Good afternoon.

At the beginning of this academic year, I shared with you all that Appalachian State University is operating from a position of strength.

• We have shown record enrollment growth nearly each year for the last decade.
• Numerous national accolades speak to the success of our students.
• Our graduation rates place us within the top four schools in the UNC System.
• We also hold the No. 5 spot in the System for our first- to second-year retention rate, which outperforms the national average by more than 15%, signaling a much higher likelihood that students who start in the fall will return the following year.
• Our recent R2 designation underscores the research and innovations our faculty are creating and developing, which are strengthening the resilience of our regional infrastructure and meeting present and future needs of communities and industry — both locally and globally.

All of these contribute to the pillars of strength we continue to build upon and the solid foundation that has been more than 125 years in the making.

We’re well diversified across our funding sources and fortunate to be in a state that is, per capita, among the top five in the nation for state funding.

At App State, private dollars work in concert with the generous public funding we receive from our state legislature, as well as from federal grants, to ensure our success. 

Five months into the fiscal year, we’re seeing the second-best fundraising year in university history so far and, as Will noted in his update yesterday, campaign planning is underway — with the stakeholder interview process beginning this month and on track to be completed early in 2026. Fundraising success is critical to our ability to attract and retain students, faculty and staff — and to support their success.

We are an institution that is resilient and forward-thinking, never satisfied with “good enough,” always seeking to address the needs of the future. We remain committed to advancing our founding mission of access and success for our students for the betterment of our society.

In a time of unprecedented challenges for our industry, an uncertain state budget — at least for the immediate future, and extreme market competition, we are focused on the factors that are within our control.

Strong enrollment is critical to maintaining our market position. With the nationwide number of high school graduates falling and our hometown of Boone at or near capacity for the number of students it can support, we have shifted our enrollment goals to match the market conditions while continuing to support the needs of our region and our state.

Whether they are attending classes in Boone, online or in Hickory, we must ensure we can attract, retain and meet the needs of the students of today and tomorrow, in and beyond the classroom.

Our growth strategy focuses on:

• our App State Online programs, including our new online Flight Path programs — offered through a partnership with the UNC affiliate Project Kitty Hawk and tailored for adult learners — which now account for 14% of our online students; and
• continuing the strong momentum we are building on our Hickory campus.

Earlier today, you heard from Dr. Amy Wood, who shared some key information about why the Catawba Valley provides opportunities for App State to serve this region and how App State is developing academic programs that support the needs of the local communities.

Today, more than 500 students are enrolled at App State’s Hickory campus, pursuing degrees that align with the needs of our region and the strengths of our faculty.

We are actively engaged with government, educational, industry and civic leaders in the Catawba Valley area to address future educational needs, and I’m so pleased that you’ll have an opportunity to interact with some of these folks at our reception later today. We are expanding these partnerships — hosting workshops, training sessions and meetings with schools, industry and local government partners, many of our staff members serve on local boards and commissions, and we are proud to be identified as the anchor of Hickory's new innovation district.

Our growing strategic relationships with Lenoir-Rhyne University, Catawba Valley Community College, Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Morganton — whose leaders I meet with regularly — among others, are focused on educational attainment pathways that meet the needs of students and their employers. This includes developing strategic recruitment pipelines, dual enrollment agreements and partnering to develop certification programs that will meet short- and long-term goals for employers in the region.

Caldwell and Catawba Valley community colleges — the two community colleges closest in proximity to our Hickory campus — were also the first two of the community colleges now in our Aspire Appalachian program. Through this program, we now have formal partnerships with nearly 60% of North Carolina’s community colleges in the state to help students complete their bachelor’s degrees.

Our Hickory campus offerings now include programs that span the broad areas of business, education, technology and health sciences, and we are developing certificate programs, professional development opportunities and evening and weekend class meeting times that work for students who are also holding down full-time jobs.

Our newest offerings include:

• a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity to address the need for trained experts to secure and safeguard information, infrastructure and digital assets for public, private and nonprofit organizations;
• a Doctor of Nursing Practice, which will launch next fall — supported by a brand-new simulation lab and health sciences clinic;
  
• an emergency management certificate program, which will also launch next fall — and could be completed with the Bachelor of Science in professional studies or taken as a stand-alone;
• a Hickory Police Cadet initiative in partnership with the City of Hickory Police Department and Catawba Valley Community College; and
• a new business concentration in aviation management, which is on track to begin in fall 2026.

Each of these offerings reflects our commitment to meeting regional workforce needs and creating clear, accessible pathways for professional advancement. 

We have launched reading and math clinics for school-aged children — hands-on learning experiences that not only serve local families but also give our education majors real-world practice.

In addition, we offer an Aging Well program that provides specialized services to our senior community and will soon add a Growing Well program for young children identified with developmental delays. These services and clinics are already making a difference, and we plan to expand them in the years ahead to serve our community.

As you will see on your tour later today, we’re also continuing to develop this beautiful facility. Our newly opened second floor adds 12 additional classrooms, two science labs, a spectacular cybersecurity lab and vibrant collaboration spaces, creating even more opportunities for innovation, hands-on learning and community engagement.

As we develop our next universitywide strategic plan in the coming months, our process will be collaborative, collective and iterative. We will look ahead to realize a vision for who we will become as a university in the next two, five, 10 years and beyond — one that is grounded in our founding mission of access and student success and that delivers on our promise of high-impact research and service. 

Our goals will focus on:

• reaching more students and providing them with a top-quality education with a modality and delivery method that meets their needs;
• continuing to provide access to a high-quality education — with even more opportunities for experiential learning, applied research and community engagement;
  
• adding value to our students’ experiences, inside and beyond our classrooms, studios and labs;
• enriching experiences in the arts and athletics; and
• using our collective talents and expertise to partner with — and serve — our communities.

Our Hickory campus will be integral to this plan, and I look forward to engaging with faculty, staff and students, as well as external partners from the communities we serve, to shape this vision for the future of our university — one that will serve more people in the great state of North Carolina with high-quality degrees that will offer lifelong benefits, driving civic engagement and leadership, enhancing the economic development of our communities and fostering innovations that benefit industry and society at large.   

Before I close my remarks, I’d like to share a quick reminder that we will celebrate the graduating Class of 2025 next Friday, Dec. 12, with three ceremonies at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. in Boone. We welcome you to join us! And next Sunday, Dec. 14, our men’s basketball team will host the High Point Panthers in the second installment of the Hickory Hoops Classic at Lenoir-Rhyne's Shuford Memorial Arena. We’re looking forward to that game and appreciate the opportunity to host a home game just minutes away from our Hickory campus.

Throughout the day, you’ve heard quite a bit about this Hickory campus, and as I noted, you’ll have the opportunity to take a tour shortly, but there’s really nothing like hearing the voices of the students themselves. Earlier this week, we celebrated the upcoming graduation of our students who have earned their App State degrees on our Hickory campus and will cross the commencement stage a week from today. I’d like to share thoughts from a couple of them with you now, in this video.

With that, I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season as we close out an incredible year!

Mr. Chair, this concludes my remarks.