BOONE—Dr. Vickie Hughes, an associate professor in the Department of Nursing in the College of Health Sciences at Appalachian State University, has been appointed to serve on Rep. Virginia Foxx’s Service Academy Nomination Board. Foxx represents North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District.

Hughes retired as colonel following a 27-year career in the U.S. Air Force during which time she served as the commander of the Air Force’s largest medical school as well as director of operations for the Commissioned Officer Training School. She was commissioned as a second lieutenant in July 1987. She joined the faculty at Appalachian in fall 2014.

“Each year I have the honor of nominating outstanding students from across northwest North Carolina to attend our nation’s excellent military academies,” said Foxx. “It’s a privilege to have someone with such a distinguished record of service as Col. Hughes helping me to identify the military’s future leaders.”

Foxx annually nominates students from the 5th Congressional District to America’s service academies, which include the Air Force Academy, Naval Academy, Military Academy, Merchant Marine Academy and Coast Guard Academy. Nominations are required for all but the Coast Guard Academy, to which appointments are made on the basis of an annual nationwide competition.

Her service academy nomination board evaluates applicants for service academy nominations and makes recommendations to her based on applicant experience and merit.

Hughes is a licensed Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioner who is board certified by the American Nurses Association. She received a Doctor of Nursing Science (DSN) degree from Louisiana State University Health Science Center in 1999, a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1994, a master’s degree in counseling and human development from Troy State University in 1989 and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the Medical University of South Carolina in 1986.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

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