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.

On Aug. 13, new and returning Mountaineer students began moving into their Boone campus residence halls, in preparation for the first day of fall 2024 classes at App State on Monday, Aug. 19. By Aug. 18, more than 6,000 students will have settled into their App State homes.

App State’s solar vehicle team, Team Sunergy, secured second place in its class in the 2024 Electrek American Solar Challenge and also took home the Spirit of the Event Award. The team’s car, ROSE, completed 1,562 miles over the eight-day, cross-country road race.

Host Laura England, associate director of App State’s Quality Enhancement Plan and practitioner-in-residence in the Department of Sustainable Development, talks with Dr. Britt Wray, a researcher and storyteller focused on the mental health impacts of climate change. Wray, director of the CIRCLE initiative at Stanford Psychiatry, explores the intersection of climate science, psychology and communication, and shares her journey in navigating interdisciplinary fields — including conservation biology, science communication and the ethics of synthetic biology. She highlights the importance of storytelling in climate communication.

Find more App State podcasts at podcasts.appstate.edu and subscribe on your favorite platform.

App State has partnered with Project Kitty Hawk, an ed tech nonprofit, to expand higher education access to millions of adult learners across NC. The university will launch five App State Online degree programs supported by the project in the 2024–25 academic year — all designed for working adults.

App State will receive nearly $2.2 million over two years to expand its nursing degree programs, part of a groundbreaking statewide effort to address the nursing workforce shortage in North Carolina. The funding is part of $29 million in grants awarded by the UNC System.

This fall, Appalachian State University will begin offering a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity — the only such program offered by a University of North Carolina System institution in Western North Carolina.

This spring, App State student-athletes achieved a significant milestone as they marked the 12th straight year — or 24 consecutive semesters — of earning a cumulative grade-point average above 3.0. The Mountaineers ended the spring semester with a 3.20 cumulative GPA for all student-athletes.

Thousands of graduates, each with their own unique stories, crossed the stage at Appalachian State University’s Spring 2024 Commencement ceremonies on May 10 and 11, equipped with degrees that empower them to better their lives, North Carolina communities and the world beyond.