BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University recognized nearly 1,500 graduates during its Fall Commencement ceremonies held Dec. 16 at the Holmes Convocation Center.

At three ceremonies, the university conferred degrees to 1,495 graduates — 1,335 undergraduate students from six colleges and schools and 160 graduate students from the Williams School of Graduate Studies, including six doctoral 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. C. Philip Byers, a University of North Carolina System Board of Governors member, shared congratulatory remarks on behalf of the board.

“As App State students, you have learned to innovate and to be tenacious,” Everts said in her address to the graduates. “As App State graduates, you will be uniquely positioned to adapt, to lead and to serve in a world that is perpetually evolving. You will make real and powerful differences in your communities and beyond.”

“I commend each of you on reaching this educational milestone and look forward with hope to the possibilities you take out into the world — a world that holds a brighter future, because of you,” she added.

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

“Your education at Appalachian State University has provided you the knowledge and skills you need to achieve the goals and dreams you set forth, and your futures are beckoning,” Byers said. “Remember the invaluable education you have received from Appalachian State University.”

In her introductions, Norris thanked multiple individuals and groups for their roles in the commencement ceremonies, and she also recognized Mountaineer alumni, student veterans, military-affiliated students and first-generation college students who were in attendance.

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

App State’s commencement ceremonies concluded with a special performance of the university’s alma mater, prerecorded by former App State student, Grammy Award-winner and two-time Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year Luke Combs.

Graduates represented each of the university’s academic colleges as they walked across the commencement stage:

• 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.

Fall 2022 macebearers

The mace is carried by a senior faculty member and precedes the chancellor, both upon entering and leaving a ceremony. 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 App State mace symbolizes the university’s mountain heritage, the rustic location and the sophistication of an emerging, national leader in higher education.

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

Dr. John Beebe

Hayes School of Music

Beebe, a professor of bassoon and music theory, is retiring after 37 years of service in the Hayes School of Music.

Beebe has performed with the North Carolina Symphony, the Las Vegas Symphony, Wisconsin’s Madison Symphony, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, the Kingsport Symphony in Tennessee (now known as the Symphony of the Mountains) and has been principal bassoonist of the Oshkosh Symphony in Wisconsin and the Western Piedmont Symphony in Hickory. Beebe is the author of “Music for Unaccompanied Solo Bassoon: an Annotated Bibliography” as well as numerous articles for the International Double Reed Society, and is the creator of bassoONLY, a database devoted to information about music for unaccompanied bassoon and contrabassoon.

Beebe received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the music department of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and was the recipient of the Hayes School of Music’s Excellence in Teaching Award.

Dr. Dana Clark

Walker College of Business

Clark is retiring after a storied career teaching as a professor of management and serving as director of App State’s hospitality and tourism management degree program. He has earned many awards for hospitality and tourism in North Carolina, including the Barentine Special Achievement Award.

Clark was recognized by the North Carolina Travel Industry Association as the recipient of the Charles J. Parker Tourism Excellence for Public Service Award and the Tourism Excellence Award for an individual. Clark has received the Winners Circle Award, presented by Visit North Carolina, and recently earned the Sue W. Wilmoth Award for the Advancement of Tourism from the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce. Clark has also earned the Walker College’s Sywassink Excellence in Service Award and the college’s Spirit of Walker Award.

Dr. Richard Gray

College of Arts and Sciences

Gray is a professor in App State’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and a member of both the International Astronomical Union and the American Astronomical Society.

Gray’s research is in the field of stellar spectroscopy, specifically the discovery and classification of chemically peculiar stars. He is also involved in the modeling of stellar spectra through spectral synthesis, writing several programs and designing and constructing four astronomical spectrographs for use at App State’s Dark Sky Observatory. Gray is the co-author of the book “Stellar Spectral Classification,” as well as the lead author of multiple highly cited studies published in Astronomical Journal, a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

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Appalachian State University Commencement

Commencement is the ultimate celebration of one of the most significant accomplishments of our students' lifetimes. We are proud to honor their achievement.

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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.