Last Updated on March 14, 2026 6:47 pm
Friday, March 13, 2026
When Mountaineers describe their App State Experiences, they speak of so many wonderful opportunities that shape their time at App State. This often includes at least one strong mentorship with a faculty member — which oftentimes includes conducting applied research — and at least one experience in which a staff member has made a significant, positive difference in their college careers. Beyond the classroom, it may be rooted in artistic endeavors or athletic excitement; it could also be tied to their involvement in clubs and organizations — and often it includes being a part of something bigger than themselves, including opportunities to give back to communities near and far. What makes the App State Experience so exciting and so memorable is our remarkable students — each of their individual experiences is a piece of a collective story.
One of the ways our students choose to engage in service is through extended service programs, offered as an alternative option to a traditional academic break. These Alternative Service Experiences provide students with opportunities to serve, learn, explore and make a difference in communities on a local, national or global level during their fall, winter or spring breaks. Students develop their leadership skills on these trips as well — each program is planned and led by student peer leaders and student coordinators, with support from staff in the Office of Community-Engaged Leadership. Each year, we offer nearly a dozen Alternative Service Experiences.
When our students return from spring break next week, they will have conducted more than 2,400 service hours and have more than 1,650 hours of training and education for this academic year. This is just one example of the many ways our university enriches scholarship, strengthens civic responsibility and contributes to the public good — and was therefore one of only 277 institutions in the nation awarded the Community Engagement Classification by the American Council on Education and Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the nation’s leading framework for categorizing U.S. higher education institutions.
Springtime is peak awards season at App State, and this spring, we are celebrating the University of North Carolina System Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching awardee from Appalachian State University, Dr. Elizabeth Shay. Dr. Shay is an associate professor and planning program director in the Department of Geography and Planning, where her teaching and research in city and regional planning focus on transportation, as well as land use and rural resilience. Among her many accomplishments, Dr. Shay has led the effort to secure national Planning Accreditation Board recognition for our Bachelor of Science in community and regional planning program. You can learn more about her passion and commitment to educating and supporting our students here.
Additionally, Dr. Pablo Chialvo, lecturer in App State’s Department of Biology, from the College of Arts and Sciences, was named as our university-level awardee for the 2026 Appalachian State University Excellence in Teaching Award, and five faculty members have been named as awardees at the college level:
- Dr. Rebecca Kappus, associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology, from the Beaver College of Health Sciences;
- Dr. Justin Kent, assistant professor in the Department of Management, from the Walker College of Business;
- Dr. Jason Lynch, associate professor in the Department of Counseling, Family Therapy and Higher Education, from the Reich College of Education;
- Dr. Savannah Paige Murray, assistant professor in the Department of English, from the College of Arts and Sciences; and
- Dr. Mark Nunes, professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, from the College of Arts and Sciences.
The UNC Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching awards are a powerful affirmation of our enduring commitment to student success. We are proud to see Dr. Shay and her colleagues — whose exceptional work highlights the rigorous scholarship and real-world problem-solving that take place every day at Appalachian State University — recognized with this esteemed awards program. Next month, we will celebrate these seven outstanding scholars — along with Dr. John Paul “JP” Jameson, recipient of the James E. Holshouser Jr. Award — at a special ceremony honoring the recipients of our university’s most distinguished awards.
Our faculty also have a strong presence in determining some of the most prestigious awards in the nation. App State’s Jewel Davis, Instructional Materials Center librarian and the Martha and Nancy Lee Bivens Distinguished Professor in App State’s University Libraries, chaired the committee that selected the 2026 Randolph Caldecott Medal winner — the nation’s top award for children’s picture books. As the award committee chair, professor Davis read more than 800 children’s books that were nominated as the best illustrated stories that left lasting impressions on young readers. At App State, she brings her expertise directly to students, guiding future educators, librarians and storytellers — while managing the university’s Instructional Materials Center, which serves as a model pre-K–12 school media center, teaching library courses in the Reich College of Education and leading outreach to K–12 schools across our region.
And, App State’s Wrestling team brought home a Southern Conference trophy last weekend, after winning its fourth straight SoCon Tournament Championship. It was an exciting finish that — for the second year in a row — came down to the final match of the tournament. Congratulations to the team, as well as Coach JohnMark Bentley and the coaching staff, for a record-winning streak! We look forward to cheering you on during the national championship tournament.
Monday, our students and faculty will return to our classrooms, labs, studios and libraries. I hope you all enjoy the last few days of spring break and come back rejuvenated and ready for a strong finish to the spring semester.
Heather Norris
Chancellor
