Dr. Yalçın Açıkgöz, associate professor in App State’s Department of Psychology, offers WalletHub his expert insight to make predictions about unemployment in the U.S. in 2025. Açıkgöz is part of App State’s Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Human Resource Management program.

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.

App State alumnus Mitch Purgason ’15, a clothing designer and founder of his eponymous business, designed the official blazer for award recipients at last year’s Heisman Trophy ceremony for top collegiate football players. Purgason started his business while he was a student at App State. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in management in 2015.

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.