Topic: Faculty and Staff

Displaying 1 - 18 of 1636

Builders Insurance Group commits $500K to modernize App State Brantley Risk and Insurance Center
The center’s new location will foster stronger connections among students and industry partners
Oct. 7, 2026
Builders Insurance Group, under the leadership of Todd Campbell ’87, has made a $500,000 commitment to App State’s Walker College of Business, supporting the relocation and modernization of the Brantley Risk and Insurance Center. The relocation will help facilitate student connections with peers and industry partners, positioning them for career success.
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.
Duncan Hall reopens at App State after $32 million transformation
The renovated facility features modern offices, technologically advanced classrooms and STEM labs
Sept. 30, 2026
App State has reopened Duncan Hall on the Boone campus following the facility’s nearly $32 million renovation, introducing new STEM labs, technically advanced classrooms and modern collaborative spaces for the fall semester. The major infrastructure milestone sets the stage for upcoming campus master planning initiatives.
US News ranks App State No. 1 Best Value School for In-State Students in the South
App State named among nation’s and South’s best schools for 2026–27 for academics, quality and value
Sept. 24, 2026
App State has been recognized as a leader in higher education for the 2026–27 academic year, with five notable publications naming the university among the best schools in the nation and the Southeast. The university was recognized for its academics, value, benefits for student veterans and more.
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 marks fall 2026 with historic online, graduate, transfer and first-gen student enrollment
Online enrollment climbs nearly 21% in 7th straight year of growth
Sept. 4, 2026
This fall, App State enrolls more than 21,300 students across its Boone, Hickory and App State Online campuses — including the largest online, graduate, transfer and first-generation student populations in the school’s history. Driven by seven consecutive years of growth, online students now account for over 18% of App State’s total student body.
Nepal’s Hydropower Industry Was Booming. Now 900 Workers Are Missing. [faculty featured]
The New York Times
Aug. 28, 2026
Dr. Dinesh Paudel, a professor in App State’s Department of Sustainable Development who has studied development in Nepal, provides context on the more than 900 employees from hydropower projects who went missing after the deadly flood on Aug. 26.
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.
App State Athletics Director Doug Gillin named to College Football Playoff Selection Committee
Aug. 4, 2026
The College Football Playoff (CFP) Management Committee has appointed App State Director of Athletics Doug Gillin to the CFP Selection Committee, which ranks the nation’s top 25 teams. Entering his 12th year leading Mountaineer Athletics, Gillin has overseen App State’s rise as a nationally recognized program competing at the highest levels of college sports.
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.
App State Departmental Leadership Awards: McEvoy, Salinas honored for impact on academic community
July 20, 2026
App State’s Dr. Dave McEvoy and Dr. Tracie McLemore Salinas are the winners of this year’s Departmental Leadership Awards. Recognized for their service to and lasting impact on App State’s academic community, McEvoy and Salinas won the Distinguished Leadership Award and the Emerging Leader Award, respectively.
The Thinking About Kids and Heat Has Flipped [faculty featured]
The Atlantic
July 11, 2026
Dr. Caroline Smith, professor in App State’s Department of Kinesiology, discusses research that challenges the long-held belief that children are more vulnerable to heat than adults. She explains that children have less electrolytes in their sweat, allowing it to evaporate more easily and cool the body more efficiently.
Buttery, sweet and orange: This milk alternative has deep North Carolina roots [faculty featured]
The News & Observer
July 7, 2026
Dr. Brett Taubman, professor in App State’s Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences, discusses his Rootsii project to turn surplus North Carolina sweetpotatoes into plant-based milk products. The research is backed by a $1.82 million grant.