News

App State junior Noah Cornelius, a Waxhaw native, dreams of working as a NASCAR broadcaster. With academic pursuits in the electronic media/broadcasting program, hands-on work for student outlets AppTV and WASU-FM and multiple internships in the industry, he’s racing toward that goal.

App State is among five UNC System schools awarded a $3.4 million National Science Foundation grant to support underrepresented students in STEM fields through the Mountains to Sea North Carolina Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program. The program will serve 100 App State students.

App State faculty and students are collaborating with the Junaluska Heritage Association on the Junaluska Community Archaeology Project to help document and preserve the material heritage of one of the oldest African American communities in Western North Carolina. Work has included the excavation of historic sites and the placement of stones over previously unmarked graves.

On Saturday, Nov. 5, costumed runners and walkers in App State’s 12th annual Spooky Duke 5K/10K Race and Costume Contest raised more than $26,000 — a new record for the event — to help support regional families who have children with special needs.

App State observed Veterans Day 2022 on Friday, Nov. 11, with a ceremony in the B.B. Dougherty Administration Building. This year’s featured speaker was veteran Morgan Gibbard ’22, an App State graduate student with a bachelor’s degree in social work.

App State recognizes the 2022–23 recipients of the Fleming Scholarship, which is named in honor of Dr. Willie C. Fleming — a leader in diversity and inclusion at App State for nearly four decades.

App State named 11 first-year students as Chancellor’s Scholars for the 2022–23 academic year. The Chancellor’s Scholarship is App State’s oldest and most academically competitive merit-based scholarship — it has been awarded for 38 years.

For the 2022–23 academic year, 10 first-year App State students have received the Diversity Scholars Program Scholarship, which covers full in-state tuition and fees for up to four years and includes leadership workshops, service-learning, international experiences and mentorship opportunities.

High school students from the North Carolina Cherokee and New Zealand Māori nations will exchange best practices for preserving language and culture during visits funded by a $100,000 grant awarded to App State.

Research by several partners, including Dr. Anton Seimon, research assistant professor in App State's Department of Geography and Planning, employed environmental DNA (eDNA) in mapping the biodiversity of the top 14,700 feet of Mount Everest. The team identified DNA from organisms belonging to 187 taxonomic orders, which constitutes 16.3% of the total known orders.

This fall, App State welcomed 20,436 students, with 18.6% of the total population being underrepresented students — the university’s most diverse student body to date. Student enrollment in App State Online programs increased for the third consecutive year.

A new collection of seven sculptures has been unveiled on App State’s campus as part of the university’s Arts Corridor. The artworks — installed in mid-August and created by artists from across North Carolina — will be displayed on campus for two years.