In this episode of Western Wednesdays, alumni and friends of Western Carolina University share their journey from students to healthcare professionals at the Cherokee Indian Hospital, dedicated to serving the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. These incredible catamounts discuss the unique challenges and rewards of providing culturally sensitive care within their community, offering insights into the intersection of education, culture, and healthcare in the heart of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Join us for a special live episode of Western Wednesdays as we celebrate WCU's annual day of giving, One Day for Western. Tune in to hear our students share their stories of impact and learn how you can support our university's legacy with a single day of generosity.

Join us on this week's Western Wednesdays episode as we chat with Amanda Muse, a talented film composer based in Los Angeles, California, who graduated from Western Carolina University. Amanda shares insights into her journey from the mountains of western North Carolina to the heart of Hollywood, discussing her musical inspirations, creative process, and experiences scoring for the silver screen. Tune in for an engaging conversation about the intersection of WCU roots and cinematic flair in the world of film composition.

In this episode of Western Wednesdays, we sit down with Brenda Gorsuch, a seasoned educator who graduated from Western Carolina University. With a career devoted to shaping young minds, Brenda shares insights from her journey as a high school journalism and yearbook teacher, offering a unique perspective on the challenges and triumphs within the ever-evolving field of education.

When she was a high school student in rural eastern North Carolina, Debbie Wright’s algebra teacher happened to submit her name to a National Science Foundation math program. Soon, Debbie was one of ten students selected to participate in the program, which was held in Cullowhee.

 She was in the right place at the right time—and her experiences in that program influenced her so much that she looked beyond Cornell and Purdue to come back to WCU for her undergraduate degree. There, she found her way in the sciences and into Professor Paul Wright’s genetics lab, a vanguard program at the time.

 For Debbie, it was once again the chance to be in the right place at the right time. I hope you’ll give this interview a listen to learn about how Debbie strung together all of those serendipitous moments into a long, distinguished career that ultimately led her to become the chief legal counsel for patents at Kraft. Those accomplishments and more led WCU’s Alumni Association to bestow the Professional Achievement Award upon Debbie this past fall.

In this episode, we shine the spotlight on Victoria Ladd and Courtney Gunter, two outstanding Catamounts from Western Carolina University's women's golf team. Victoria shares her passion for the game and the dedication that helped propel the team to regional and national success, while Courtney unveils her strategic approach and the lessons learned from her journey as a coach and former collegiate golfer.

In this episode, we explore the life and work of David Joy, an alumnus of Western Carolina University and a critically acclaimed author. Joy's writing is rooted in the Appalachian region, and his novels and essays often explore themes of poverty, addiction, and the natural world. Join us as we dive into Joy's background, discuss his literary influences, and examine some of his most notable works. Through our conversation, we gain insight into Joy's unique perspective on life in the American South and the power of storytelling to capture the complexities of the human experience.

What do Maya Angelou, Dick Vitale, and Tammy Bakker all have in common? They've all been on the other side of the camera from Will and Deni McIntyre. We had the chance to sit down with these former catamounts to talk about a life, and career, in photography and video production.

As we enter into the heart of the college admission cycle, it’s worth asking: what is the value of a college degree? What drives the cost of higher education? What’s the best way to pay for it?
 
We’ve pulled together an expert panel to help answer these questions and more, including Phil Cauley ’83, WCU’s associate vice chancellor for undergraduate admissions, Dr. Sean Mulholland, professor of economics, and Donna Winbon ’80, a financial planner.

Western Carolina University was founded in the late 19th century as a teachers college and has graduated thousands of educators who have poured their hearts into classrooms in the region and across the state. But it is safe to say that today's public school classroom is unlike any other in American history. This month we're going to talk about what that classroom looks like. 

Joining us for our discussion is Dr. Kim Winter, Dean of the College of Education and Allied Professions, Dr. Marlow Artis, principal of Craven Early College High School, Dr. Dana Ayers, Superintendent of Jackson County Schools, Kayleigh McAlister Kassel, middle school teacher at the Catamount School, and Maggie King, assistant principal of Waynesville and Canton middle schools. 

Few things about WCU’s Pride of the Mountains marching band fly under the radar—a 500-member ensemble is hard to miss, after all. However, Western’s marching band has changed leadership and education in our region in a way that few other organizations at WCU or anywhere in the system can lay claim to. 

Join us this Western Wednesday as we learn about the band’s impact off of the field, including its plans to bring the Pride of the Mountains across the pond. We’ll hear from POTM director Jack Eaddy and staff, current students, and local band director and POTM alumnus Alex Larsen ’17.

WCU’s recently updated mission statement specifically calls for a “robust connectedness” with the communities of southern Appalachia, including the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, or EBCI. That relationship is the topic of this month’s Western Wednesday. Join Marty Ramsey as he talks with Sky Sampson, director of WCU’s Cherokee Center, and other panelists about the exciting work happening on campus and on the Qualla Boundary.

It’s shaping up to be an exciting fall in Cullowhee! Join WCU’s Office of Engagement and the Division of Athletics for a preview of the fall Catamount Sports season at this month’s Western Wednesday! 
Special guests include:
Kerwin Bell, Head Football Coach
Karen Glover, Head Volleyball Coach
Chad Miller, Head Women’s Soccer Coach
Jesse Norman, Head Cross Country Coach
Daniel Hooker, Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations

The Los Angeles Rams have backup quarterbacks. They have a backup coaching staff. But they only have one director of performance nutrition and wellness, and that is Joey Blake '12. Blake, who graduated from Western with a degree in dietetics and nutrition, joined the Rams organization in 2017, and now he's responsible for the dietary needs of a five billion-dollar franchise. Join us as we hear from Joey about how he's applying his Western education at the highest level of professional sports.

In this month's episode we'll be taking a behind the scenes look at the making of Bells in the Valley—a 22 minute documentary of the history of Western Carolina University. Originally produced as part of WCU’s centennial celebration in 1989, the documentary was updated in 2012, and then again in 2022, to include some of WCU’s more recent history.

We sat down with Arledge Armenaki who served as producer and director, Bruce Frazier who composed and recorded the original music and served as the music consultant, and with Gurney Chambers who served as the narrator for all three renditions of Bells in the Valley. All three of our guests are also former faculty members of Western Carolina University.

On February 24th, 2022, Vladimir Putin sent Russian armed forces into the country of Ukraine, beginning a war in Ukraine that is still impacting the region and the world, today. We sat down with associate professor of history, Dr. David Dorondo, to take an in-depth look at what led to this moment, how it has developed, and how it will impact the future of Ukraine and the world. 

In the fall of 2021, WCU opened the doors of a brand new, 110 million dollar science building bearing the name of one of the university’s fiercest advocates, Senator Tom Apodaca. This state-of-the-art building was part of a 2 billion dollar state bond that was approved by voters and just one of the many projects supported by Senator Apodaca during his tenure in the state legislature.

Since most folks haven’t been able to see the 183,000 square foot building in person, we decided to bring the building to you. We had the chance to take a tour through the building with Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, David Kinner, to see the impact this facility is going to have on our students. 

While Western Wednesdays have been around for 18 months, we’re excited to bring it to you in the world of podcasts. Every month we’ll be sitting down with alumni from all different backgrounds to talk about how WCU influenced them and their careers.

To kick things off, we spent an evening catching up with Ronnie Carr and Henry Logan about their impact on catamount basketball. Steve White, catamount athletics historian, moderated an incredible conversation about their time at WCU and beyond. We hope you enjoy the show.