The wait is almost over! Kidd Brewer Stadium will be full… and LOUD very soon! And we can’t wait! Thanks to University Communications for a great video!
Message from Chancellor Heather Norris: September 2, 2025
This week, we welcomed our Board of Trustees and High Country government, civic and educational leaders to the Boone campus. We also cut the ribbon on the John Weaver Plaza at the Randy Marion Track & Field Facility, and we are welcoming families to Boone for Family Weekend and our first home football game of the season. Our Mountaineers, coming off a 1-0 start to the season, will face Lindenwood University this Saturday.
Our students are ready for some Mountaineer Football at The Rock — as you can see in this fun video — and with more than 10,000 student tickets claimed for this game, we know the excitement in Kidd Brewer Stadium tomorrow will be incredible. Our reputation for having one of the best fan experiences in the nation is well-earned, and I have been very impressed with the tone of sportsmanship set by Head Football Coach Dowell Loggains and his coaching staff so far this season. I thank our team — and our fans — for setting a tone that has helped our university earn and maintain a reputation of being a place where everyone feels welcome — at the end of the day, how we treat others matters most of all.
Family Weekend promises to be a fun-filled experience, as families have an opportunity to share in some of the variety of on- and off-campus experiences available to our students. From arts events, to sharing meals together in campus dining locations, to an evening of celestial investigations with App State astronomers, to attending local community events like the Watauga County Farmer’s Market and Blowing Rock’s Art in the Park, to cheering on our student-athletes at Mountaineer Football and Field Hockey games, there’s a wide selection of fun activities available as families spend time with their students.
This week, we announced our official enrollment numbers, and I’m happy to report that demand for an App State education remains strong. This year will mark yet another record year of enrollment for our university. Our total enrollment is now 21,798 — our largest enrollment ever. Online and transfer enrollment records drive strategic growth across the university, while Boone enrollment remains steady.
- This year’s growth is accounted for primarily by a nearly 28% increase in our online student population, as well as some strong growth in the number of students on our Hickory campus, and in our graduate programs.
- Our new, online Flight Path programs, offered through a partnership with Project Kitty Hawk and tailored for adult learners, now account for 14% of our online students.
- Transfer students make up nearly one-third of the total undergraduate student population, with 70% of transfer students coming to the university from 140 community colleges across the nation. Through our Aspire Appalachian program, we have formal partnerships with nearly 60% of North Carolina’s community colleges, and we earn national recognition for our support of transfer students.
- More than 6,500 students — one-third of our in-state, degree-seeking undergraduate students — will be the first in their families to earn college degrees.
- Boone campus student enrollment has stayed stable again this year, as it has for more than five years, and we continue to strategically manage Boone campus enrollment, recognizing the area has limited capacity to increase its population.
Our focus on student success and commitment to expanding access to higher education are also evidenced by positive student outcomes data. Student retention and graduation rates — two measurements commonly used in higher education to measure student success — remain strong and are some of the highest in the nation.
Looking to the future, we’ll continue to hold Boone enrollment steady, while focusing growth at our Hickory Campus and with our App State Online programs. You can read more about our Fall 2025 enrollment data and our plans for building, developing and refining strong core academic programs as we expand collaborations in the Hickory area, in this news story.
At today’s Board of Trustees meeting, our new and re-appointed Trustees were officially sworn in: Joseph Jeffries Chesson ’77, of Wilson, James E. Harris ’84 of Charlotte, Jamie Schaefer of Blowing Rock, Wayne Sumner ’75, of Boone, Student Body President Nicole Tran, of Charlotte, William Warren ’87, of Columbia, South Carolina, and Steven D. Wyatt ’83 of Hendersonville.
Key action items included the Board’s approval of updates to the Faculty Handbook and the Annual Faculty Workload Report, authorization for Campus Dining Master Plan advanced planning, and a master plan for Belk Library and Information Commons. As we lay the groundwork for a long overdue comprehensive fundraising campaign, we also discussed a process to help us identify key goals and priorities — and a roadmap for success. This process is just beginning, and will be inclusive of our campus community and key constituent groups, including our alumni.
To their delight, our Trustees also had lunch in Central Dining Hall, where they joined students in line at Rivers Street Cafe to sample the food prepared for our students every day. They also learned more about the work behind the scenes by a staff of almost 700 — including nearly 500 student employees and three executive chefs and their teams — who prepare delicious and nutritious meals while supporting local farms and businesses.
Please join me in thanking our Board of Trustees — as well as our Board of Governors member and liaison C. Philip Byers — for their role in our university’s continued success. We are fortunate to have them as our leaders, advisors, supporters and advocates — who are passionately focused on the success of our students, faculty and staff.
As I shared with our board earlier today, I am pleased that, following a national search, I’ve appointed Brad Cooper to the role of Chief Financial Officer, effective October 6. Brad will take the role that is currently held in an interim capacity by Greg Lovins, and will report directly to me.
The Chief Financial Officer has direct oversight of the Office of Budget Management, the Office of the Controller and Procurement Services, and is responsible for overseeing all financial aspects of the university, ensuring financial health and stability, and supporting the institution's mission and goals.
This role requires an individual with vision and high integrity who possesses a strong background in finance, strategic planning and financial management, and we are fortunate to have Brad joining our team.
His background and experience include more than a decade of increased responsibility in accounting and finance roles in higher education at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, where he currently serves as Interim Chief Financial Officer, and at Auburn University, as well as more than three years in the public sector for the Alabama Housing Finance Authority. He has also taught accounting courses as an adjunct instructor in the UAH College of Business, in Auburn University’s Raymond J. Harbert College of Business and in Troy University’s Sorrell College of Business.
Brad holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Accountancy and a Master of Accountancy, both from Auburn University. His professional licensure portfolio includes: Certified Public Accountant, Chartered Global Management Accountant, National Association of College and University Business Officers Strategic Higher Education Finance and Planning, and the Southern Association of College and University Business Officers College Business Management Institute.
Please join me in welcoming Brad, and join in my heartfelt thanks to Greg, who continues to lead the finance area with grace and professionalism through a key time of transition for the department and the university.
Wherever the weekend finds you — here in Boone or amongst friends within your community — I hope it is filled with Mountaineer Pride!
Heather Norris
Chancellor
From left to right: We honored legendary App State Track & Field Coach John Weaver as we cut the ribbon dedicating a plaza in his honor at the Randy Marion Track & Field facility. Holding the scissors with me are John Weaver and longtime Track & Field supporter Ron Kennedy. Executive Director of Campus Dining Elizabeth Riede offered a quick overview of the food stations in Rivers Street Cafe to our Board of Trustees yesterday, before they enjoyed a delicious Campus Dining meal. Family Weekend also means tailgating for generations of Mountaineers — as shown in this photo from 2023 (since last Fall’s Family Weekend was interrupted by Hurricane Helene). Thank you Chase Reynolds and Kyla Willoughby with University Communications for being present to capture these special moments.
