Global engagement provides our students with a broader understanding of how their skills and training translate across borders and cultures. This spring, as part of a new App State study abroad course, members of our Mountaineer Medics gained an international perspective on emergency care during a service-learning residency with the London Ambulance Service (LAS) — one of the busiest emergency medical service agencies in the world. Pictured at an ambulance station in London are App State students and Mountaineer Medics Owen Troxell, far left, and Emily Bjerregaard, second from left, alongside LAS members. Thank you to App State Environmental Health, Safety and Emergency Management for sharing this photo.
Message from Chancellor Heather Norris: May 15, 2026
Last weekend, Appalachian State University sent more than 4,300 Mountaineer graduates into the world to lead and innovate while taking on the challenges of tomorrow. This highlights video captures the joy of the occasion. And while we celebrate these new alumni, our work continues — with App State students and faculty translating rigorous academic discovery into tangible, real-world impact.
Our commitment to active learning extends far beyond our campuses. Recently, 10 students and staff members from our Mountaineer Medics returned from an intensive service-learning residency with the London Ambulance Service (LAS) — one of the world’s busiest emergency medical service agencies. Through observation shifts with LAS response units, they gained firsthand insights that they are utilizing to enhance prehospital care and response procedures both on our campus and in the local community.
This immersive experience is just one example of the numerous study abroad opportunities offered by App State, with programs available in over 60 countries — from Guatemala, to Ireland, to South Africa. Broad student engagement in these programs has garnered national recognition for the university, with App State ranked No. 4 in the nation among master’s institutions for study abroad participation.
Back in North Carolina, we are leveraging university research to drive agricultural innovation through the work of Dr. Brett Taubman in the College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Taubman and his team recently secured a nearly $2 million grant from NCInnovation to launch Rootsii, a plant-based milk product line derived from surplus North Carolina sweetpotatoes. This initiative has the potential to open up an entire new market to our state farmers, who experience a $13 million loss each year due to millions of pounds of sweetpotatoes that go unused. Beyond its economic benefits and resource-efficient production, Rootsii provides a significant training ground for our students. Four undergraduate student researchers have worked on developing the milk and related products, and the grant will support more than 3,000 hours of undergraduate research over the next two years, with an aim to scale this 100% North Carolina-grown product for a global market.
Through a new partnership between the Hayes School of Music and the Beaver College of Health Sciences, we are seeing the benefits of interdisciplinary care. By integrating music therapy into the Thomas O. Eller Preschool Language Classroom, which is part of Beaver College’s Appalachian Institute for Health and Wellness, graduate student Haley Kruse is helping young children with language delays find new ways to communicate and connect. Through this collaboration, our music therapy and speech-language pathology students work in tandem to deliver integrated care, offering local families specialized services that improve the lives of families and children in our region.
In App State Athletics, this week brings a historic milestone, high-stakes competition and a homecoming for a distinguished member of the App State Community. First-year student Zoe Duval became the first golfer in the history of our Women’s Golf program to qualify for an NCAA Regional berth, competing at the Chapel Hill Regional after a record-breaking season. And our Men's and Women's Track and Field programs are representing the Black and Gold this weekend at the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Mobile, Alabama. I hope you will join me in cheering on these dedicated student-athletes!
I am also pleased to welcome App State alumnus and NFL coaching veteran Steve Wilks ’92 back to his alma mater as Special Assistant to Athletics. A native of Charlotte and a former standout defensive back for the Mountaineers Football program, Steve is lending his decades of leadership experience to several key areas, including fundraising initiatives, capital projects and special events. The role aligns with his deep commitment to the university and its community — a dedication that earned him the 2024 Outstanding Service Award from App State’s Alumni Association.
With warmer weather on the horizon, I hope you find time to enjoy the natural beauty of Western North Carolina. I wish you all a productive and refreshing weekend ahead.
Heather Norris
Chancellor
Clockwise, from top left: Backed by NCInnovation grant funding, App State professor Dr. Brett Taubman, Fermentation Sciences Lab manager Daniel Parker and a team of student researchers are working to scale Rootsii — a plant-based milk derived from surplus North Carolina sweetpotatoes; Working alongside speech-language pathology students, music therapy graduate student Haley Kruse is integrating music therapy into App State’s Preschool Language Classroom to help young children with language delays improve their communication skills; We’re cheering on our Men’s and Women’s Track and Field teams this weekend, as they compete in the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Mobile, Alabama. Pictured is Mountaineer student-athlete Aaron Kidd, a junior exercise science major from Hurricane, West Virginia, who secured a silver medal in yesterday’s men’s 10,000-meter run; And first-year student-athlete Zoe Duval, pictured mid-swing, has made history as the first Mountaineer from the Women’s Golf program to qualify for an NCAA Regional berth. Thank you to Chase Reynolds in University Communications and App State Athletics Photographers Michael Mann Jr. and Jon Pearl for capturing these images.
