Dean Scott Higgins
Director of Western's master's degree program in health sciences and a member of Western's faculty since 1981, Scott Higgins was named dean of research and graduate studies in 2006 after serving as interim dean for more than a year.

A professor of health sciences, Higgins earned his bachelor's degree in respiratory therapy from Florida Technological University in 1971, his master's degree in allied health science administration from Indiana University in 1974, and his doctoral degree in education from the University of South Carolina in 1986.

Higgins has been actively involved in providing professional assistance to health care agencies across Western North Carolina, including conducting separate studies measuring the economic impact of the health care sector on Burke, Cherokee, Jackson, Swain and Transylvania counties.

visit Higgins' Web site

 

Associate Dean Brian Gastle 
Brian W. Gastle, associate Professor of English, was named associate dean of the Graduate School at WCU in January of 2008.

Gastle earned his bachelor’s degree in English literature from SUNY Buffalo in 1989, and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Delaware in 1991 and 1998 respectively.

At WCU, Gastle has served as director of undergraduate studies in English, director of the professional writing program in English, and editor of WCU’s reports for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) reaccreditation process.  As a professional writer and editor, he has edited print and electronic educational materials for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, PBS, and international publishers such as Prentice Hall and Houghton-Mifflin.  As a medievalist, he has published on mercantile rhetoric in late medieval English authors such as Geoffrey Chaucer, John Gower, and Margery Kempe.

visit Gastle's Web site

 

Staff Members

Karen Nicholson Executive Assistant

Elizabeth Frazier Student Services Manager

Kristie Coggins Admissions Specialist

Matthew Barrett Computer Support Technician

Misty Hartzog  Admissions Specialist Roxane Stiles Student Services Assistant Phil Cauley Enrollment Management Director