Western Carolina University
Former names | Cullowhee Academy (1889–1905) Cullowhee Normal & Industrial School (1905–1925) Cullowhee State Normal School (1925–1929) Western Carolina Teachers College (1929–1953) Western Carolina College (1953–1967) |
|---|---|
| Type | Public university |
| Established | August 5, 1889 |
| Founder | Robert Lee Madison |
Parent institution | University of North Carolina |
| Accreditation | SACS |
| Endowment | $130 million (2022) |
| Chancellor | Kelli R. Brown |
| Provost | Richard D. Starnes |
Academic staff | 548 full-time and 228 part-time (spring 2023) |
Administrative staff | 967 |
| Students | 11,877 (spring 2023) |
| Undergraduates | 10,145 |
| Postgraduates | 1,732 |
| Location | , North Carolina , United States 35°18′35″N 83°11′00″W / 35.30972°N 83.18333°W |
| Campus | Distant town, 589 acres (2.38 km2) |
| Newspaper | The Western Carolinian |
| Colors | Purple and gold |
| Nickname | Catamounts |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division I FCS – SoCon |
| Website | wcu.edu |
Western Carolina University (WCU) is a public university in Cullowhee, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the University of North Carolina system.
The fifth oldest institution of the sixteen four-year universities in the UNC system, WCU was founded to educate the people of the western North Carolina mountains. Enrollment for the fall 2020 semester was 12,243 students.