BOONE, N.C. — After a national search, Dr. Ashley Walker Colquitt has been named associate vice provost and dean of Appalachian State University’s Williams School of Graduate Studies, effective July 1.

Since 2017, Colquitt has led the Jack N. Averitt College of Graduate Studies at Georgia Southern University — serving as director and then dean of the college — and she is on faculty in the university’s Department of Health Policy and Community Health.

“Dr. Colquitt has a strong background in management, teaching, mentorship and service,” said App State Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Heather Hulburt Norris. “As a first-generation college graduate with a collaborative approach to implementing successful recruitment and retention strategies, she also has a strong appreciation for App State’s founding mission of increasing access to higher education for the people of North Carolina.”

Colquitt’s 18 years of experience at various public institutions includes faculty positions at University of Northern Colorado Greeley and University of North Texas Denton. She also was a health educator at Texas A&M University. Her research focuses on health disparities, social determinants of health, disability health, and academic assessment and program improvement, and she has been published regularly since 2010. She also has received several awards for her teaching and service.

Colquitt holds a Ph.D. in health studies from Texas Woman’s University, as well as bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwestern State University. She is a certified health education specialist and the recipient of the 2017 Judith R. Miller Award for the Public Health Education and Health Promotion Section of the American Public Health Association.

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Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies

Appalachian State University offers 80+ graduate programs(link is external), including master's degrees, graduate certificates, specialist, and doctoral degrees to deepen your knowledge and advance your career — online and in person. As a graduate student at App State, you have access to world-renowned professors, expert mentors, highly-ranked and accredited programs, and unique opportunities for research alongside faculty, staff, and fellow students.

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About graduate education at App State

Appalachian State University’s Williams School of Graduate Studies helps individuals reach the next level in their career advancement and preparedness. The school offers 80 graduate degree and certificate programs — both in person and online — in a range of disciplines, including doctoral programs in education (Ed.D.) and psychology (Psy.D.). The graduate school enrolls nearly 2,000 students. Learn more at https://graduate.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, 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.