WCU is a University of North Carolina campus
Project C.A.R.E. & Western's B.E.S.T.
Project C.A.R.E. (Committed to African-American Retention in Education) is a combination of programs seeking to improve the academic performance and retention of Western Carolina University's African-American student population.
Western’s B.E.S.T. (Black Educational Support Team), are trained sophomores, juniors, and seniors who volunteer their time to meet one-on-one with entering freshmen. They serve as peer counselors to the Project C.A.R.E. freshmen, and they are campus leaders both in and out of the classroom.
The components of Project C.A.R.E. are:
- A fall retreat for African-American first-time freshmen and transfer students
- A college orientation course for entering freshmen, USI 140, which is incorporated into Western PEAKS
- Peer-to-peer mentoring
- Special programs for student athletes
- Community building
- Mid-term academic grade monitoring
For more information on Project C.A.R.E. and Western’s B.E.S.T., please contact the Office of Multicultural Affairs.