App State’s 11th annual iBackAPP Day raised more than $1.8 million, breaking previous iBackAPP records, with gifts from more than 2,300 donors and contributions made to every major area at the university.

For nearly 50 years, the App State Gospel Choir has been uplifting the campus community through song in the Black religious tradition. According to alumni, the choir is a vehicle for cultural expression and a welcoming family that provides a sense of home.

This spring, App State will host four award-winning authors as part of its 2023–24 Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series. The authors will read from their work and deliver talks on the craft of writing.

Matthew Makdad, P.E., has been named general manager of Appalachian State University’s New River Light and Power, effective Feb. 1. Makdad had previously served as the utility’s engineering supervisor since 2017.

App State received a three-year, $1 million grant to implement a Public Health AmeriCorps program. Faculty, alumni and students are leading the program to enhance public health preparedness and mental health resources in 25 rural Western North Carolina counties.

For the ninth consecutive year, App State leads the nation for its number of alumni who are National Board Certified Teachers, with 2,215 alumni having earned the national credential to date.

More than 1,500 Mountaineer graduates earned their App State degrees and were honored during the university’s Fall 2023 Commencement ceremonies, held Dec. 15 in the Holmes Convocation Center.

App State faculty and students have installed a new Dolby Atmos immersive sound system in the Robert F. Gilley Recording Studio, housed in App State’s Hayes School of Music. The experience offered students hands-on learning with a prominent technology in the music industry.