Featured Post from Western Carolina University

Off to Ireland - the Pride of the Mountains Marching Band is giving Dublin a Taste of the South for St. Patrick's Day

Mar 8, 2024

1 min


It's the trip of a lifetime, and this year the Pride of the Mountains Marching Band will be hitting the streets of Dublin as part of the Irish city's party plans for an epic St. Patrick's Day celebration.




Recently the director of athletic bands at Western Carolina University, Jack Eaddy sat down to explain what the Irish hosts can expect and how it all came together.




Jack A. Eaddy is the director of athletic bands at Western Carolina University, where he serves as the director of the Pride of the Mountains Marching Band and conducts the Symphonic Band in the School of Music.


Jack has earned a national reputation mentoring music directors and is available to talk to reporters about this exciting trip. Simply click on his icon now to arrange a time to talk today.

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1 min

One Day Away - WCU's Chris Cooper Breaks Down What's Left on the Campaign Trail

It's been a long road - and we're one day away from what might be the closest, most contended and most-talked about election in American history. But it's not over yet and Western Carolina's political expert Chris Cooper is here to share a few key points about the race. Christopher A. Cooper is the Robert Lee Madison Distinguished Professor and director of the Haire Institute for Public Policy at Western Carolina University. He is also an expert in the areas of political behavior and behavioral public administration. Christopher is available to speak with media - simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.

2 min

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene - WCU's experts on the ground assisting

Hurricane Helene brought record levels of devastation, damage and death along America's eastern coast. Massive recovery efforts are underway and WCU's Lisa Briggs and her team were featured in an in-depth piece of coverage by USA Today. Lisa Briggs, director of emergency and disaster management at Western Carolina University, and Onna, a 6-year-old full German Shepherd, are pictured getting off the water craft. The pair is part of a search operation at the French Broad River deployed after the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. Photo: Gaby Velasquez, USA TODAY 'Humbled by the river' Hampton and his crews are organized through the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, not FEMA. Finding bodies is one challenge — extracting them from the river is another, he said. Sometimes, the bodies are fastened to the boats and paddled to a safe opening in the shoreline, where they’re placed in body bags and driven over to county officials. Other times, the bodies need to be hiked out of a particularly dense stretch of wilderness. The dogs are trained and led by Lisa Briggs, director of the Emergency and Disaster Management program at Western Carolina University and a regional leader in training cadaver dogs. At the start of the day, she gave a command, "Hunt up!" and Onna, the cadaver dog, excitedly pranced toward the raft. At a shoreline littered with downed trees, roof siding, and shards of ripped clothes, Onna crisscrossed the sandy area, squeezing between branches and passionately sniffing the ground. Later, she jumped back in the raft and the team drifted downriver. On that day, Hampton’s raft covered the right shoreline while another of his rafts with his twin brother, Jack, and other volunteers covered the left. They paddled and drifted down more than five miles, until around 5 p.m., when they pulled the boats. It was a rare day: No bodies were found.  October 07 - USA Today Onna, a 6-year-old full German Shepherd cadaver dog, gets off the shaft to sniff the ground along the river during a search and rescue operation at French Broad River on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in the aftermath of flooding caused by the remnants of Hurricane Helene. Photo: Gaby Velasquez, USA TODAY The work of the WCU team has been tremendous - and if you are interested in learning more about the role of cadaver dogs, how they are trained or the other work Lisa Briggs is taking on at Western Carolina University - then let us help with your coverage. Lisa Briggs is the director of WCU’s emergency and disaster management program. She is available to speak with media any time - simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview today.

2 min

The Colors are Changing and WCU's Expert is Here if You're Wondering What to Expect

Every autumn - one thing is for certain. The temps will get cooler, kids are back in school and the leaves are about to burst into a bouquet of reds, oranges, yellows, browns and more. It's the time of year that draws nature lovers and those who just appreciate a change of scenery to go out, explore and enjoy everything nature has to offer at this time of year. It's also a topic that garners serious media attention too. And when reporters are curious - they're connecting with experts like Western Carolina University's Darby Harris for insight and perspective about when the colors are set to change and where we can expect to take in the dbest displays of color. A local expert is chiming in on what the leaves might look like this year. A Western Carolina University biology expert says it takes several factors to make a colorful leaf season including temperature, wetness and daylight. The ingredients for fall color are the same every year, but aside from the predictable loss of daylight, the weather quantities are variable. “I'd like to say with great optimism that we're on track for what I'd call a good fall season,” said WCU biology instructor Darby Harris. He says our mountains could use some rain. “Severe drought could be a problem, but we're not there yet,” he said. Harris says sunny days and cooler weather in the mid-40 or upper-30 degrees are needed, too. “Cooler nights are really what would be helpful for peak color production,” he said. Dabs of yellows and oranges dot the landscape around the Blue Ridge Parkway as photosynthesis is underway. That brisk temperature can also add to the palette. September 20 - ABC News Are you curious about where to find the best colors as fall sets in across America?  If so - let us help. WCU biology instructor Darby Harris and resident leaf expert is available to speak with media. Simply click on hic icon now to arrane an interview today.

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