Three Appalachian students — Laurel Roser, Rhiannon Reed-Kelly and Keylen Renteria — are the recipients of the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship and will study abroad during the 2018 spring semester. Named for retired Congressman Gilman, the scholarship program aims to diversify the students who study and intern abroad and the countries and regions where they go.

Aaron Ballance ’04, lecturer in the Appalachian State University’s Department of English, is the recipient of the North Carolina Humanities Council’s 2017 Linda Flowers Literary Award for his poems “Sugarfoot,” “Old Trouble,” “The Peaks,” “One-Eyed Jenny,” “The Brink,” “Leading Flash to the Barn — January” and “Rust.”

Jackson Barbee, an Appalachian freshman and management major from Cary, won first place in the fall 2017 Big Idea Pitch Competition held on Nov. 10, 2017 for his idea of a bag designed specifically for rock climbers. Second prize went to the creator of an online role-playing game for the visually impaired and third prize was awarded for a proposed mobile barbershop app.

Dr. Nancy S. Love, a professor of political science in Appalachian State University’s Department of Government and Justice Studies, received the 2017 Award for Academic Freedom and Faculty Governance from Appalachian’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP).

Dr. Robert Hill, an associate professor of psychology in Appalachian State University’s Department of Psychology, was appointed as a member who is a licensed psychologist to the North Carolina Board of Psychology by Gov. Roy Cooper. The appointment is a three-year term, which expires in 2020.