University News

An App State graduate waves to family and friends after walking across the stage at the Spring 2024 Commencement for App State’s College of Arts and Sciences on May 11. Photo by Kyla Willoughby

Over 4,000 App State grads set to innovate, embrace new challenges and better their communities
May 17, 2024

BOONE, N.C. — Thousands of graduates, each with their own unique stories, crossed the stage at Appalachian State University’s Spring 2024 Commence...

Left: Khambhat, India native Vidhi Patel poses for a portrait on April 9. She is graduating with a master’s in computer science and is a discrete mathematics teacher’s assistant. After graduation she plans to stay in the U.S. with her fiance and get a job in IT. | Right: Lebanese Armenian Silva Keohulian smiles for a portrait on April 9. She is graduating with a master’s degree in mathematics this semester and plans to teach mathematics in her home country of Lebanon.

Graduating international students say farewell to Mountaineer lifestyle
May 10, 2024

On Aug. 22, 2022, Silva Keohulian packed her bags, said goodbye to her family and left her home in Lebanon to go to a place she had never heard of bef...

App State has earned high rankings for having graduates with low student loan debt — lower than that of their statewide and national peers, according to recent reports from The Institute for College Access and Success and U.S. News & World Report. Pictured are App State students on the university’s Boone campus. Photo by Kyla Willoughby

Less college debt + more lifetime earnings = the App State advantage
May 7, 2024

BOONE, N.C. — Is a college degree a good investment? At Appalachian State University, the answer is clear: An App State education continues to be a ...

Gracie Bullington was named the Appalachian State University Student Teacher of the Year for the 2023-2024 academic year. Bullington, originally from Mount Airy, North Carolina, completed her Bachelor of Science in history/social studies education in December 2023.

Gracie Bullington recognized as the App State Student Teacher of the Year
May 3, 2024

Gracie Bullington was named the Appalachian State University Student Teacher of the Year for the 2023-2024 academic year. Bullington, originally from ...

Professor Alex Hooker playing “Cotton Eyed Joe” on the banjo for his Appalachian Strings class. Feb. 14, 2024. Hooker demonstrates how the song is supposed to sound before guiding his students along. Photo by Devon Richter

Strings of legacy: Alexander Hooker’s 25-year impact on App State
Apr 19, 2024

Alexander Hooker’s journey to old-time folk music started gradually, then suddenly. He has been a professor of Appalachian Strings here at...

Dr. Britt Wray

April 25: "Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Anxiety" with Dr. Britt Wray
Apr 3, 2024

Our climate change anxieties have never been more overwhelming—but they’re also the key to saving the planet. Britt Wray shows us how to...

The App State Boone campus is pictured in January 2024 in this aerial photo. Photo by Wes Craig and Chase Reynolds

App State’s next Quality Enhancement Plan will equip students for tomorrow’s careers
Mar 20, 2024

BOONE, N.C. — Beginning in fall 2024, Appalachian State University will initiate a new, five-year Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) designed ...

Raspberry Pi hardware sits on the honeycomb patterned cushion of Senior graduate research assistant Sophie Columbia’s desk on Jan. 24. The AppMAIS team has the computer out as they work on their coding in Anne Belk Hall.

Computer science majors ‘buzzy’ with saving the bees
Mar 19, 2024

Honey bees play a vital role in the environment and the human food chain, but the species is facing a rapid population decline. However, a team of com...

Tommy Guy '07

A Pathway to Perspective: Tommy Guy '07
Feb 19, 2024

Learning to approach problems from an interdisciplinary perspective has long been one of the defining characteristics of an App State education. Tommy...

Four award-winning authors will visit Appalachian State University’s Boone campus this spring as part of the university’s 2023–24 Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series.

4 Acclaimed Authors to Visit App State for Spring 2024 Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series
Feb 16, 2024

BOONE, N.C. — Four award-winning authors will visit Appalachian State University’s Boone campus this spring as part of the university’s 2023–2...