App State’s facilities team worked night and day to help mitigate the variety of weather we’ve had on our Boone and Hickory campuses since Saturday — from freezing rain, to sleet, to rain, to snow, to frigid temperatures. This photo was taken by Chase Reynolds in University Communications on Monday, when the snow and cold set in. We were grateful to return to classes Wednesday!
Message from Chancellor Heather Norris: January 30, 2026
It’s been a challenging week for our students, faculty and staff managing the winter weather, which had a significant impact across our state and much of our nation. I want to thank our staff — our essential staff, in particular — for their around-the-clock work in bitter cold temperatures, clearing and deicing sidewalks, roads and parking lots, monitoring weather and campus conditions and communicating operational updates, keeping our dining halls open, ensuring our students’ residence halls remained safe and warm, and maintaining the continuity of our health care services, recreational facilities and essential services. I thank our faculty for adjusting their courses as they were able to do so, to help ensure our students can meet their learning objectives despite the interruptions in our operations. And thank you, also, to our students for your continued resilience and grace as we all — together — manage factors, like weather, that we can’t control.
This week, we were thrilled to learn that, for the 10th consecutive year, Appalachian State University is ranked first in the nation for having the most alumni who are National Board Certified Teachers! Congratulations to the 2,461 Reich College of Education alumni who have earned National Board Certification — the most respected professional certification available in education. This is an incredibly rigorous achievement, and it represents the highest level of dedication to scholarship and to the educational success of pre-K through 12th grade students. We encourage you to watch and share this congratulatory video celebrating these outstanding educators. Thank you to Dean Melba Spooner and the Reich College of Education team, who continue to champion App State's National Board Candidate Support program, which has led to the successful certification of App State’s educator alumni for a full decade.
As we continue a mission — more than 125 years in the making — of increasing access to education for communities across our state and region, we’re looking forward to the launch of three new academic programs this fall. Online undergraduate programs in elementary education and special education and a part-time, hybrid Doctor of Nursing Practice-Family Nurse Practitioner program (completed online, with one-week residencies at our Hickory campus) will open more opportunities for educators and working professionals who want to expand their career opportunities.
Across our many academic disciplines, App State has a strong reputation for emphasizing academic excellence and career readiness. One recent example: Artworks by an App State student and two of our alumni were recently selected for inclusion in the prestigious Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles’ 64th Annual Illustration West competition and exhibition. Works by alumni Charlie Allen and Ethan Meyers, both 2025 graduates, and senior studio art major Grace Reaves, of High Point, were chosen from among 1,300 entries by artists from 35 countries. Their works will be included in the upcoming exhibition, featured on the society’s website and are eligible for higher honors — including cash awards and scholarships — that will be announced at a March reception, where these young artists will have the opportunity to meet other illustrators, agents and art buyers. Congratulations to these exceptional artists for this career-building achievement! You can see some of their selected works below.
This coming Wednesday, Feb. 4, the Hickory University City Commission will host a career fair from 3-6 p.m. at the Hickory Metro Convention Center. The event will include interview and résumé preparation, mentoring from Hickory Young Professionals, job skills resources, employer booths and complimentary professional headshots — and App State students are encouraged to attend. UCC’s mission is to foster the relationship between the City of Hickory and its local institutions of higher education and promote collaboration to assist student integration into the community through social engagement, volunteer service and career development opportunities. App State is pleased to be a partner organization in the UCC, along with Catawba Valley Community College and Lenoir-Rhyne University.
We’re already getting excited for some App State Football! With the best signing class in Sun Belt history, our Mountaineer football program will have the benefit of the new Sofield Indoor Practice Facility for the new season. The facility, which will house a 100-yard practice field, is already one-third complete and on track to open in September 2026 — just over one year after breaking ground. You can view photos of the progress and more information on the project here.
As we close out January (where did the month go?), I wish everyone a wonderful week ahead.
Heather Norris
Chancellor
Artworks by senior studio art major Grace Reaves, of High Point, and alumni Charlie Allen ’25 and Ethan Meyers ’25 will be featured in the prestigious Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles’ 64th Annual Illustration West competition and exhibition. Images from the artists, from left to right: “Toe Poster” by Grace Reaves, color woodcut, 11” x 16”; “East meets West” by Charlie Allen, mixed media, 36” x 48”; and “Waiting” by Ethan Myers (one of two of his works chosen for the competition and exhibition), oil on canvas, 36” x 24”.
