Contact the Graduate School

Jeff Lawson, Dean of the Graduate School
jlawson@wcu.edu
828.227.3174

• Promote and celebrate graduate student, graduate faculty, and graduate program successes at Western Carolina University
• Facilitate the recruitment of high quality and a high quantity of students to our graduate programs
• Advocate for and allocate graduate assistantship and graduate scholarship funds to Graduate Program Directors to facilitate active student experiences in research and teaching
• Review, promote, and advocate for new graduate programs at Western Carolina University
• Represent Western Carolina University on the University of North Carolina System Graduate Council

Joy Bowers-Campbell, Associate Dean of the Graduate School
jbowers@wcu.edu
828.227.3173

• Coordinates graduate policy and chairs Graduate Council’s Graduate Faculty and Policy Review Committee
• Works with Program Directors and Key Staff on academic matters related to graduate programs
• Oversees graduate admissions and enrolled student services
• Represents the Graduate School on several University-wide committees
• Serves as Advisor for Graduate Student Association

Holly Vaughan, Director of Graduate Recruiting and Communications

hvaughan@wcu.edu
828.227.3176

• Marketing & Events (including Virtual Open Houses)
• Communications & Social Media
• Applicant & Student Support
• Graduate Ambassador Program Coordinator
• SLATE Administrator

Kate Roche, Student Services Specialist
kroche@wcu.edu
828.227.2925

• Graduate Assistantship Employment
• Financial Assistance Administration
• Dismissal and Readmission after Dismissal
• Course Overloads
• Extension of Time Limit Requests
• Transfer Credit Requests
• Student Record Changes

Don Strickland, Technical Support Analyst
dpstrickland@wcu.edu
828.227.3198

• Graduate School and Research Technical Support
• Technolutions Slate, CRM Lead System Administrator
• Application for Admission Customization
• SLATE Consulting and Training
• Data Analytics and Reporting

Jessica Ledford, Lead Admission Specialist
jhledford@wcu.edu
828.227.3175

• Graduate Application Processing
• Accepted Student Portal
• Data Analytics and Reporting
• Graduate Student and Applicant Support

Gabriela Sanchez, Admission Specialist
gsanchez@wcu.edu
828.227.7398

• • Graduate Application Processing
  • Graduate Student and Applicant Support

Roxane Stiles, Executive Assistant
rstiles@wcu.edu
828.227.3178

• Budget Manager for Graduate School and Research and Graduate Student Association
• Graduate Catalog Administrator