Topic: Community Engagement

Displaying 1 - 18 of 1377

App State advances community-driven research for recovery and resilience
Ongoing post-Helene projects examine flood forecasting models, backup energy systems, ecological impacts, private well contamination and health solutions
Sept. 19, 2025
App State research in the wake of Helene has the university joining local partners, diving into health data, surveying ecosystems and energizing transdisciplinary initiatives to armor the Western North Carolina region against future disasters.
Answering the call: How the Appalachian Medical Reserve Corps supported the Helene response
The App State organization supports rural public health and community resilience and preparedness
Sept. 17, 2025
In the wake of Hurricane Helene, more than 900 volunteers with App State’s Appalachian Medical Reserve Corps (APP MRC) assisted with recovery efforts, including staffing a 24/7 nonemergency call center to field questions and triage requests. APP MRC continues to support rural public health, resilience and preparedness in the region.
App State honors legendary coach John Weaver with plaza at Randy Marion Track and Field Facility
Sept. 16, 2025
On Sept. 5, App State dedicated the John Weaver Honors Plaza at its Randy Marion Track and Field Facility in Boone, honoring retired App State track and field head coach John Weaver ’71 ’82 for his contributions to both the university and the High Country community over nearly four decades.
App State alumni Preston Powell ’01 and Adam Scherer ’01 invest in students, Helene recovery through local business
Mountain Strong apparel sales contribute to support for App State Community
Sept. 10, 2025
App State alumni Preston Powell ’01 and Adam Scherer ’01 are leveraging their Boone business, Mountaineer Mania, to give back to their alma mater — providing T-shirts to first-year students, supporting Helene disaster relief and donating proceeds from the sale of Mountain Strong apparel to critical university needs. Together, these efforts have contributed $130,000 to the university.
What made Hurricane Helene a historic storm?
App State experts break down the factors that led to disastrous impacts across the Southern Appalachians
Sept. 9, 2025
App State faculty experts break down the climatological and topographic factors that made Hurricane Helene a historic and devastating storm in Western North Carolina.
3 App State teams confront flood risks and teacher shortages with Chancellor's Innovation grants
Aug. 26, 2025
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.
Appalachian State program aims to boost the number of rural exceptional children teachers
WUNC
Aug. 21, 2025
App State has been awarded over $1.4 million in federal grant funding to develop and support career pathways that address the shortage of special education teachers in rural Appalachia. More than 100 education professionals from Watauga, Caldwell and Catawba counties are taking part in the program this fall.
App State awarded $1.4M grant to strengthen special education workforce in rural Appalachia
Partners on the new initiative include school districts in Watauga, Caldwell and Catawba counties
Aug. 19, 2025
With more than $1.4 million in federal grant support, App State has developed a new career pathways initiative aimed at addressing the shortage of special education teachers in rural Appalachia. More than 100 regional teacher’s assistants, educators and school administrators will take part in the program this fall.
6,200 App State students make Boone campus residence halls home for fall 2025
Aug. 15, 2025
On Aug. 12, new and returning Mountaineer students began moving into their Boone campus residence halls, in preparation for the first day of fall 2025 classes at App State on Monday, Aug. 18. More than 6,000 students will have settled into their App State homes by Monday.
First-generation college students move into App State
WSOC-TV
Aug. 13, 2025
The Charlotte TV station visited App State’s Boone campus during fall 2025 move-in week to speak with students and families. The report highlights that nearly one-third of students at the Boone and Hickory campuses are first-generation college students.
App State’s Corinne Smith honored as 2025 national GEAR UP Professional Leader of the Year
July 21, 2025
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.
4 Mountaineers honored with App State Alumni Awards
9 alumni awardees from App State’s colleges also recognized
July 15, 2025
App State honored four Mountaineer alumni at its 2025 Alumni Awards Gala on July 12: Kimberly Shepherd ’97, Edna Cummings ’78, Phillip Ostwalt ’83 and Bryson Stewart ’09. Additionally, nine alumni from the university’s colleges and University Libraries were recognized.
Rock garden and lab expanded at App State after Helene cleanup
Now featuring 4 new boulders, the garden remains a key teaching tool for students
July 1, 2025
App State’s Fred Webb Jr. Outdoor Geology Lab, also known as the “Rock Garden” — a resource for geology students, researchers and K–12 school groups — has been fully restored after the damage it sustained from Hurricane Helene. The garden now features more than 50 boulders, including several new specimens.
Appalachian Energy Summit exceeds 2025 goal with $2.37 billion in statewide avoided energy costs
App State realizes over $90 million in avoided utility savings
June 30, 2025
At App State’s 14th annual Appalachian Energy Summit, N.C. State Energy Office representatives announced that, since 2002–03, the UNC System and its partners have collectively avoided $2.37 billion in energy costs, exceeding the 2025 goal of $2 billion.
App State New River Light and Power communications specialist receives national recognition
June 24, 2025
Mariana Greene, public communication specialist for App State’s NRLP, received the American Public Power Association’s 2025 Robert E. Roundtree Rising Star Award on June 10. The annual award honors an individual who has worked in public power for five years or less and is recognized by their peers for exemplary leadership and promise.
App State researchers uncover hidden history at Fort Defiance
June 23, 2025
Ground-penetrating radar and App State interdisciplinary detective work have revealed 105 graves of enslaved people at Fort Defiance, adding new layers of history to the Lenoir-area landmark and confirming generations of family stories.
App State awarded $367,088 National Science Foundation grant for telescope upgrades at Dark Sky Observatory
The research facility provides faculty, students with state-of-the-art tools
June 6, 2025
A $367,088 National Science Foundation grant is funding major upgrades to the 32-inch telescope at App State’s Dark Sky Observatory. The upgrades will provide faculty and student researchers with an enhanced view, and a deeper understanding, of the cosmos.
App State nutrition students empower Watauga’s young athletes to use food as fuel for athletic performance
43 middle school student-athletes from 6 schools participated
June 5, 2025
Over 40 local middle school student-athletes took part in App State’s Fuel Your Game Watauga program this spring, learning how proper nutrition can boost athletic performance. App State nutrition graduate students engaged the students in discussions on food groups and shared nutritional facts.