Best in the West: North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District forum
2020-09-05 19:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Online
Best in the West: North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District forum
Blue Ridge Public Radio, Mountain Xpress and Smoky Mountain News to host a two-day NC11 candidate forum
Republican Madison Cawthorn and Democrat Moe Davis, candidates for the North Carolina congressional seat left vacant by White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, have both agreed to appear at a two-day joint forum hosted by three of the district’s largest media outlets.
On the evenings of Friday, Sept. 4, and Saturday, Sept. 5, candidates will join moderator Cory Vaillancourt and a diverse panel of guests for “Best in the West: North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District forum.”
The first event, to be held at Western Carolina University’s Biltmore Park campus, will feature questions by Lenoir-Rhyne University Equity and Diversity Institute developer Aisha Adams, former Asheville Citizen-Times political reporter and current Mountain Xpress contributor Mark Barrett and Pete Kaliner, longtime N.C. political reporter, radio host, and podcaster. Topics will include international, national, state, and urban issues.
The second event, to be held at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, will include WCU political science and public affairs department chair Chris Cooper, WCU professor of economics and director of WCU’s Center for the Study of Free Enterprise Edward Lopez and Principal Chief Richard G. Sneed, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Topics will include rural issues, native issues, and education.
Due to venue capacity limits currently in place, events will not be open to the public but will be live-streamed. Specific times and instructions on how to watch will be published in the coming days.

Helping the Community Helps your Campus
2021-05-19 19:00 | Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center
How can your campus harness cross-disciplinary research to get back to basics on economic and community development? Learn how university centers can advance faculty and student development while giving back to their communities by registering today for this event, generously supported by the Charles Koch Foundation and our co-sponsoring organizations, the American Council on Education, the Center for the Study of Economic Mobility at Winston-Salem State University, and the Center for the Study of Free Enterprise at Western Carolina University.
Hear from an urban HBCU and a rural regional comprehensive university that found innovative ways to advance their institutions’ missions as community-engaged universities. You’ll be able to ask questions of the speakers and take part in live polls.
Both centers convene faculty and students to raise new questions, build understanding, and bridge insights from across academic perspectives. Both centers also embrace the challenge of exploring data-driven questions and publishing quality work to helps solve vexing social problems.
Discuss combining rigorous research with storytelling to capture people’s imaginations and emphasize the importance of this work that affects us all.
Sponsors:
The Charles Koch Foundation
The American Council for Education
The Center for the Study of Economic Mobility
Where:
Streamed live from John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Performance Hall on the Western Carolina University campus to the American Council on Education page.

Community, Policy and Covid: Cross-disciplinary Research that Matters
2021-05-26 13:00 - 16:00 | UC Theater, 1 University Way, Cullowhee, NC, 28723, United States
Session 1: “State Policy and COVID-19 Economic Recovery” at 1pm
Our first session rolls out results and findings from our COVID-19 Research Initiative. Launched in June 2020, the Initiative represents CSFE’s coronavirus “pivot” to our core competency as a research Center. Through this initiative, our team has been working on three main areas: 1) COVID-19 impact analysis; 2) Evidence-based policy analysis; and 3) Bottom-up solutions for long term economic recovery. In August 2020, the UNC Policy Collaboratory awarded CSFE a grant to study these topics and submit findings to the North Carolina General Assembly. With this event, we present some of those findings and more.
Session 2: “COVID-19 and Western Carolina University’s impact in the Western North Carolina Region: Partnering Faculty, Students and Working Professionals” at 2:30pm
As a regional comprehensive university, WCU’s commitment to advancing the well-being of our region and its communities.
Sponser:
The Manual H. Johnson Center for Political Economy
Where:
Streamed live from the UC Grand Room to the WCU page.
There is an option of attending in-person or virtually.

Economic and Policy Analysis of Pandemic Issues
2021-06-02 15:00 | Streamed Live
With the final event of the year, we provide our researchers the chance to present to the broader community of scholars. For more information please visit here.

Campus-wide debate: “Donald Trump poses a threat to democracy.”
2024-09-25 18:00 - 21:00 | Forsyth 101, 101 Forsyth Building, Cullowhee, NC, 28723
On September 25th at 6pm in Forsyth 101, the College Debates and Discourse Alliance and The Center for the Study of Free Enterprise at Western Carolina University will cohost a debate: “Donald Trump poses a threat to democracy.” Registration for the September 25th debate is here: WCU Braver Angels Debate 9/25.

Campus-wide debate: “A vote for a third-party candidate is a wasted vote.”
2024-10-30 18:00 - 21:00 | Forsyth 101, 101 Forsyth Building, Cullowhee, NC, 28723
On October 30th at 6pm in Forsyth 101 participants will debate: “A vote for a third-party candidate is a wasted vote.” Registration for the October 30th debate is here: WCU Braver Angels Debate 10/30.

What should be done about the lack of affordable housing in WNC?
2025-02-11 18:00 - 20:30 | Forsyth 101, 101 Forsyth Building, Cullowhee, NC, 28723
Concerned about housing affordability in the region? Have ideas about ways to improve availability and affordability? You are invited to be a part of the discussion!
Food and beverage will be available at 6:00pm. Discussion starts at 6:30pm.

Human Rights Violations and US Military Intervention: A Campus-Wide Debate
2025-03-26 18:00 - 20:30 | Forsyth 305, Cullowhee, NC, United States
Please join us March 26th for a campus-wide debate: Should the US military intervene in response to human rights violations?
The event will kick-off with food and beverage at 6pm in Forsyth 305. The debate will start at 6:30.
See you soon!

Campus Debate: Deportations under the Trump Administration are unconstitutional.
2025-09-24 18:00 - 20:30 | Forsyth 101, 101 Forsyth Building, Cullowhee, NC, 28723
Join your fellow WCU community members as we debate whether the deportations by the Trump Administration are unconstitutional.
If so, what aspects of the policy are unconstitutional?
If not, what laws give the Trump Administration the authority to conduct these deportations?
Please register here:
Braver Angels Collegiate Debate – Western Carolina University Tickets, Wed, Sep 24, 2025 at 6:00 PM | Eventbrite
Food and beverage available at 6pm. The debate starts at 6:30pm.

Campus-Wide Dialogue: Religious Values and the Separation of Church and State
2025-10-27 18:00 - 20:30 | Forsyth 101, 101 Forsyth Building, Cullowhee, NC, 28723
Join us on October 27th at 6pm to discuss the how we can respect religious values while also ensuring the separation of church/temple/synagogue and state.
Food will be served at 6pm. The discussion starts at 6:30 pm in Forsyth 101.
Please register here: A Braver Campus Dialogue – Western Carolina University Tickets, Mon, Oct 27, 2025 at 6:30 PM | Eventbrite.
All campus community members are welcome!
