The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge recognized 232 students nationwide on the 2025 Student Voting Honor Roll for promoting nonpartisan civic engagement and increasing college voter participation in the 2024 election. Forbes highlights several of these students, including App State junior Hunter Messick, a political science major from Durham.

With niche knowledge and skill sets in high demand, higher education institutions are implementing more programs in specialized fields. Forbes recognizes App State’s fermentation sciences program as an example of how niche programs can position universities as leaders in their fields. The App State program teaches students the science behind brewing beer, fermenting foods and producing biofuels, in a blend of chemistry, biology and entrepreneurship.

In a Q&A with media, App State Chancellor Heather Norris spoke about her commitment to continuing work to strengthen relationships and build trust between the university, the Town of Boone and Watauga County.

Heather Norris, who has spent more than two decades on the faculty and in leadership at App State, and most recently led the campus through the devastation of Helene, is the university’s next chancellor. The UNC System Board of Governors approved the recommendation to hire Norris for the job, which she has held on an interim basis since last April.

The Appalachian features App State’s chapter of Letters of Love, a nonprofit organization directed toward sending handmade messages of support to children in hospitals around the world. Emily Pearl, a first-year psychology major from Raleigh, founded the App State chapter, which meets twice a month to create new letters.

Authority Magazine features App State alumnus Matt Arcaini in its “Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A CEO” series. Arcaini is the CEO of WavMaker, an online music licensing platform designed to help video producers find songs. He earned a bachelor's degree in music industry studies from App State in 2009.

Experts, including Dr. David Marlett, professor in App State’s Department of Finance, Banking and Insurance, weigh in on what they identify as home insurance shortfalls that have been exposed by the Los Angeles wildfires.

Former NFL player Jason Kelce documents his trip to Boone after Hurricane Helene, where he attended the App State homecoming football game and experienced the “Mountain Strong” community firsthand. Kelce and his team speak with App State football players and coaches, faculty and staff, students and community members, who reflect on the devastation of Helene and the resilience of the High Country community.

Dr. Brandy Hadley, associate professor in App State’s Department of Finance, Banking and Insurance, and Dr. Brian Bank, associate professor of finance at Mississippi State University, discuss what to expect in 2025 for interest rates, inflation and the American consumer.