Last Updated on February 23, 2025 3:19 pm
Friday, February 21, 2025
This week, in recognition of our outstanding commitment to expanding educational access and degree attainment for adult learners across North Carolina, myFutureNC recognized Appalachian State University as a Champion for Attainment. An educational attainment program of the state of North Carolina, myFutureNC supports our state’s goal of having 2 million North Carolinians aged 25–44 hold an industry-valued credential or postsecondary degree by 2030.
Through our Aspire Appalachian program, a dedicated team provides a streamlined pathway for transfer students to attend App State after completing an associate degree at a partner community college. We currently have 27 community college partners across the state we collaborate with to help students earning an associate degree transition seamlessly to App State and earn their bachelor’s degrees. By fostering a supportive environment and establishing clear pathways for academic achievement, the Aspire Appalachian program exemplifies App State's commitment to empowering transfer students while also helping them manage college costs and graduate with less debt. There is a strong and passionate team — led by our Enrollment Management staff — that works across many units at the university to support our transfer students, and we thank them and congratulate them for this recognition!
At App State, we are intentional about our support for our transfer students, dedicating resources and support to these students each step of the way as they work to obtain their degrees, and our efforts show significant results. North Carolina community college students who transfer to App State complete their degrees at a rate of more than 22% higher than the national average.
Our transfer students are actively engaged in our university community, and they support one another to ensure a successful transition to App State — from the moment they arrive at App State through graduation. Our Transfer Student Mentors assist incoming transfer students by providing accurate information and helping them make meaningful connections within the App State Community. These dedicated students work to ensure our transfer students feel welcomed and supported from the time they are admitted to the time they cross the commencement stage, and we thank them, as well as the many faculty and staff who work with our transfer students, for their dedication to our students' success.
Earlier this week, members of my leadership team and I met with the Faculty Senate Advisory Committee. Throughout the academic year, we hold these meetings to make sure faculty leaders have access and opportunities to discuss matters raised by the faculty, and it’s also an excellent opportunity to consult with them on university initiatives. We had a productive discussion, and we appreciate the opportunity to exchange information and ideas in an informal, discussion-based setting.
This weekend brings many opportunities to support our student-athletes, beginning this afternoon, with our Mountaineers Baseball team taking on UMass Lowell at the L.P. Frans Stadium in Hickory during a special student appreciation day game. The mild temperatures and sunshine are welcome contributions to a great game day atmosphere!
Tomorrow, App State’s Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams will play their final regular season home games against Marshall and James Madison University, respectively. At these games, we’ll be celebrating alumni of both teams, with many former players and coaches in attendance.
The Men’s team will also be honoring Darryl Robinson, who graduated in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education (K–12) and an undergraduate teaching certificate, by retiring his jersey. This will be the first jersey retirement in our Men’s Basketball history, celebrating Darryl’s impressive school record that led to him being drafted by the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers. As a guard for the Mountaineers from 1975 to 1979, he led the team to back-to-back Southern Conference championships in 1977–78 and 1978–79 and was the 1979 Southern Conference Tournament MVP, as well as App State’s leading scorer in our first NCAA Tournament in 1979.
On Sunday, the App State Wrestling team will take on Campbell University for the Southern Conference Regular Season Wrestling Championship. I’m looking forward to cheering on the team and Coach JohnMark Bentley as they go for their seventh straight win and the championship to close out the regular season.
Whether you’re enjoying the winter weather, studying, working or all of those activities, there’s a full slate of events taking place in the coming days, and I hope you’ll have a chance to work some of them into your schedule. I wish you a great weekend and a productive week ahead.
Heather Norris
Interim Chancellor
