Dr. Ramona Whichello
receives the Curtis Wood Award from Dr. Brian Kloeppel, Dean of Graduate School and Research
Please support our graduate students with your gift.
Note from the Dean...We hope that you are enjoying a wonderful Spring season! Our graduate students and their faculty are benefitting from the support of some very special donors: Dr. Curtis Wood, Emeritus Professor from our Department of History, Dr. Carol Burton, our Acting Provost, and Charlie and Nancy Worley, former Asheville Mayor and his wife. All have made significant donations that recognize and reward our excellent faculty and graduate students. Generosity Funds Student and Faculty Success
Dr. Wood has continuously funded the Curtis W Wood Award for Excellence in Mentoring Graduate Students. This year our faculty and current graduate students nominated Dr. Ramona Whichello in the School of Nursing to receive this award recognizing Ramona’s positive professional and academic mentoring of graduate students in the Nurse Leadership and Nurse Educator programs. Dr. Burton is funding an endowed scholarship benefitting international graduate students, specifically those from Jamaica. Dr. Burton described the inspiration for the scholarship to students attending the Graduate Research Symposium Reception which evolved from her parents who empowered her to attend WCU while attending high school in Jamaica. Charlie and Nancy Worley are funding an endowed scholarship for graduate students to reduce their student loan debt while attending the Biltmore Park instructional site
in Asheville where their daughter graduated from the Counseling program. Make an Impact. Please Donate Today.
All have empowered our graduate students to succeed in their research and education while they continue in careers after Graduate School. Please help us to incentivize and reward more graduate students and their research at Western Carolina University by choosing to support Western Carolina University!
Twenty-Seventh Annual
Graduate Research Symposium
Graduate students converged on the Ramsey Center and University Center April 3-4, 2019 to showcase their research and scholarly projects at the Twenty-Seventh Annual Graduate Research Symposium, part of WCU’s campus-wide Research and Scholarship Celebration (RASC). Graduate students presented their research in a variety of formats, including research posters, oral presentations and academic papers.
The event, sponsored by the Graduate School, the Office of the Provost and the Graduate Student Association, highlights the outstanding quality and variety of graduate-level research at Western Carolina University. The Symposium also provides graduate students with the opportunity to practice their communication skills with constituents both inside and outside their disciplines. Members of a Graduate Student Panel answered questions from undergraduate students about applying to Graduate School at WCU and succeeding as graduate students.
Dr. Laura Wright, WCU Professor of English and recipient of the 2018 UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching, presented the keynote address titled, “Your Brain on Metaphor: The Art and Science of the Big Picture". The event closed at the The University Center Grand Room with a Reception and Awards Ceremony. Acting Provost, Dr. Carol Burton provided words of praise and encouragement to the student researchers and their faculty sponsors. The Twenty-Eighth Annual Graduate Research Symposium is scheduled for March 25-26, 2020
Learn More...
Join us in supporting our graduate students in their research efforts.
First Place
Joseph Nacy - M.S. Biology
Second Place
Rachael Finigan - M.S. Biology
Academic Paper
Competition Winners
Literature Review Category
Hannah Whitehead
M.A.Ed - Elementary Education | Literacy
Plans and Proposals Category
Dean Martin
M.Ed. - Higher Education Student Affairs
Research Paper Category
Crystal Ellwood
M.A. - English
Three Minute Thesis Award Winners
Three Minute Thesis winners
Sophia Calhoun (left) and Roslyn Gowens
Roslyn Gowens (1st Place) and Sophia Calhoun (2nd Place) from the Higher Education Student Affairs program delivered their winning presentations during Thursday's Reception. Physical Therapy student and People's Choice Award Winner, Marija Zaruba was unable to attend. The 2019 Three Minute Thesis Competition is scheduled for Oct. 30. More about the 3MT...
Suite 201 Honored with the Graddy AwardThe Graddy Award, established in 2005, is presented by the Graduate School to a person or unit who, throughout the year has contributed outstanding service to WCU’s graduate education mission. Suite 201 from the College of Education and Allied Professions was presented with the 2019 Graddy Award for being invaluable partners in serving graduate education prospects, applicants and students. Congratulations and Thank You!
Summer Graduate Research AssistantshipsSummer Graduate Research Assistantships support a variety of research (e.g. theoretical, original, archival, applied) and creative projects, assisting in the timely completion of the graduate degree. For the 2019 summer term, 32 Summer Graduate Research Assistantships were awarded to students in 11 different programs.
Funding Expands Opportunities for Impactful EducationMultiple funders have awarded more than $26 million in research funding to WCU in the last five years, providing vital support for students and faculty in innovative programs and projects. Two examples are the UP Program, funded by the US Department of Education, and the Virtual Reality Training Program to Improve Roofers' Safety, funded by the Job-Site Safety Institute. David Westling and Kelly Kelley, of the College of Education and Allied Professions, lead the UP (University Participant) program, which brings
college-age adults with intellectual disabilities to campus for two years to transition from secondary school to adult life through education, employment, and independent living. About 200 WCU students serve as peer supporters. The program has become a model for other universities to follow. Ahmed Al-Bayati, of the College of Engineering and Technology, leads the development of the immersive virtual reality (IVR) training program to reduce work-related accidents involving roofers. The program will train roofers in English and Spanish and offer realistic IVR experiences. Student researchers assist with the training and assessment and travel to professional work sites in the region.
Spring 2019 GraduationAlmost 400 students representing 42 programs are set to complete their graduate programs this spring, including 46 doctoral and terminal degree candidates. Commencement is set for Friday, May 10 at 7pm in the Ramsey Center. More about Graduation...
Graduate Program Spotlight - M.S. in Technology (MST)
The Master of Science in Technology program provides opportunities for students that increase their technical knowledge and management skills, which are crucial in our technology-driven society. The program offers two options: for students who require more flexibility in their schedule, our Biltmore Park location offers part-time enrollment, while students who are able to go full-time can enroll at our Cullowhee campus. Dr. Paul Yanik, Graduate Program Director and Admissions Committee Chair, explains “The MST program offers students the opportunity to gain greater depth in their technology area of interest, as well as breadth in
project management.” The curriculum utilizes personalized mentorships and functional courses that prepare their students with managerial competence and problem-solving skills imminent to their professional success.
Graduate Student ProfileRumana Sultana, a first-year student at our Cullowhee campus, shared her research at the Graduate Research Symposium earlier this month. An international student from Bangladesh with a background in Engineering and Computer Science, she discovered WCU's Master of Science in Technology program online, and applied with guidance from former Graduate Program Director and MST faculty member, Dr. Martin Tanaka. Rumana's research began as she identified the need in developing and developed countries to generate automatic systems that collect and dispose of trash in
public spaces. Her "Smart Trash Can" invention seeks to create a robot and algorithm that can identify, collect, and dispose of various debris found in innumerable environments. It would improve cleanliness and environmental concerns within cities and communities. Rumana plans to continue her work with mentor, Dr. Robert Adams, to make initiatives like this likely in her home country and the U.S.
Be a champion for graduate education and support exceptional students like Rumana.
|