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One Day for Western is an opportunity for you to show your support and commitment to the Brinson Honors College. Your gifts will help provide critical funding to support a variety of initiatives within the Honors College, including travel support for student leadership, funding for the Honors Student Study-Abroad Global Symposium, and investment in mini-grants.
Last year, we raised over $4,000 through 27 donors for the college's priorities... let's help even more Catamounts this year!
Join us on One Day for Western and make a direct impact on our students and their experience at WCU. Our goal is for 35 donors to make a gift on April 3 - but we can only get there with your help.
The results are in, Catamounts: we surpassed last year's totals! Your generosity will help make one day possible for so many students at Western.
We are blown away by your response and generosity (again) this year during One Day for Western! And you helped us Fill the Western Sky by turning the map purple: we secured gifts from 49 of 50 states!
Check out some highlights of our results below and visit oneday.wcu.edu for even more information about the impact of your giving. Go Cats!

Hey, Catamounts! You may have received an email from GiveCampus this morning that re-sent our "Wave the royal banner high" post featuring our Pride of the Mountains Marching Band and asking you to participate in One Day for Western. Our partners at GiveCampus let us know this was just a bug in the system that affected a few campaigns that have already ended, so no cause for alarm. We received your gift and appreciate your generosity! Our team is still working hard to share finalized totals in the coming days, so we'll provide a (real) update soon.
In the interim, we hope you're having a great week and send our gratitude to members of Catamount nation far and wide!
Gratefully,

Rebekah B. Cheney
Director of Annual Giving
306 days ago by Rebekah Cheney
What a day (and then some), Catamounts! Thank you to every single person who helped make one day possible for our students. Whether you made a gift, shared our message, cheered us on, or did all three - your contributions matter and impacted our success this year.
We will be finalizing our totals in the coming days and are excited to report more on the impact of your generosity. Until then, please know that we are incredibly grateful for your support!
Go Cats!
Warmly,

Rebekah B. Cheney
Director of Annual Giving
312 days ago by Rebekah Cheney
You are still showing up, Catamounts!
With just a few hours left, we are nearly 90% to our goal. We are so close, and your advocacy is making a huge difference.
We are also making great progress on turning the map purple to Fill the Western Sky! We still are looking for gifts from:
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Minnesota
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Vermont
Do you know someone in any of these states? Consider asking them to make a gift before 5 p.m. to help us Fill the Western Sky.
Your generosity and advocacy are helping make one day possible. We're almost to the finish line... GO CATS!
312 days ago by Rebekah CheneyYesterday's special live edition of Western Wednesday focused on One Day for Western! Here's a clip of three current students who talk about their hopes for the future.
If you didn't catch our special LIVE Western Wednesday podcast, you can rewatch the whole show here! James, Ben and Stacey chat with students, donors, and staff about programs and dreams that are worth investing in.
312 days ago by Rebekah Cheney
Catamounts: there's still time to make one day possible. We're still reaching for the biggest giving day goal we've ever aimed for, and we know we can accomplish it with your help! Beyond making a gift, the best way you can help is to share our message with your networks and remind your fellow Catamounts to give and share, too! We'll keep counting until 5 p.m. Thursday, so keep advocating for our incredible programs and students. GO CATS!
312 days ago by Rebekah Cheney
Hear directly from students, faculty and staff about One Day for Western and why it matters during this special broadcast. Watch the live podcast here!
313 days ago by Rebekah Cheney
With about nine hours left, we are over 40% to our goal. Let's keep going, Catamount nation!
We still want to turn the map purple and Fill the Western Sky! If you know Catamounts in the following states, give them a shout:
- Alaska
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- North Dakota
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Utah
- Vermont
- West Virginia
Check out some photos from our student event: One Day of Thankfulness... you may even receive a handwritten note from a student in the coming weeks!




We're 40% to our donor goal... let's keep it up! GO CATS!
313 days ago by Rebekah CheneyCatamount nation, this is what happens when we come together...
Last year, One Day for Western donors supported countless projects and programs to make one day possible for Catamounts. Remember how the Pride of the Mountains Marching Band was preparing to travel to Dublin, Ireland for their first international trip? One Day for Western donors played a critical role in these students' experience.
What cause (or causes) will you support this year as we work to fill the Western sky? Help us turn the map purple by encouraging donors from every state to support WCU today.
Video courtsey of Dean George H. Brown; Kilkenny Castle, March 14, 2024.

Because of the generous support of BHC donors during One Day for Western last year, the Brinson Honors College was able to support several students last summer and fall in their study abroad journeys. Faculty-led trips to Japan and Germany were especially popular with honors students last summer, and in fall 2023, honors students visited Korea, Colombia, and Spain. WCU student Sarah Morgan is pictured here during her trip to Heidelberg, Germany.
Brinson Honors College Associate Dean, Dr. Lori Oxford, worked with these students to create a new Honors Global Symposium last fall that showcased honors students who have been abroad and provided a platform to share about their experiences with other students hoping to study abroad. The one-day program was held on campus in November 2023. This new initiative was made possible thanks to the college's One Day for Western donors!
The Honors Student Board of Directors had a great fall semester. The Book Buddies program - a collaboration between BHC and Smoky Mountain Elementary - is just one of several initiatives in play as part of the Board’s community service agenda. Student leaders from Board participated in the annual Conference on Undergraduate Regional Engagement to help new first-year honors students learn more about our community and their resources, focusing on the Board’s mini-grant program, which was supported in part this year through donations from One Day for Western!
Thank you to all Brinson Honors College donors! Your commitment to our students during One Day for Western 2023 made a big difference in our college and the lives of our students.
313 days ago by Rebekah CheneyOne Day for Western exists because of our AMAZING students... join the fun by making your gift or sharing on social media today!
313 days ago by Rebekah CheneyCatamounts, we want to turn the map purple on April 3. We need at least one donor from all 50 states to fill the Western sky, so reach out to Catamounts (and friends of Catamount nation) far and wide! After all, what's more beautiful than a sky full of purple?

States we've already received gifts from are North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia, Ohio, Texas, Indiana, Colorado, and Hawaii. Only 38 to go!

Student engagement is at the heart of the Brinson Honors College. During this year's One Day for Western, we ask our friends and alumni to help us support our wonderful honors students as they engage in community here in western NC and the world!
Our honors students are engaging in the western NC region in meaningful ways, starting in their first semester at WCU! The BHC is intentional about helping connect our new students and emerging leaders with their new WNC home. Each year our Honors Board - the Student Leadership council for the BHC - offers honors students with the opportunity to apply for a Community Service Mini-Grant. Small grants, typically $100 - $500, are put into use by our students to complete a special project in the local community. Often these projects connect to students' academic and personal goals. By supporting the Dean's Fund, you can support our Student Board's effort and help us increase the impact our students can have in meeting the needs of the region.
One of the pillars of the Honors Path at WCU is the opportunity for students to study abroad. By giving to the Dean's Fund, you can help fund the Brinson Honors College's new Honors Student Study-Abroad Global Symposium, where students will share their travels and programs and answer questions in order to help make it possible for more students to take advantage of study abroad opportunities. You can also support the BHC's upcoming opportunity to host the North Carolina Honors Conference here in Cullowhee in September 2024!
Thank you in advance for helping elevate the Brinson Honors College experience by donating on One Day for Western!
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