On behalf of Appalachian State University, I was honored to accept the 2025 Watauga County Large Business of the Year Award at the 2026 High Country Economic Kickoff Luncheon, hosted by the Boone Area and Blowing Rock Chambers of Commerce and the Watauga Economic Development Commission on Jan. 15. In this photo, taken by App State alumna and freelance photographer Martha McGougan ’22, I’m accepting the award from local business owner and event sponsor Collette Woodruff, PC.
Message from Chancellor Heather Norris: January 16, 2026
It’s wonderful to have students and faculty back in classrooms, studios and labs as we close out the first week of classes for the spring semester. Our University Communications team made a fun highlights reel to capture moments from the week. Take a look at the video here — you might even see yourself in it!
This week PBS North Carolina aired its latest edition of David Crabtree’s “Focus On” series, during which I had the opportunity to have an in-depth conversation about my passion for our university and its enduring strength and resilience, as well as the exciting opportunities our faculty, staff and students are creating for the future. David is a multiple Emmy Award-winning journalist whose esteemed career has earned him membership in the NC Media and Journalism Hall of Fame. It was my honor to join him, and it was a wonderful way to elevate Appalachian State University — you can watch our conversation here.
Opportunities like this allow me the chance to showcase the incredible work of our faculty, who are engaging their students in applied research with significant outcomes for our state, region and beyond. As just one example, Dr. Gavin Colquitt, executive director of App State’s Appalachian Institute for Health and Wellness and professor in the Beaver College of Health Sciences, recently earned a $1.1 million grant from NCInnovation to develop and scale an interactive digital tool capable of identifying delayed development of movement skills in young children and providing support resources for these children and their families. The two-year initiative helps children develop and build motor skills — such as walking or grasping objects — with the aid of an artificial intelligence-powered digital platform that interactively coaches parents in early motor development and offers a suite of support resources and best practices for caring for children ages birth to 3.
App State assists our faculty, staff and students by connecting them with industry and business services, helping advance their research so it can become widely available and applicable for the marketplace. Our collaboration with NCInnovation, as one of seven regional support hubs for applied research commercialization, enhances opportunities for our researchers and expedites the translation of university research into solutions that benefit our state and region.
Additionally, there are many ways for students, faculty, staff and the public to access creative research and educational resources, including one of the jewels of App State’s University Libraries — the Nicholas Erneston Music Library. The faculty and staff who serve the music library’s patrons and manage its resources — including books, scores, recordings and curricular support for the Mariam Cannon Hayes School of Music — help drive the creative spirit and support the research and development of our Mountaineer community, with the library offering a quiet place for people to explore and expand their knowledge base.
Of course, a key aspect of the Appalachian Experience is participating in our athletics programs — as an athlete, a fan or both! Last night’s Men’s Basketball game against James Madison was a fun win to watch — congratulations to Coach Kerns and the team! Our next Women’s Basketball home game is on Thursday, Jan. 29, against South Alabama, so come out and cheer on the team for some weeknight fun! App State Wrestling remains unbeaten in the Southern Conference after bringing home another home victory against VMI last night and will face No. 7 Virginia Tech on the road tonight at 7 p.m. Earlier this week, 2026 Mountaineer Football season tickets went on sale. For the last five seasons, App State fans have set the top five all-time Sun Belt attendance records — for good reason! Our football fan experience is exceptional, and we look forward to continuing to set attendance records in 2026!
I also want to take a moment to recognize our Mountaineer student-athletes for successfully completing their 27th consecutive semester achieving a cumulative grade-point average above 3.0. Women’s Golf achieved the highest cumulative GPA of 3.79. Last semester, 229 student-athletes made the Chancellor’s and Dean’s lists. The Mountaineers Softball team had the highest student-athlete GPA, 3.77, for the fall semester. Congratulations to these high-achieving students, and thank you to the many faculty and staff who teach, mentor and support them.
Yesterday, members of my leadership team and I had the honor of representing our university during the 10th Annual High Country Economic Kickoff Luncheon, during which Appalachian State University was presented with the 2025 Watauga County Large Business of the Year Award.
I greatly appreciate this recognition by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce’s Business Development Committee and accepted this award on behalf of:
- the 21,798 students at App State — 18,000 of whom live in the Boone area and contribute to the local economy;
- the more than 3,600 faculty and staff, who live and work in the High Country;
- the more than 150,000 alumni, 75% of whom live and contribute to their communities across the state of North Carolina; and
- the many leaders who have come before me — especially our founders, B.B., D.D. and Lillie Shull Dougherty, whose bold vision of educational access and student success continues to guide us.
More than 126 years ago, Boone community members provided funding and supplies to build our very first living and learning spaces. Through prosperity and extreme challenges, we have remained linked, and I am incredibly grateful to be part of this strong legacy of collaboration, which was built on the noble ambition of serving the people of this region. I look forward to being part of a future in which we continue to build on this extraordinary partnership in new ways — to shape an even brighter, more resilient, enterprising and robust future for our region. Thank you to the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce for recognizing Appalachian State University with this distinguished honor.
On Monday, the university will be closed in observance of the state MLK Day holiday. As our nation remembers and honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I wish everyone a wonderful extended weekend and look forward to continuing the momentum of 2026 with you when we return to classes on Tuesday.
Heather Norris
Chancellor
Cold weather, with some snow on the Boone campus, welcomed us back to the first week of classes — but it didn’t dampen our enthusiasm for a great year and semester ahead as students and faculty returned to the classroom, and App State students turned out to cheer on our Men’s Basketball team for our first home basketball game (and victory) of 2026! Thank you to Chase Reynolds and Kyla Willoughby in University Communications for these photos that capture campus life at App State.
