Mountaineers have an opportunity to support a point of pride for our athletics programs on a national scale. Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium has been nominated for Best College Baseball Stadium in the USA TODAY Sports Readers' Choice Awards. Voting is open now through May 11, and I encourage the App State Community to help share with the nation what our student-athletes and fans alike know to be true — that we have the most beautiful baseball facility in the country! Thanks to Ryan Schmidt in App State Athletics for this aerial shot that captures our stunning mountain setting.
Message from Chancellor Heather Norris: April 17, 2026
This week, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Neva Specht and Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice Chancellor J.J. Brown joined me in attending the April meeting of the UNC System Board of Governors, which was hosted by the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics on their Morganton campus. During the meeting, the Board approved App State’s requests for authorizations to use:
- Campus Dining reserve funds to implement the second phase of the Dining Master Plan, which will include a comprehensive renovation of the Sanford Commons facility, adding additional retail dining outlets to increase the dine-in and carry-out capacity of Central Dining Hall; and
- Designated donated funds to increase the scope of the relocation, expansion and modernization of the Brantley Risk and Insurance Center in the Walker College of Business. We’re excited to be able to augment this project, which is underway as part of the renovation to Peacock Hall.
Significantly, the Board’s Committee on Educational Planning, Policies and Programs also heard a presentation on the UNC System Workforce Alignment Report. The presentation included an overview of projected state workforce needs and the development of a new UNC System workforce alignment model aimed to better meet state employer needs. It also revealed:
- strong employment projections in North Carolina through 2034;
- current unemployment rates in North Carolina below the national average;
- national and statewide labor shortages;
- projected growth in labor market demand for the state across almost every industry sector, leading to expected growth in demand for high-skilled workers across many academic fields; and
- critical labor shortages in the fields of education, health care (with specific needs in nursing), engineering and social work.
Seventy-one percent of bachelor’s and advanced degrees earned in our state are granted by UNC System institutions. At App State, we’re proud to be a strong contributor — more than 75% of App State’s 150,000+ alumni live and work in North Carolina, strengthening their communities and the state’s robust economy.
Our commitment to preparing students for long-term success underscores the enduring value of an App State education and the tangible impact our graduates have on the economic health of our state. App State graduates have a reputation among employers for being enterprising, innovative problem solvers — skills honed by working alongside their faculty mentors to gain important, real-world experience that can translate directly into career opportunities and progression.
- In the Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment, App State graduate student Bradley Del Vecchio ’25, and his mentor, Dr. Sohad Abu-elzait, developed a solar-powered system capable of producing up to 100 gallons of clean drinking water per day. The project, which also included work by graduate student Duncan Burns, was influenced by the destructive impacts of Hurricane Helene on local infrastructure. It won App State’s 2025 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition, and Del Vecchio represented App State at the regional 3MT Competition in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in February.
- Under the mentorship of Dr. Brandy Hadley, App State’s 2026 Broyhill Fellows and members of the university's Bowden Investment Group — Matt Adkins, Abigail Ledford, Pearce Lowrey, Rian Mofu and Avin Patel — all finance and banking majors, placed among the top six teams in the Americas and the top 16 teams in the world at the Americas Regional Final of the CFA Institute Research Challenge. This global competition provides university students with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis and professional ethics, testing their analytical, valuation, report writing and presentation skills.
- In the Department of Biology, cellular/molecular biology students Ava Mendez and Zaw Bring, under the mentorship of Dr. Daniel Chi-Wei Chen, are integrating molecular biology, biochemistry and pharmaceutical sciences to develop targeted ovarian cancer and gastric cancer therapies. I encourage you to watch this video, in which Ava and Zaw explain some of the work they are doing to contribute meaningfully to scientific discovery, as they gain significant hands-on research while also preparing themselves for future careers in biomedical science.
The arts also take center stage this week through the musical comedy “Once Upon a Mattress” — a wonderful collaboration presented by the Hayes School of Music and the Department of Theatre and Dance. Senior theatre arts major Echo McArthur, who is serving as stage manager for the show, is helping to bring the classic fairy tale of “The Princess and the Pea” to life in Valborg Theatre. Director, choreographer and dance studies professor Kevin Warner, music directors Dr. Joby Bell and Dr. Tyler Young, and orchestra conductor Dr. Alexandra Dee are collaborating with members of the design and production team — including theatre and dance department professors John Marty (lighting), Mike Helms (set design) and Martha Marking (costumes). With performances scheduled through this weekend, this collaboration highlights the breadth of creativity across performing arts disciplines and offers a lighthearted moment of connection for members of the campus and greater community.
April is a time for celebrating the incredible successes achieved by members of our university community. App State staff provide the foundation for all the incredible work of our students and faculty, and, at today’s Staff Appreciation event, it was a pleasure to help recognize and celebrate the individuals who ensure our university’s operational success and maintain the welcoming environment that defines our campus community. As we head into the final weeks of the academic year, please join me in thanking our staff for their unwavering service and the vital role they play in the life of our institution.
Heather Norris
Chancellor
From left to right: At today’s “Gratitude in Bloom” Staff Appreciation event, members of my cabinet and I greeted App State staff to a celebration in their honor. These dedicated professionals are the foundation of everything we achieve at App State, and we were proud to take time to share our gratitude with them today; App State graduate student Bradley Del Vecchio ’25 with the emergency solar-powered water filtration system he worked to design, which can bring clean drinking water to those impacted by natural disasters such as Hurricane Helene; and the App State design and production team bringing “Once Upon A Mattress” to life includes, from left to right, set designer Mike Helms; stage manager and senior theatre arts major Echo McArthur, of Greensboro; costume designer Martha Marking; and lighting designer John Marty. Thanks to Chase Reynolds and Kyla Willoughby in University Communications for these photos.
