BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University has been awarded a $500,000 grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) to support scholarships for education-focused community college transfer students. Appalachian and East Carolina University (ECU) were the only universities in the state selected to receive funding.

The funds granted to Appalachian are for students who are majoring in or intend to major in education within the Reich College of Education (RCOE) and who wish to teach in their home communities. Individual student grants will be a minimum of $5,000 and up to a maximum of $10,000, depending on need. Each grant is automatically renewable.

RCOE Dean Melba Spooner said, “This investment in the future of educators and education will open many doors and opportunities for community college transfer students to come to Appalachian’s Reich College of Education and study with some of the most energetic, dedicated and student-centered faculty around.”

Spooner continued, “This will be transformational for these future teachers and for their home communities, in which they will, in turn, contribute and inspire.”

At Appalachian, just over 25% of incoming students are transfer students, with 70% of them coming from a community college.

Why this focus for funding?

Appalachian’s grant is part of an $8 million investment by Blue Cross NC to address challenges facing rural areas across the state.

Cheryl Parquet, director of community and diversity engagement at Blue Cross NC, said the company is committed to improving the health and well-being of North Carolinians. “That’s why we’re investing in programs that support rural areas across the state — helping local leaders, businesses and organizations improve the health of their communities,” she said.

According to the NC Rural Center, about 40% of North Carolinians — around 4 million people — live in one of the state’s 80 rural counties. Rural areas of North Carolina have higher rates of drug and alcohol use, suicide, injury and teen births.

Blue Cross NC’s investment will fund eight programs, made up of nine organizations, that are especially positioned to improve health within the rural areas they serve — from empowering first responders on the front lines of the opioid epidemic, to expanding access to quality care for uninsured patients, to providing health-centered home repairs.

In addition to Appalachian and ECU, the following organizations will receive funding:

• North Carolina Community Action Association.
• North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition.
• North Carolina Community Colleges.
• North Carolina State Firefighters’ Association.
• InterAct.
• North Carolina Association of Free and Charitable Clinics.
• YMCA.

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About the Reich College of Education

Appalachian State University offers one of the largest undergraduate teacher preparation programs in North Carolina, graduating about 500 teachers a year. The Reich College of Education enrolls more than 2,000 students in its bachelor’s, master’s, education specialist and doctoral degree programs, with offerings that span multiple fields — from teacher preparation, counseling, and therapy, to higher education, school and student affairs administration, library science, educational leadership and more. With over 10,000 alumni employed in North Carolina public schools, there is at least one Reich College graduate in every county in the state. Learn more at https://rcoe.appstate.edu.

About Transfer Admissions and Engagement

Transfer Admissions and Engagement at Appalachian State University supports students through all stages of their transfer journey, including admission counseling and pretransfer advising, credit evaluation, transitional assistance as they begin at App State and through involvement and retention efforts during their App State education. The office serves undergraduate transfer students studying on the main campus in Boone as well as App State Online students who complete their classes fully online or at an off-site location. The services and resources provided by Transfer Admissions and Engagement ensure the university’s transfer student population finds academic and social success at App State. Learn more at https://transfer.appstate.edu.

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, cost-effective education. 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.