Watch the Feb. 27 livestreamed remarks from the welcome event celebrating Dr. Heather Hulburt Norris’ appointment as chancellor of Appalachian State University. University of North Carolina System President Peter Hans announced Norris’ appointment upon election by the Board of Governors of the 17-campus University of North Carolina System on Feb. 27. 

Transcript:

Sen. Deanna Ballard, Chair, Chancellor Search Advisory Committee, Appalachian State University

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Good afternoon, folks! Hello, App Family! Guess what we get to do today? A little red ink. A little editing. A little delete space, on what word — interim! Chancellor Norris congratulations on becoming Appalachian State’s Chancellor. We are so excited about this. Let’s just give her another round of applause.

So out of the gate, I want to say thank you for your patience today as we’ve been waiting on Board of Governors meetings to commence and to conclude, too. I just thank you to those who are still here and enjoying the fellowship.

Before I offer a few personal reflections, I do want to cover a few housekeeping items. I want to say it’s probably not likely that the chancellor will have an opportunity to speak individually with everyone in the room today, so I want to remind you that there are two scheduled meet and greet opportunities. One is this afternoon at 3 p.m. in Room 420 of the Plemmons Student Union, and that’s of course here on the Boone campus.  And then tomorrow on the Hickory campus at 3 p.m. Do feel free to stop by and introduce yourself and spend a little time getting to know Heather, if you don’t already.

And then also, immediately following today’s remarks, we will provide members of the press with an opportunity to interview Chancellor Norris in the room right next door. Megan Hayes and Anna Oakes will direct our media guests to that location. It will not be part of livestreamed events today. And I know some of the most burning questions folks have been asking — well, will we know who the other candidates were? — and I can firmly tell you no, you will not. So I do ask that you respect the confidentiality of the committee and the search process and the integrity of it throughout. Thank you again.

Just a quick moment, I will try and be brief since you guys have been waiting. As you know, we first convened the search committee in August of last year. We had a strong charge from President Hans, whom you just heard from — so it’s really hard to follow his remarks today, too — and then of course I offered my own personal commitment to the committee and the members of this community as a chair who would really conduct the process with integrity, a willingness to really roll up our sleeves and exercise grit while really most importantly, and you can look at my remarks, honoring our people — and that’s our community across the region. We then proceeded with a series of listening sessions. We sought input from students, faculty, staff, alumni and members of the greater community, who were able to share their thoughts and opinions — often colorful at times — about what qualities App State’s next chancellor should have. And I’ll be honest, if you look, if you took the time to really read the Leadership Profile that was developed and on the website, you’ll notice we intentionally included quotes throughout that Leadership Profile that were your words — your words from the sessions, your words from the surveys. So I want you to understand that you were a part of this process from the very beginning.

Little did I know when I used the word “grit” in August last year, that we would put that into literal action just a month later. And as we supported one another in the relief and the recovery through one of the worst disasters this region and this institution's 125-year history has ever experienced … following that pause and our time to really partner together, we were mucking out homes, a lot of us were in this room, and we were providing shelter and food to our neighbors, among so many other efforts combined across this region. The search committee then resumed search activities and from a pool of more than 40 individuals sent the names of three very well-qualified folks to the Board of Trustees, who approved our recommendations and sent them to President Hans for consideration. Those candidates, those three, participated in campus visits and were able to meet with members from the student body, staff, faculty, administration, leadership boards, alumni and community members as well.

Again, I want you to hear this; this is very important to me because this was a commitment I really did make to myself and to the committee. From beginning to end, we asked for your voice, and your input, and your transparency. So that means there were hard questions that were asked throughout the process. There were difficult feelings to process, sometimes even out loud. So I hope you know and can tell how much we really listened. I personally thank you for your engagement and your integrity throughout the entire time. And especially — and I speak for our committee on this — I thank you for your trust in us to work alongside you in supporting Appalachian. Without it, our committee’s work would not have been nearly as effective or impactful.

And lastly, I would be remiss if I did not say thank you to President Hans for the opportunity to chair and the UNC System team for their thoughtfulness and their faith in the incredible members of our 13-member search advisory committee. If you guys are here today, members of that committee, if you could stand up and raise your hand real quick. I want to recognize you. Gov. Byers and Chair Ricks and Scott Lampe are also a part of that committee, too. These individuals have shown remarkable dedication, continuing our efforts even as we managed the impacts of Hurricane Helene. I couldn’t have asked for a more professional group of individuals to help shape the course of App State’s history. Genuinely, from the sincerity of heart, I thank you.

Remember those surveys I mentioned that you filled out at the very beginning? Well, believe it or not, I actually read through a lot of those, and one of the comments that I often referred to was — the chancellor must know how to pronounce the name of the university. So Chancellor Norris, how do we say it? Friends, audience, how do we say it? Now chancellor, that sure sounds like family to me and it sure feels like home. We’re praying for you and your family in this new leadership role, and just know that we are here to support you and serve alongside you in any way we can for the betterment and future of Appalachian State. Thank you.

Now I’ll take a moment to welcome Trustee Sofield up to the podium, and he’ll share just a few remarks from the Board of Trustees and then we’ll have Chancellor Norris back up.

Tommy Sofield, Vice Chair, Appalachian State University Board of Trustees

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Good morning, and welcome everyone. I am pleased to bring remarks this morning on behalf of Chair Mark Ricks and the Appalachian State University Board of Trustees.

Thank you for joining us today. It is, indeed, as Senator Ballard shared, a pivotal day in App State’s history.

We’d like to thank the Senator for her service to the university. Chairing a Chancellor search committee is a huge job, and this one was interrupted by the biggest storm to hit our area in generations. Throughout it all, Senator Ballard’s professionalism and integrity were beyond compare. Thank you, Senator.

We’d also like to thank the Search Advisory Committee. We had an excellent candidate pool, which speaks highly of this university, and we couldn’t have asked for a better group of colleagues to represent our constituent groups on the Search Advisory Committee process.

And of course, we extend our sincere thanks to UNC System President Peter Hans and the Board of Governors and their Chair, Wendy Murphy,  for their leadership and for choosing the best candidate we could hope for as our university’s next Chancellor.

We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Heather Hulburt Norris as Appalachian State University’s next Chancellor. With more than two decades in faculty and leadership roles at App State, she brings the very best attributes to lead us into the future. In her role as Interim Chancellor over the last 10 months, Heather has led the university with the best interests of our students, faculty and staff at the forefront of every decision, made significant progress in rebuilding relationships with our community leaders, and led us through one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the institution. Her business acumen and compassion will continue to serve our university well in the future.

This is an exciting time for App State. Having just achieved R2 status, we’re well-positioned to lead innovation in research and creative endeavors for the western part of the state, driving economic development that will help with hurricane recovery and improving economic well-being and quality of life for our region for decades to come. We have the perfect person at the helm to move us forward.

Heather, congratulations! We’re thrilled to be able to remove “Interim” from your title! The Trustees are very excited to join you in App State’s next chapter.

And now, please help me welcome Appalachian State University’s eighth Chancellor, Dr. Heather Norris, to the podium!

Dr. Heather Hulburt Norris, Chancellor, Appalachian State University

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Thank you, Senator Ballard and Vice Chair Sofield, and thank all of you for joining us today.
It is with great joy and enthusiasm that I accept the position as Appalachian State University’s next chancellor. It is my honor to continue to advance the mission of our university, which I — and we — dearly love. For over twenty years now, I have had the distinct pleasure of serving this great university and the surrounding communities in a multitude of roles, including in my most recent role as interim chancellor. I am humbled to stand before you today to accept this new role.

In addition to my passion for academic excellence and student success, I have a deep appreciation for App State’s mountain heritage and its role in the region. I have lived for most of my life in rural Appalachia and nearly all of my 30-year career has been in Appalachia. Western North Carolina has been my home for over 20 years. I have built my life here, and generations of my family live here. Beyond my professional endeavors, I have many years of service for local nonprofit entities in the area.

I was first drawn to App State as a finance faculty member in 2003 because of the university’s stated mission of academic excellence and student success, which aligned perfectly with my passion to support students, both inside and outside the classroom. When I arrived on campus, I saw that stated mission to be true. I am proud that providing access to high-quality education and support for student success remain our focus today.

In my leadership roles as dean, provost, and now chancellor, I have maintained a relentless focus on student success.

As a faculty member, administrator, and individual, I value academic freedom and freedom of expression, as well as honesty and integrity. At heart, I am a servant leader. I understand that our best efforts involve working collaboratively together, and I actively seek out and listen to advice from our many constituent groups. From my first days as interim chancellor, I recognized the need for App State to bolster relationships, and, in some cases, to rebuild, repair, and restore trust with our constituent groups. In partnership with our Board of Trustees and my leadership team, I earnestly set about that work, which we pledge to continue, recognizing that building and maintaining relationships requires ongoing commitment.

I recognize the challenges in the higher education industry, with the changing demographics and waning confidence in higher ed, as well as the rapidly evolving landscape of collegiate athletics. Despite these challenges, I see opportunities for further advancement of App State’s mission and our region. By capitalizing on our existing strengths and bringing multiple perspectives and partnerships to the table, we can create synergies at the intersection of disparate ideas with funding through strategic revenue generation, funded grants and contracts, and significant fundraising. Our existing strengths are numerous and include our tremendous faculty and staff expertise, our passionate alumni base, our amazing students, our highly successful arts and athletics programs, our well-poised research and innovation enterprise, and our well-established and growing pathways to education and lifelong learning — including our innovative lab schools, College Access Partnerships, Aspire Appalachian partnerships, undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates, Project Kitty Hawk-powered adult learner programs, and more.

I want to take this moment to say thank you:

• To my family: especially my husband Rob, my daughter Emma, and my Dad, David Hulburt, who share with me a strong sense of faith and purpose to serve others;
• To UNC System President Peter Hans, Board of Governors Chair Wendy Murphy and the full Board of Governors. Please know I am so grateful for your trust in me. I recognize the responsibility you have placed in me, and I will work every day to be the leader this great institution and our communities deserve;
• To our government leaders, from the High Country and Catawba Valley, to Raleigh, to Washington D.C., who recognize the importance of App State to our region and who recognize the potential App State has to bolster the economic prosperity and vibrancy of the communities across our region;
• To Chair Ricks, Vice Chair Sofield and the Board of Trustees, who have supported me — and my leadership team — allowing us to focus our efforts on serving our students, faculty and staff and communities during our time of this transition;
• To the members of my leadership team, who have provided incredible support and counsel during the last 10 months, and who helped ensure our institution was literally a beacon in the storm when Hurricane Helene devastated our area in September;
• To the community leaders in the High Country and the Catawba Valley, who are helping shape the vision for App State’s future;
• To the more than 150,000 alumni of App State living, working and contributing in communities across the state, nation and world with Mountaineer pride;
• To our faculty, who dedicate their lives to the pursuit of knowledge and advancing purposeful research and creative endeavors, while teaching and mentoring our students; and our staff, whose contributions each day and at every level ensure a positive, meaningful community in which our students can succeed;
• And of course, to our students. You represent our future, and we remain dedicated to ensuring the experiences you have and the degrees you earn here will hold a lifetime of value for you.

It is my great honor to continue to serve, building upon the excellence that was established by our founders 125 years ago.

It’s always great to be a Mountaineer!