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App State, Vaya Partners join forces to boost rural healthcare across 12 NC counties
$11.5M grant fuels App State support for students and early-career rural health professionals
Oct. 22, 2026
App State is teaming up with Vaya Partners on the North Carolina Rural Health Transformation Program to strengthen rural healthcare across 12 NC counties. Supported by an $11.5 million-plus grant, App State will develop educational pathways, clinical placements and financial assistance to help prepare and retain healthcare professionals where they are needed most.
$35M App State GEAR UP grant advances college, career readiness for Western NC students
The grant marks back-to-back $35M federal awards for App State GEAR UP
Oct. 21, 2026
App State has received a second consecutive $35 million GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The seven-year award will expand college preparation and career readiness services to thousands of middle and high school students across Western North Carolina.
App State Academy at Middle Fork marks strong academic progress and record enrollment
Academy students achieved double-digit gains across reading, math and science proficiency
Oct. 19, 2026
App State’s Academy at Middle Fork has experienced strong student achievement and growth over the past five academic years, according to recent data from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. The data reflects substantial academic progress, marked by double-digit increases in students’ reading, math and science proficiency scores from 2024–25 to 2025–26.
$10M grant expands App State model for teacher-directed professional learning
Statewide ETL SPARK program supports middle school literacy educators
Oct. 13, 2026
App State’s Office of Rural Promise has secured a $10 million federal grant to launch ETL SPARK (Empowering Teacher Learning: Strengthening Professional learning to Advance Reading Knowledge) — a five-year, statewide initiative aimed at elevating classroom instruction and empowering educators in middle grades literacy.
Builders Insurance Group commits $500K to modernize App State Brantley Risk and Insurance Center
The center’s new location will foster stronger connections among students and industry partners
Oct. 7, 2026
Builders Insurance Group, under the leadership of Todd Campbell ’87, has made a $500,000 commitment to App State’s Walker College of Business, supporting the relocation and modernization of the Brantley Risk and Insurance Center. The relocation will help facilitate student connections with peers and industry partners, positioning them for career success.
App State names 10 Chancellor’s Scholars for 2026–27
For fall 2027, prospective students should apply by Nov. 15 to be considered for first-year university scholarships
Oct. 5, 2026
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.
Forrest Gilliam ’08 among App State Mountaineers working to rebuild Western NC 2 years after Helene
Oct. 2, 2026
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 researchers partner to strengthen Western NC resilience 2 years post-Helene
Community-informed projects span energy resilience, data coordination, community health and the arts
Sept. 30, 2026
Two years after Hurricane Helene, App State faculty and staff continue leading research to help build long-term resilience for communities across Western North Carolina. Spanning energy systems, data coordination, community health and the arts, these projects aim to deliver real solutions to problems surfaced and made worse by the storm.
Duncan Hall reopens at App State after $32 million transformation
The renovated facility features modern offices, technologically advanced classrooms and STEM labs
Sept. 30, 2026
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.
US News ranks App State No. 1 Best Value School for In-State Students in the South
App State named among nation’s and South’s best schools for 2026–27 for academics, quality and value
Sept. 24, 2026
App State has been recognized as a leader in higher education for the 2026–27 academic year, with five notable publications naming the university among the best schools in the nation and the Southeast. The university was recognized for its academics, value, benefits for student veterans and more.
Leading with purpose, serving with impact: Founders Day honors 127 years of App State
App State inducts 8 new members into Bell Ringers Society
Sept. 18, 2026
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.
App State spotlights research and creative activity driving innovation and community impact
Annual Research and Creative Activity at Appalachian event featured keynote speaker Dr. Martie Thompson
Sept. 15, 2026
App State’s annual Research and Creative Activity at Appalachian event, held Sept. 18 on the Boone campus, showcased a wide variety of research and creative activities by faculty and staff. Dr. Martie Thompson, recipient of this year’s Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity, served as the event’s keynote speaker.
Second life, stronger start: App State and E2D provide 200 refurbished laptops to first-year students
Sept. 11, 2026
On Aug. 27, App State and nonprofit refurbisher E2D (Eliminate the Digital Divide) distributed 200 new laptops to first-year, first-generation App State students across the Boone, Hickory and online campuses. Since 2022, App State ITS has donated nearly 3,000 devices to E2D, with over 1,100 refurbished and given out in Watauga County.
App State marks fall 2026 with historic online, graduate, transfer and first-gen student enrollment
Online enrollment climbs nearly 21% in 7th straight year of growth
Sept. 4, 2026
This fall, App State enrolls more than 21,300 students across its Boone, Hickory and App State Online campuses — including the largest online, graduate, transfer and first-generation student populations in the school’s history. Driven by seven consecutive years of growth, online students now account for over 18% of App State’s total student body.
App State to conduct full test of its emergency notification system Sept. 2
Aug. 26, 2026
During the test, App State uses email, voice and text messaging, and the Alertus desktop notification system to test system functionality.
App State named a business education leader in US and worldwide for 2026–27
Aug. 20, 2026
App State has been recognized as a leader in business education for the 2026–27 academic year, with five notable publications naming the university’s Walker College of Business and its business bachelor’s and master’s programs among the best in the nation and world.
App State fundraising reaches historic heights, expands support for Mountaineers
Giving topped $50 million in both fiscal year 2025 and fiscal year 2026
Aug. 19, 2026
App State has exceeded $50 million in private donations for two consecutive years, making fiscal years 2025 and 2026 the most successful fundraising years in university history. Funds raised support resources and programming for students, faculty and staff, with significant contributions going to academics, the arts and athletics.
App State Team Sunergy earns historic victory in cross-country solar racing challenge
The team claimed its second first-place finish since 2021 and earned this year’s Practicality Award
Aug. 11, 2026
App State’s Team Sunergy followed a second-place finish at the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix with a historic performance at the 2026 Electrek American Solar Challenge, becoming the only team to earn two first-place finishes in the competition’s multi-occupant vehicle category. The team drove nearly 1,830 miles in its new solar car, Autumn, and received the Practicality Award.