Dr. Heather Norris

Chancellor, Appalachian State University

Dr. Heather Hulburt Norris has been named chancellor of Appalachian State University, effective March 1, 2025, after having served as interim chancellor of App State since April 19, 2024, when she was appointed to the position by University of North Carolina System President Peter Hans. With more than two decades of academic leadership, vision and expertise at App State, Chancellor Norris’ career has been characterized by her strong, collaborative leadership and service to both App State and the greater community. The university celebrated its 125-year anniversary as a leader and innovator in higher education under Norris’ leadership.

Chancellor Norris began her journey at the university in 2003, as a seasoned assistant professor in the Walker College of Business’ Department of Finance, Banking and Insurance. She was named assistant dean for undergraduate programs in 2005, associate dean for undergraduate programs and administration in 2008, senior associate dean in 2012, acting dean in 2014 and interim dean in 2015. In 2016, after a national search, she was named dean of the Walker College of Business. 

Rising steadily through the academic ranks from assistant dean for undergraduate programs in 2005 to the pivotal role of interim dean in 2015, Norris consistently led by example, serving to inspire the faculty, staff and administrators who worked alongside her, as well as the students she taught and mentored. Following a rigorous national search, she became the seventh dean of the Walker College of Business in July 2016. During her time as dean, new commitments of outright gifts and new pledges to the college grew by nearly 70%, and the college secured three new endowed professorships. Norris also oversaw a significant remodeling of Peacock Hall, which houses Walker College. Under her leadership, the college renewed its focus on experiential learning, expanding opportunities for global and civic engagement, and emphasizing sustainable and resilient business practices — and it was then the college coined the motto “Business for Good.”

As provost, she remained active in the creation of new endowed professorships and redeveloped an existing vice provost role to become vice provost for research and innovation, to focus more strategically on universitywide innovation opportunities that show strong potential for local and regional economic impact.

In recognition of her trusted leadership and her passion for advancing the success of App State, Norris was appointed interim provost and executive vice chancellor in February 2020, assuming full responsibilities in May 2021 and serving in this role until her appointment as interim chancellor. In this capacity, she oversaw the strategic direction of academic affairs, driving innovation and fostering key partnerships across the university’s various divisions, enabling a dynamic environment conducive to excellence in teaching and learning, research, scholarship and creative activities, and community outreach and engagement. Notably, she played a pivotal role in steering the university’s strategic planning and executing effective bridge planning strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring continuity and resilience in academic operations. Post-COVID, she led the efforts for the university’s 2022–27 strategic plan, “Empowering Human Potential through the Appalachian Experience,” as well as ensuring the recent development of an Academic Affairs Strategic Plan, a Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Strategic Plan, and the university’s current 2024–29 Quality Enhancement Plan, all under the direction of her Academic Affairs leadership team.

During her tenure as interim chancellor, Norris led App State’s coordinated efforts with the community to respond to and recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene, which hit the Boone area on Sept. 27, 2024, and was one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the institution. The university’s response and recovery efforts included providing 80,000 free, hot meals to the community, as well as space and support for an American Red Cross emergency shelter, and raising and distributing more than $4 million in bridge funding to support thousands of students, faculty and staff impacted by the storm.

Despite Hurricane Helene’s disruption to the fall semester, App State experienced a 2.2% increase in spring 2025 enrollment numbers compared with spring 2024, with a record enrollment of 20,291 students for the spring semester. In addition, the retention of first-year students from the fall to spring semester is 94.4%, a five-year high. Norris has overseen intentionally managed enrollment growth at the university, with App State experiencing significant growth in both the Hickory campus and App State Online student populations for 2024–25:

  • a 23.5% increase in online student enrollment since fall 2023, marking the fifth consecutive year of growth for this population; and
  • a 41% growth in Hickory campus enrollment from fall 2023 to fall 2024.

The university’s consistent growth helps support the myFutureNC goal of ensuring that 2 million North Carolinians will have a postsecondary degree or credential by 2030 that meets the demands of the state’s businesses and industries.

Norris’ leadership at App State has been characterized by a strong emphasis on developing and expanding new models and markets for academic delivery and expanding access to education for more people in North Carolina. Examples include:

The university’s academic accolades include leading the nation for its number of alumni who are National Board Certified Teachers. Additionally, the university regularly earns high rankings from national publications for academics — including online degree programs, as well as innovation, value, benefits for student veterans, programs to enhance the first-year experience and other aspects, and App State is recognized as a national and world leader in business education.

In response to campus feedback, and with an emphasis on innovation, Norris has repositioned and redeveloped several roles in the Provost’s Office to ensure greater role clarity, efficiency and transparency, and to encourage creative problem-solving among her leadership team. Additionally, she redeveloped a position on her leadership team to become vice provost of research and innovation in order to focus more strategically on universitywide innovation opportunities that show strong potential for local and regional economic impact.

The university recently earned a Research 2 designation for high research activity and doctorate production through the Carnegie Classification system, the nation’s leading framework for categorizing U.S. higher education institutions. App State is one of only five North Carolina public and private universities and colleges with an R2 designation. In fiscal year 2024, App State set a university record for research funding, securing more than $25 million in awards for faculty and staff projects, and over the last five years, App State’s funded research has increased by nearly 75%. The university’s new R2 designation opens the door for additional opportunities for students to conduct groundbreaking research and advance creative endeavors side-by-side with faculty and staff.

In October 2024, App State joined six other UNC System institutions as a headquarters for NCInnovation, a nonprofit that provides grant funding, mentorship and partnership development to university researchers to support innovative, real-world research at North Carolina’s public universities. App State’s collaboration with NCInnovation not only enhances opportunities for faculty, staff and students, but it also supports the vital mission of translating university research into solutions that benefit the people and economies of the state and region.

Committed to enhancing faculty and staff welfare, Norris has actively engaged in discussion and implemented substantial measures to ensure competitive compensation for faculty, as evidenced by the recent salary increases and ongoing commitment to adjust compensation structures to attract and retain top talent. 

Under her leadership, the university launched a General Education Listening Task Force that culminated in significant, data-driven revisions to App State’s General Education program. Additionally, Norris has increased support for the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning for Student Success, bolstering faculty professional development and enhancing student success initiatives. She has also appointed a cross-divisional Chancellor’s Artificial Intelligence Task Force to establish guidance and recommendations for AI use across the university while also enhancing protective measures for institutional security and individual privacy.

In fall 2024, Norris oversaw the launch of App State’s comprehensive Civic Literacy Initiative, which aims to foster a nonpartisan, civically engaged and informed university community — in line with the university’s foundational commitment to nonpartisanship and institutional neutrality. Jointly led by the divisions of Student Affairs and Academic Affairs, the program includes a strong focus on helping students develop skills to effectively build constructive dialogue around difficult topics and discuss challenging societal issues.

Chancellor Norris has been working collaboratively with campus leadership, App State’s Board of Trustees and members of the UNC System Office and Board of Governors on a capital projects review and six-year capital plan. This plan for capital improvements and repairs ensures the built environment at App State is designed to both support and advance the university’s core missions of teaching, scholarship and service. Several capital improvement projects are well underway at the university’s Boone and Hickory campuses, to support and empower members of the App State Community.

Norris and her leadership team are actively engaged in strategic and proactive fundraising efforts for the university, working to secure funding that is critical to supporting and sustaining App State’s continued mission of providing access to higher education. The university’s new pledges and outright gifts for the current year have already exceeded the university’s all-time high by more than 16%.

Norris has been published in the Journal of Portfolio Management, Financial Management, Managerial and Decision Economics, and the Journal of Applied Business Research. Her work on corporate restructuring has been cited in The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Business Week and Dow Jones Online News. Norris is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma and Phi Kappa Phi.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Norris is dedicated to community service, having served for many years on the boards of directors for organizations such as Children's Hope Alliance and the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce.

Prior to her tenure at App State, Norris held faculty positions at Bowling Green State University, Pennsylvania State University and West Virginia University.

Norris holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from James Madison University, and master’s and doctorate degrees in finance from Penn State University.

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