Pictured with its next-generation solar vehicle, Autumn, App State’s Team Sunergy celebrates a second-place finish in the multi-occupant vehicle category at the 2026 Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix in Brainerd, Minnesota. The team’s outstanding performance continues a more than decade-long tradition of podium finishes and qualifies the team to compete in the Electrek American Solar Challenge, to take place July 25 through Aug. 1. The team will travel 1,500 miles, from Minneapolis to Amarillo, Texas, putting Autumn to the test on the open highway. We are immensely proud of their dedication and teamwork, and the entire App State Community will be cheering them on every mile of the way! Thank you to Kyla Willoughby in University Communications, who is currently on the road with Team Sunergy, for capturing this photo.
Message from Chancellor Heather Norris: July 24, 2026
Earlier this month, academic department chairs gathered on our Boone campus for our sixth annual Chancellor’s Summer Chair Institute — an intensive retreat to engage in strategic planning and leadership development. Members of the Chancellor’s Cabinet and I joined the chairs for a panel discussion exploring topics that included leadership styles and the evolving role of the department chair.
To close the institute, the Division of Academic Affairs presented our annual Departmental Leadership Awards, honoring Dr. Dave McEvoy, chair of the Department of Economics, with the Distinguished Leadership Award, and Dr. Tracie McLemore Salinas, chair of the Department of Mathematical Sciences, with the Emerging Leader Award. Please join me in congratulating Dr. McEvoy and Dr. Salinas on these well-deserved recognitions.
Over the past month, high school students from across North Carolina have participated in faculty-led research at our Boone campus as part of Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics, which is administered through the University of North Carolina System with coordination by the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. App State is one of four System schools to host this state-funded residential program for high school students who are potentially interested in careers in science or mathematics — at no cost to student participants. Led by App State Director Lori Tyler, a former Summer Ventures participant herself, the program immersed students in hands-on coursework spanning environmental science and biology. We deeply appreciate our faculty who invest their time each summer to nurture the next generation of researchers and scholars — many of whom are inspired to pursue higher education at App State.
At our Boone campus and on the road, our students continue to push the boundaries of hands-on learning and innovation. App State’s solar vehicle team, Team Sunergy, recently unveiled its newest two-person solar vehicle, Autumn, which features a design that is 40% lighter and 60% more aerodynamic than its predecessor, ROSE. This week, the team put Autumn to the test at the 2026 Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix track race in Brainerd, Minnesota, earning a second-place finish in the multi-occupant vehicle category. This achievement continues Team Sunergy's tradition of top-tier finishes and qualifies them to compete in the 1,500-mile Electrek American Solar Challenge cross-country road race, to take place July 25 through Aug. 1. You can track official race standings through the American Solar Challenge website. Watch this video to learn more about Team Sunergy’s history, the evolution of its car and highlights from the unveiling event.
In the spirit of service that defines the App State Community, App State students are spending their summer making a tangible impact off the field by participating in the App Builds a Home (ABAH) initiative. ABAH partners with Watauga County Habitat for Humanity to help local partner families build safe, affordable homes. To date, more than 4,300 student, faculty and staff volunteers have participated in the initiative, contributing nearly 535,000 hours to build six homes for local families, with their volunteer time valued at more than $19 million. As work gets underway on a seventh home — ahead of the project’s Blitz Build, to take place during the two weeks leading up to Homecoming — members of the Mountaineers Soccer team volunteered on-site this week to assist with the home’s construction. Their commitment reflects the heart of our campus community and our shared mission to serve others.
We are less than a month away from the first day of fall classes at App State, which begin Monday, Aug. 17, and I am deeply grateful for the energy and dedication driving our preparation for the semester ahead.
Heather Norris
Chancellor
Clockwise, from top left: I was thrilled to join members of App State’s solar vehicle team, Team Sunergy, to celebrate the July 10 unveiling of Autumn — the team’s new two-person solar vehicle — at the Holmes Convocation Center. Pictured with me in the foreground, from left to right, are Team Sunergy manager Zach Howard ’25 ’26 and Vice Chancellor of Research and Innovation Dr. Christine Ogilvie Hendren; It was a pleasure to engage with our academic department chairs during our sixth annual Chancellor’s Summer Chair Institute, a productive gathering focused on leadership development and collaborative strategic planning; Members of our Soccer team volunteered their time and efforts this week as part of the App Builds a Home initiative, helping to build a Habitat for Humanity home for a local partner family; Grammy Award-winning artist Rick Springfield brought high energy to the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts yesterday evening as An Appalachian Summer Festival passed its midpoint. The festival continues with classical music performances across Boone campus venues, culminating in the Aug. 1 season finale featuring The Jayhawks. Thank you to Chase Reynolds in University Communications and App State Athletics for capturing these moments.
