It’s been a busy and great beginning to the academic year! Is this really just the second week of the fall semester?
Yesterday, at the annual opening meeting for App State faculty and staff, I shared what has become known in recent years as the annual State of the University Address.
I would like to thank the more than 350 people who joined in person, as well as the more than 140 who joined online. I hope you found it to be informative.
If you’d like to watch the full meeting presentation online, you can view it and read the transcript here.
I was joined in this meeting by several members of the Chancellor’s Council, each of whom shared information from their divisions:
- Dr. Neva Specht, Acting Provost;
- Doug Gillin, Director of Athletics;
- Will Sears, Interim Vice Chancellor of University Advancement;
- Dr. Troy Johnson, Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management;
- Hank Foreman, Vice Chancellor of External Affairs and Strategic Initiatives; and
- J.J. Brown, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs.
- Neva, Hank and J.J. also shared updates prepared for them by Faculty Senate Chair Dr. Jacqui Bergman, Staff Senate Chair Samantha WIlliams and Student Body President Kathryn Long.
A big thank you to this entire team of university leaders for helping share important information about some key initiatives that are underway or on the horizon for App State.
- We’re committed to making sure our campus community is informed about key issues and initiatives that are having an effect on our university, our System and our industry.
- We’re working to be present, in spaces with faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members, to engage in regular communication and dialogue.
- We’re embracing the priorities put forth by UNC System President Peter Hans of freedom of expression, academic freedom, nondiscrimination and institutional neutrality. Our respect for the work of faculty, staff and students, and our commitment to academic freedom, are stronger than ever.
- We’re working to help build a culture of civic literacy and respect for differences in thought, belief and opinions within our campus community.
- We’ll remain focused on student recruitment and retention, and student and employee well-being and success.
- We’ll work to ensure every dollar we spend is used prudently to advance our institution.
- We’ll focus on quality, meaningful relationships within our university community, with our alumni, with the Boone and Hickory area communities, with our leadership boards and our leaders in Raleigh, and with our many other stakeholders.
J.J. and Neva shared some information about our Civic Literacy Initiative, which is a Student Affairs and Academic Affairs collaboration that seeks to foster a nonpartisan, civically engaged and informed campus community. A key component of the project is a constructive dialogue program, in which people learn skills for understanding the different perspectives of others — without giving up their own beliefs — in order to live, learn and work together. This program has impressive, measurable results — more than 80% of students who engaged with it report increased confidence navigating difficult conversations and communicating across differences.
This week, we also celebrated the launch of two academic programs through Project Kitty Hawk (PKH) — a nonprofit partnering with UNC System institutions to provide online student support services specifically tailored for nontraditional learners. This could not have taken place without the dedication and diligence of the associate deans, department chairs and faculty, along with a strong Information Technology team and the Enrollment Management office, who launched our first two PKH programs in three short months, in addition to their other roles and responsibilities. Your hard work and dedication to the success of launching these programs means we have students right now who are pursuing App State degrees in health care management and supply chain management, which they otherwise might not have been able to access. We look forward to continuing to work with PKH as our faculty develop more programs to help meet the online education needs of adult learners across North Carolina.
On Tuesday, I attended a reception held by members of the Blowing Rock Country Club, during which they awarded scholarships to 22 App State students. Nearly 70% of our students rely on some form of financial assistance to fund their education. Over the past decade, the Blowing Rock Country Club Scholarship has supported 115 students, providing $330,000 toward their education. This commitment has made — and continues to make — a tremendous difference in the quality of our students’ lives, and in some cases, in their ability to even enroll in college. On behalf of Appalachian State University, I thank them for helping these student scholars succeed in achieving their dreams.
The Appalachian Police Officer Development Program — a two-year program designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills and training to become police officers while they complete their degrees — celebrated 20 graduates during its seventh Police Academy graduation at Rosen Concert Hall on Aug. 24. The ceremony honored top-performing students with awards of distinction and included remarks from two student speakers and guest speaker Lieutenant Stephen Raby of the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office. I appreciate these outstanding students, who are diligent in the classroom, work hard to keep our campus safe and are preparing to serve their communities.
This morning, Provost Specht joined Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College President and App State alumnus Dr. John Gossett ’87 in signing an Aspire Appalachian agreement to provide a more efficient pathway for Asheville-Buncombe Tech graduates to continue their education toward a bachelor’s degree — or higher — at App State. The Aspire program offers tailored support for transfer students from partnered community colleges through dedicated academic and financial aid advising and pre-transfer admission counseling. With 27 Aspire partner schools across the state, we continue to expand the avenues for North Carolina students to have access to higher education.
It was my privilege to recognize a trailblazer for women’s athletics this afternoon, as we officially dedicated the Dr. Jan Watson Field at the Brandon and Erica M. Adcock Field Hockey Complex. Jan, for whom the field is named, established App State’s field hockey program in 1968 — the first varsity program for women in North Carolina. She was the first head coach of the team and is the all-time winningest coach in the program, with 157 victories. In addition, she started the Deep South Field Hockey Association and mentored 92 student-athletes who would go on to compete in higher athletic programs at the regional and national level. She’s not only a legendary coach, she’s also respected as an outstanding educator and treasured by many as a friend, and it was such a pleasure to be part of celebrating her legacy.
This year marks the 56th for field hockey in the High Country, and Head Coach Emily Dinsmore and her team are continuing Jan’s incredible legacy. With their first game underway, we’re looking forward to a fantastic season on this newly dedicated field.
App State football’s season starts tomorrow afternoon with a home game against East Tennessee State University. I’m looking forward to supporting our student-athletes from the sidelines at Kidd Brewer Stadium, which was recently named one of ESPN’s top 25 college stadiums in the country, as well as cheering on one of the best college football teams in the country — to the music of one of the best marching bands in the country! I love the home football game energy, and I look forward to seeing students, faculty, staff, alumni and fans tomorrow. Coach Clark, his staff and the team have been working really hard this offseason, and we wish them the best of luck!
I’ll end today’s message with a fun fact — today is National Wear Your College Colors Day. It’s been fun to see Mountaineers in black and gold today, and we’re hoping this will catch on for every Friday at App State. Let’s all wear black and gold each Friday, make it our App State take on Casual Fridays, and demonstrate our pride in our history, our legacy and the future we’re building together.
The faculty, staff, students, alumni and many others who care about this place — they see, hear and feel the need to collectively renew our commitment to one another and rebuild our community, which, at its roots, is defined by who we are and who we seek to be. I’m fortunate to be part of this community.
Heather Norris
Interim Chancellor
