Last Updated on January 13, 2023 1:41 pm
Friday, January 13, 2023
As we begin a new year and a new semester, I welcome those of you who are joining the App State Community for the first time, and welcome back those returning from the winter break. I hope everyone was able to rest and spend time with loved ones over the holidays, and are invigorated and ready for the many exciting opportunities ahead in 2023.
Later this afternoon, we will send an update with key information to help navigate the coming semester, including important resources, what to expect when winter weather impacts campus operations and health care reminders.
On Monday, the university will be closed in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and classes for the spring semester begin on Tuesday. We will continue our university tradition of celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by presenting an evening with Daniel Dawes, our 2023 MLK Commemoration speaker, on Feb. 2, and a day of service to the community on Feb. 18.
Next week, at the January meeting of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors, I will share an update on App State’s Hickory Campus. We are busily preparing for the opening of the Hickory Campus to students in August. Our new building is staffed weekdays from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. with members of the Admissions and Student Affairs teams to help answer questions from prospective students and their families who wish to enroll at App State’s Hickory Campus.
In fall 2023, more than 100 undergraduate majors will be available for students who wish to begin or continue their four-year degrees at App State. Among the many on-site services, first-year and transfer student support and assistance will include admissions, advising, career services, financial aid and tutoring.
This year, we will also begin construction on the first phase of the Innovation District on the Boone campus. Construction of the first building — the Conservatory for Biodiversity Education and Research — is anticipated to begin this summer. Later in the year, construction will begin on more than 150 faculty and staff housing units in five residential buildings, to help address a demand for affordable employee housing. The district’s zero-carbon renewable energy infrastructure will be integrated with the construction of the academic and housing facilities.
This spring, we will also begin:
- Renovations to Wey Hall, built in 1976 and home to the Department of Art, which offers more than 100 course sections to approximately 1,400 students. The building’s classrooms are also used for general education and first-year seminar courses. Construction is slated to conclude in late summer 2024.
- Renovations to Newland Residence Hall are slated to begin in May, with a target completion date of August 2024.
- After the App State basketball teams’ seasons conclude, work will begin on the new 600-space parking deck at the Holmes Convocation Center. The parking deck is anticipated to open for the fall 2024 semester.
These campus infrastructure projects are ensuring that we are able to grow and change, carrying forward our deep commitment to our academic mission, the quality of the App State Experience and service to students and the people of North Carolina. We thank our lawmakers in Raleigh for their support of these endeavors and for the best biennial budget in university history, which is funding many of these projects. You can find full information about these projects and more on our App State’s Future website.
Whether you are new to App State or have been part of our growth and progress for some time, you are part of a special place that carries forward with pride the mission of our founders — providing access to education through a community of teachers, learners and mentors who support and inspire one another.
I wish you all the best as we begin 2023, and look forward to our bright future together.
