App State Police Officer Cashae Cook ’14 has been named Woman of the Year by the North Carolina Law Enforcement Women’s Association. The annual award — the state’s highest honor for women in law enforcement — recognizes Cook’s outstanding contributions and service to NCLEWA and her leadership and service in the App State Community.

App State is among 60 schools selected to join the national FirstGen Forward Network, with schools chosen based on their demonstrated commitment to advancing success for first-generation students. Network schools gain access to professional development opportunities, a community of practice, and tools to assess and improve their support for first-gen students.

Six national publications — including U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review and Forbes magazine — have recognized App State among the best schools in the nation, and the Southeast, for 2025–26. The publications lauded the university for its academics, innovation and value, among other aspects.

App State’s BSBA in finance and banking has earned Chartered Financial Analyst Institute affiliation — a distinction that boosts students’ access to top job opportunities in finance, as well as internships, scholarships and a global network of investment professionals.

Three App State faculty teams have been awarded grants of up to $25,000 each as part of the 2025 Chancellor’s Innovation Scholars Program. Their winning projects aim to increase the number of special education teachers in NC’s public schools and better quantify flood–health risks by fusing data, AI and community input.

Corinne Smith, director of App State’s Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, was recognized with the 2025 GEAR UP Professional Leader of the Year award for her passion for and commitment to GEAR UP’s goal of ensuring college access and success for all students.

App State’s student-powered solar vehicle team, Team Sunergy, has secured yet another podium finish to add to its consistent wins in the annual Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix. This year, the team earned second place in its class and the event’s Teamwork Award. Team Sunergy is working to launch its next-generation solar vehicle.

App State honored 20 future military leaders during a commissioning ceremony held May 8 on the Boone campus, during which the Mountaineer Battalion members and App State graduates took the Oath of Office and received the gold bars signifying their rank as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army.

At its May 15 meeting, the University of North Carolina System Board of Governors reappointed Joseph Jeffries Chesson to App State’s Board of Trustees and appointed Jamie Schaefer, Wayne Sumner and William Warren as new members of the board. The trustees will begin their four-year terms July 1.