App State News, Appalachian State University

Sun Belt Announces 2021-22 Men’s Basketball Conference Schedule

July 28, 2021. The Sun Belt Conference has announced the conference schedule for the upcoming 2021-22 season. The schedule will consist of 18 games for all teams, with each playing nine at home and nine on the road. All games will follow a Thursday-Saturday format. App State begins conference play with a home weekend against Louisiana on Dec. 30 and ULM on Jan. 1. The Mountaineers then hit the road for five of their next six contests. App State begins the road swing with a trip to Alabama to face South Alabama (Jan. 6) and Troy (Jan. 8). The Mountaineers return home for one game on Jan. 13 against Coastal Carolina, before making a return trip to Conway to battle the Chanticleers on Jan. 15. The Black and Gold play two more road games in Georgia on Jan. 20 (Georgia State) and Jan. 22 (Georgia Southern). App State closes out January with home contests on Jan. 27 versus Arkansas State and Jan. 29 against Little Rock. The contest with Little Rock is a double header with the women’s program.

July 23, 2021. Coltrane and Gardner residence halls on the campus of Appalachian State University are being demolished with work expected to be completed by December of this year. “The demolition of Gardner and Coltrane is part of Appalachian State’s ongoing major housing project that, when completed, will replace seven residence halls: Bowie, Coltrane, Eggers, Gardner, Winkler, Justice and East,” said Anna Oakes, Media Relations Specialist at Appalachian State. “The $191 million project will provide approximately 2,300 beds, including a net gain of 500 beds, in three phases, while also adding better, more efficient parking.” The space where Gardner and Coltrane residence halls stand, will be turned into a surface parking lot. Right now, the exterior walls of the building are being removed and the demolition of the steel structure and the rest of the building will continue over the next several months. By Nathan Ham

July 19, 2021. The Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition is celebrating its milestone 35th anniversary of showcasing contemporary American sculpture in outdoor settings. The competition has become firmly established as a cultural treasure and a significant point of pride for Appalachian State University and the entire region. On Saturday, July 10, under beautiful sunny skies, a crowd of 175 art lovers converged to attend the 35th Annual Rosen Sculpture Walk with juror Rachel Stevens who provided an insightful and educational outdoor tour of the nine sculpture finalists. The tour concluded with an awards presentation to announce the winners of this cherished event. The sculptures in this year’s competition represent a diversity of styles from biomorphic to whimsical to thought-provoking. The artists have expressed their three-dimensional concepts with expert craftsmanship utilizing a variety of materials, designs and techniques to create their sculptures. Each year, an artist is invited to jury the competition and this year juror Rachel Stevens from Missoula, MT selected the sculpture finalists and the winning entries.

July 9, 2021. Graduation is one of the most memorable days for students who finished their academic requirements. However, wearing black and gold regalia, walking across the stage and receiving a diploma looked a little different for Appalachian State University’s Class of 2020. Typically, the cheers of family and friends are contained within the walls of the Holmes Convocation Center on campus, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, graduation celebrations took place virtually. A year and a half later, the Class of 2020 is being invited back to celebrate their achievements in-person. By Harley Nefe

June 28, 2021. Appalachian State University will host a community COVID-19 vaccine clinic Thursday, July 1, from 9 a.m.– noon in Room 201 (Blue Ridge Ballroom) in Plemmons Student Union (PSU) on the App State campus. Parking will be available in the East Howard Street Lot, behind PSU. The clinic will administer the Moderna vaccine, which is approved for adults ages 18 and older. First and second dose appointments are available. For those who receive a first dose, clinic staff will help schedule your second dose appointment at App State or another location. App State Chancellor Sheri Everts provides a $10 App State Campus Dining gift card to everyone who gets vaccinated at the university’s COVID-19 vaccine clinics.

June 2, 2021 App State Athletics will operate all venues – including Kidd Brewer Stadium for football – at full capacity for the 2021-22 academic year. “We are excited to welcome the App Nation back to our beautiful campus this fall,” said Director of Athletics Doug Gillin. “We will continue to prioritize the health and safety of everyone at our athletics venues. When our alumni, fans and families are cheering for our teams, it makes a big impact on the experience we provide our student-athletes in our pursuit for competitive excellence.” On May 21, Appalachian State University announced its campus would return to pre-pandemic operations for the fall 2021 semester, with safety precautions in place. That announcement followed North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s lifting of the state’s capacity and gathering limits, social distancing requirements and most face covering mandates.

May 28, 2021 Throughout the year, Appalachian State University’s Veterans Memorial serves as an ever-present reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made by those who served in the armed forces. On Memorial Day, commemorated on the last Monday in May, it holds elevated meaning as the Appalachian Community reflects on the importance of the occasion. Memorial Day is an American holiday celebrated on the last Monday of May to honor the men and women who have died while serving in the military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. The first national celebration of Memorial Day took place May 30, 1868, at Arlington National Cemetery. By Megan Bruffy

May 21, 2021 App State will host a community COVID-19 vaccine clinic Thursday, May 27, from 9 a.m.– noon in Plemmons Student Union (PSU), Blue Ridge Ballroom. Parking will be available in the East Howard Street Lot behind PSU. The clinic will administer the Moderna vaccine, which is approved for adults ages 18 and older. First and second dose appointments are available.Participants will be given a $10 gift card from App State Campus Dining, complements of Chancellor Sheri Everts.

High Country Students Hold Workshop to Celebrate Multiculturalism and Diversity

May 20, 2021 The Upward Bound Program at Appalachian State University in conjunction with Central Carolina Community College recently held a Multicultural Appreciation Workshop for over 50 Upward Bound sophomores, juniors, and seniors. The virtual event was part of the Upward Bound Central Carolina Community College Cyber Cafe, an event held weekly since the pandemic began. A student leadership board composed of Upward Bound students from the Appalachian State University and CCCC programs helped to plan the agenda which included a presentation on the importance of equity, inclusion, and diversity; a cultural flavor display highlighting dishes from varying cultures; and a TikTok challenge asking students to cook a favorite food significant to their culture.

Lampe, Schaefer, Cook and Chesson Appointed to App State’s Board of Trustees

May 4, 2021 In its April 22 meeting, the University of North Carolina System Board of Governors re-appointed two members and appointed two new individuals to serve on Appalachian State University’s Board of Trustees. The re-appointees are Chair Scott Lampe ’94, of Davidson, and Bonnie Schaefer, of Boca Raton, Florida, and Blowing Rock. New appointees are Fairley Bell Cook ’81, of Raleigh, and Joseph Jeffries Chesson ’77, of Wilson. All begin their terms July 1 and will serve four years.

Shannon Campbell Named Dean of App State’s College of Fine and Applied Arts

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May 4, 2021 After a national search, Dr. Shannon Campbell has been named dean of Appalachian State University’s College of Fine and Applied Arts effective July 1, 2021. Campbell is currently inaugural Associate Vice President of Graduate Studies and full professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She has been a professor of strategic communication for more than 20 years. She has a successful record as a higher education administrator who mentored faculty, students and staff, managed diverse staffs and large complex budgets, and developed and implemented policies, operations and procedures at all university levels. “Shannon believes deeply in the power of access to education for all,” said Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Heather Norris. “She has a strong appreciation for and understanding of the vision, mission and values of App State, and I am confident she will continue to build upon the legacy of strong leadership within the College of Fine & Applied Arts.”

From Foundation to Roof: ‘App Builds a Home’ Takes Shape During Blitz Build

September 30, 2019 A chorus of hammers was set in motion over the last weekend, when more than 200 volunteers gathered at the App Builds a Home (ABAH) job site in Boone’s GreenWood subdivision to begin constructing a home in partnership with Watauga County Habitat for Humanity. Since last fall, Appalachian State University’s ABAH team has been raising money and volunteer support for the project, which began to take physical shape during a “blitz build” on Sept. 21 and 22. Student, staff, faculty and alumni volunteers from Appalachian worked alongside the Habitat for Humanity Road Trip Crazies — a team of 50 Habitat enthusiasts who travel the country to kick-start home builds.

Board of Trustees Members Sworn in at Appalachian State

September 26, 2019. New and reappointed members of Appalachian State University’s Board of Trustees were sworn in during the board’s Sept. 13 meeting held on Appalachian’s campus. North Carolina District Court Judge Rebecca Eggers-Gryder ’83, of Boone, administered the oath of office to six trustees, including returning members John M. Blackburn, of Linville; Mark E. Ricks ’89, of Bluemont, Virginia; and senior DeJon Milbourne, of Fayetteville, who is president of Appalachian’s Student Government Association (SGA). Newly appointed members are James “J.K.” Reaves ’93, of Kernersville; Kimberly Shepherd ’97, of Warrensville; and Thomas Sofield ’76, of Boone. James M. Barnes ’84, of Raleigh, will be sworn in at the board’s Nov. 22 meeting. The Board of Trustees approved the following officers for the upcoming year: Blackburn as chair; Scott Lampe ’94 as vice-chair; Ricks as secretary; and Dawn Antonucci as assistant secretary. These appointments became effective immediately. By Megan Bruffy

New Stadium Parking Deck to Open This Week; How Will That Affect Football Tailgating?

August 12, 2019. The new parking deck in the Stadium Lot is all set to open for the 2019 fall semester at Appalachian State University. The deck will be open for students moving in this weekend after a final inspection and a Certificate of Occupancy from the town of Boone, according to construction updates provided on August 5 by Assistant Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations Matt Dull. “We are down to the last, really, week and a half of the parking deck,” Dull said last week. “So the most significant things are finalized for that deck, literally down to the last little things to clean up some paint that fell on the floor or all sorts of little touches that you just want to make sure are right when you get a new building.” Dull said that Monday is the target date for getting their official Certificate of Occupancy from the town of Boone. By Nathan Ham

App State Police Department Honored as NCPEA Law Enforcement Agency of the Year

July 26, 2019. The Appalachian State University Police Department (APD) was honored as the Law Enforcement Agency of the Year by the North Carolina Police Executives Association (NCPEA). NCPEA officials announced the award at the organization’s 2019 Annual Training Conference, held in Wilmington July 15–17. APD is the inaugural recipient of the award. “This award reflects the Appalachian Police Department’s tremendous success in educating the next generation of law enforcement officers while fostering a safe campus with a culture of mutual respect and community engagement,” Appalachian Chancellor Sheri Everts said. “Our law enforcement leaders champion policing as a highly principled profession — one that requires critical thinking and innovative ideas.” According to NCPEA, a statewide organization for police leadership, this award was established to honor one North Carolina police agency each year that has pioneered an innovative program, policy or concept that demonstrates the principles of community policing, problem-solving strategies and/or strengthens community trust.

Stadium Parking Deck On Track to be Completed by the Start of the Fall Semester

July 12, 2019. Despite record rainfall amounts throughout last fall and this spring, the 477-space parking deck in the Kidd Brewer Stadium lot is expected to be open and ready for the first day of class and the first home football game of the season. Matt Dull, Appalachian State University’s Assistant Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations, shared a construction update on July 8 about the parking deck and student-housing construction happening on the east side of campus. The parking deck is expected to be completed in mid-August. Classes at App State will begin on August 19. According to the university, the new parking deck will still add approximately 250 add parking spots on the east side of campus, despite taking away some of the pavement parking spots in the Stadium Lot. The most recent update said that construction crews are going to start working on the elevator installation. “All the materials needed for that are on site, so they’re installing that elevator over the next three to four weeks or so,” Dull said. By Nathan Ham

Geological and Environmental Sciences K-12 Science Education Strengthened by Community Partnership

June 19, 2019. Vulcan Materials, the nation’s largest producer of construction aggregates with a local office in Boone, N.C., has given over $61,000 to the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at Appalachian State University, supporting the department in many ways for decades. “They have truly donated thousands of dollars in personnel and equipment time to make projects and growth become a reality at Appalachian,” said Dr. Andrew Heckert, a professor in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences. In 2018-19, the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at Appalachian reached over 5,000 school children through outreach events at over 34 schools and organizations with assistance from over 50 undergraduate students. The department has been awarded five outreach-specific grants ranging from $1500 – $62,000 with a predicted total of $100,000 for the year. Faculty and students from the department are committed to helping strengthen K-12 science education by fostering partnerships with schools, training teachers, involving students, highlighting faculty’s research and advertising program offerings.

Appalachian State Basketball Teams Gear Up For 2019 Sun Belt Tournament

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March 11, 2019 The men’s and women’s basketball teams at Appalachian State are hoping to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament by winning the 2019 Sun Belt Tournament held in New Orleans this week. In the men’s tournament, App State got the 10th and final seed for the tournament, hoping to be the ultimate Cinderella story by winning the championship. The final spot in the tournament came down to the last week of the regular season. Thanks to App State’s win over Troy and the sixth loss in a row by Little Rock, the Mountaineers, who finished the regular season at 11-20 and 5-13 in the Sun Belt, got the last tournament spot. The first round of conference tournament action will be two games played at host team sites. #7 Louisiana-Monroe will host #10 Appalachian state on Tuesday at 8 p.m. The game will be on ESPN+ for those that would like to watch and the radio broadcast will be available on each affiliate of the Appalachian Sports Network. The other first round game is #9 Arkansas State at #8 South Alabama. By Nathan Ham

2019 App State Football Schedule Revealed

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March 1, 2019 Two matchups against Power Five Conference foes from the Carolinas and a nationally televised Thursday home game against Georgia Southern on Halloween night are among the highlights in a 2019 schedule that includes two home games apiece in September and October for Appalachian State’s football team. With Eliah Drinkwitz entering his first season as the head coach of a program that is moving forward from a third consecutive Sun Belt Conference championship and fourth straight bowl win, the Mountaineers have home games against East Tennessee State (Aug. 31 opener for Hall of Fame and Jerry Moore’s 30th anniversary celebration), Charlotte (Sept. 7), Coastal Carolina (Sept. 28 for Family Weekend), ULM (Oct. 19 for Homecoming), Georgia Southern (Oct. 31 on ESPNU) and Texas State (Nov. 23 for Senior Day). There is one other non-Saturday game on the 2019 schedule, as Appalachian’s road games are at North Carolina (Sept. 21 following an off date the weekend before), reigning Sun Belt West Division champion Louisiana (Oct. 9 for a Wednesday night game on ESPN2), South Alabama (Oct. 26), South Carolina (Nov. 9 following the Georgia Southern game nine days earlier), Georgia State (Nov. 16) and Troy (Nov. 30 in the regular season finale).

Construction Continues on Latest Appalachian State Student Housing and Parking Projects

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February 28, 2019 The west side of campus at Appalachian State is certainly looking a little different these days with construction equipment, site fencing and closed off parking spaces. Construction is underway on a pair of new student residence halls as well as a parking deck on the former location of Winkler Hal that will add to the amount of parking available on campus. Appalachian has started providing updates throughout each month on what is currently happening with construction and what is about to begin. Site fencing has sent up around what is currently being called Building 100 and Building 20 and fencing has also been put up around Duck Pond Field, continuing up Stadium Drive and Jack Branch Drive. Some parking spots are also being blocked off as part of the construction process. By Nathan Ham

Appalachian and RISE Sign Paperwork for Multiphase Housing Project

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February 18, 2019 Appalachian State University and RISE: A Real Estate Company (RISE) signed final paperwork this week required for a multiphase, $191 million housing project that will replace seven residence halls. “This is the largest capital project in Appalachian’s history, and we are looking forward to getting the first phase underway,” Chancellor Sheri Everts said. “It is an important step in our work to ensure we have an appropriate physical infrastructure to support our students, faculty and staff for years to come.” “We couldn’t be more pleased to work with Appalachian,” RISE President Greg Blais said Thursday at the signing with Everts. “We look forward to the ultimate value the project will have for Appalachian students for generations to come.” By Linda Coutant

Anwar Stewart Named Assistant Coach on Appalachian State Football Staff

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February 15, 2019 On Friday, Appalachian State University head football coach Eliah Drinkwitz announced the hiring of former Canadian Football League player and coach Anwar Stewart as an assistant coach in charge of the Mountaineers’ defensive linemen. Stewart replaces Buddy Wyatt who resigned after spending only 26 days on the Appalachian State staff to become an assistant at Kansas State University. “Anwar brings great energy, passion, enthusiasm and a standard of championship football from his experience of winning four Grey Cups in the CFL,” Drinkwitz said. “He was a captain of his pro team and at Kentucky. He showed the true spirit of a Mountaineer by recently completing his college degree. Championships are won in the trenches, and I can’t wait to see him lead our defensive line. We’re excited to welcome Anwar, his wife and daughter to our family in Boone.” By Tim Gardner

Ribbon Cutting at Leon Levine Hall of Health Sciences Opens Appalachian’s Most Recent Project

September 21, 2018. Leon Levine Hall of Health Sciences, the first project under the ConnectNC Bond referendum that voters passed in 2016 to be completed in the state, had its official ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday afternoon. Numerous donors, alumni and students were present to hear comments from Appalachian State Chancellor Dr. Sheri Everts, UNC System President Margaret Spellings, Appalachian Student Government President DeJon Milbourne and others to celebrate this momentous occasion. The 203,000 square foot building with 33 classrooms and 27 lab will be the home to almost 2,300 students that are part of the Beaver College of Health Sciences that will call this building home. By Nathan Ham

Leon Levine Hall of Health Sciences Scheduled to be Open by Tuesday for First Day of Class

August 17, 2018. Nearly 3,500 students in the Beaver College of Health Sciences will have a new building for a lot of their classwork. The Leon Levine Hall of Health Sciences is scheduled to be ready for the first day of classes for App State students on Tuesday. Calls to confirm the building being open for the first day of classes were not returned, however no announcements have been posted by the university to suggest otherwise. The 203,000-square-foot building is located adjacent to the Watauga Medical Center on a 9.2-acre piece of land that was donated to the university by the Appalachian Regional Healthcare System. The new building will be home to 14 of the 16 undergraduate and graduate degree programs within the Beaver College of Health Sciences. By Nathan Ham

Appalachian State Students Set to Return to Campus Life This Weekend

August 15, 2018. Incoming freshmen as well as the rest of the student body at Appalachian State will be returning to Boone this weekend as classes are set to begin on Tuesday, August 21. App State has numerous events scheduled this weekend with several of them aimed at the new incoming freshman class. As students come back to the High Country for classes, along with that will come increased traffic congestion, both in cars, on foot and on bicycles through town. Drivers should be aware of their surroundings while on the road and pedestrians should follow all crosswalk and safety rules while walking around town getting used to their new home for the next nine months of classes and college life. By Nathan Ham

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