Belcher receives Long Leaf honor
Judge Brad Letts (left to right) and Susan Belcher look on as WCU Chancellor Dr. David Belcher receives the Order of the Long Leaf Pine from Gov. Roy Cooper. Cory Vaillancourt photo
It’s been quite a week for Western Carolina University Chancellor Dr. David Belcher.
Belcher was presented with the prestigious University of North Carolina Association of Student Governments William C. Friday Lifetime Achievement Award at a dinner in Raleigh April 20.
Three days later, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper took advantage of a planned stop in Haywood County to present Belcher with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine — the state’s highest civilian honor.
Belcher, who arrived in Cullowhee in 2011 with his wife, Susan, quickly became a beloved figure at the school. Originally from Barnwell, South Carolina, Belcher spent over a decade at Missouri State University and almost a decade at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
During his 2012 inauguration speech Belcher outlined five goals — develop the Millennial Campus, create a faculty and staff leadership academy, organize for institutional leaders an annual summer tour of the region, create a consortium of educators from Western North Carolina and prioritize fundraising for endowed scholarships.
Today, the new Health and Human Sciences building in the Millennial Campus is a testament to promises kept, as is WCU’s annual leadership academy, but perhaps the best promise is the promise of a bright future for recipients of more than 200 endowed scholarships created during Belcher’s tenure.
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A cancer diagnosis two years ago began to curtail Belcher’s tireless efforts on behalf of WCU, but didn’t stop him and Susan from making a $1.23 million gift of their own to WCU last October.
Shortly after, Belcher took medical leave as the university appointed Provost Allison Morrison-Shetlar to the interim chancellor position and formed a search committee to identify Belcher’s eventual successor.
The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, according to the group’s website, is given “to persons for exemplary service to the State of North Carolina and their communities that is above and beyond the call of duty and which has made a significant impact and strengthened North Carolina.”
Notable North Carolinians who have, like Belcher, received the order include Billy Graham, Andy Griffith and Michael Jordan.
Recent local recipients include former Joey’s Pancake House owner Brenda O’Keefe and Cherokee Tribal Councilwoman Tommye Saunooke. To date, 19,512 members of the Society of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine are listed on the website.
