Appalachian Today

Adverse Weather Update: Feb. 2, 2026
All classes before noon on Monday, Feb. 2, are canceled. Condition 2 (Suspended Operations) is extended for non-faculty employees in Boone and Hickory until Monday, Feb. 2, at noon. Beginning at noon on Monday, Feb. 2, class instruction will take place online. Condition 1 (Reduced Operations) will take effect in Boone and Hickory beginning at noon on Monday, Feb. 2, until 7 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3. Read full message

App State honored as 2025 Large Business of the Year by Boone Area Chamber of Commerce

The award recognizes App State’s leadership and impact in the High Country

Jan. 22, 2026

App State has been named Watauga County’s 2025 Large Business of the Year by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce. The award recognizes the university for a milestone year that included the installation of Chancellor Heather Norris, its designation as a Research 2 institution and its continued contributions to the local economy.

How App State makes and communicates weather-related operations decisions
Jan. 20, 2026
Representatives from across Appalachian State University work together to make decisions about in-person classes and campus operations when bad weather is on the way.
App State’s Civic Literacy Initiative empowers students for active citizenship and dialogue across differences
Jan. 30, 2026
App State’s comprehensive, nonpartisan Civic Literacy Initiative — now in its second year — aims to foster a civically engaged and informed university community. Launched in fall 2024, the program’s key focus areas are dialogue across differences, voter participation and free speech and expression.
App State alumni lead the nation in earning teaching’s top credential for 10th year in a row
University provides professional development support for regional teachers
Jan. 29, 2026
For the 10th consecutive year, App State leads the nation for its number of alumni who are National Board Certified Teachers, with 2,461 alumni having earned the national credential to date.
App State’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program accepting applications — priority deadline is Feb. 1
The hybrid program will welcome its first students this fall
Jan. 22, 2026
App State is accepting applications for its new Doctor of Nursing Practice-Family Nurse Practitioner program. The part-time, hybrid program is designed for registered nurses with a bachelor’s degree in nursing and at least one year of work experience. Prospective students are encouraged to apply by the priority deadline, Feb. 1.
App State music, theatre and dance teams collaborate to present 'Once Upon a Mattress'
The spring musical comedy is a coproduction of App State’s Department of Theatre and Dance and Hayes School of Music
Jan. 14, 2026
App State’s Department of Theatre and Dance and Hayes School of Music are collaborating to bring the musical comedy “Once Upon a Mattress” — based on the fairy tale “The Princess and the Pea” — to life for university and regional audiences. Five performances are scheduled to take place April 15–19 in Valborg Theatre on the Boone campus.
1,500 App State graduates begin their next chapter
Freiman and Sywassink awarded honorary doctorates for support of App State
Dec. 18, 2025
At its three Fall 2025 Commencement ceremonies, held Dec. 12, App State conferred degrees upon more than 1,500 Mountaineer graduates. University supporters Barbara Freiman and G.A. Sywassink were awarded honorary doctorates, and Dr. Charlie Chen was recognized with the Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Award.

In 2025, App State celebrates its 8th chancellor amid record enrollment, research growth and campus advancements

Dec. 19, 2025

App State reflects on its 126th year in higher education — one marked by new leadership under Chancellor Heather Norris, as well as record enrollment, upgrades to campus infrastructure, advances in research and innovation, a continued focus on regional resilience, campus and community arts engagement, and student-athlete success.

Events

Feb
6
February Fizzy First Friday – Spring Exhibition Celebration
Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
Friday, Feb. 6, 2026
4 - 8 p.m.
Kick off your weekend with art, friends and fun at Fizzy First Friday and Spring Exhibition Celebration — free and open to everyone. With the opening of two exhibitions, activities will include two ARTtalks, drop-in artmaking, the 23rd Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition Awards and a DJ set featuring Ty Murray/DJ Soularia. Mingle with talented artists, explore contemporary art including the opening of new exhibitions and catch up with friends, old and new.
Feb
14
Margo Price
Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts
Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026
7:30 p.m.
For nearly a decade, Margo Price has created a lane where independent-minded, insurgent country music can exist and thrive alongside the mainstream. Now she’s back with an exquisite, timeless album that reconnects with her roots. At its core, Hard Headed Woman is about that furious instinct to never waver — especially when our values and future are so clearly on the line. It’s country music as only Price can make it: free of rules, cherishing tradition, hard headed but with a delicate beating heart.
Feb
20
Ailey II: The Next Generation of Dance
Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts
Friday, Feb. 20, 2026
7:30 p.m.
For over 50 years, Ailey II – The Next Generation of Dance – has merged the spirit and energy of the country’s finest early-career dance talent with the passion and creative vision of today’s most outstanding and emerging choreographers. Founded by Alvin Ailey in 1974, this universally renowned company embodies his pioneering mission to establish an extended cultural community that provides dance performances, training, and community programs for all people.
Feb
25
“The Secret WWII Concentration Camp Diary of Odd Nansen” with Timothy Boyce
Center for Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies
Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026
7 - 8:30 p.m.
Hailed by The New Yorker as “among the most compelling documents to come out of the war,” From Day to Day is a World War II concentration camp diary — one of only a handful ever translated into English — secretly written by Odd Nansen, a Norwegian. This inspiring diary brilliantly illuminates Nansen’s daily struggle, not only to survive, but to preserve his sanity and maintain his humanity. Timothy Boyce practiced law for many years, most recently serving as the Managing Partner of the Charlotte, NC office of Dechert LLP, a global law firm.
Feb
25
Kira Rockwell
Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series, Department of Theatre and Dance, College of Fine and Applied Arts
Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026
7 p.m.
Kira Rockwell is an Atlanta-based playwright and educator, originally from the heart of Texas. She is an Artist Fellow in Dramatic Writing with the Mass Cultural Council, a recipient of the Judith Royer Excellence in Playwriting Award, second-place recipient of the Paula Vogel Playwriting Award from the Kennedy Center, three-time finalist for the O’Neill NPC, runner-up for the Princess Grace Award, and more.
Feb
27
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28
Boone Docs Film Festival
Celebrating Life in Appalachia
Feb. 27 - 28, 2026
The fifth annual Boone Docs Film Festival, a showcase for short documentaries celebrating the people who live and work in Appalachia, returns in late February to Boone. All festival events will take place at the Appalachian Theatre of the High Country, located at 559 West King Street in Boone. Additionally, each of the film screenings will include discussions with participants in the films and/or the filmmakers.

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News & Features

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In the News

Focus On: Dr. Heather Norris
PBS North Carolina
Ranking the 25 best college football stadiums from the Big House to Death Valley
The Athletic
How emergency preparedness systems operated during Helene
The Appalachian
Norris formally installed as Appalachian State chancellor
Watauga Democrat
Lights Over Linville — Brown Mountain’s Enduring Mystery [faculty featured]
The Laurel of Asheville
Folk Revival After Helene [faculty and alumni featured]
Oxford American

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Research & Arts

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Awards & Honors

View more awards and honors

Experts Directory

Are you interested in engaging a member of Appalachian's faculty or staff for a news media interview or a speaking engagement? Find expert members’ biographies, list of topics they can discuss, links to their research and more.

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High-quality academics, innovation and value secure App State’s spot among America’s top schools for 2025–26

US News names App State a top 5 regional university for innovation, undergraduate teaching and veterans support

Sept. 29, 2025

Six national publications — including U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review and Forbes magazine — have recognized App State among the best schools in the nation, and the Southeast, for 2025–26. The publications lauded the university for its academics, innovation and value, among other aspects.

University Communications
ASU Box 32153
Boone, NC 28608
828-262-6156
[email protected]

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