App State’s Scholars with Diverse Abilities Program (SDAP) — an inclusive college experience designed for students with intellectual disabilities — celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. It will expand to a four-year program option in fall 2023.

Inspired by his daughter’s positive experience at a speech therapy camp, alumnus Dr. Ed Rankin ’79, along with his wife, Thuy Le, donated funding to App State to support a similar program at the university — it will be the first summer camp of its kind in North Carolina.

Graduates of the Appalachian Police Officer Development Program at App State — who are now employed with agencies across North Carolina — reflect on how the program prepared them to enter the workforce.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has ranked App State No. 1 in its “Top 50 Alma Maters by Total Number of NBCTs” list for the sixth consecutive year. App State leads the nation for the number of National Board Certified Teachers — 2,211.

Preparing students to become engaged global citizens is at the heart of App State’s mission. Meet six international Mountaineers who have found career success through their App State Experience.

App State named eight Beaver College of Health Sciences students as Beaver Scholars for the 2021–22 academic year. The scholarship — established in 2019 by App State alumnus Don Beaver ’62 ’64 and his wife, Vickie Beaver, the couple for whom the college is named — provides support to North Carolina students with a commitment to health care careers.

The Hatley Pavilion, which encompasses a west-side turf area at the stadium’s north end zone facility, has been named in recognition of a $500,000 TowneBank Foundation gift to App State Athletics in honor of Robert “Bob” Hatley ’72.

Twelve full-time App State students from North Carolina’s Piedmont region are beneficiaries of the Frank Scholars Program, funded by the late Hughlene Bostian Frank ’68 and William “Bill” Frank — longtime friends and supporters of App State.