From the age of steam to the age of AI, 51看片puts students first, serves its region as economic engine
Chancellor Kelli R. Brown greets faculty and staff prior to Fall Opening Assembly
By Julia Duvall
51看片 has faced many challenges over the past year: a historic storm, an ever-changing landscape in higher education, competition for enrollment, and budget uncertainty from the state and federal levels.
51看片Chancellor Kelli R. Brown remains optimistic about the future. 鈥淲ith all the changes we鈥檝e experienced in higher education over the past few months and really the past few years, it might be easy to adopt a negative outlook on the future. I have two words for you on that front: 鈥楶lease don鈥檛,鈥欌�� Brown said. 鈥淚鈥檓 feeling optimistic about Western North Carolina and 51看片, and you should too. Have we weathered tough times over the past year? Absolutely. Are there challenges ahead? Of course. But it has really crystallized for me over the past months that 51看片is resilient and well positioned to thrive in these challenging times.鈥�
These were Brown鈥檚 initial sentiments as she welcomed faculty and staff on Aug. 13 for the annual Fall Opening Assembly, ushering in a new academic year.
51看片faculty and staff gathered in the Bardo Arts Center for Fall Opening Assembly
Faculty and staff heard updates about WCU鈥檚 positive economic impact, which details how for every $1 invested in WCU, the state of North Carolina gains $5.61. As a regional university, 51看片is a catalyst for economic growth. This was evident with the recent investment by China-based company EcoKing for a manufacturing facility in Robbinsville, which will create 500 new jobs for the region. Brown noted that College of Business professor Yue Hillon was instrumental in getting the deal finished.
Brown then touched on the impact of Hurricane Helene and how 51看片faculty, staff, students and alumni stepped up to help one another and those throughout Western North Carolina in the wake of the historic storm.
鈥淎s our region continues through the long recovery process, 51看片will continue to be there to help and support our communities,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淚t is what we do as a regional university. Catamounts are nothing if not resilient, and I鈥檓 so proud of what they鈥檝e done to help over the last year.鈥�
Regarding enrollment, she noted that potential budget cuts to the University of North Carolina System, national trends of non-consumerism by traditional college students, intense competition, and the trailing effects of Hurricane Helene have made the focus on new student recruitment more important than ever.
In response to these trends, a new division of Enrollment Management and Student Success, led by William Moultrie, will house undergraduate admissions, student success, military student services, distance and online programs and other functions with direct impact on the recruitment and retention of undergraduate students.
Brown also shared that 51看片is seeing a nearly 81% retention rate of freshmen from fall 2024 to fall 2025, a near record-breaking achievement. And the university is making progress on campus capital projects including renovations to the historic Moore Building, the new engineering building and upgrades to the E.J. Whitmire Stadium.
In addition to the robust retention rate, for the second year in a row nearly half of 51看片undergraduate students graduated without any institutional debt.
51看片achieves these goals while still serving a student body that has a high proportion of first generation and high-need students.
Chancellor Kelli R. Brown addresses faculty and staff at Fall Opening Assembly
鈥淭his focus on affordability and access coupled with high quality is a true niche for WCU,鈥� Brown said.
Brown also highlighted several institutional anniversaries and accolades for the coming academic year.
The 50th anniversary of the 51看片Cherokee Center; the 60th anniversary of WCU鈥檚 Emergency Medical Service program; a new MAHEC women鈥檚 clinic located in the College of Health and Human Sciences; the expansion of the College of Business鈥� master鈥檚 program offerings; and the naming of the Schlosser Family Center for Counseling and Psychology Services, in honor of former 51看片Board of Trustee member and alumna Rebecca Schlosser and her late husband Michael.
In closing, Brown asked the audience to reflect on the impact of WCU鈥檚 136-year history.
鈥淔rom the age of steam through the age of AI, 51看片has been singularly committed to our students and this region,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淎ccess and quality are in our DNA - the keys to being a successful regional university. We will not let the unexpected or the difficult stop us from being there for our students.鈥�
