Appalachian Today

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.

From 800 picture books to one: App State’s Jewel Davis leads Caldecott Medal selection
Davis teaches library courses and mentors K–12 educators throughout the region
Feb. 18, 2026
App State professor Jewel Davis read over 800 picture books to lead the selection of this year’s Caldecott Medal winner — an opportunity to elevate stories that spark a love of reading in a new generation. At App State, Davis brings her expertise directly to students, guiding future educators, librarians and storytellers.
12 App State students to study Asian markets as 2026 Holland Fellows
The 30-year-old international business fellowship will take students to Cambodia, Hong Kong and Vietnam
Feb. 12, 2026
Twelve App State students have been selected to participate in the university’s William R. Holland International Business Fellowship program, which, for the past 30 years, has provided exceptional opportunities to study the Asian business landscape. This year’s fellows will travel to Cambodia, Hong Kong and Vietnam.
App State offers accelerated training to help address child care shortages in Western NC
Child Care Academies to be held in Boone, Morganton and Hickory
Feb. 11, 2026
To address child care staffing shortages in the region, App State and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services are partnering to offer three Child Care Academies in Western NC this spring and summer. Each academy will provide intensive child care training and certification at no cost to participants.
National designation affirms App State’s commitment to community engagement
Feb. 10, 2026
App State has received the Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation, which recognizes schools that demonstrate an institutional commitment to community engagement that enriches scholarship, strengthens civic responsibility and contributes to the public good.
US News rankings spotlight quality of App State Online degree programs
The 2026 US News rankings also recognize App State business, education and nursing programs
Feb. 4, 2026
App State ranks among the nation’s top schools for online education, with its App State Online bachelor’s and master’s programs recognized in U.S. News & World Report’s “2026 Best Online Programs” rankings. App State has experienced six consecutive years of online student enrollment growth.
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.

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.

Events

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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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.
Feb
27
Free Public Screening: “A Beast Touch the Mountain”
Boone Docs Film Festival and High Country Humanities
Friday, Feb. 27, 2026
6 - 8 p.m.
Boone Docs Film Festival with the generous support of High Country Humanities are thrilled to welcome James Mottern to share his documentary and post-film discussion moderated by Julie Shepherd-Powell (Appalachian Studies). “A Beast Touch the Mountain” tells the story of how a group of Appalachian women in Bent Mountain, Virginia fought for a decade to protect their land and their way of life against a fossil fuel pipeline.
Mar
4
Internship and Job Fair
Career Development Center
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
12 - 3 p.m.
The Internship and Job Fair is our largest and most comprehensive career event. Serving students and alumni of all majors and skills, the event is host to many organizations across all industry sectors that are ready to network with students and introduce them to hundreds of valuable internship and job opportunities.