The commentary was originally published in The Sylva Herald on March 8, 2019. In January, the historic 116th U.S. Congress was sworn in, leading to more women, and more women of color, holding congressional offices than ever before. According to the Pew Research Center, women now account for 24 percent of the House of Representatives […]
The search for WCU’s next chancellor pushes on
Western Carolina University hopes for better success in the latest search for a successor to former chancellor, David O. Belcher. The Board of Trustees are looking at the list of finalists presented by the search committee where the decision will be made to recommend a potential chancellor to the UNC system interim president or return to […]
WCU students inspired to lead
Originally published in The Sylva Herald on Feb. 21, 2019. Michael Steele, who spoke to a packed crowd at the Bardo Fine & Performing Arts Center during the chancellor’s list ceremony on Feb. 12, gave students inspiration to lead. Steele is known for being the first African-American elected to state office in Maryland as he […]
Legendary photographer, Mark Haskett, retires
The story was originally published in The Sylva Herald on Feb. 14, 2019. How do you replace a legend? You become one. Harry Duke set the mold for photographic excellence at WCU. He was named the university’s very first staff photographer in 1974, and retired on Aug. 30, 1985. When the search to replace the […]
Western Carolina’s Purple Thunder to perform at the NBA All-Star game
Western Carolina’s winter drumline, Purple Thunder, will travel to Charlotte, N.C. this weekend to perform in one of the variety acts as part of NBA All-Star weekend. What began as a fun performance act for talented drummers at Western Carolina has soon grown into one of the most anticipated performance groups of the winter season, […]









