Yesterday, we welcomed our university community back to a campus that is open and ready to serve, thanks to hundreds of staff, faculty and students who have worked and volunteered hundreds of hours since Hurricane Helene hit our area.

As I spent time with students, faculty and staff, I heard many stories of people who are overcoming significant hardship, saw quite a few hugs being exchanged and felt the incredible energy of a vibrant and resilient campus community — Mountaineers reuniting with friends, peers, mentors and colleagues. Some of the comments students shared with me were how happy they are to be getting back into their routines on campus and how much they appreciate their faculty for making helpful course adjustments. Faculty and staff members shared with me their joy of seeing students back on campus and how they’ve been checking in with their students, as well as with one another.

Returning to classes is a significant step forward in our recovery from the destruction brought by Hurricane Helene. To the faculty, department chairs, academic advisors, deans and many staff who are working to ensure academic continuity for our students and supporting their success, I extend my heartfelt thanks. 

This week, my leadership team and I have continued conversations with Watauga County, Town of Boone, Blowing Rock and Boone Area Chamber of Commerce leaders and emergency response coordinators. It’s encouraging and inspiring to see the incredible progress our community has made together while also recognizing that “full recovery” may take months or even years to come. We’re so grateful to the many individuals who are working to restore our area’s infrastructure and people’s livelihoods. Every day we see improvements in the conditions of our roads, power and communications.

We worked together with the Town and County to respond to the immediate needs of our community during and after Hurricane Helene, and we are committed to sustaining this partnership as we continue to move forward with recovery efforts and build a sense of hope for the future to our broader community. Our latest conversations have focused on how the university can resume its larger events, recognizing that the university contributes positively to the livelihoods of residents in the Town of Boone, Watauga County and beyond. Based on information from these conversations and the continued progress in our area, we will take the following operational steps:

• On Friday, Oct. 25, at 4 p.m., we will lift the university’s Condition 1 status of Reduced Operations and return to Normal Operational status.
  
  
• Our final three home football games of the season will be played at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone on their originally scheduled dates of Oct. 26, Nov. 2 and Nov. 23.
  
  
• Homecoming festivities will be postponed until Nov. 23. Some events may be reduced. We will share more information about this in the coming days.
  
  
• Kickoff for the Oct. 26 game will be at 1 p.m., to encourage opportunities to support local businesses, as well as to allow for those who want to attend the Concert for Carolina, which is supporting hurricane relief efforts in the area, to attend the concert as well as the App State football game.
  
  
• A rescheduled Open House will take place Nov. 9 in person.

These are just some of the university events that contribute to our community’s well-being and add to the vibrancy and camaraderie of the High Country. All of these events will be heavily focused on ways the university can continue to serve our community.

We’ve seen a tremendous volunteer effort by our students, faculty and staff since Sept. 27, and this weekend, we are organizing an opportunity for students to continue helping our community with recovery efforts. Our Community-Engaged Leadership team has organized a Student Day of Service for this Saturday, Oct. 19.

We're working to thoughtfully, responsibly and respectfully bring university events back to Boone that are supported by students, faculty and staff, as well as a passionate base of alumni and others who love Appalachian State University and Western North Carolina. We’re committed to ensuring that the university continues to support and sustain our community in meaningful and lasting ways.

Heather Norris
Interim Chancellor