Skip to main content

Appalachian Today

News and events at Appalachian State University
  • Subscribe
  • For the media
  • Contact
  • Events
  • Webcams
  • Podcasts
  • In the News
  • Research & Arts
  • Awards
  • Experts
  • All News
  • Topics
  • Accolades
  • Alumni
  • Arts and Humanities
  • Athletics
  • Awards and Honors
  • Community Engagement
  • Diversity
  • Events
  • Faculty and Staff
  • Gifts and Grants
  • Global
  • Health and Wellness
  • Publications
  • Research and Creative Works
  • Safety
  • Scholarships
  • Students
  • Sustainability
☰ Menu
  • Events
  • Webcams
  • Podcasts
  • In the News
  • Research & Arts
  • Awards
  • Experts
  • All News
  • Topics
  • Subscribe
  • For the media
  • Contact
View larger image

Appalachian State University is located in the Blue Ridge, part of the Appalachian Mountains that extend from Georgia to Pennsylvania. Photo by Marie Freeman

Learning in the High Country — beyond the classroom

“If you like studying anything environmental, Boone is the place to be.”

Cristina Sanders '20, of Taylorsville, a graduate of Appalachian's Master of Science in biology program

“The opportunities that students have in recreation around Boone are things that people in other places dream about. Students … grow and learn together in a way I haven’t seen elsewhere.”

Kristian Jackson, senior lecturer in the Department of Recreation Management and Physical Education

By Megan Bruffy
Posted July 15, 2020 at 11:45 a.m.

BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University students and alumni often refer to the university as their “home on the mountain.” The use of this physical reference point for Appalachian reflects the interconnectedness of the university and its location in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

“If you like studying anything environmental, Boone is the place to be.”

Cristina Sanders '20, of Taylorsville, a graduate of Appalachian's Master of Science in biology program

This section of Western North Carolina is rich with economic and environmental ecosystems, and its peaks and valleys create a living laboratory for exploration, research and fun.

“The opportunities that students have in recreation around Boone are things that people in other places dream about. Students … grow and learn together in a way I haven’t seen elsewhere.”

Kristian Jackson, senior lecturer in the Department of Recreation Management and Physical Education

Read on to learn about the abundant opportunities the university’s High Country setting affords Mountaineers.

View larger image

Pictured in October 2015, Appalachian State University students take part in a geology lab in Mountain City, Tennessee, where they examine a fault that was created when two plates collided millions of years ago. Photo by Marie Freeman

Rocks and mountains

Boone’s position in the Blue Ridge Mountains is in the core of an ancient, 1,000-mile-long mountain belt.

“We see high temperature and pressure rocks here, which formed at great depth in the crust. Boone is also located between three fault zones, so students are able to investigate rocks that have experienced deformation from faulting,” said Dr. Jamie Levine, associate professor in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences.

“By the time our students graduate, they are well ahead of their peers in time spent looking at the whole spectrum of rocks — from sedimentary, to igneous, to metamorphic,” she said.

On campus, Appalachian students and the community also have access to the F. Kenneth and Marjorie J. McKinney Geology Teaching Museum and Fred Webb Jr. Outdoor Geology Laboratory/Interactive Rock Garden, both of which offer a snapshot of the area’s geological formations.

View larger image

Alumna Alyssa Martinez ’20, of Hampstead, a graduate of Appalachian State University’s hospitality and tourism management program, worked at The Horton Hotel in downtown Boone to gain experience in her field. Photo by Dr. Dana Clark

Southern hospitality

North Carolina’s tourism industry generated $25.3 billion in 2018, according to the state’s Department of Commerce, and the High Country is an epicenter for this booming market.

A host of exclusive, gated communities, three regional ski resorts and multiple town centers are located within a short drive of campus, which uniquely positions Appalachian students, particularly those in the hospitality and tourism management program, for internships and post-graduation careers.

View larger image

A woman works with a young girl in a classroom at Appalachian State Teachers College (1929–67), now known as Appalachian State University. Photo courtesy of Appalachian’s University Archives and Records Management

Foundations in education

The university’s location is core to its very reason for being: 120 years ago, Appalachian’s founders chose to bring educational opportunities to the children of North Carolina’s “lost provinces.” The small school they opened, then known as Watauga Academy, quickly became a destination for educator preparation programs.

Appalachian’s Reich College of Education is nationally recognized for the quality of its programs: In 2019, for the fourth consecutive year, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards ranked Appalachian No. 1 for having the highest number of alumni who are National Board Certified Teachers. Appalachian alumni teach in all 100 of North Carolina’s counties.

View larger image

Pictured in 2019, hikers take in the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains from a point along the Rough Ridge Trail, located off the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. Photo by Chase Reynolds

Forest in the sky

“Appalachian is geographically the highest university east of the Mississippi River, at 3,300 feet, and this offers students the opportunity to study high-elevation ecosystems, such as the endangered spruce–fir ecosystem, which contains rare and endangered species,” said Dr. Howard “Howie” Neufeld, professor in Appalachian’s Department of Biology and Honors College faculty member.

“Approximately 70% of the Southern Appalachian Mountains are forested, making it one of the most forested regions in the country,” he said.

View larger image

Shohei Tsutsumi ’18, of Osaka, Japan, is the first student from Japan to earn Appalachian State University’s Master of Arts in Appalachian studies. Tsutsumi received the Anne and Alex Bernhardt Endowed Scholarship in Appalachian Music in 2017 and 2018 for studies on local music traditions and won several prizes at old-time music contests. Photo by Marie Freeman

Regional roots

Tom Hansell, former interim director of the university’s Center for Appalachian Studies and Honors College faculty member, said the center has “served as a trailblazer for others in the field.” He cited the interdisciplinary program’s work in community-based research and its partnerships with state and national parks, as well as the curricula and programming surrounding Appalachian music, including the banjo’s African roots.

Further amplifying the global importance of Appalachian studies, the program recently developed International Mountain Studies Symposium events that allow exchanges with students from South Africa, Romania, Wales and Canada.

View larger image

Jalyssa Hobbs, a student at Clinton High School, prepares to capture stunned fish in Edgemont’s Wilson Creek for analysis. Her work was part of an Aquatic Ecology course in Appalachian State University’s 2019 Summer Ventures in Sciences and Mathematics program. Photo by Marie Freeman

High water

North Carolina is home to more than 38,000 miles of streams and rivers, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Appalachian’s location allows faculty and students to study and inform important discussions about water quality, from the mountains to the coast. Notably, the Upper South Fork of the New River, which flows through the northwest corner of North Carolina and into Virginia, passes through Boone and Appalachian’s campus.

“There are five headwaters within 20 minutes of my lab,” said Cristina Sanders '20, of Taylorsville, a graduate of Appalachian's Master of Science in biology program. “If you like studying anything environmental, Boone is the place to be.”

View larger image

Students tend to crops grown at Appalachian State University’s Sustainable Development Teaching and Research Farm in 2019. Photo by Chase Reynolds

Farm fresh

Approximately 20 miles from Appalachian’s Boone campus, the university’s Sustainable Development Teaching and Research Farm in Ashe County serves as a hub for students to learn about sustainable practices and interdisciplinary inquiry — including practical crop and livestock research. Research on the farm related to sustainable forest management is particularly important in the High Country, where much of the harvesting is done through clear-cutting.

The farm encompasses approximately 35 acres of pasture, 130 acres of woodlot and woodlands, a large greenhouse and a late 19th-century barn. Boasting photovoltaic and thermal solar panels, the farm aims to operate solely on renewable energy.

View larger image

Sarah Young ’15, a speech-language pathologist and clinical educator in Appalachian State University’s Beaver College of Health Sciences, far right, and speech-language pathology graduate student Maggie McCabe, of Raleigh, pictured in 2019, use a video laryngostroboscopy to examine a patient’s larynx. Photo by Marie Freeman

Local care

In rural Western North Carolina, access to health care is often challenging. Appalachian’s Interprofessional Clinic (IPC), housed within the Beaver College of Health Sciences (BCHS), provides services not generally offered in the surrounding area, such as audiology, voice and swallowing therapy. It also creates distinctive opportunities for experiential student learning.

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

View larger image

Skiers hit the evening slopes at Appalachian Ski Mtn. in 2018. Photo by Chase Reynolds

App State’s backyard playground
  • Three regional ski resorts feature a combined 247 skiable acres and offer skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing, snowshoeing, ice skating and more for cold weather lovers.
  • The 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway snakes along the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia and Western North Carolina, providing more than 50 hiking trails, 20-plus overlooks and 13 lakes, as well as camping and picnic areas.
  • Grandfather Mountain State Park, located in nearby Linville, features more than 12 miles of trails along the mountain’s ridgeline and its highest point — over 5,900 feet — at Calloway Peak, as well as camping at 13 backpack camping sites along the trail system.
  • The Greenway Trail in Boone, an approximately 4-mile paved path, is open to walkers, runners and cyclists, and can accommodate both wheelchairs and strollers.
  • Boone’s 185-acre Rocky Knob Mountain Bike Park offers eight bike trails that vary in length — from just under 1 mile to nearly 4 miles — and skill level.
Peterson’s recognizes App State as top-20 school for outdoor enthusiasts
Peterson’s recognizes App State as top-20 school for outdoor enthusiasts
June 18, 2019

Peterson’s — the world’s leading educational services company — recently named Appalachian in its “The 20 Best Colleges for Outdoor Enthusiasts” list, highlighting the university’s Outdoor Programs and academic programs that may lead to outdoor careers.

Read the story

About Sustainability at Appalachian

Appalachian State University’s leadership in sustainability is known nationally. The university’s holistic, three-branched approach considers sustainability economically, environmentally and equitably in relationship to the planet’s co-inhabitants. The university is an active steward of the state’s interconnected financial, cultural and natural resources and challenges students and others think critically and creatively about sustainability and what it means from the smallest individual action to the most broad-based applications. The university offers both undergraduate and graduate academic degree programs that focus on sustainability. In addition, 100 percent of Appalachian’s academic departments offer at least one sustainability course or course that includes sustainability, and all students graduate from programs that have adopted at least one sustainability learning outcome. Learn more at https://appstate.edu/sustainability.

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.

“If you like studying anything environmental, Boone is the place to be.”

Cristina Sanders '20, of Taylorsville, a graduate of Appalachian's Master of Science in biology program

“The opportunities that students have in recreation around Boone are things that people in other places dream about. Students … grow and learn together in a way I haven’t seen elsewhere.”

Kristian Jackson, senior lecturer in the Department of Recreation Management and Physical Education

View larger image

Skiers hit the evening slopes at Appalachian Ski Mtn. in 2018. Photo by Chase Reynolds

App State’s backyard playground
  • Three regional ski resorts feature a combined 247 skiable acres and offer skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing, snowshoeing, ice skating and more for cold weather lovers.
  • The 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway snakes along the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia and Western North Carolina, providing more than 50 hiking trails, 20-plus overlooks and 13 lakes, as well as camping and picnic areas.
  • Grandfather Mountain State Park, located in nearby Linville, features more than 12 miles of trails along the mountain’s ridgeline and its highest point — over 5,900 feet — at Calloway Peak, as well as camping at 13 backpack camping sites along the trail system.
  • The Greenway Trail in Boone, an approximately 4-mile paved path, is open to walkers, runners and cyclists, and can accommodate both wheelchairs and strollers.
  • Boone’s 185-acre Rocky Knob Mountain Bike Park offers eight bike trails that vary in length — from just under 1 mile to nearly 4 miles — and skill level.
Peterson’s recognizes App State as top-20 school for outdoor enthusiasts
Peterson’s recognizes App State as top-20 school for outdoor enthusiasts
June 18, 2019

Peterson’s — the world’s leading educational services company — recently named Appalachian in its “The 20 Best Colleges for Outdoor Enthusiasts” list, highlighting the university’s Outdoor Programs and academic programs that may lead to outdoor careers.

Read the story

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

Share

Topics

  • Community Engagement
  • Faculty and Staff
  • Research and Creative Works
  • Students
  • Sustainability

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

Archives

Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian State University Podcasts
  • Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian

Share

Topics

  • Community Engagement
  • Faculty and Staff
  • Research and Creative Works
  • Students
  • Sustainability

Other Recent Posts

  • Student research and creative projects spotlighted at App State’s annual showcase
    Student research and creative projects spotlighted at App State’s annual showcase
  • Will Sears appointed vice chancellor of university advancement at App State
    Will Sears appointed vice chancellor of university advancement at App State
  • N.C. Governor Josh Stein to address graduates at App State commencement
    N.C. Governor Josh Stein to address graduates at App State commencement
  • App State honors 29 students, faculty and staff with 2025 Awards of Distinction
    App State honors 29 students, faculty and staff with 2025 Awards of Distinction
  • App State to offer AI concentration in master’s programs [faculty featured]
    App State to offer AI concentration in master’s programs [faculty featured]
    WFDD
  • Campus emergency siren test to be conducted May 7
    Campus emergency siren test to be conducted May 7
  • App State students help restore national wildlife refuge as part of Alternative Service Experience
    App State students help restore national wildlife refuge as part of Alternative Service Experience
  • Dr. Neva J. Specht appointed App State executive vice chancellor and provost
    Dr. Neva J. Specht appointed App State executive vice chancellor and provost
  • $2 million grant funds scholarships, supports STEM education for over 50 App State students
    $2 million grant funds scholarships, supports STEM education for over 50 App State students
  • App State named Military Friendly School for 16th consecutive year, ranked a top 10 institution for 2025–26
    App State named Military Friendly School for 16th consecutive year, ranked a top 10 institution for 2025–26
  • Explore the future of business with new AI master’s degree tracks at App State
    Explore the future of business with new AI master’s degree tracks at App State
  • 12th annual iBackAPP Day of Giving draws over 3,100 App State supporters worldwide
    12th annual iBackAPP Day of Giving draws over 3,100 App State supporters worldwide

Archives

Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian State University Podcasts
  • Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian
  • Events
  • Videos
  • Galleries
  • In the News
  • Research & Arts
  • Awards
  • Experts
  • All News
  • Topics
  • Subscribe
  • For the media
  • COVID updates
  • Contact

App State

Copyright 2025 Appalachian State University. All rights reserved.

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

Abouts

Disclaimer | EO Policy | Accessibility | Website manager: montaldipa (beltmr) .. | Website Feedback

Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram LinkedIn Snapchat