Carrie Gates
"Granny Tales"

Carmaletta Gates, a staff development specialist for the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, studied storytelling techniques with master storyteller David Holt. For years, she has been entertaining audiences of school children and others with her stories.

Mark Haskett
"Getting to Know Your Camera"

Learn to tell your story with a camera. Mark Haskett, who parlayed a hobby into a full-time career, is WCU's resident photographer. His work routinely appears in university publications, regional newspapers, and national magazines.

Beverly Jacobs
Services Offered for Individuals with Communication Disorders by the WCU Speech and Hearing Center

Dr. Beverly Jacobs is an associate professor in the communicative disorders program in the Department of Human Services and also serves as director of Western's Speech and Hearing Center. She has received several continuing education awards from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and is also a member of the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences (ANCDS).

Kevin Lee
"The Benefits of a TV-Free Week"

Dr. Kevin Lee, assistant professor in the Department of Communication, holds a B.A. from Western State College, Gunnison, CO, an M.A. from Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, MO, and an Ed.D. from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK. His research interests include the interaction of technology and learning.

Karl Nicholas
"A Brief History of English"
"A History of English Spelling"
"What's Grammar All About?"
"Appalachian English"

English professor Dr. Karl Nicholas brings a fresh outlook to an old subject -- the English language. He is co-author of Smoky Mountain Voices: A Lexicon of Appalachian Speech. Recipient of a Fulbright Scholar Award, he spent 1995-96 teaching English and linguistics at Palacky University in Olomouc, Czech Republic. A member of the WCU faculty for more than twenty years, he received his doctorate from the University of Southern California.

Terry Nienhuis
"The Personal and Social Benefits of Humor"

English professor Dr. Terry Nienhuis has been a teacher and actor for more than twenty years. He has appeared on stage, television, and in movies such as Richie Rich and The Journey of August King. He received his doctorate from the University of Michigan.

Rita Noel
"Communications Potpourri"

An expert on ways people communicate, Dr. Rita Noel tailors her presentation to meet the needs of her audience. Subjects range from how men and women communicate to how gang members share information. An assistant business professor, she also speaks about skills used in getting a job, from writing a resumé to interviewing. A doctorate in technology from the University of Tennessee has prepared her to speak about all-things-computer, from desktop publishing to the Internet. (See photo on page 3.)

Brian Railsback
"How to Get Your Work Published"
"John Steinbeck"
"Native American Literature: Poetry and Fiction"

How do you get your screen play, short story, or nonfiction article published? Dr. Brian Railsback, associate professor of English and author, discusses techniques of getting a manuscript to market. And an expert on the life and works of American novelist John Steinbeck, Railsback has recently published Parallel Expeditions: Charles Darwin and the Art of John Steinbeck. A graduate of Ohio University, he has spoken about American and Native American literature to groups in the United States, Mexico, and Japan.

John Slater
"The Mass Media and the Olympic Games"

Donna Williams
"The Linguistics of What You Don't Say"
"Sisters of Famous Men"
"Sex and Destiny: The Politics of Human Fertility"
"Descent Myths and the Jungian Archetype of the Shadow"

Dr. Donna Glee Williams, a fellow at the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, holds a master's degree in writing and doctorate in English from Louisiana State University. She has worked as a registered nurse, freelance writer and editor, police reporter, and member of a schooner crew. A prolific writer, she has published some fifty poems, short stories, book reviews, song lyrics, and magazine and journal articles in the past decade.

Steve Yurkovich
"Grantsmanship: How to Prepare a Fundable Proposal"

Dr. Steven Yurkovich takes you step-by-step through the grantwriting maze. Professor of Geology and former Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies, he is in charge of WCU's external funding program A member of WCU's faculty since 1971, he received his doctorate from Brown University.