision Statement (who we want to be):
To be a national model for student learning and engagement that embraces its responsibilities as a regionally engaged university.
Company History
WCU was founded in August 1889 as a semi-public secondary school and chartered as Cullowhee High School in 1891. The founder, Professor Robert Lee Madison, wanted to provide an education for the young people in the region and train teachers to spread education throughout the western part of the state. In 1893, the Legislature designated the school as the first publicly funded normal school.
Over the next 40 years, the school expanded its curriculum and evolved into a junior college, and in 1929 it was chartered by the legislature as a four-year institution under the name Western Carolina Teachers College. Often called “the Cullowhee experiment,” Madison’s idea became the model for the other regional colleges in the state.
The demand for the liberal arts and programs in other areas of learning led to an expansion of the school's offerings. Postgraduate studies and the Master of Arts in Education degree were added to the curriculum in 1951 after several decades of rapid growth and sweeping changes. In 1953, the name Western Carolina College was adopted.
In 1967, the institution was designated a regional university by the North Carolina General Assembly and Western Carolina University was given its current title. And, on July 1, 1972, WCU became a member of the University of North Carolina system.
Adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains, WCU has a commitment to the rich traditions of the Appalachian and Cherokee cultures. Its Mountain Heritage Center, Cherokee Center, and the online archives of Hunter Library's Digital Collections reflect this influence—at the same time providing irreplaceable educational resources for the region.
The Millennial Initiative, doubling the size of the campus in 2005, is a growing knowledge enterprise zone where university faculty and students, private industry, and government partners conduct research and development into scientific and technological innovations that have commercial applications. WCU continues its promise to the region by giving students intensive, hands-on educational opportunities while simultaneously promoting economic development.
Benefits
Western Carolina University offers a wide array of high quality benefit plans from which to choose. These include comprehensive health and welfare insurance plans, a choice between two retirement programs, both of which provide a valuable retirement benefit, as well as optional retirement savings opportunities. Employees also benefit from a generous leave program. For more information please visit our benefits page at http://old.northcarolina.edu/hr/ga/benefits/leave/index.htm