They’re back! Students are moving into residence halls at Appalachian State University’s Boone campus, ready to begin a new academic year and continue their educational journeys. I thank University Communications Photographers Chase Reynolds and Kyla Willoughby for capturing some of the excitement these Mountaineers are bringing with them.
Message from Chancellor Heather Norris: August 15, 2025
New beginnings — undeterred by the wet weather — characterize this week.
The rain hasn’t dampened the smiles and excitement of students and their families — and it may have disguised a few bittersweet tears — as Mountaineers arrive at the Boone campus during move-in week. With fully packed suitcases, storage tubs and the occasional stuffed animal, they’re setting up in what will be their homes for the upcoming academic year. Dozens of staff members, many of whom sign up for move-in shifts apart from their regular duties, are greeting and assisting these students — which is just one of the many ways they support students throughout their academic careers at App State.
About 6,200 students will have moved into our 18 residence halls by Monday. This includes about 3,900 first-year students, 1,900 returning students and 400 transfer students. On Monday, first-year students will begin their higher education journeys toward various career paths. At the same time, many Mountaineers will be entering their last semester of undergraduate or graduate work, and I look forward to honoring them during commencement in December.
With a top five ranking among the UNC System schools for ensuring our students graduate in four years, our commitment to the success of all of our students is interwoven into every aspect of the Mountaineer Experience — and embraced by the faculty who teach and mentor our students, and the staff who make sure the university infrastructure is in place so that students’ living and learning experiences are the best they can be. Nearly one-third of our students will be the first in their families to earn a college degree, and a few of them took a moment for a brief television interview earlier this week to reflect on beginning a new, life-changing journey.
As faculty complete their final preparations for the upcoming academic year, the Faculty Senate is holding their annual retreat, and Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Neva Specht and I will drop by tomorrow to welcome them back, wish them well and offer our support. This group of faculty leaders is key to our shared governance, and we look forward to regular meetings and interactions with them throughout the academic year.
Over the next couple of weeks, our athletics programs will begin to compete on their various fields and courts — with strong fan support. Earlier today, Director of Athletics Doug Gillin, Head Football Coach Dowell Loggains and I were honored to join Board of Trustees Vice Chair Tommy Sofield ’76, his wife Debbie, a 1977 App State alumna, and their family, as well as UNC Board of Governors representative C. Philip Byers ’85 and alumni and supporters of App State Athletics for a ceremonial groundbreaking for the new Sofield Family Indoor Practice Facility.
This 85,000-square-foot, multiuse facility will allow for more frequent and comprehensive practice sessions for App State athletics programs, and the larger facility will also increase its scope, to serve more areas across campus and allow for public–private health care collaborations. You can learn more about the facility and see conceptual renderings on the App State's Future website.
Tommy and his family made a lead gift in 2023, providing a solid financial foundation for the new Sofield Family Indoor Practice Facility. The Sofields also donated the lead gift for the previous Sofield Family Indoor Practice Facility that opened in October 2007. Tommy’s leadership on our Board of Trustees is just one of the many ways he serves our university and High Country community. As a student, he served as the team captain of our 1975 Mountaineers football team, and he has been a leader and champion for App State ever since. For his record of exceptional service, he earned the university’s Outstanding Service Award in 2017. Three generations of the Sofield family are App State Mountaineers, and they exemplify what it means to be a Mountaineer — kind, thoughtful, pragmatic and resolved to give back to their community.
We are grateful to Tommy, Debbie and their family for taking the lead — for the second time — in supporting a much-needed practice facility that will enable App State to create an advanced training program for our athletics programs. Thanks, also, to all of our former athletes and alumni for their support of this project, and thank you to the Board of Governors and the Board of Trustees for acknowledging the significance of this project and what it will do to support student success for many years to come at App State.
With the start of a new academic year, a new energy has arrived at App State, and I wish all of our students, faculty and staff — in Boone, Hickory and online — the very best for an outstanding semester. Welcome Home, Mountaineers!
Heather Norris
Chancellor
Today I was joined by (from left to right) Mike Strickland ’90, Wendy Hoge ’99, Brett Hoge ’99, Brandon Adcock ’06, UNC Board of Governors member C. Philip Byers ’85, Director of Athletics Doug Gillin, App State Board of Trustees Vice Chair Tommy Sofield ’76, Debbie Sofield ’77, Head Football Coach Dowell Loggains, Jon Long ’07, Gurney Long ’73 and Pat Swisher ’78 at a ceremonial groundbreaking for the new Sofield Family Indoor Practice Facility, which will be located adjacent to the university’s Kidd Brewer Stadium, on the site of the previous Sofield Family Indoor Practice Facility. Thanks to Kyla Willoughby for capturing a photo of this new beginning!
