Last Updated on November 3, 2025 1:22 pm
Friday, October 31, 2025
Fall brings a fun and festive atmosphere to our Boone and Hickory campuses, and this week, we enjoyed hosting local families for several events, including our annual Trick-or-Treat for Tots festival, hosted by Campus Dining. The children — and some of their families — dressed in costumes, enjoyed face painting, games and plenty of fun with Yosef. Thanks to App State Distinguished Alumnus and Board of Trustees Chair Mark Ricks, we had plenty of candy for all!
Last night, Hayes School of Music students and faculty, under the direction of assistant teaching professor of voice and opera Dr. Tyler Young, performed a double bill of the operettas “Cendrillon,” an adaptation of “Cinderella” by Pauline Viardot, and Georges Bizet's “Le Docteur Miracle,” a tale of love, disguise and a legendarily bad omelette. This fun and clever performance will close with a final performance tomorrow night at The Appalachian Theatre in downtown Boone.
On Tuesday afternoon, I visited a Mountaineers Soccer practice ahead of their season-ending shutout win over Georgia Southern on Wednesday. Led by Coach Aimee Haywood, the team has proudly represented App State through strong competition, community service and academic success.
Wednesday continued the “Lunch and Conversation” events I began hosting earlier this academic year at the Appalachian House. These gatherings with student leaders offer opportunities for my senior leadership team and me to spend time with and learn from student leaders, while also sharing information relevant to their roles on campus. This week, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Neva Specht, Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer J.J. Brown and I met with undergraduate and graduate students who represent the interests of App State students through their roles in the Student Government Association and Graduate Student Government Association. It was a valuable and rewarding experience, and I thank all the students who joined us.
This week, Appalachian State University convened a meeting of leaders from secondary and higher education institutions, as well as education leaders from myFutureNC, the statewide organization established to increase educational attainment in North Carolina, to introduce a new, statewide collective of college advising programs based at App State, Duke University, North Carolina State University, UNC-Chapel Hill, and UNC Wilmington, called Advise NC. Collectively, this Advise NC partnership has 139 advisors who provide mentorship and support for approximately 56,000 high school seniors in 82 counties, assisting them with planning their pathway after high school — including college enrollment, military enlistment and workforce options. This week’s meeting was the first of three, hosted by App State’s Office of Rural Promise, with a goal of ensuring this statewide initiative can work together to expand its reach and support for students across the state.
Next week, we’ll host Georgia Southern at The Rock on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., and we are looking forward to some great Mountaineer Football! I wish everyone a safe, fun (and warm!) weekend.
Heather Norris
Chancellor
