Topic: Faculty and Staff

Displaying 1 - 18 of 1647

Inside App State’s Robotics Lab: Students explore the future of human–robot collaboration
Nov. 4, 2026
Since opening last summer, App State’s Robotics Lab has expanded its research activities and student involvement, giving student researchers opportunities to explore how robots can learn, adapt and collaborate with humans in dynamic environments. The lab combines research in robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning while also emphasizing experiential learning.
Unearthing history: App State-Lumbee Tribe partnership documents ancient sites in Robeson County
The Lumbee River Archaeology Project is led by Dr. Seth Grooms
Nov. 3, 2026
This summer, App State student researchers and Lumbee citizens worked side by side in Robeson County to unearth artifacts and assist in documenting ancient history. Led by Dr. Seth Grooms, the initiative’s ongoing tribal partnership with the Lumbee Tribal Historic Preservation Office continues as the students analyze their findings in App State archaeological lab facilities.
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 community 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. The partners are 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.
$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.
App State Academy at Middle Fork marks strong academic progress and record enrollment
Academy students achieved double-digit gains across reading, math and science proficiency
Oct. 19, 2026
App State’s Academy at Middle Fork has experienced strong student achievement and growth over the past five academic years, according to recent data from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. The data reflects substantial academic progress, marked by double-digit increases in students’ reading, math and science proficiency scores from 2024–25 to 2025–26.
$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.
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.
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.
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.