Dr. Heather Norris Named Chancellor of Appalachian State University
Dr. Heather Hulburt Norris has been named chancellor of Appalachian State University, effective March 1. University of North Carolina System President Peter Hans made the announcement upon election by the Board of Governors of the 17-campus University of North Carolina System on Feb. 27.
App State has earned a Research 2 designation through the Carnegie Classification system for high research activity and doctorate production. App State’s research expenditures in fiscal year 2023 were more than $8.4 million and, in 2022–23, the university awarded 20 doctoral degrees.
The latest college rankings and recognitions of six national publications — including U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review and Forbes magazine — have one thing in common: All place App State among the best schools in the nation, and the Southeast, for 2024–25.
In fall 2026, App State will launch a new Doctor of Nursing Practice program, designed to educate family practice nurse practitioners and respond to health care provider shortages, especially in rural areas. The program has been approved by the UNC System Board of Governors.
UNC System President Peter Hans announced the formation of a 13-member committee that will search for the next chancellor of Appalachian State University. The committee will be led by Deanna Ballard, a former state senator who represented Watauga County from 2016 to 2023.
Sustainability and resilience are guiding principles at App State and institutionally interwoven into our strategic plan, academic mission, engagement locally and globally and day-to-day best practices. We are recognized as a national leader for our endeavors.
We're enhancing the App State Experience with a stronger physical infrastructure and five-year goals that further empower human potential. Get the full picture by visiting the App State's Future website, which details our growth and change.
Join a diverse and dynamic community that elevates your dreams and champions your capacity for real impact with life-changing opportunities for research and exploration.
Conceived and directed by Assistant Professor Elizabeth Parks. Beautiful, Useful, True is an ecofeminist story of earth, ears, and heart using the work of Eunice Newton Foote and other female climate scientists, activists, and artists at App State as a springboard to pose questions about climate change, respect for the planet, and respect for one another.
Over the past two decades, Brian Harnetty has located historical recordings that document spoken words and musical performance in archives across Appalachia and the Midwest, including the Berea Appalachian Sound Archives (Berea, Kentucky), the Little Cities of Black Diamonds Archive (Shawnee, Ohio), and the Thomas Merton Collection (Louisville, Kentucky). In this talk, Harnetty will discuss strategies by which people in the present relate to recorded sounds that document the past.
Mark you calendars for iBackAPP Day! On this special day of giving — and of celebrating everything App State — we invite all Mountaineers to show support by making a gift of any amount, wearing black and gold, and sharing your App State pride on social media using #iBackAPP. You can also join the fun on our campuses by attending celebrations in Boone and in Hickory, or at one of our alumni chapter events being held around the country!
The event will begin with Brian Harnetty in conversation with App State Faculty members Dr. Jacob Kopcienski (Hayes School of Music) and Dr. Cuong Mai (Philosophy and Religion) about Thomas Merton’s life and work, and Harnetty’s composition process. After Harnetty performs “Words and Silences” (~45 minutes), the panel will answer questions and discuss the performance with the audience.
Get off the beaten path and explore the edge of believable with captivating stories from the 49th Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival coming to App State. The ROAD WARRIOR will be returning this year and will be curating the film selection for the APP State showing. Stand on the highest peaks, ski the steepest slopes, and be a part of the gripping adventures waiting for you in this year’s Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour.
Appalachian State Univesity's Walker College of Business will host the 66th Boyles Distinguished Lecture featuring Todd M. Campbell '87, President and Chief Executive Officer of Builders Insurance Group. The lecture is open to the public with no cost to attend.
App State Family Weekend promotes the engagement of Mountaineer families through unique programming opportunities in the High Country. Paired with a sporting event and community events, Family Weekend provides families with a chance to experience Boone through the eyes of a student.
Experience the beauty of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” as you’ve never heard it before. Playing over 300 concerts a year in Venice, Italy’s San Vidal Church since 1987, Baroque ensemble Interpreti Veneziani, who has gained a reputation for the “…exuberance and all-Italian brio characterizing their performances,” will make its Boone premiere. Immerse yourself in the rich sounds of Vivaldi’s four violin concerti in this special limited-seating concert presented in an intimate venue with a complimentary dessert at intermission.
The classical composer Béla Bartók is perhaps most famous in the music world for having incorporated elements of folk music into his work, a practice that earned him the title of “father of ethnomusicology.” He even spent one summer in Asheville in 1945 and composed one of his piano concertos there. What qualifies as folk music in North Carolina and around the world? What elements of rural sound inspired Bartók, and in which rural communities did they originate? In this workshop, participants will hear examples of and learn to recognize the folk sounds in classical music.
International Appalachian (INTAPP) works hard to promote mutual respect for different cultures and to engage all students and community members in friendship and learning. Join us in supporting the Landon Hill memorial study abroad scholarship. If you cannot join us in person, please donate a minimum of $25 and run the 5K on your own wherever in the world you are located.
The story of a rural community in the American South that inspired the international environmental justice movement and articulated the concept of environmental racism by fighting the state of North Carolina's toxic landfill. Panelists will include Ms. Dollie Burwell, Rev. William Kearney, Ms. Jenny Labalme and John Rash.
Commencement is the ultimate celebration of one of the most significant accomplishments of our students' lifetimes. We are proud to honor your achievement.