Milestones from App State’s 125th anniversary year include new pathways to expand education access, record support for research funding, the continued improvement of campus facilities and recovery from Hurricane Helene — a historic natural disaster.

App State has received a $333,000 gift from La-Z-Boy Foundation to establish a new endowed professorship in the Department of Applied Design in the College of Fine and Applied Arts. The professorship will support a department faculty member, with a focus on furniture design or interior design.

Appalachian State University alumnus Dr. Lee Barnes ’90 donated $1 million to the App State Disaster Relief Fund, providing immediate resources for students, faculty and staff in need.

Ten adolescents and teens from across the Southeast and Midwest attended App State’s second annual Camp Jean Rankin this summer, which provides unique opportunities for youth who stutter to learn fluency and self-empowerment skills and to enjoy High Country activities.

App State has received a $300,000 commitment for the renovation of Wey Hall from Luke Walling, founder of Temprano Techvestors. The gift will provide funding for the establishment of the Cathy P. Walling Student Art Gallery — named in memory of his mother — and for upgrades to labs and studio spaces.

App State’s partnership with the University for Development Studies in Ghana continues to connect underserved students and communities in the Appalachian and Northern Ghana regions. The partnership focuses on teaching and research collaborations and encourages cultural exchanges.

App State’s 11th annual iBackAPP Day raised more than $1.8 million, breaking previous iBackAPP records, with gifts from more than 2,300 donors and contributions made to every major area at the university.

The Mebane Charitable Foundation has donated $100,000 to App State to expand reading assistance services for K–3 students in Watauga and Catawba counties.