Appalachian Today

Meet the 10 first-year App State students named Chancellor’s Scholars for 2026–27. The prestigious Chancellor’s Scholarship — now in its 42nd year — is App State’s oldest and most academically competitive merit-based scholarship. For fall 2027, prospective students should apply by Nov. 15 to guarantee consideration for most first-year university scholarships.

App State has reopened Duncan Hall on the Boone campus following the facility’s nearly $32 million renovation, introducing new STEM labs, technically advanced classrooms and modern collaborative spaces for the fall semester. The major infrastructure milestone sets the stage for upcoming campus master planning initiatives.

Two years after Hurricane Helene, recovery work continues across Western NC’s mountain communities. Several App State alumni, including Forrest Gilliam ’08, are helping coordinate the state’s long-term recovery efforts as leading members of GROW NC, the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina. Learn about their work to build back a more resilient region.

App State Campus Dining continues to earn national recognition for making dining more accessible to students with food allergies and dietary restrictions — including a No. 2 ranking among the nation’s food allergy-friendly colleges by Spokin and two program awards from the National Association of College and University Food Services.

App State celebrated its ninth annual Founders Day on Sept. 18 at the Boone campus, commemorating the university’s first day of classes in 1899 and honoring App State founders B.B., D.D. and Lillie Shull Dougherty. With the ringing of the Founders Bell, eight new members were inducted into the university’s Bell Ringers Society.