Students from the second graduating class of App State’s Hickory campus, along with their loved ones, gathered at the campus for a celebration in their honor. We wish these graduates well in their next endeavors. Thank you to Troy Tuttle and Garrett Ford in University Communications for this photo and a wonderful video that shares the perspectives of some of these soon-to-be graduates.
Message from Chancellor Heather Norris: December 5, 2025
The final exam period for the semester is officially underway and we will celebrate the graduating Class of 2025 next Friday, Dec. 12. We welcome you to join us! You can learn more about the three commencement ceremonies here.
Earlier this week, we celebrated the upcoming graduation of our second class of students who have earned their App State degrees at our Hickory campus and who will cross the commencement stage a week from today. This video shares the perspectives of some of our soon-to-be Hickory graduates.
Yesterday and today, the of Trustees convened for their December meeting. Today’s committee meetings and full board meeting were held on our Hickory campus, and I was both pleased and proud to showcase how we have transformed the building into vibrant and beautiful spaces for teaching, learning and service.
More than 500 students are enrolled at App State’s Hickory campus, pursuing degrees that align with the needs of our region and the strengths of our faculty. Our Hickory campus offerings now include programs that span the broad areas of business, education, technology and health sciences, and we are also establishing additional professional development opportunities, as well as evening and weekend class meeting times, that work for students who are also holding down full-time jobs.
Our growing strategic relationships with government, educational, industry and civic leaders in the Catawba Valley area — including Lenoir-Rhyne University, Catawba Valley Community College, Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Morganton — are focused on educational attainment pathways that meet the needs of students and their employers. Our ongoing and planned initiatives include developing strategic recruitment pipelines, engaging in dual enrollment agreements and partnering to develop certification programs that will meet short- and long-term goals for employers in the region.
Our Hickory campus is integral to the future of Appalachian State University, and I look forward to us engaging with faculty, staff and students — as well as external partners from the communities we serve — to shape a vision for the future of our university. Together, we will serve more people in the great state of North Carolina with high-quality degrees that will offer lifelong benefits — driving civic engagement and leadership, enhancing the economic development of our communities and fostering innovations that benefit industry and society at large.
You can watch the Board of Trustees meetings here, and read my remarks to the board here.
As we approach the end of the semester and look to Fall Commencement, we have many accomplishments upon which to reflect and celebrate.
- Military Times named App State at the top of its recently released “Best for Vets: Colleges” list for 2025, which evaluates and ranks higher education institutions based on their student success metrics, programs, training and support infrastructure for military-affiliated students. App State was ranked top 5 in the nation, No. 2 in the public schools category, No. 2 among Southeast institutions and the No. 1 school in North Carolina. I appreciate the hard work and effort across our campuses — in particular, Associate Director for Military-Affiliated Services Bethany Gonzalez and her team in the Major General Edward M. Reeder Jr. Student Veteran Resource Center — for supporting and fostering the success of our military-affiliated community.
- Dogwood Health Trust, a private, nonprofit foundation dedicated to improving the health and well-being of people and communities in Western North Carolina, awarded App State a grant for more than $838,000. The grant will support rural health research efforts, driven by the Appalachian Institute for Health and Wellness, into multiple issues related to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene — including tackling critical housing and planning challenges, mapping local cash assistance efforts, and surveying health and resource needs. Funding for this kind of work has lasting impact, and this research has the potential to change the health and viability of communities throughout our region. I want to thank Dogwood Health Trust for their support of App State and for their vision in seeing the profound effects that are achievable for the people of our state as a result of partnerships with higher education.
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Across all of our athletics programs, our student-athletes exemplified the Mountaineer spirit, including earning community impact and student-athlete graduation success rate awards from the Sun Belt Conference. In fall athletics programs, Men’s and Women’s Cross Country both repeated (with the men three-peating) as Sun Belt Conference Champions, and Cross Country coaches Brad Herbster and Annie Richards were once again named Sun Belt Coaches of the Year. Senior student-athlete Savannah Dada-Mascoll became the first All-American in App State Tennis history after advancing to the final eight of the recent NCAA Women’s Tennis Championships. Field Hockey earned its first win over a Big Ten team (Michigan State), as well as a victory over No. 18 James Madison that helped App State rise as high as No. 17 in the national polls. Soccer earned its first ACC win (vs. Miami), and Volleyball captured its first ACC wins since 2015 (vs. Virginia and Duke) — all while our Men’s and Women’s Golfers were breaking school records during their fall campaigns. Sold-out crowds were electric at Kidd Brewer Stadium, which Sports Illustrated has recognized in its “Stadium Wonders Series,” highlighting The Rock as one of America's best college football stadiums. Mountaineer Football fans are the best in the nation, and this support was evident at The Rock! On average, this year’s attendance at home games topped 30,000 for the fifth straight year — and those represent the five highest totals in Sun Belt Conference history — while 15 of our last 17 home games were sold out.
Winter sports are continuing to build on their early season with the Wrestling team travelling to Las Vegas for matches in the Cliff Keen Invitational. Women’s Basketball — who are off to their best start since 2012 with a 6–2 record — will be playing Clemson on Sunday down in South Carolina. Also on Sunday, our Men’s Basketball team will host the High Point Panthers in the second installment of the Hickory Hoops Classic at Lenoir-Rhyne's Shuford Memorial Arena. We’re looking forward to that game and appreciate the opportunity to host a home game just minutes away from our Hickory campus.
To our students, faculty and staff, I hope you’ll take a moment to reflect on all you’ve accomplished this year as you study, finish presentations, grade finals, keep our university running smoothly and gear up for the holiday season. I’m proud to be a Mountaineer with you!
Heather Norris
Chancellor
From left to right: I continue to be overwhelmed and honored by the world premiere of Dr. Nicholas Cline’s “Here is Calm so Deep,” performed by University Singers and members of the Appalachian Wind Ensemble at my installation on Oct. 3, under the direction of Dr. Jordan Shomper. It was an absolutely beautiful performance, and a recording of the work will be preserved in the university’s official archives. Watch the performance here. App State is proud to partner with our Hickory area higher education partners — pictured here with me, from left, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics – Morganton Vice Chancellor and Chief Campus Officer Kevin Baxter, Lenoir-Rhyne University President Summer McGee and Catawba Valley Community College President Garrett Hinshaw — to help meet the higher education needs of the Catawba Valley and beyond. App State faculty member Jennifer Schroeder Tyson, who was recognized as the Sun Belt Conference’s 2025 Faculty Member of the Year, mobilized and trained students and other volunteers to assist with health care response and recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene. In this photo, she is demonstrating supply distribution to her students. Thank you to Wes Craig, Garrett Ford, Daniel Lightfoot, Malia McAllister, Jody Miller, Chase Reynolds and Kyla Willoughby for the photos and videos in today’s newsletter.
At App State’s 14th annual Three Minute Thesis Competition, hosted last month by the Williams School of Graduate Studies, graduate students presented their research in just three minutes to a nonspecialist audience. Twenty students representing the College of Arts and Sciences, Beaver College of Health Sciences, College of Fine and Applied Arts, Hayes School of Music and Walker College of Business participated. The overall competition winner was technology graduate student Bradley Del Vecchio ’25, shown, at left, with Graduate School Dean Ashley Colquitt in this photo captured by University Communications’ Troy Tuttle. Bradley’s project explored post-disaster water purification methods using solar power. He will travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in February to represent App State in the regional competition. Thank you to our volunteer judges for their time and support, and congratulations to all those who presented, especially our winners.
Graduate student interns in App State’s kinesiology-clinical exercise physiology program support local communities by assisting patients in rehabilitation efforts to recover and return to active, healthy lives. The program’s student-centered approach includes rigorous coursework combined with real-world, industry experience through internships and participation in cutting-edge research. Thanks to Kyla Willoughby in University Communications for this photo.
