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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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 — 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.
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
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 — 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.
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:
Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
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:
Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.