BOONE, N.C. — After a national search, Dr. Michael Madritch has been named dean of Appalachian State University’s College of Arts and Sciences. His role became effective Feb. 9.

Madritch has been on the College of Arts and Sciences faculty, in the Department of Biology, since 2009. He was named associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in May 2020 and held the position of interim dean of the college since October 2021.

“Dr. Madritch has consistently demonstrated excellence in academic leadership,” said App State Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Heather Norris. “His many contributions to academia, including research, teaching and administrative leadership, underscore his dedication to advancing the university’s founding mission of access to higher education and excellence. I appreciate his long-standing dedication to leadership, which has earned him the respect and trust of his colleagues within the college and throughout the university.”

As interim dean, Madritch led App State’s largest college, managing 17 departments and overseeing a substantial operating and personnel budget, with facilities spread across more than 20 buildings on the university’s Boone and Hickory campuses.

In his leadership roles in the College of Arts and Sciences, Madritch has also strengthened the academic and research enterprise of the college and increased graduate and research funding. In addition, he led the development of App State’s veterinary technology degree program, the first four-year, online vet tech program in the nation. The program, which launched in fall 2022, is a partnership between App State and Banfield Pet Hospital — the leading provider of preventive veterinary care in the U.S. and part of the Mars Veterinary Health family of practices, which made a multimillion-dollar commitment toward the program’s development.

Madritch’s teaching and research areas are in the field of ecology. As a persistent scholar in this field, he has made notable contributions in the areas of plant biodiversity, ecosystem processes, cliff ecosystems and American chestnut restoration. His research on biodiversity has been supported by multiple funding sources, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation and the National Park Service.

A native of North Carolina, Madritch earned undergraduate degrees in biology, biochemistry and chemistry from North Carolina State University. He earned a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Georgia before completing postdoctoral work at the University of Wisconsin. He is a graduate of App State’s 2018–19 Chancellor’s Appalachian Leadership Development Program and holds a certificate in conflict resolution training from Cornell University.

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College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences at Appalachian State University is home to 17 academic departments, two centers and one residential college spanning the humanities and the social, mathematical and natural sciences. The college is dedicated to providing instruction and research essential to the University's mission and seeks to cultivate the habits of inquiry, learning and service among all its constituents.

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About the College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Appalachian State University is home to 17 academic departments, two centers and one residential college. These units span the humanities and the social, mathematical and natural sciences. CAS aims to develop a distinctive identity built upon our university's strengths, traditions and locations. The college’s values lie not only in service to the university and local community, but through inspiring, training, educating and sustaining the development of its students as global citizens. More than 6,800 student majors are enrolled in the college. As the college is also largely responsible for implementing App State’s general education curriculum, it is heavily involved in the education of all students at the university, including those pursuing majors in other colleges. Learn more at https://cas.appstate.edu.

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.