Thank you, Chair Ricks.

My report today will focus on the key theme of student success. 

For a more comprehensive review of our initiatives and activities, you can find weekly newsletters and a recorded livestream of last month’s State of the University Address at chancellor.appstate.edu.

Yesterday we held Foundation Board and Board of Visitors meetings on campus. In my discussions with these boards, members have expressed a strong desire to be more actively engaged. I appreciate these volunteers and the added energy — in concert with the work of the Board of Trustees — they are bringing in support of our university’s mission.

Since I began serving in this position in April, I've been working — along with my leadership team — on rebuilding and repairing trust internally and strengthening the university’s relationships with the many constituents we serve. We recognize we need to reestablish the university as a good partner to our local community and rekindle the relationship with the Town of Boone that has lasted for 125 years.

We’re spending time with faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents and families, members of the communities we serve, leaders in the UNC System and our lawmakers.

I’ve also worked to make sure our campus community is informed about key issues, initiatives and processes that face our university.

This board has been incredibly supportive of us, as we’ve engaged in this work, and I want to thank each and every one of you for your dedication to this university that we all love so much.

Before I share key updates on student success, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Johnny Brown, Interim Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police, and Brad Trahan, Interim General Counsel and Director of Institutional Integrity.

Each brings important experience to their roles. Brad’s long-standing experience includes work at two prior UNC System institutions, as well as with the System Office. Johnny, who’s been at App State for more than two decades, is a well-known, respected and decorated law enforcement officer who brings important experience in establishing and maintaining a culture of safety and mutual respect among the many constituents we serve. 

I appreciate both of them for stepping into their current roles of leadership and service for our university.

We’re now supporting 21,570 students across our Boone and Hickory campuses, and online. While this is our largest enrollment ever, our growth is informed by strategy. Including our consideration of:

• expansion capacity;
• market demand;
• consumer needs;
• our position in the marketplace; and
• our core competencies.

Strategic enrollment management has been a priority for me, and during the time I oversaw enrollment management as provost, we worked to ensure we were forward-thinking in our approach to developing a variety of modalities and academic offerings that acknowledge market demand and strategically address the changing demographics of college-going adults. In the last year, our leadership team strengthened our focus and execution on intentionally managed enrollment strategies, and the 2024 numbers reflect this. 

Let me emphasize that our growth will continue to be supported by intentional, strategic enrollment management, which includes growth in Hickory and online, and leverages our new and existing partnerships with community colleges and our new partnership with Project Kitty Hawk — allowing our Boone campus numbers to remain steady. 

125 years after our first class of 53 students made history in 1899, we continue to meet our founding mission of providing access to a quality education for North Carolinians who are willing to work hard to succeed.

We are focused on student success — and we’re embracing the priorities put forth by UNC System President Peter Hans of freedom of expression, academic freedom, nondiscrimination and institutional neutrality.

The actions we’ve taken to achieve compliance with the Equality Within the University of North Carolina policy resulted in no layoffs. As I reported in my newsletter last Friday, some eliminated positions were vacant and unfilled, some positions were realigned and some employees were selected for other open positions at the university based on their qualifications.

We realized just under $1.2 million in savings related to personnel, programmatic and operating expenses. Of that, just under $800,000 remains unallocated at this time.

My leadership team is reviewing our current unmet student success needs and considering the most effective ways we can allocate these funds to further support mental health initiatives for students, and academic success measures to support students so that undergraduate students can complete their degrees in four years and students earning their master’s degrees can do so in two years or less.

We will work with campus leaders to ensure we are thoughtfully reallocating these funds toward measurable objectives for student success.

As you consider proposed revisions to the university’s strategic plan today, you will see that we’ve worked to ensure it reflects this commitment to the success of all of our students.

I hope it is evident that our respect for the work of faculty, staff and students, and our commitment to academic freedom, are stronger than ever.

In the folders we’ve provided, you’ll find the recently published Student Affairs Impact Report. This document reflects the commitment of our Student Affairs team members to implementing evidence-based strategies to support our students through their academic careers.

• From the student who went from loneliness to finding her community;
• To the student who experienced trauma and received the support he needed;
• From the student who found her confidence and became a leader of her peers; and
• To the student who went from struggling to get through his day to successfully crossing the commencement stage …

Our students are the reason we come to work every day. 

We are committed to serving them, to supporting them academically, professionally and personally so they are able to take full advantage of their App State Experience, enjoy transformative educational careers, thrive, prosper and achieve success.

This university is a place we all love, and your service is evidence of your commitment to its success, and to the success of our students — thank you!

In closing, I’d like to share a video that pays tribute to the work begun by our founders that continues today.

This video is playing for prospective students in the Admissions theater. (Thank you to University Communications for putting it together for us.)

Next week, we will celebrate a particularly special Founders Day on Sept. 26. As we induct the newest class of the Bell Ringers Society, we will recognize and celebrate the 125th anniversary of our first day of classes in 1899. If you can join us, your presence will make it even more special.

Mr. Chair, this concludes my remarks.