Events

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  Jan 31

  Film: The Ground Between Us

  Spring Sustainability Film Series

  Tuesday, January 31, 2023

  6:00pm-8:00pm

  Since 2017, public lands throughout America have faced unprecedented threats. Bears Ears National Monument was shrunk by 85%, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was opened to oil exploration, and the Elliott State Forest in Oregon was nearly privatized. Throughout this, Americans from both sides of the political spectrum have stood up and made their voices heard in support of protecting these areas. In a divided America, "The Ground Between Us" shows that public lands can be a uniting factor.

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• 

  Jan 31

  Film: Benedetta (2021)

  Féroce et Formidable: A Francophone Film Festival

  Tuesday, January 31, 2023

  6:30pm

  In the late 17th century, with plague ravaging the land, Benedetta Carlini joins the convent in Pescia, Tuscany, as a novice nun. Capable from an early age of performing miracles, Benedetta’s impact on life in the convent is immediate, irreverent, and scandalous.

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• 

  Feb 1

  MLK Leadership Workshop and Dinner

  Wednesday, February 1, 2023

  6:00pm-7:30pm

  This workshop is designed to help students understand leadership through a civil rights lens, inspired by the leadership style of Martin Luther King, Jr. Participants also will learn how to apply elements of MLK’s leadership philosophy into their own leadership practices. Food will be provided at this event, inspired by Dr. King's favorite meal of fried chicken, collard greens, candied sweet potatoes, green beans, pecan pie, and sweet tea.

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  Feb 2

  Daniel Dawes: 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration

  Thursday, February 2, 2023

  7:00pm

  Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts

  Daniel Dawes, J.D., App State’s 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. speaker, serves as senior vice president of Global Health and executive director of the Global Health Equity Institute at Meharry Medical College. He also will serve as the founding dean of the future School of Global Public Health at Meharry Medical College, the first school of public health at a historically black institution. He has dedicated his career to understanding the root causes of racial health disparities, building awareness of the problem and advocating for racial health equity.

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• 

  Feb 5

  Black History Month Concert

  Hayes School of Music and Department of English

  Sunday, February 5, 2023

  4:00pm

  During Black History Month this year, the Hayes School of Music and the Department of English will host the third annual concert series celebrating the contributions that African-American composers and poets have made — and continue to make — to our community, our country and our world. This concert will feature a diverse array of performances and readings, including the musical works of Margaret Bonds and Scott Joplin, as well as the literary works of Langston Hughes and Honorée Fanonne Jeffers.

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  Feb 7

  ZUZU African Acrobats

  Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts

  Tuesday, February 7, 2023

  7:00pm

  ZUZU African Acrobats is a Tanzanian troupe that combines gravity-defying stunts with live music, singing, dancing and more in a passionate celebration of their niche Dar Es Salaam culture of East Africa. Their performance features human pyramids, dish spinning, unicycling and juggling, as well as pole acts, hoop diving and comedy. Free admission, open to the public

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• 

  Feb 18

  Mobilize the Mountains Day of Service

  Saturday, February 18, 2023

  9:00am-2:00pm

  App State will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of service during the Mobilize the Mountains Day of Service. Students will serve with local community partners and reflect on social issues affecting North Carolina’s High Country region. Afterward they will engage in group discussions about racial inequality and King’s impact as a servant leader.

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• 

  Feb 19

  Black History Month Concert

  Hayes School of Music and Department of English

  Sunday, February 19, 2023

  4:00pm

  During Black History Month this year, the Hayes School of Music and the Department of English will host the third annual concert series celebrating the contributions that African-American composers and poets have made — and continue to make — to our community, our country and our world. This concert will feature a diverse array of performances and readings, including the musical works of L. Viola Kinney and Duke Ellington, as well as the poetry of Haki R. Madhubuti.

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• 

  Feb 21

  Film: The Red Circle (Le cercle rouge) (1970)

  Féroce et Formidable: A Francophone Film Festival

  Tuesday, February 21, 2023

  6:30pm

  An aristocratic thief, a fugitive and an alcoholic ex-cop plan to carry out the ultimate robbery, and become locked in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with an inscrutable but dedicated police inspector. The heist scene is a tour de force that plays out in almost complete silence.

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• 

  Feb 25

  Mavis Staples

  The Schaefer Center Presents

  Saturday, February 25, 2023

  7:00pm

  Hailed by NPR as “one of America’s defining voices of freedom and peace,” Staples is the kind of once-in-a-generation artist whose impact on music and culture would be difficult to overstate. She brings her powerful message and equally powerful voice to the Schaefer Center for a one-night-only experience. “I’m the messenger,” Mavis Staples said on the eve of her 80th birthday. “That’s my job — it has been for my whole life — and I can’t just give up while the struggle’s still alive.”

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• 

  Mar 21

  Film: Little Girl (Petite Fille) (2020)

  Féroce et Formidable: A Francophone Film Festival

  Tuesday, March 21, 2023

  6:30pm

  Seven-year-old Sasha has always known she was a little girl. As society fails to treat her like the other children her age—in her daily life at school, dance lessons, or birthday parties—her supportive family fights to make her difference understood and accepted.

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  Mar 23

  Poet Ricardo Nazario-Colón: Craft Talk

  Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

  Thursday, March 23, 2023

  Time TBD

  Dr. Ricardo Nazario-Colón was born in the South Bronx, New York City, and raised in the Highlands of Puerto Rico. He lives in the Appalachian region of North Carolina, where he works as the inaugural Chief Diversity Officer and Inclusive Executive at Western Carolina University. His work has been widely published and anthologized in print and online publications.

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  Mar 2324

  4th Annual DLLC Symposium: Diversity and (Dis)Connections in the Contemporary Context

  Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures

  March 23-24, 2023

  Topics of interest for this year’s symposium include the meaning and purpose of education and scholarship; best practices to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion in pedagogy and research; connections in the classroom and in our fields; and technology in research and pedagogy. We also welcome diverse topics in the domains of the Humanities and pedagogy, preferably with a focus on world language, literature, and/or culture.

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  Mar 23

  Poet Ricardo Nazario-Colón

  Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

  Thursday, March 23, 2023

  6:00pm-7:15pm

  Dr. Ricardo Nazario-Colón was born in the South Bronx, New York City, and raised in the Highlands of Puerto Rico. He lives in the Appalachian region of North Carolina, where he works as the inaugural Chief Diversity Officer and Inclusive Executive at Western Carolina University. His work has been widely published and anthologized in print and online publications.

  Learn more
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  Mar 23

  KODO

  The Schaefer Center Presents

  Thursday, March 23, 2023

  7:00pm

  KODO, a group of Japanese artists, musicians and performers whose name can be translated as “heartbeat,” uses many musical instruments, but focuses primarily on taiko, traditional Japanese drums. Under the theme “One Earth,” Kodo endeavors to bring the sound of the taiko to all corners of the globe so [their] music and message can resonate with myriad cultures and ways of life.

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  Mar 30

  Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour

  University Recreation

  Thursday, March 30, 2023

  7:30pm

  The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour returns to Appalachian State University. Each night will feature a completely different set of films. Continuing our tradition, live music will be performed on both Friday and Saturday nights prior to the films.

  Learn more
• 

  Mar 31

  Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour

  University Recreation

  Friday, March 31, 2023

  7:30pm

  The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour returns to Appalachian State University. Each night will feature a completely different set of films. Continuing our tradition, live music will be performed on both Friday and Saturday nights prior to the films.

  Learn more
• 

  Apr 1

  Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour

  University Recreation

  Saturday, April 1, 2023

  7:30pm

  The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour returns to Appalachian State University. Each night will feature a completely different set of films. Continuing our tradition, live music will be performed on both Friday and Saturday nights prior to the films.

  Learn more
• 

  Apr 20

  United States Poet Laureate (2012-2014) and Pulitzer Prize Winner Natasha Trethewey

  Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

  Thursday, April 20, 2023

  6:00pm-7:30pm

  Pulitzer Prize-winner Natasha Trethewey served two terms as the 19th Poet Laureate of the United States (2012-2014). In his citation, Librarian of Congress James Billington wrote, “Her poems dig beneath the surface of history—personal or communal, from childhood or from a century ago—to explore the human struggles that we all face.” Trethewey was the first Southerner to receive the honor since Robert Penn Warren, in 1986, and the first African-American since Rita Dove, in 1993.

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  Apr 27

  Poets Nickole Brown and Jessica Jacobs

  Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

  Thursday, April 27, 2023

  6:00pm-7:30pm

  Nickole Brown received her MFA from the Vermont College, studied literature at Oxford University, and was the editorial assistant for the late Hunter S. Thompson. Jacobs holds an MFA from Purdue University and a BA from Smith College. Her poetry, essays, and fiction have appeared or are forthcoming in publications including Orion, Ploughshares, Image, and New England Review.

  Learn more
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  Apr 27

  Poets Nickole Brown and Jessica Jacobs: Craft Talk

  Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

  Thursday, April 27, 2023

  Time TBD

  Nickole Brown received her MFA from the Vermont College, studied literature at Oxford University, and was the editorial assistant for the late Hunter S. Thompson. Jacobs holds an MFA from Purdue University and a BA from Smith College. Her poetry, essays, and fiction have appeared or are forthcoming in publications including Orion, Ploughshares, Image, and New England Review.

  Learn more
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  Jul 29

  Darius Rucker

  An Appalachian Summer Festival

  Saturday, July 29, 2023

  7:30pm

  Grammy Award winner and Grand Ole Opry member Darius Rucker will perform live at Kidd Brewer Stadium, for one night only! Rucker first achieved multi-Platinum status in the music industry as lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the Grammy Award-winning band Hootie & the Blowfish. Since releasing his first Country album in 2008, Rucker has earned a whole new legion of fans with four No. 1 albums on the Billboard Country chart.

  Learn more

Notable events

Diversity Celebration

The Diversity Celebration features a wide array of music, eclectic dancing, delectable food, international films and festivals. App State students, faculty, staff, K-12 schools and members of the local community are all invited to join in this celebration of cultures through art and entertainment.

Chancellor’s Awards for Inclusive Excellence

In January 2020, App State presented its inaugural Chancellor’s Awards for Inclusive Excellence. These awards — which will be given annually — are designed to shine a light on individuals at App State and in the community whose work demonstrates their active, intentional and ongoing commitment to transformative change.

International Education Week

International Education Week (IEW) at Appalachian State University is a celebration of transformational global experiences at home and abroad. Everyone is encouraged to participate in these free events, which take place throughout the week!

ASCEND Orientation

The ASCEND Program — formerly known as Linking Education and Diversity (L.E.A.D.) — is an engaging, intentional, high-impact supplemental orientation program targeting first-year App State students from marginalized and historically underrepresented backgrounds. ASCEND is based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and establishes a solid foundation for new students to feel a sense of belonging and community, to be empowered to succeed with knowledge, connections and resources, and to explore and give back to their new home-away-from-home.

Martin & Doris Rosen Summer Symposium on Remembering the Holocaust

Since 2002, the Center has organized and held the annual Martin & Doris Rosen Summer Symposium “Remembering the Holocaust.” Named for symposium benefactors, the late Doris and Martin Rosen, the symposium endeavors to provide teachers with the most current research on the Holocaust, racism, and anti-Semitism in tandem with teaching strategies and plans needed by every educator to tackle this urgent topic in an informed and successful manner in a classroom setting.