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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Team Sunergy revealed a lighter, more aerodynamic solar racing vehicle ahead of two key international competitions to take place this summer — the Formula Sun Grand Prix and American Solar Challenge. The July 10 unveiling, held on the Boone campus, gave the public an opportunity to see the new vehicle and interact with the team.

Appalachian State University has partnered with the North Carolina Community College System on a new statewide articulation agreement for health-related Associate in Applied Science degrees. The initiative includes nearly all of the state’s community colleges and establishes seamless transfer pathways into App State’s Bachelor of Science in health sciences program.