BOONE, N.C. — The campus and local community celebrated Appalachian State University’s 120-year legacy of educational leadership with the second annual Founders Day celebration Sept. 5.
The day included dedication of the Lillie Shull Dougherty statue, the ringing of the Founders Bell, a panel discussion with past leaders, and research by faculty, staff and students. Experience the day through this photo gallery.
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About Founders Day
Appalachian State University celebrates Founders Day on Sept. 5 to honor the university’s founders — B.B. Dougherty, D.D. Dougherty and Lillie Shull Dougherty — and the first day of classes at Watauga Academy in 1899. Appalachian began this annual tradition in 2018 with the dedication of Founders Plaza, a touchstone to the university’s early days that is located at the campus entrance on Hardin Street.
About Appalachian State University
As the premier public undergraduate institution in the state of North Carolina, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls more than 19,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.
