The university will be closed on Monday for Memorial Day, a somber day of recollection and remembrance of the men and women who lost their lives in service to our country. As we prepare for a long weekend, we remember those we have loved and lost, and recognize the ultimate sacrifice they made. This morning, Air Force veteran Mike Waters, a 20-year employee of App State, continued our longstanding practice of placing a commemorative wreath at the university’s Veterans Memorial, which honors members of the App State community who died while serving in the U.S. military. I hope you will take a moment to read Mike’s story and what it meant to him to be selected for this honor.

Yesterday, Chief Diversity Officer Jamie Parson shared a message of our university community’s solidarity with the victims and survivors of the mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, as well as other recent acts of violence and hatred. She also shared resources for our campus as we cope with the impacts of these appalling and tragic events. At App State’s upcoming Juneteenth observance, we will hold a Unity Vigil in remembrance of those who have suffered from acts of hatred and violence. 

At the UNC Board of Governors meeting this week:

• The Board heard the final in a series of five presentations on free expression on college campuses, which included a report on a free expression survey of students at eight UNC institutions, including App State. We were pleased to participate in this study, and will use it to develop ways to further encourage free expression and respectful dialogue on our campus.

• The UNC System’s strategic plan refresh was approved. You can see the plan here. Thank you to the students, faculty and staff who joined the campuswide Town Hall in March and provided input and feedback as the plan refresh was underway.
  
  
• The Board approved a new funding model for the UNC System, and committed to continuing to analyze and refine it as needed. This revision represents months of work on behalf of the Board and UNC System staff, with significant input from the system campuses. We appreciate the commitment of the Board and of President Hans and his team to revise and update the funding model, which had previously remained unchanged for many years.
  
  
• The UNC System also presented the comprehensive All-Funds Budget to the Board, which includes App State’s comprehensive operating budget. You can see it here.
  
  
• President Hans signed a military credit regulation ensuring a clear and consistent credit transfer process for military transfer students throughout the UNC System. App State student Jasmine Coleman, a graduate student in the Reich College of Education’s Higher Education Specialist program, shared her perspective as a veteran and military spouse, and addressed the significance of this action in helping military veterans transition to earning higher education degrees at UNC System institutions.
  
  
• The Board also appointed Anita Greene to App State’s Board of Trustees. Anita will be officially sworn in on June 17, along with Student Government Association President Quson Brown. I thank John Blackburn for his service on our Board of Trustees and his longstanding and unwavering commitment to the success of App State.
  
  

Earlier this month, Dr. Baker Perry, professor in App State's Department of Geography and Planning, returned from another successful expedition to Mount Everest. Baker was part of the groundbreaking team of National Geographic Explorers, Nepali scientists, and elite Sherpa climbers who installed a new weather station approximately 50 meters from the summit. This is one of the most ambitious and significant climate science research projects on Mount Everest, and we congratulate him and his team. You can read the National Geographic story here.

This week, our campus welcomed representatives from 19 rural communities selected by the North Carolina Department of Commerce for its inaugural Rural Community Capacity program. The program is designed to increase the capacity of distressed communities to plan, implement and manage economic development programs and opportunities, and includes educational programming developed by faculty in App State’s Walker College of Business.

On Tuesday, I announced my selection of Dr. Dan Layzell as the Vice Chancellor of Finance and Operations, after a national search. Dan brings a career of nearly three decades in higher education and a decade of policy and legislative experience, as well as experience as a teaching faculty member, to this role. Dan will begin in this role on August 15, and we look forward to welcoming him to campus in a few weeks. I reiterate my thanks to the search committee members for their service to the university, and my appreciation to Sharon Bell for serving as Interim Chief Financial Officer since August 2021.

Please remember, App State’s Student Health Service is open throughout the summer and continues to provide COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, free COVID testing for students and home testing kits for purchase. If you feel unwell, stay home, monitor your symptoms and get tested. If you test positive for COVID, report it to the university, so we can provide resources and support. More information is available on our university’s COVID website.

Summer is in full swing, summer sessions are underway, new students are on campus for orientation, prospective students and their families are touring campus and we are hosting important discussions to benefit the future of our state. We are proud of the contributions App State makes to our surrounding communities, the state of North Carolina and beyond through teaching, research and service.

Sheri Everts, Chancellor

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• COVID-19 updates

  My weekly updates and additional information for campus about the university's response to COVID-19 are posted to the university’s dedicated coronavirus website.

Messages

• Message from Interim Chancellor Heather Hulburt Norris

  Friday, April 19, 2024

  Dear Students, Faculty, Staff, Alumni and Friends,

  I’d like to take a moment to introduce myself to those of you who don’t yet know me.

  For more than 20 years, I’ve dedicated my career to Appalachian State University. I came here because I was impressed by Appalachian’s stated mission of educational access, and when I visited, I saw it to be true. Over my time here, the faculty and staff dedication to student success, which has characterized the institution for 125 years, continues to be strong to this day.

  I joined the faculty of the Walker College of Business in 2003, and my home department remains the Department of Finance, Banking and Insurance. I served the college as assistant, associate and senior associate dean, as well as acting and interim dean and then dean, before becoming App State’s provost. I served as interim provost during some of the most challenging times in university history, as we worked to provide the best possible educational experience for our students, and keep faculty and staff employed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2021, I was appointed to the role of provost and executive vice chancellor.

  Learn more
• Message from Chancellor Everts

  Monday, April 15, 2024

  Dear Members of the App State Community,

  Earlier today, I informed UNC System President Peter Hans of my decision to step down from the office of Chancellor of Appalachian State University, effective this Friday, April 19.

  Over the last few months, I have been experiencing significant health challenges, and I must now focus on my personal health and wellbeing.

  I am incredibly proud of the growth and development of the university over the last ten years, and I look forward to seeing the development of the Innovation District and the Hickory Campus, in particular, and the many ways the region will continue to thrive with the benefit of these important state resources. I thank the faculty for the incredible contributions they have made through their teaching, research and service over the last decade, and our staff, who are the heart and soul of the institution. Most of all, I am incredibly proud of our students, past and present, who bring our university to life, give us purpose, and make real and powerful differences in communities around the world.

  I have been honored and humbled to serve as your Chancellor, and I wish you all the very best.

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• Remarks from the December 8, 2023 Meeting of the Board of Trustees

  Friday, December 8, 2023

  Thank you, Chair Ricks, and good afternoon, everyone!

  With one week until December Commencement, we’re looking ahead to App’s 125th birthday, as we reflect on an incredible 124th year.

  But before I begin my remarks today, I would like to acknowledge the passing of Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock in October.

  As Chancellor of our university for 10 years, from 2004 to 2014, Ken established the university as a leader in undergraduate research, grew our academic enterprise significantly in the areas of health care, establishing the College of Health Sciences, opened a new building for the Reich College of Education, led significant growth in the nexus of energy, the environment and economics, and moved our athletics programs to the Sun Belt Conference and the Football Bowl Subdivision, all while growing enrollment and solidifying our reputation as a national leader in undergraduate education.

  Learn more