A message from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs No Images? Click here From Move-In to GraduationDuring the Freshman Orientation welcome sessions I usually tell the new students and their families some version of “My two favorite days of the year are Move-In Day and Graduation!” And it’s true – those really are my favorite days of the academic year. I love the Yin and the Yang of it – the Alpha and Omega – bookends to start and close each academic year. I love Move-in Day because of all the excitement, the positive energy, and the optimism of the students and their families as they set up their residence hall rooms, make new friends, and become Catamounts! I like seeing the returning students ease back onto campus that weekend with the confidence of knowing they’re coming home. As we near Graduation some of those feelings are similar, and yet entirely different. I love the optimism and joy of the graduates as they try on those purple robes and take photos out by the Catamount statue. I smile at the relief of the continuing students that they’ve made it through the year and finished another exam week. I’ve enjoyed hearing all of the stories at the different end-of-year banquets and celebrations – you can see the emotions in the tearful “thank you” hugs. And at the Commencement Exercises you can see and hear the joy of family members celebrating their loved ones’ accomplishments. It reminds that we really and truly are in the business of changing people’s lives for the better. No matter where you work in the Division of Student Affairs, I hope you can take a moment to enjoy this frantic, dynamic, opportunity-rich time of year, and celebrate the season. I hope you’ll remember with me that we’ve made a difference for a lot of students this year, and for that, I want to say thank you for all that you do to make WCU so special. Sam Miller
Orientation UpdateWe’re getting geared up for another exciting summer of orientation and would like to thank everyone for your continued support! We realize the big time commitment, the continuous Q&A with students and families, always making yourself available and the multiple sessions you are conducting. Most importantly we appreciate the welcome mat that you put out for these individuals as they enter campus - some for the very first time. Simply put, we can’t do it without you! We’re finalizing our schedules and will share them soon. Notable Changes for Summer 2017CatWalk is dead and has been replaced by Preregistration within MyWCU. Students must be able to access their MyWCU, click into “My Application Status and To-Do List” and complete four items before attending Orientation. These items include tuition deposit submission, housing deposit submission, immunization form submission and Preregistration completion. No, they cannot pass Preregistration and go straight to Orientation. We have our own electronic guide for use this summer that will replace the USB that has been given to students each year. Once students and families have downloaded our branded App they can access the data at any time. Download the WCU App today! Congratulations to our Award Winners!The annual Faculty and Staff Excellence Awards ceremony was held on April 21st. A big congratulations to our Student Affairs award winners - Donna Reynolds is the 2017 recipient of the Judy Dowell award and Counseling and Psychological Services was awarded the Program of Excellence. 2017-2018 SGA ElectionsSGA elections for the 2017-2018 academic year were held on March 20-21, 2017. Each WCU student was sent a personalized email with a unique link for voting. Once the unofficial results were in, students who ran for a position had until Friday, March 24, at noon to file any complaints or grievances regarding the election or campaigning process. 951 votes were cast in this year’s election. The SGA President and Vice President were selected for the upcoming academic year as well as 25 senators. Five senator seats are held each year for incoming freshmen. SGA Exec positions were appointed by the President-Elect in early April. Those positions include Chief Justice (Vinny Sciascia); Chief of Staff (Kelly Parkins); Director of Internal Operations (Lauren Davis); Director of PR & Marketing (Derek Ellison); ASG Delegate (Matt Opinski); Director of Finance (Benjamin Hayes); and Director of Inter-Club Council (Jake Anderson). The SGA advisor is Karen Walker.
SGA President-Elect: Katherine SpaldingKatherine started in August of 2016 as the ASG Delegate on Exec and then moved to Chief of Staff this semester and has also been assisting in RSO recognition. Her major is Psychology and her expected graduation date is May 2019.She will also be inducted into Phi Mu this semester. When asked why she was running for president, this was her response: “Western Carolina University has given me everything and more. Now, my goal is to give back to the University and the student body. As a senator freshman year, I fell in love with the work we do; then after sophomore year on Exec I couldn’t feel more passionate about this organization and representing students on all levels. GO CATS!”
SGA Vice President-Elect: Adam LytleAdam has been a senator with SGA for the past two years and was also a Chancellor’s Ambassador as well as an RA. His major is Entrepreneurship and his minor is Marketing, Professional Writing, with an expected graduation date of May 2018. When asked why he was running for VP, this was his response: “For the past two years, I have served as a senator for our Student Government Association; in those years, I have learned much about what student government can do to best serve our student body. As Student Body Vice President, it would be my hope to take that information and maximize our positive impact on this campus and this community.” Celebrating HESA soon to be Graduates!
Terry ChavisI had no plans of getting a graduate degree in Higher Education while I was in undergraduate. My professional mentor highly recommended me for the Higher Education Student Affairs program; knowing that I would find my niche. I arrived here at WCU and immediately began my journey onto a new path in my career. Starting this program I felt as if I was out of place and made a mistake, but I soon realized that I was very wrong; I had discovered this is where I belonged. With the support of my cohort and the guidance of my professors, I chose to become the first student to complete a thesis in the HESA program. My thesis has encouraged my thinking as a future scholar-practitioner and I look forward to contributing to the field of Assessment, Evaluation, and Research.
Kelsey WoodfordKelsey is currently a second year student in the Masters of Higher Education Student Affairs program at Western Carolina. She serves as the Graduate Assistant in the Center for Service Learning. In this role, she coordinates the first year learning community, The Ripple Effect, as well as helped organize the alternative spring break trip to Nags Head. Originally from Charlotte, NC, Kelsey attend undergraduate at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. After graduation, she moved to Hartford, CT to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Goodwin College. After her VISTA year, she decided to pursue a masters in higher education at Western. Post-graduation, she hopes to continue to work in service learning. Her hobbies include visiting used books stores, enjoying coffee in all forms, and making handmade pizza. Brittany CottonBrittany serves as a Graduate Community Coordinator in the Department of Residential Living working specifically with the sophomore and junior year experience program, Extremes. Brittany facilitates the living-learning experience for upperclass students by implementing inclusive residential and campus-wide programs that encourage student engagement, diversity, and leadership with an emphasis on inclusion. While she has a comprehensive background – as a student and staff member, she takes everything she learns in the classroom and in her assistantships, to create a holistic experience for the students she serves. Brittany’s professional interest focuses on methodologies used to ensure students' smooth matriculation in residence life and to graduation. Her philosophy on student development is driven by Fredrick Douglas quote, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” Each student has a unique path in which they took to attend Western Carolina University. Brittany is using those transformative experiences to build future global citizens to make our society a better place for all.
Personnel Highlights for May
Associate Director of Financial Aid, Matt EllsworthAfter working in the financial aid office at Western Carolina University as a work study student back in the fall 1993, the one field he couldn’t imagine a career in was financial aid. Matt completed a very long six year bachelor’s degree program in Management from Western Carolina University and later returned to obtain a Master’s degree in Business Administration in 2004. After swearing off any chance of a financial aid career and completing the MBA program, Matt rejoined the financial aid office at Western Carolina in 2004. In his spare time, Matt enjoys dabbling in the real estate market and spending time with his family. Department of Residential Living Associate Director, Laura AllisonLaura has been a part of the WCU family for 10 years. She joined the Residential Living team as a Resident Director and, in 2011, she shifted to an Assistant Director role within the department and is currently one of three Associate Directors. Laura currently oversees the Western Carolina PEAKS program, professional staff training, summer LLCs & summer school, and National Residence Hall Honorary, in addition to the day to day supervision/management of 5 residence halls. When not at work, Laura is spending time with her husband, Calvin, and their 6 month old son Rhys Calhoun. She says that being a mom is one of the hardest and most rewarding jobs that she has ever had. She also enjoys antiquing, crafting and canning! Student Highlight: Brandi PurselBrandi J. Pursel is a senior Marketing major from Hickory, North Carolina. She is a member of Delta Zeta and has served as the undergraduate student intern for the Department of Greek Student Engagement and Development for the 2016-2017 academic year. She has been very engaged in the WCU community and the fraternity and sorority community during her collegiate experience. She describes her Greek experience as gaining a home away from home. Student Affairs Annual Picnic & AwardsThe annual Student Affairs picnic and awards will be held Wednesday, June 7th 12:00 - 1:30 pm in The Village Commons. Nominations for awards will be open until May 14th. Go to the Student Affairs SharePoint site to find a description of available awards and see a list of past recipients. Valley of the LiliesThe 2017 Valley of the Lilies Half Marathon and 5K was held April 1st and had over 300 runners register to participate. The race is in it's seventh year and is a partnership between Campus Recreation and Wellness and the School of Health Sciences. All race proceeds go to support student professional development and travel. CAPS Doctoral Internship Program AccreditedCounseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is proud to announce that in late April 2017 the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association (APA) awarded Accredited status to CAPS’ doctoral internship program in health service psychology. APA accreditation is considered the highest level of accreditation for a psychology training program. Recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, WCU is now one of the 6 universities in North Carolina (5 within the UNC system) that provides an accredited internship within their counseling center, as well as, one of 129 universities in the country. Important DatesMay 14, 2017 Nominations for Student Affairs Awards Due |