Appalachian State University: A Premier Institution in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Established in 1899 as Watauga Academy, Appalachian State University has evolved into a preeminent university located in a unique, rural mountain environment. As a member of the University of North Carolina System, Appalachian's fundamental mission is to discover, create, transmit, and apply knowledge to address the needs of individuals and society. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality education for all.
A Storied History
Appalachian State University began in 1899 when a group of residents in Watauga County, under the leadership of Blanford B. Dougherty and his brother Dauphin D. Dougherty, began a movement to educate teachers in northwestern North Carolina. Land was donated by Daniel B. Dougherty, father of the leaders in the enterprise, and J. F. Hardin. On this site a wood-frame building, costing $1,000, was erected by contributions from citizens of the town and county. In the fall of 1899, the Dougherty brothers, acting as co-principals, began the school, which was then called "Watauga Academy". The first year saw 53 students enrolled in three grades. D. D.
In 1903, after interest in the school had spread to adjoining counties, D. D. Dougherty was convinced the state would fund institutions established to train teachers. He traveled to Raleigh after drafting a bill. W. C. Newland of Caldwell County introduced the bill in the North Carolina Legislature to make this a state school, with an appropriation for maintenance and for building. E. F. Lovill of Watauga County, R. B. White of Franklin County, Clyde Hoey of Cleveland County, and E. J. Justice of McDowell County spoke in favor of the measure. On March 9, 1903, the bill became law, and the "Appalachian Training School for Teachers" was established. For 22 years, there was a period of steady growth, academic development, and service to the state. In 1925, the legislature changed the name to the "Appalachian State Normal School" and appropriated additional funding for maintenance and permanent improvement. In 1929, the school became a four-year degree granting institution and was renamed "Appalachian State Teachers College". Appalachian attained national standards by becoming accredited by the American Association for Teacher Education in 1939, and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1942. In 1948 a graduate school was formed. Dr. Dougherty retired in 1955 after 56 years of serving the school. J. D. Rankin became interim president until William H. Plemmons was installed.
Appalachian was transformed from a single-purpose teachers' college into a multipurpose regional university and Appalachian State Teacher's College became Appalachian State University in 1967. Growth continued in the 1970s to around 9,500 students and 550 faculty. Afterward, four degree-granting undergraduate colleges were created: Arts and Sciences, Business, Fine and Applied Arts, and Education.
Appalachian State University had its origins as Watauga Academy, which, under the leadership of Dauphin Disco Dougherty and Blanford Barnard Dougherty, opened in Boone in September 1899. In spite of initial opposition from the North Carolina educational establishment and General Assembly, Appalachian Training School came under public control in 1903, with the town of Boone beating out Blowing Rock, Globe, Montezuma, and Valle Crucis for the campus. Among the school's early benefactors was Greensboro textile magnate Moses Cone. In 1921 the Training School implemented a two-year curriculum; four years later, in 1925, Appalachian Training School became Appalachian State Normal School. By 1946 Appalachian State was offering majors in business education, English, French, history, home economics, library science, and music. In 1948 the American Association for Colleges of Teacher Education granted Appalachian the distinction of being the first southern state teachers college to award graduate degrees.
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Location and Environment
Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of northwestern North Carolina, Appalachian State University has built a national reputation for outstanding academics. Nestled at the base of Howards Knob, the university flanks downtown Boone, NC (year-round pop.19,000), a small town that thrives as one of the Southeast's premier year-round tourism and outdoor recreation destinations. The nearby Blue Ridge Parkway, the nation's most popular unit of the national park system, and Pisgah National Forest, provide a beautiful natural setting with unlimited possibilities for outdoor adventure.
As a public university located in the mountains of northwestern North Carolina, Appalachian State has historically possessed a commitment to its region. The university is one of several founding members of the Appalachian Consortium, which seeks to promote the culture of the Southern Highlands. The school also sponsors the Appalachian Summer Festival during July of each year; the North Carolina Symphony is one of a number of ensembles that perform at this event. By the early 2000s Appalachian State's campus comprised approximately 80 buildings on 250 acres, with about 12,000 students (86 percent of whom are from North Carolina) enrolled.
Appalachian Statue University east of the Mississippi River, at 3,333 feet (1,016 m). The center of campus is nicknamed Sanford Mall, an open grassy quad between the student union, dining halls, and library. Sanford Hall, on the mall's edge, is named for Terry Sanford, a former governor of the state. Rivers Street, a thoroughfare for town and university traffic, essentially divides the campus into east and west sections with tunnels and a pedestrian bridge connecting the two halves. The eastern half includes Sanford Mall, Plemmons Student Union, Central Dining Hall, and Carol Grotnes Belk Library and Information Commons, along with two residence hall neighborhoods, East Everest, and Durham Neighborhood. The west side has Trivette Dining Hall, the Student Recreation Center (or SRC), the Quinn Recreation Center, Kidd Brewer Stadium, and Stadium Side, Mountain Side and Pond Side residence hall neighborhoods. At the north end, Bodenheimer Drive crosses over Rivers Street and leads to Appalachian Heights (an apartment-style residence hall), Mountaineer Hall, the Chancellor's House, the Living Learning Center, and Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium. The George M.
The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts on the edge of main campus is the university's visual art center. It is the largest visual arts center in northwestern North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and southwestern Virginia. It displays rotating exhibits indoors and outdoors, some culturally specific to the Appalachians, and offers community outreach programs through art courses. It opened in 2003. The Appalachian State University Nature Preserve consists of 67 acres of protected woodlands near the heart of campus. The land was dedicated as a State Natural Area in 1999 through the North Carolina Nature Preserves Act and serves as an outdoor classroom for students and faculty.
Academics and Programs
Appalachian offers more than 150+ undergraduate and graduate major programs within the four academic colleges (Arts and Sciences, Fine and Applied Arts, Education, and Business) and the School of Music. The University Forum Lecture Series brings nationally prominent speakers to campus. Their views enliven campus dialogue on a variety of issues. Appalachian offers intercollegiate varsity sports for men and women. The Mountaineers have earned both the Southern Conference's Commissioner's Cup and German Cup for best all-around men's and women's sports two years in a row.
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With a student/faculty ratio of 16:1 and an average class size of 25, faculty members are able to take a personal interest in student progress, often becoming mentors, advisers, and friends - even tennis partners. That can only happen in a close-knit community. The university's educational environment shines, with annual accolades from national magazines for the quality and value of an ASU education. That includes highly regarded programs for campus energy efficiency and even international visibility for its solar and sustainable building programs.
The University of North Carolina's Board of Governors plans and develops the coordinated system of higher education in the state. It sets university policy but delegates Appalachian State's daily operations to a chancellor. The chancellor likewise delegates some duties to the provost, several vice-chancellors, and other administrative offices. James D. William H. Herbert W. Herbert W. Cratis D. John E. Francis T. Provost Harvey R. Kenneth E. Cratis D.
By the early 2000s Appalachian State had approximately 580 full-time and 173 part-time faculty members (88 percent of whom hold doctorates or terminal degrees-the highest percentage in the University of North Carolina System). Students pursue 190 majors in 17 different degree programs, including a doctorate in education.
We enroll more than 21,000 students and offer more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at our Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Appalachian State University offers off-campus courses through three off-campus centers and online. Off-campus programs offer students the ability to maintain family and careers while working toward a degree. Full-time undergraduate programs are available in Elementary Education, Advertising, Criminal Justice, Management, Social Work, and Psychology. The university houses several academic centers and institutes related to its mission.
Campus Life and Activities
From the moment you set foot on campus, youâll be welcomed to be an active part in campus life, with opportunities to explore your passions, build leadership skills, and form lifelong friendships and professional connections. There will be plenty to keep you busy outside the classroom as well. Just minutes from either of our two campuses, youâll find millions of acres of pristine state and national forests and parks, perfect for outdoor adventures and exploration.
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Students at ASU enjoy a variety of outdoor activities. The mountains offer snowboarding, skiing, tubing, rock climbing, hiking, cycling, rafting, camping, and fishing on and around the Blue Ridge Parkway. ASU also has over 400 clubs and organizations run by the McCaskey Center for Student Involvement and Leadership, such as Greek organizations, academic and diversity clubs, and sports clubs. Before the start of every semester, the university hosts a Club Expo featuring all the campus clubs and organizations. This event is for students to find an organization or club that suits them and get involved. The university also has volunteer centers, including the Looking Glass Gallery, the LGBT Center, and the Women's Center (the only completely volunteer-run Women's Center in North Carolina). All three are under the supervision of the Multicultural Student Development Office. In 2016, ASU opened a fourth center in the student union; the Student Veterans Resource Center. The campus also has three indoor fitness facilities, an athletics field, and an outdoor recreation center. The student union also holds four permanent art collections, managed by the PSU Art Team. These collections are the Appalachian Artists Collection, Leigh Lane Edwards Collection, Dave Robinson Collection, and Nature Photography Collection. The collections include art from notable artists such as Joan Miro, Denny Dent, Tim Guthrie, Warren Dennis, and Susan H.
The Appalachian Popular Programming Society (A.P.P.S.) is a university-funded organization that exists to plan and provide diverse educational, enriching, and entertaining events for ASU's student body and community. Through its seven programming councils, A.P.P.S. members select, plan, promote, and present a diverse variety of popular entertainment programs and films that enhance ASU students' social and cultural life. A.P.P.S. was founded in 1985 to help with the student nightlife and to support retention. It plays a vital role in fostering and developing an inclusive ASU community. The seven councils of A.P.P.S. are Heritage, Club Shows, Main Stage, Representation and Intentional Student Engagement (RISE), Films, Special Events, and Spirit & Traditions. Students can enjoy concerts and other miscellaneous events at Legends, an entertainment facility on campus.
Library Resources
In 2005, the Carol Grotnes Belk Library & Information Commons opened in a new 165,000-square-foot (15,300 m2) five-story building. Belk Library holds over 1.871 million bound books and periodicals, 1.5 million microforms, 24,000 sound recordings, and 14,000 videos. The library's collections include the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection and the Stock Car Racing Collection which includes a donation from the family of Richard Petty. With the opening of the new library building in 2005, Bill and Maureen Rhinehart of Long Island, New York, donated a large collection of rare books in English history, spanning from the 16th to the 19th centuries.
Residential Colleges and Sustainable Initiatives
Watauga Residential College (formerly Watauga Global Community) is a residential college founded in 1972. Although it has changed names over the years, Watauga College in 1972, Watauga Global Community in 2008, and Watauga Residential College in 2014, its mission has remained relatively the same. "Watauga Residential College pursues its mission through a sequenced, interdisciplinary, experiential curriculum that requires students to integrate class content, community-based research, and multicultural immersion. Watauga College was first based in Watauga Hall, then for decades was based in East Hall, a large U-shaped dormitory on the east end of campus. The dorm was known campus-wide as having the largest rooms of any dorm on campus, yet it was one of the oldest dorms on campus.
A 100-kilowatt (130 hp) wind turbine was installed at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center in 2008. The wind turbine has become the most visible symbol of Appalachian's projects in renewable energy. Situated at the highest point on campus and standing more than 153 feet (47 m) tall, it was selected specifically to depict an industrial-scale wind turbine. Both Frank Residence Hall, renovated in 2009, and The Mountaineer Residence Hall erected in 2011 have LEED® Gold Certifications and received a total of 68 points based on energy saving and sustainability features (65 points are needed to receive gold certification). Mountaineer Residence Hall houses a 40-panel solar thermal system to provide hot water needs. Buildings on ASU's campus that utilize solar energy include the Varsity Gym, Plemmons Student Union, Raley Hall, and Kerr Scott Hall. Kerr Scott Hall also has the first green roof on campus. Solar trash compactors were installed around Sanford mall in 2010. Outside of the Living Learning Center sits The Edible Schoolyard which is a community space where students, faculty, and staff can maintain a garden plot to learn gardening practices. Tree Campus USA certification - Appalachian State University has received Tree Campus USA certification from the Arbor Day Foundation. The certification process was a collaborative effort between the Department of Biology, Department of Geography and Planning, Physical Plant, and New River Light and Power. American Campuses Act on Climate Roundtable invited participant (2015) - Appalachian State University was one of 38 institutions of higher learning invited to participate in the American Campuses Act on Climate Roundtable Nov. 19 at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C. Climate Pledge - In addition, Chancellor Everts visited the White House for the Day of Climate Action and signed the American Campuses Act on Climate Pledge.
Athletics
Appalachian's sports teams are nicknamed the Mountaineers. The Mountaineers compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Sun Belt Conference. Appalachian fields varsity teams in 17 sports, 7 for men and 10 for women. The Mountaineer football team started competing in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in the 2014â2015 academic year. Appalachian won three consecutive Division I FCS (I-AA) national championships in 2005, 2006, and 2007, over the University of Northern Iowa, the University of Massachusetts, and the University of Delaware, respectively. In a milestone for ASU athletics, on September 1, 2007, the Appalachian State football team played their season opener at the fifth-ranked University of Michigan in front of the largest crowd to ever witness an ASU football game. Appalachian State moved to the FBS subdivision in 2014, finishing its first season with a winning record but ineligible for a bowl bid per NCAA rules. Each season from 2015 to 2019, App State won both its conference championship and final bowl game.
Traditions and Uniqueness
In 2004, a committee for the Appalachian Family Caravan tour created a promotional video titled "Hot Hot Hot", shown throughout the area by Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock. The video became an inadvertent internet phenomenon and was featured on VH1's Web Junk 20 program in early 2006. The video was never intended to promote Appalachian State to anyone but the Family Caravan, much less as a recruiting tool for prospective students. In 2002, MTV's program Road Rules visited App State to produce an episode called Campus Crawl, aired on-campus during an annual, winter student swimming event called the "Polar Plunge".
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