WCU's Annual Presidential Gala
A WCU education is transformative—if you weren’t able to attend the 2025 Gala, you can still help our students thrive by making a gift to support experiential learning. Interested in becoming a 2026 Gala sponsor? Reach out to Viviann Schorle, Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations.
Inauguration Celebration Culminates In 42nd Annual Presidential Gala
More than 450 alumni, donors, WCU faculty and staff, students, friends, and supporters gathered in the Conservatory at Longwood Gardens on March 28 in celebration of the inauguration of Dr. Laurie Bernotsky as the University’s 16th president.
Proceeds from this year’s Gala support experiential learning opportunities — unpaid internships, clinical rotations, student-teacher stipends, education abroad, the WCU Resource Pantry, and the Career Closet — that are vital to our students’ education. The Gala was co-chaired by Michael M’91 and Karen Gibson M’00 and made possible thanks to Presenting Sponsor Aramark and numerous corporate sponsors; the Gala is funded entirely by private donations and sponsorships.
More information about the Presidential Inauguration celebration can be found at www.wcupa.edu/inauguration.
Senior marketing major Lilyana Campbell was awarded a scholarship to study language in Sorrento, Italy.
She told the audience: “I can go on and on about the remarkable pizza and endless pasta, but this trip meant so much more to me. I discovered the beauty of connecting with people from diverse backgrounds and realized how important global perspectives are in today’s world…I truly understood the significance of international business and the impact it has on fostering cross-cultural relationships.”
Lilyana will be returning in the fall to earn her MBA.
Thank You To Our 2025 Sponsors
Presenting Sponsor
$10,000
$7,500
$5,000
