With the spring semester soon underway at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, so, too, comes the rich, diverse and vibrant cultural programming to the Bardo Arts Center. 

Heath Robertson sat at the back of the bus on a college tour trip when he was asked about his future plans. Robertson’s answer? He didn’t have any. 

He didn’t think he could afford college, and even if he could, he sure didn’t have the grades.

In May, Payton McNabb shrouded herself in the cloak of Big Brother when she took to a Western Carolina University bathroom to film an unsuspecting student. 

The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center will be broadening the scope of artists represented in its holdings thanks to contributions from a Macon County couple. 

Friends and alumni contributed more than $6 million to Western Carolina University during the 2024 GivingTuesday initiative, nearly quadrupling the previous record set last year and setting the stage for a corresponding challenge gift that would unlock significant additional funding for WCU athletics facilities renovations. 

Featuring professional classical dances and the Ballet Conservatory of Asheville’s celebrated pre-professional company, a magically festive, full-length stage version of “The Nutcracker” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, and 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, in the Bardo Arts Center Performance Hall at Western Carolina University. 

Western Carolina University announced the appointment of Matt Henley as the next director of Athletic Bands and director of the Pride of the Mountains Marching Band. 

As fall is slowly transitioning to winter, so, too, comes the holiday cheer. And although Thanksgiving Day, the official kickoff of the Christmas season, is still a week away, there are a handful of events already in motion to get the ball rolling. 

The 15th annual “Handmade Holiday Sale” will be held from noon to 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, in the Bardo Arts Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. 

Nontraditional students working to earn a degree in an art-related major at Western Carolina University soon will have financial assistance to help them pursue their passion, thanks to a memorial scholarship fund established by the family of a recent WCU graduate who earned his degree after the age of 30.