Founders Day 2021
Our annual fall celebration honors our founders and the first day of classes held in 1899 at Watauga Academy — the small school that flourished into the App State we know today.
1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Blue Ridge Ballroom, Student Union
4 p.m.
Boone Cemetery, 614 Howard Street
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Founders Plaza
4 – 6 p.m.
Sanford Mall
Images from Founders Day 2020
Donna Fiori, far left, president of Appalachian’s Alumni Council, provides introductory remarks outside of Founders Bell Pavilion on Appalachian State University’s campus during the Founders Day bell ringing ceremony, Sept. 3. Chancellor Sheri Everts, second from right, stands with the new bell ringers: Dr. Baker Perry, second from left, professor in Appalachian’s Department of Geography and Planning, and Dr. Karl Campbell, associate professor in Appalachian’s Department of History and chair of the university’s History Committee. Photo by Marie Freeman
Appalachian State University Chancellor Sheri Everts rings the Founders Bell during the university’s Founders Day celebration, Sept. 3. Everts, along with faculty members Dr. Baker Perry and Dr. Karl Campbell, each rang the bell seven times for a total of 21 rings, signifying Appalachian’s 121st anniversary. Photo by Marie Freeman
Dr. Baker Perry, professor in Appalachian’s Department of Geography and Planning, rings Appalachian State University’s Founders Bell during the university's Founders Day celebration, Sept. 3. Perry was inducted into the 2020 class of Appalachian’s Bell Ringers Society. Photo by Marie Freeman
Dr. Karl Campbell, associate professor in Appalachian’s Department of History and chair of the university’s History Committee, rings Appalachian State University’s Founders Bell during the university's Founders Day celebration, Sept. 3. Campbell was inducted into the 2020 class of Appalachian’s Bell Ringers Society. Photo by Marie Freeman
Appalachian State University inducted the 2020 class of the Appalachian Bell Ringers Society during its Founders Day celebration, Sept. 3. Chancellor Sheri Everts, center, stands with the new bell ringers: Dr. Baker Perry, left, professor in Appalachian’s Department of Geography and Planning, and Dr. Karl Campbell, associate professor in Appalachian’s Department of History and chair of the university’s History Committee. Photo by Marie Freeman
Pictured in foreground, Appalachian State University senior and Student Government Association President Michael Davis, a political science major and Honors College student from Wilkesboro, gives closing remarks during the university’s Founders Day celebration, Sept. 3. Photo by Marie Freeman
During Appalachian State University’s Founders Day, Sept. 3, Chancellor Sheri Everts cuts the ribbon on one of the university’s newest residence halls, Thunder Hill Hall, which provides 590 beds for on-campus residents. Pictured, from left to right, are Jeremy Doss, senior vice president of RISE; Everts; John Blackburn, chair of Appalachian’s Board of Trustees; and J.J. Brown, Appalachian’s vice chancellor for student affairs. Photo by Marie Freeman
During Appalachian State University’s Founders Day, Sept. 3, Chancellor Sheri Everts cuts the ribbon on one of the university’s newest residence halls, Raven Rocks Hall, which provides 322 beds for on-campus residents. Pictured, from left to right, are Jeremy Doss, senior vice president of RISE; Everts; J.J. Brown, Appalachian’s vice chancellor for student affairs; and Matt Dull, Appalachian’s associate vice chancellor for finance and operations. Photo by Marie Freeman
Inside the Archives with Kim Sims
Appalachian State's Coordinator of Special Collections and University Archivist, Kim Sims shares some of her favorite pieces from Special Collections. You can find these items and more on the 4th floor of Belk Library and Information Commons, the Special Collections Research Center is home to the W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection, the Stock Car Racing Collection, Rare Books & Manuscripts, and University Archives & Records Management Services.
Where's My Bell? | Dave by the Bell: Founders Day Edition
"Dave by the Bell" is a podcast hosted by University Communication’s own Dave Blanks, where he wanders the earth in search of answers to all of life’s questions, great and small. Okay, so he mainly stays on Appalachian State University’s campus... he still wanders though... and he definitely wonders as he wanders.
In this video edition of Dave By The Bell, Dave goes in search of the bell that used to sit in front of Anne Belk Hall. Learn about App State's Special Collections Research Center from university archivist Kim Sims, and catch a glimpse of interesting historical items from Appalachian's past!
Previous Founders Days
About the Bell Ringers Society
A new tradition at Appalachian State University — the ringing of the Founders Bell, an iconic symbol of Appalachian’s history — was established Sept. 5, 2019, as the university celebrated its second annual Founders Day. Twelve members of the Appalachian Community were selected to ring the bell 10 times each to signify the university’s 120th anniversary as an innovator and leader in higher education. These 12 bell ringers are the inaugural members of Appalachian’s Bell Ringers Society. New members are inducted into the society each year to ring the bell on Founders Day.
About Appalachian State University
As the premier public undergraduate institution in the state of North Carolina, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls more than 20,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.
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University Communications
ASU Box 32153
Boone, NC 28608
828-262-6156
ucomm@appstate.edu
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