BOONE, N.C. — Nearly 4,000 students attained Appalachian State University degrees this spring, which was celebrated at Spring Commencement ceremonies held May 6 and 7 at the Holmes Convocation Center.

At six ceremonies held over two days, the university conferred degrees to 3,946 graduates, including 3,296 undergraduate and 650 graduate students. Recordings of the ceremonies are available on App State’s commencement website.

Chancellor Sheri Everts presided over the ceremonies, and Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Heather Hulburt Norris presented the candidates for graduation. University of North Carolina System Board of Governors member C. Philip Byers also shared remarks.

“As graduates of App State, you will be uniquely positioned to adapt, lead and serve in a world that has been fundamentally changed,” Everts said in her address to the graduates.

“I congratulate each of you on your achievements and celebrate the hope and possibilities you take forward into our future world — a world that holds more promise because of the contributions you have made thus far, and one you will continue to make even brighter,” she added.

Everts also recognized App State faculty and staff and the family and friends of graduates for their roles in helping Mountaineer students reach this milestone.

Byers brought greetings from the UNC Board of Governors, the UNC System Office and the App State Board of Trustees.

“Graduates, your education at Appalachian State University has provided you well with the knowledge and skills you will need to achieve the goals and dreams you set forth,” Byers said. “We all join you in your well-deserved celebration.”

During the ceremony for App State’s Hayes School of Music and Reich College of Education on May 6, Byers presented Dr. Reeves Shulstad, a professor of musicology in the Hayes School, with the 2022 University of North Carolina Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Award.

“Dr. Shulstad, we applaud your commitment to student mentorship, undergraduate research and inclusive excellence — all pillars of an App State education,” Byers said. “You exemplify the heart and soul of Appalachian State University, and today, we thank you for your dedication to all of North Carolina’s students.”

In her introductions, Norris thanked multiple individuals and groups for their roles in the commencement ceremonies, including the macebearers, banner carriers, name readers, the Appalachian Brass Ensemble and the App State ROTC Pershing Rifles Company. She also recognized Mountaineer alumni, student veterans and military-affiliated students who were in attendance.

“I am thrilled to help honor each of you during this most joyous occasion,” Norris said to the graduates. “Today, we celebrate your hard work, perseverance and success.”

App State’s commencement ceremonies concluded with a special performance of the university’s alma mater, prerecorded by Grammy-nominated country music star Luke Combs, a former App State student.

During the ceremonies, graduates walked across the commencement stage, had their names announced — along with the Latin and/or departmental honors they received, and were professionally photographed receiving their diploma covers.

New this year, the official App State caps and gowns worn by graduates were made of fabric produced from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles and were made in the USA.

“This weekend’s ceremonies will divert nearly 100,000 plastic bottles from the landfill,” Everts said.

The ceremonies included graduates from each of the university’s academic colleges and the graduate school:

• Beaver College of Health Sciences.
• College of Arts and Sciences.
• College of Fine and Applied Arts.
• Hayes School of Music.
• Reich College of Education.
• Walker College of Business.
• Williams School of Graduate Studies.

Beaver receives honorary degree

At the Beaver College of Health Sciences commencement ceremony held May 6, Everts awarded an honorary App State degree to Donald C. Beaver in recognition of his significant contributions to the university.

“Through his visionary leadership and unmatched generosity, Donald Beaver is transforming the lives of students, athletes and families at App State and across the Southern region,” Everts said.

Beaver has built an esteemed career in health care and athletics, first making his mark as the developer and CEO of a group of skilled nursing facilities throughout the South. Currently, he is president and CEO of Universal Health Care, which provides short- and long-term medical and rehabilitation care, as well as president of the organization’s management division — Choice Health Management Services.

In athletics, he is president of Beaver Sports Properties as well as CEO of the Rock Barn Country Club and Spa in Conover and the Statesville Country Club. He is also the majority owner of the Charlotte Knights, Hickory Crawdads and New Orleans Baby Cakes (formerly the Zephyrs) minor league baseball teams, and a minority partner of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Beaver is a two-time App State graduate, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business education in the early 1960s. He has served for a combined 27 years on the App State Board of Trustees, Appalachian State University Foundation Board and Walker College of Business Advisory Council. He was honorary chairman of the university’s first large fundraising campaign in the 1980s, and he received App State’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 1990.

In 2010, the Beavers and the Beaver Family Foundation made a significant leadership gift to support the College of Health Sciences, which was subsequently named in their honor. This gift helped the university build a new health sciences building and created the Beaver Scholars Program. To date, 34 students have been awarded nearly $600,000 in scholarship support through the program. The Beavers have also supported App State Athletics, the Yosef Club, the Appalachian Fund and the Walker College of Business.

A native of Troutman, Don and his wife, Vickie, have six children.

Macebearer recognition

Appalachian State University’s mace is carried by a senior faculty member in all academic processions. The mace serves as a symbol of authority just as it did during the Middle Ages, when a macebearer accompanied an official taking office or opening court.

The following individuals served as macebearers during App State’s Spring 2022 Commencement ceremonies:

Dr. Roma Angel

Reich College of Education

Angel, a professor in the Department of Leadership and Educational Studies, is retiring after 20 years of service in the Reich College of Education (RCOE). She has held multiple roles while at App State, including RCOE assistant dean, director of App State’s graduate-level school administration and education specialist programs, and associate director of the Women in Educational Leadership Symposium. She received the Williams School of Graduate Studies Award for Membership in the Academy of Outstanding Graduate Mentors for 2018–19.

Dr. Joy James

Beaver College of Health Sciences

James joined the Department of Recreation Management and Physical Education (RMPE) in 2007. She is a professor in the department and the director of App State’s recreation management degree programs. This fall, James will engage in an off-campus scholarly assignment, working as an interpretive park ranger with the National Park Service at the Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico. Through this role, she will share the culture of the Ancestral Puebloans.

Dr. Christof den Biggelaar

College of Fine and Applied Arts

An associate professor in the Department of Sustainable Development, den Biggelaar is retiring after 22 years of service to the department. He was instrumental in developing App State’s former Teaching and Research Farm in Valle Crucis, which he directed for several years, as well as the sustainable development degree program’s agroecology and sustainable agriculture concentration. Since 2005, he has worked as a technical adviser on agroforestry and sustainable agriculture for the Madagascar Fauna Group in Toamasina, Madagascar.

Dr. Jason Xiong

Walker College of Business

Xiong joined the Department of Computer Information Systems in 2016 and currently serves as an associate professor and the director of App State’s master’s program in applied data analytics. He received the 2022–23 Board of Governors Appalachian State University Excellence in Teaching Award for the Walker College of Business. His research focuses on IT for development, e-commerce and the value of information systems.

Dr. Michael Mayfield

College of Arts and Sciences

Mayfield is retiring after 34 years of service in the Department of Geography and Planning. He joined the department faculty in 1988 and has served as vice provost for undergraduate education, overseeing App State’s General Education and the First Year Seminar programs. He was named Educator of the Year by the North Carolina Geographical Society in 2012. His research focuses on several aspects of global change and flood hydrology.

Dr. Lynn Searfoss

College of Arts and Sciences

Searfoss is retiring after 21 years of service in the Department of English. She is an associate professor with specialities in rhetorical and literary theory, as well as 18th- and 19th-century American literature. Her research interests include the history of American rhetoric, gender issues in writing pedagogy and the rhetoric of imperialism and postcolonialism.

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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.