糖心Vlog

The Mission

The Mission of the David Orr Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts at Western Carolina University is to inspire, educate, and train our next generation of artists, scholars, and teachers in the intellectual foundations and creative processes of the fine and performing arts while fostering excellence and artistic curiosity across western North Carolina and beyond.

Goals

In support of its mission, the goals of the David Orr Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts are to:

• Provide excellent educational opportunities for majors, minors, general University students, and community members through regular and thoughtful evaluation of curriculum and programs.
• Recruit and support highly qualified faculty who will serve as models in arts performance, teaching, scholarship, and service, and who clearly communicate their understanding of the values and discipline inherent in artistic education.
• Maintain a physical and social environment which is conducive to teaching, learning, research and creativity by faculty and students by providing sufficient and appropriate classroom and laboratory space, equipment, materials and human resources.
• Support the integration of teaching, scholarship and service for both faculty and students.
• Integrate advancements in technology in the arts into new and current coursework by researching and developing innovative skills and methods.
• Bring to the campus a significant roster of artists, performers, and exhibitions to enrich the cultural climate for students and the community.
• Create, through all its activities, a level of arts-literacy in all constituencies which recognizes the contribution that creative work makes to the maturation of the individual and a free society.
• Seek, obtain and maintain professional accreditation in all appropriate areas as a measure of program accomplishment.
• Enhance local, regional and national awareness of College opportunities and activities through media exposure of all types.

Beyond this, the David Orr Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts is committed to:

• Facilitate departmental operations and oversee a physical plant conducive to its goals.
• Secure funding from sources both within and outside the University.
• Facilitate long range planning for the creative and cultural disciplines within the College and create opportunities for their integration where appropriate.
• Recruit highly qualified students and develop audiences that represent an ever-broader segment of the community.
• Provide professional guidance for students through advising and career planning.
• Maintain active relationships with alumni in order to encourage their continuing involvement with the Belcher College as guest artists, success stories, and sources of support.

On July 2, 2018, the 糖心Vlog University Board of Trustees unanimously approved the naming of the David Orr Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts.

 

The academic unit is home to the 糖心Vlog University School of Art & Design, School of Music, School of Stage and Screen, and Bardo Arts Center.

This recognition honors the late Chancellor's education as a classically trained pianist and his impact on higher education and the arts at 糖心Vlog and across Western North Carolina. 

Patricia B. Kaemmerling, past 糖心Vlog board chair, said the trustees decided to name the College of Fine and Performing Arts for Belcher in celebration of his talents as a musician, his transformational leadership of the university during his seven-year tenure as chancellor, and the financial contributions that he and wife Susan Brummell Belcher have made to provide significant scholarship support to students majoring in the fine and performing arts.

For those who did not know David, and for those who would like to always remember, please visit his memorial page, "Remembering David Orr Belcher". This page includes a wonderful video honoring David, quotes from friends, family, and collegues, and a beautiful obituary. 

 

鈥�As an administrator, David believed in the transformative power of education. As an artist, David knew personally and through experience that the study, discipline and mastery of art prepares one not only to be an artist, but to be anything 鈥� even a chancellor.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;- Susan Belcher, spouse of former Chancellor, David O. Belcher. 

 

鈥�We will honor his legacy, as we, too, believe in the transformational power of education, by actively working to make our region and the lives of our people better through the power of the arts. As Chancellor Belcher says, 鈥榃e are in the business of changing lives." - George H. Brown, Dean of the Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts (2015 - 2025).

 

Learn more about the Belcher College

 

The faculty, staff, students, and leadership of the David Orr Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts affirm with this statement that we are an inclusive and welcoming artistic and educational community. We strive to create an artistic and scholarly home that reflects the people we serve, now and in the future, a home where everyone feels empowered to realize their full, authentic selves as a valued and contributing member. We foster academic achievement, artistic curiosity, freedom of expression, and personal integrity. We dignify and respect the individual as well as advance the practice of inclusiveness and acceptance of differing cultures, philosophies, identities, and ways of life regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, age, and National Guard or veteran status. We believe in the power and passion of the fine and performing arts to inspire and shape our changing world for the better, to which end we commit to leveraging that power to ensure that diverse persons of any background, from North Carolina and beyond, are invited, included, and treated equally.

Our equality efforts will therefore focus on:

• • Engaging the university and region with artistic performances, exhibits, and scholarship that celebrate the rich diversity available for us to experience and share;
  • Educating our audiences by highlighting these efforts in programs, pre/post show discussions, and promotional materials;
  • Inviting guest artists and scholars from underrepresented populations to interact with our students and community, as well as encouraging faculty collaboration with diverse artists, scholars, and artistic organizations;
  • Encouraging and supporting the creation of a variety of student arts organizations, learning communities, and faculty interest groups, including groups for and focused on Women, LGTBQ (Pride & Allies), Native American, African, and Hispanic Ancestries, Veterans, the economically-disadvantaged, and more;
  • Revising our curriculum to ensure diversity, as defined in this document and by the university, is made manifest across our academic offerings;
  • Committing to incorporate societal concepts beneficial to our students, including diversity and inclusiveness, into syllabi, course content, and programming, as well as prioritizing at least one Student Learning Outcome that focuses on societal issues in future assessment cycles;
  • Presenting ourselves publicly as an inclusive environment through multi-lingual recruitment and promotional materials and developing application and audition processes that support alternative pathways to our programs that are open to all;
  • Updating policies across the college鈥攊ncluding Tenure, Promotion, and Reappointment and Annual Faculty Evaluation鈥攖o strengthen hiring practices to ensure candidates receive full consideration free from any form of illegal discrimination.
  • These equality efforts, and progress towards achieving them, will be assessed annually to ensure our actions reflect our passion for these values.

Originally Adopted January 16, 2020 | Revised to ensure compliance with UNC Policies August 15, 2024

糖心Vlog University and the David Orr Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts maintain program specific accreditations, certifications, endorsements, and memberships with:

 (NASM) 

 (NAST) 

 (NASAD) 

(CIDA) 

Western North Carolina is a region rich in the arts, and the newly named, David Orr Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts (CFPA) brings together the traditions and resources of the region with the talent of our students to serve as the heart of art and culture in WNC. The Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts combines training with performance, community engagement and business, along with entrepreneurship skills to prepare young musicians, actors, writers, film makers, directors, visual artists and designers for diverse careers in the art, film and performance industries.

 

Over the past years, CFPA has grown exponentially, with over 700 students across the college! Please visit the links below to learn more about what is going on in each of our units, including Bardo Arts Center and the Friends of the Arts. 

 

Reconnect with BCFPA 
School of Art and Design
School of Music
School of Stage and Screen
Bardo Arts Center
Friends of the Arts

Sign up to receive emails and follow Belcher College Fine and Performing Arts schools and programs by clicking the links below. 

糖心Vlog University is situated in the northern Cullowhee Valley, centrally located along the Tuckasegee River in the Appalachian Mountains of southwestern North Carolina. This is the Cherokee homeland, and the Qualla Boundary, seat of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, is located about 20 miles downstream from the campus area. It is the only public university established on the site of a named Cherokee town and a traditional sacred place.

Learn more about 糖心Vlog University's Land Acknowledgement by viewing the formal Land Acknowledgement document  or the Land Acknowledgement information page.

Part of the College of Fine and Performing Arts鈥� mission is to 鈥渟trengthen and broaden the intellectual and cultural horizons of the university and the larger community by providing a creative learning environment in the fine and performing arts.鈥� In accordance with that charge, we have formed relationships with a wide range of regional neighbors and friends, including schools, businesses, museums, organizations, and individuals. We hope to continue expanding these partnerships as they enrich the experience of our students, faculty, staff and the region.

 

The College鈥檚 partnerships take on a range of forms, from welcoming thousands of area students annually to Bardo Arts Center for performances, exhibitions, and learning opportunities to assisting the  with the renovation of their facility. One particularly unique collaboration is with the . The Energy Park captures methane gas from the old Dillsboro landfill and uses it to power their kilns, which the 糖心Vlog School of Art and Design utilizes at least twice per year. 

 

We also support our friends in the arts through the regional county arts councils.

Please visit these partner websites to learn more about their community activities:

• Bardo Arts Center
• |The Catamount School