Topic: Community Engagement

Displaying 1 - 18 of 1460

5 partners recognized for supporting App State initiatives to strengthen NC healthcare
Support expands clinical services, healthcare outreach and nursing education in the Catawba Valley
Oct. 29, 2026
During an Oct. 12 event at the Hickory campus, App State recognized five regional partners for helping the university expand clinical services, strengthen rural healthcare outreach and launch a new Doctor of Nursing Practice program in the Catawba Valley. Honorees include Catawba Valley Health System, UNC Health Blue Ridge, UNC Health Caldwell, and the Caldwell Memorial Hospital and Golden LEAF foundations.
Rosen siblings continue parents’ legacy of visual arts support with 2 gifts to App State
‘Braid’ joins App State’s permanent sculpture collection; new award supports faculty and staff artists
Oct. 26, 2026
To mark the 40th year of App State’s Martin and Doris Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition, the Rosen siblings have made two significant gifts to the university that continue their late parents’ legacy of supporting the visual arts at App State: “Braid,” for the university’s permanent sculpture collection, and an experiential learning award supporting faculty and staff artists.
App State's Office of Rural Promise secures $35 million federal grant
WFDD
Oct. 26, 2026
The Winston-Salem radio station reports on the $35 million GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) grant awarded to App State’s Office of Rural Promise (ORP) to boost college and career readiness for students across Western North Carolina. ORP Deputy Director Corinne Smith discusses the impact of the program and how the funding will expand services for students and their families.
App State, Vaya Partners join forces to boost rural healthcare across 12 NC counties
$11.5M grant fuels App State support for students and early-career rural health professionals
Oct. 22, 2026
App State is teaming up with Vaya Partners on the North Carolina Rural Health Transformation Program to strengthen rural healthcare across 12 NC counties. Supported by an $11.5 million-plus grant, App State will develop educational pathways, clinical placements and financial assistance to help prepare and retain healthcare professionals where they are needed most.
$35M App State GEAR UP grant advances college, career readiness for Western NC students
The grant marks back-to-back $35M federal awards for App State GEAR UP
Oct. 21, 2026
App State has received a second consecutive $35 million GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The seven-year award will expand college preparation and career readiness services to thousands of middle and high school students across Western North Carolina.
The Catawba Valley has a healthcare provider shortage. App State has a program to help [faculty featured]
Hickory Daily Record
Oct. 20, 2026
The Hickory newspaper highlights App State’s new Doctor of Nursing Practice–Family Nurse Practitioner program, which welcomed its first cohort of students this fall. Led by program director Dr. Anna Hamrick, the program provides students with hands-on training, including through a new nursing simulation lab, to help address the healthcare provider shortage in the Catawba Valley.
$10M grant expands App State model for teacher-directed professional learning
Statewide ETL SPARK program supports middle school literacy educators
Oct. 13, 2026
App State’s Office of Rural Promise has secured a $10 million federal grant to launch ETL SPARK (Empowering Teacher Learning: Strengthening Professional learning to Advance Reading Knowledge) — a five-year, statewide initiative aimed at elevating classroom instruction and empowering educators in middle grades literacy.
Forrest Gilliam ’08 among App State Mountaineers working to rebuild Western NC 2 years after Helene
Oct. 2, 2026
Two years after Hurricane Helene, recovery work continues across Western NC’s mountain communities. Several App State alumni, including Forrest Gilliam ’08, are helping coordinate the state’s long-term recovery efforts as leading members of GROW NC, the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina. Learn about their work to build back a more resilient region.
App State researchers partner to strengthen Western NC resilience 2 years post-Helene
Community-informed projects span energy resilience, data coordination, community health and the arts
Sept. 30, 2026
Two years after Hurricane Helene, App State faculty and staff continue leading research to help build long-term resilience for communities across Western North Carolina. Spanning energy systems, data coordination, community health and the arts, these projects aim to deliver real solutions to problems surfaced and made worse by the storm.
Science Says I’ve Been Jumping My Bike Wrong For 30 Years [faculty featured]
Berm Peak
Sept. 29, 2026
Seth Alvo, a mountain biking content creator who runs the Berm Peak YouTube channel, brought his bike and a kicker ramp to App State’s biomechanics lab to explore the science of jumping higher. Dr. Herman van Werkhoven, associate professor in App State’s Department of Kinesiology, and Kristian Jackson, senior lecturer in App State’s Department of Recreation Management and Physical Education, assisted with the experiment.
NC universities ranked by free-speech advocacy group [faculty and staff featured]
Carolina Public Press
Sept. 24, 2026
Jamie Parson, senior vice provost for App State Hickory, and Jeff Cathey, App State’s vice provost for student affairs, discuss the university’s top 10 ranking for campus free speech by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. Parson and Cathey are App State’s Free Speech Responsible Officers, a position established at each UNC System university.
Leading with purpose, serving with impact: Founders Day honors 127 years of App State
App State inducts 8 new members into Bell Ringers Society
Sept. 18, 2026
App State celebrated its ninth annual Founders Day on Sept. 18 at the Boone campus, commemorating the university’s first day of classes in 1899 and honoring App State founders B.B., D.D. and Lillie Shull Dougherty. With the ringing of the Founders Bell, eight new members were inducted into the university’s Bell Ringers Society.
App State spotlights research and creative activity driving innovation and community impact
Annual Research and Creative Activity at Appalachian event featured keynote speaker Dr. Martie Thompson
Sept. 15, 2026
App State’s annual Research and Creative Activity at Appalachian event, held Sept. 18 on the Boone campus, showcased a wide variety of research and creative activities by faculty and staff. Dr. Martie Thompson, recipient of this year’s Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity, served as the event’s keynote speaker.
Second life, stronger start: App State and E2D provide 200 refurbished laptops to first-year students
Sept. 11, 2026
On Aug. 27, App State and nonprofit refurbisher E2D (Eliminate the Digital Divide) distributed 200 new laptops to first-year, first-generation App State students across the Boone, Hickory and online campuses. Since 2022, App State ITS has donated nearly 3,000 devices to E2D, with over 1,100 refurbished and given out in Watauga County.
App State fundraising reaches historic heights, expands support for Mountaineers
Giving topped $50 million in both fiscal year 2025 and fiscal year 2026
Aug. 19, 2026
App State has exceeded $50 million in private donations for two consecutive years, making fiscal years 2025 and 2026 the most successful fundraising years in university history. Funds raised support resources and programming for students, faculty and staff, with significant contributions going to academics, the arts and athletics.
Summer Ventures at App State prepares NC high schoolers for future STEM careers
Aug. 3, 2026
Each summer, high school students from across North Carolina become researchers at App State through Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics. Offered at no cost to participants, this state-funded program engages students in hands-on, collaborative research alongside faculty and staff. App State is one of four UNC System schools that host the program.
NCInnovation Joins Statewide Partnership Launching the Western North Carolina Futures Factory [faculty featured]
NCInnovation
July 28, 2026
Dr. Christine Ogilvie Hendren, vice chancellor of research and innovation at App State, describes the university’s role in the Western North Carolina Futures Factory initiative to strengthen the state’s advanced manufacturing ecosystem. Hendren says the initiative will support local communities and strengthen economic resilience in the region.
14 App State students graduate from inaugural UNC System Police Academy
The officers will serve with the Appalachian Police Department this fall
July 20, 2026
Fourteen App State students are among the inaugural graduates of the UNC System Police Academy, which launched this year. Beginning this fall, they will serve the Boone campus community as sworn officers with the Appalachian Police Department, working part time until they graduate from App State with their degrees.