Last Updated on February 9, 2025 11:46 am
Friday, February 7, 2025
Twice each year, we convene a meeting of faculty and staff to share important university updates. In the fall semester, this meeting is presided over by the Chancellor and is an opportunity to share a State of the University Address, along with reports from universitywide divisional leaders. The spring meeting, which we held today, is presided over by the Provost. Acting Provost Specht and members of the Academic Affairs team provided important updates focused primarily on student success, and we also heard updates from Staff Senate and our Student Government Association.
Our collective success in key areas of performance, combined with our enrollment growth for online and Hickory campus programs, demonstrates our commitment to increase access to a high-quality, cost-effective App State education. We heard more about each of these topics during today’s meeting — read the reports from Academic Affairs here.
For 125 years, our institution has proudly increased access to a high-quality education, improving the quality of life and adding value to communities across our state and region. In the process, we’ve gained more widespread recognition for our innovative approaches to solving complex problems.
A huge thank-you to our faculty and staff for the tremendous efforts you put forth in your daily work to advance the greater good, answering the needs of our students and our communities — right here in Western North Carolina as it faces the greatest recovery challenges in generations, and across the state and nation.
Provost Specht, along with Assistant Vice Provost of Student Success Shernita Lee, Assistant Vice Provost of General and Experiential Education Ted Zerucha and Director of Career Development Jennifer Shaffer, provided updates on specific initiatives focused on student success, including:
- the Innovation District, including the STEM Academic Building, zero-carbon district energy system and faculty/staff housing development;
- the university’s performance metrics;
- our expected research designation through the Carnegie Classification system;
- planning for academic offerings at the Hickory campus;
- collaborations with Project Kitty Hawk; and
- our collaboration with NCInnovation.
Staff Senate Chair Samantha Williams and Student Body President Kathryn Long also joined the meeting to share remarks on behalf of their constituents. The meeting was informative and shared many impressive undertakings and accomplishments — thank you to all of today’s presenters.
Yesterday, Appalachian State University and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College celebrated the signing of an Aspire Appalachian agreement, which provides a streamlined path for students enrolled at partner community colleges to complete their bachelor's degrees at App State. Students involved in the Aspire Appalachian program gain access to numerous benefits, including dedicated counseling services and career development guidance. Rowan-Cabarrus is one of the 27 community colleges partnered with App State in the program. Since last spring, we have concentrated our efforts on renewing and expanding Aspire partnerships. In doing so, App State and North Carolina community colleges are clearing pathways for transfer student success — providing greater accessibility to a high-quality App State education and supporting these students each step of the way as they work to obtain their associate and bachelor’s degrees.
We celebrated the university’s sixth annual Research and Creative Activity Event on Wednesday afternoon. This event — hosted by the Office of Research and Innovation, the Hayes School of Music and University Libraries — featured 25 presentations and more than 46 presenters, representing 18 departments from six of App State’s degree-granting colleges. The innovative and meaningful research of our expert faculty and staff advances the greater good and answers the needs of our communities, while providing incredible opportunities for student scholarship.
On Monday, members of my leadership team and I joined the men’s and women’s Track and Field and Cross Country teams, along with Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Damion McLean, Men’s Distance Coach Brad Herbster and Women’s Distance Coach Annie Richards, as they received their Sun Belt Conference Championship rings. In November, the Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams swept the Sun Belt Championships for the first time in school history. The men’s team won their second consecutive championship and the women won their first since 2018. Congratulations to these impressive student-athletes and their coaching staff!
For 125 years, Mountaineers have called upon their App State educations and experiences to make positive and lasting contributions to their communities — across the state, nation and world. Our commitment to our founding mission is stronger than ever, and our focus on student success now is laying the groundwork for the next 125 years.
Heather Norris
Interim Chancellor
