Yesterday, I visited Shipley Farms to visit with participants of App State’s Frontline to Farm program for military veterans entering the farming industry. It was my privilege to bring greetings prior to a dinner for the participants, as we overlooked the majestic view. Thank you to Gray Shipley, owner-operator of the farm, left, for hosting this event. He is pictured here with Eric Schlenker, Managing Director of App State’s Transportation Insight Center for Entrepreneurship, center, and me. Thank you to Kyla Willoughby in University Communications for capturing a lovely photo in this idyllic setting.
Message from Chancellor Heather Norris: June 13, 2025
This week brought opportunities for me to meet with several members of the university community who are instrumental to our long-term success.
During the busy weeks of summer, I want to especially acknowledge and thank our staff for your hard work and dedication to the university. Your work enhances the learning and working experience for students, faculty and one another, and it’s both seen and appreciated by so many — including university leaders and me. On Tuesday, I joined Staff Senate and shared an update on our ongoing work and a look to what’s ahead:
- With current budget forecasts, we are preparing for leaner times ahead. As we continue conversations with our legislators on the upcoming biennial budget, I share App State’s many points of pride, as well as the accomplishments of our incredible students, faculty and staff, and I emphasize the importance of our commitment to the success of all of our students. My leadership team and I are closely watching the budget process unfold, and when we have concrete budget decisions from Raleigh, I will be sure to communicate them with campus, detailing what they mean for App State.
- Universitywide fundraising efforts will be more important than ever to ensure that we continue operating from a position of strength. UNC System President Peter Hans recently referenced that our university is overdue for a comprehensive fundraising campaign, and we are laying the groundwork for this important endeavor. Vice Chancellor of Advancement Will Sears and his team — in partnership with faculty and staff — have been breaking fundraising records. We had a record fundraising year, raising more than $63 million and exceeding the last fiscal year’s fundraising by more than 37%. This is an excellent foundation for beginning a comprehensive campaign in the future, and these funds are already providing critical scholarship support for our students.
- As we keep strong enrollment a priority for the university, we remain committed to intentionally managed growth. This means we will hold enrollment steady on the Boone campus. For five consecutive years, the enrollment of students attending classes at App State’s Boone campus has fluctuated by less than 3% from year to year — and we will continue this strategy while focusing our enrollment growth efforts on our Hickory campus and our App State Online programs.
- We will sharpen our academic strategy for our online offerings and our Hickory campus to focus on responding to market demand with the strengths App State brings in meeting the needs of our state and region.
This week, university leaders met with Project Kitty Hawk (PKH) leadership to discuss our progress and plan for future partnerships. Since April 2024, we’ve partnered with PKH to offer undergraduate programs in supply chain management, criminal justice, health care management, accounting, and organizational leadership and learning, and we are launching a BSBA in marketing in the coming year. Enrollment in programs powered by PKH represents about 33% of our online growth from 2023 to 2024, comprising nearly 7% of our total enrollment of online students, and these students have a first- to second-year persistence rate of 90%.
I’m so appreciative and proud of the faculty and staff who are working to adapt our programs to the needs of students who are place-bound, yet desire an App State education. Thank you, also, to the PKH team, the UNC System and Board of Governors and the NC General Assembly for their vision and investment in these programs. We are so pleased to be at the table developing innovative solutions to meet our students’ — and our state's — educational needs.
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of joining the participants of App State’s Frontline to Farm training program at Shipley Farms in Vilas — owned and operated by Gray Shipley, adjunct lecturer in the Department of Management, and his father, Bob. This program supports military veterans who are venturing into the farming business. It provides training, support and opportunities for veterans to connect with other military members while working with and learning from farm managers and agribusiness professionals. It was a wonderful evening, and one more example of the important work App State does in support of our military community and their families. I want to thank Grayson Farmer, a senior liaison with U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, for joining last night’s event. Thank you, also, to co-directors Dr. Anne Fanatico and Dr. Lynn Gibbard for their dedication to the success of the program.
With the summer months underway, there’s a lot taking place at App State! As we prepare our campuses for new students and new faculty in the fall, and work to get those "get it done this summer" lists completed, I hope everyone can find opportunities to take some well-deserved personal time.
Heather Norris
Chancellor
This week, I had the opportunity to speak with different groups about the importance of support for our students and their success. From left: App State’s Staff Senate, who are the backbone of the university; the Project Kitty Hawk team, as we look forward to the next three to five years; and the Frontline to Farm team, who work with veterans starting out in the farming industry. Thank you to University Communications Photographer Kyla Willoughby for taking these photos.
