BOONE, N.C. — Dr. Neva J. Specht has been named acting provost of Appalachian State University — a role she will fulfill while Dr. Heather Hulburt Norris serves in the position of App State interim chancellor. Her new role was announced April 22.

“Specht is a well-known and widely respected member of the Academic Affairs leadership team,” said Norris.

Previously, Specht had served as senior vice provost of faculty policies, development and training in the Academic Affairs division since October 2021.

From 2017 to 2021, she served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. She was the college’s senior associate dean from 2013 to 2017 and associate dean from 2010 to 2013. She has been a professor in the Department of History since 1996 and served as the assistant chair of the department from 2007 to 2009.

As dean, Specht led the development of a strategic plan for the College of Arts and Sciences and the college’s Student and Faculty Excellence Fund, which supports students and faculty in their research and creative activities/endeavors. She also wrote the first history of the college.

As senior vice provost, Specht worked closely with Faculty Senate members to complete an update of the Faculty Handbook and the Academic Affairs Standard Operating Procedures. In this role, she also provided new professional development opportunities for program directors, assistant chairs and associate deans.

Specht has been a trustee and board chair on the North Carolina Humanities Council. Locally, she has served on the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum’s board, the planning board for the Blue Ridge Parkway 75th Anniversary project and on the Town of Boone’s Cultural Resource Advisory Board.

For six years, she served as the university’s liaison to the Blue Ridge Parkway. During that time, she completed projects that included a Historic Furnishing Report for the Blowing Rock home of Moses and Bertha Cone and a number of oral histories for the National Park Service, and directed two National Endowment for the Humanities Landmark workshops on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Transforming North Carolina Faculty Research Award in 2010 and the Appalachian State University Board of Governors Teaching Award in 2009.

Specht received her Ph.D. in United States history and material culture studies from the University of Delaware, where she also earned her Master of Arts in United States history with a certificate in museum studies. She received her bachelor’s degree from Grinnell College, with a double major in history and American studies.

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About the Division of Academic Affairs

The Division of Academic Affairs at Appalachian State University is dedicated to fostering student success, cultivating innovation and preparing students to lead purposeful lives — upholding the university’s longstanding tradition of service and leadership. Through its integrated efforts across academic programs, student support services, enrollment management and arts engagement, the division ensures App State provides a holistic and enriching educational journey for all Mountaineer students. Academic Affairs encompasses the degree-granting College of Arts and Sciences, College of Fine and Applied Arts, Beaver College of Health Sciences, Reich College of Education, Walker College of Business, Hayes School of Music and University College, as well as the Williams School of Graduate Studies, the Honors College and 10 other units — including Student Affairs, Enrollment Management, and Arts Engagement and Cultural Resources — that support the innovative, interdisciplinary and integrative Appalachian Experience. Learn more about App State’s Division of Academic Affairs at https://academicaffairs.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, cost-effective education. 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.