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App State professor John Whitehead honored with prestigious economics award
July 9, 2024
Dr. John Whitehead, an economics professor at Appalachian State University, has received the AERE Fellows Award, the highest honor in environmental and resource economics. Recognized for his pioneering work in valuation methods, Whitehead joins an elite group of scholars advancing the field.
App State professor explains recent spike in western N.C. earthquakes [faculty featured]
Spectrum News 1
July 2, 2024
Western North Carolina had three small earthquakes in a 24-hour span this June. The earthquakes were near the area of the 5.1 magnitude earthquake in Sparta in 2020. Dr. Scott Marshall, a professor in App State’s Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, said that a recently discovered fault line could be the cause of these smaller earthquakes, and that they are likely aftershocks from the 2020 event.
Find Your Sustain Ability: Katrin Klingenberg on high-performance passive building
July 2, 2024
Host Laura England, associate director of App State’s Quality Enhancement Plan and practitioner-in-residence in the Department of Sustainable Development, is joined in studio by 2024 Appalachian Energy Summit keynote speaker Katrin Klingenberg, co-founder and executive director of the Phius (Passive House Institute U.S.). Klingenberg shares her passion for passive building, which uses core building principles to create net-zero structures that utilize renewable energy sources to generate as much or more energy than they consume annually.

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Appalachian State University Chancellor Search Advisory Committee announced
Committee will begin work to identify candidates to lead App State
June 28, 2024
UNC System President Peter Hans announced the formation of a 13-member committee that will search for the next chancellor of Appalachian State University. The committee will be led by Deanna Ballard, a former state senator who represented Watauga County from 2016 to 2023.
Campus emergency siren test to be conducted July 3
June 26, 2024
During the test, App State uses the hi/low tone for emergencies, the discontinuous air horn for tests of the system and the alert tone for the all-clear signal.
Eco-Friendly Guide to Finances and Saving [faculty featured]
MoneyGeek
June 25, 2024
This article in MoneyGeek shares advice and insight, valuable tools and resources designed to help people develop a “green” approach to their finances. Dr. Susan Weidmann, an assistant professor in App State’s Department of Recreation Management and Physical Education, offers her expert voice about eco-friendly approaches to finances and savings.
Scuba-diving scientists capture rare underwater footage of prehistoric-looking hellbenders in North Carolina [faculty featured]
BBC Wildlife Magazine
June 25, 2024
Work is set to begin to remove Shull’s Mill Dam on the Watauga River in July in order to restore a healthy river ecosystem. The project will involve the relocation of eastern hellbenders, a species of special concern in North Carolina, who live in the river near the dam. Dr. Mike Gangloff, professor in App State’s Department of Biology, speaks to the importance of hellbenders, including how they can increase water and habitat quality in rivers. Gangloff is the aquatic lead researcher for the Shull’s Mill Dam removal.
Rural America Lags Cities in Helping People Beat the Heat [faculty featured]
The New York Times
June 20, 2024
Heat waves this June impacted Maine and other areas that are not accustomed to extreme high temperatures. This article in The New York Times notes that rural areas don't have the same access to cooling infrastructure as cities, which typically have shady parks, public pools and hydration stations. Dr. Maggie Sugg, an associate professor in App State’s Department of Geography and Planning, explains that many rural areas in the U.S. have homes with poor insulation, and that people with access to air-conditioning may not be able to afford to run it in high temperatures. All of these factors increase the chances of heat-related illness. Sugg has conducted extensive research on heat vulnerabilities in North and South Carolina.
Dean’s List: What is the UNC System requesting in this year’s NC budget?
The Charlotte Observer
June 18, 2024
This “Dean’s List” roundup in The Charlotte Observer includes information about the UNC System’s budget requests and App State’s new cybersecurity program, which will be offered through the Walker College of Business starting this fall on both the Boone and Hickory campuses. It will be the first undergraduate degree program in cybersecurity available through the UNC System in Western North Carolina.
Dr. Cynthia Liutkus-Pierce featured in documentary about ancient footprints in Tanzania
June 14, 2024
Research led by App State professor and National Geographic Explorer Dr. Cynthia Liutkus-Pierce is the focus of a new documentary titled “Footsteps: A Journey to the Engare Sero Footprints.” The film follows a pilgrimage to the site of early human footprints in northern Tanzania.
Appalachian State begins Aging Well support program
Spectrum News 1
June 11, 2024
This feature from Spectrum News 1 follows a patient diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease as she receives an assessment through App State’s Aging Well support program. The program, with interprofessional clinics on the Boone and Hickory campuses, is a collaborative effort with community partners to support healthy aging for adults throughout the High Country. Clinic Program Manager Lizzie Muscarello and Clinic Director Bryan Belcher speak about the available technology for aging assessments, as well as the many opportunities the program offers, from free health screenings to support groups.
Kaaren Hayes’s leadership leaves behind lasting impact on hundreds of families
Watauga Democrat
June 6, 2024
This feature in the Watauga Democrat highlights the career of Kaaren Hayes, who recently retired after 36 years with App State’s Parent to Parent Family Support Network. Parent to Parent provides free support to families who have a premature baby or a child with a disability, or to families who are grieving the death of a child. Hayes was with Parent to Parent since its inception in 1988, and she became program director in 1998. Hayes graduated from App State in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in child development.
Appalachian Today: Episode 5
June 5, 2024
On this episode of Appalachian Today, University Communications’ Dave Blanks provides a quick rundown of some of the latest news stories available at today.appstate.edu. Story topics include: App State’s 2024 Memorial Day commemoration, during which Mountaineer alumna and Army Reserve veteran Caitlin Langley laid an honorary wreath at the Boone campus’s Veterans Memorial; the May 9 unveiling of the Chancellor John E. Thomas sculpture, located outside John E. Thomas Hall on App State's Boone campus; Gracie Bullington ’23 honored as the 2023–24 App State Student Teacher of the Year; App State student-athletes achieving a cumulative GPA above 3.0 for the 12th straight year; and App State football season tickets selling out for three years in a row.

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App State’s new cybersecurity bachelor’s degree program begins this fall
Program available at Boone and Hickory campuses
May 31, 2024
This fall, Appalachian State University will begin offering a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity — the only such program offered by a University of North Carolina System institution in Western North Carolina.
Campus emergency siren test to be conducted June 5
May 28, 2024
During the test, App State uses the hi/low tone for emergencies, the discontinuous air horn for tests of the system and the alert tone for the all-clear signal.
Wilkesboro Elementary School’s Beckie Spears named Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year [alumni featured]
WXII-TV
May 25, 2024
Beckie Spears, principal of Wilkesboro Elementary School, was named the 2024 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year. She has been principal of Wilkesboro Elementary School since 2019, and has been in education in various roles for nearly 30 years. Spears has a bachelor’s degree in English from Meredith College and a master’s degree in school administration from App State, where she graduated in 2016.
Army Reserve veteran and App State alumna Caitlin Langley lays wreath for university’s Memorial Day commemoration
May 24, 2024
App State held its annual Memorial Day commemoration May 24, honoring those who died while serving in the U.S. military. For this year’s observance, Army Reserve veteran and App State alumna Caitlin Langley laid an honorary wreath at the Veterans Memorial on the Boone campus.
App State student-athletes achieve 3.0+ GPA for 12 straight years
May 21, 2024
This spring, App State student-athletes achieved a significant milestone as they marked the 12th straight year — or 24 consecutive semesters — of earning a cumulative grade-point average above 3.0. The Mountaineers ended the spring semester with a 3.20 cumulative GPA for all student-athletes.