Message from Interim Chancellor Heather Norris
With classes beginning Monday, I’d like to say welcome to the fall 2024 semester!
Because it’s important that you’re informed:
- I send email communications to everyone in our campus community nearly every Friday, letting you know about key information, important accolades and updates that are relevant to the daily learning, teaching, research, service and operations at the university. Read the updates sent over the summer, if you'd like to catch up!
- Prior to classes starting on Monday, students, faculty and staff will also receive an operations update from the university. We send this universitywide communication ahead of each semester, to ensure you are informed about essential university operations, health and safety resources and other important campus information as we begin the semester.
- With many renovation and restoration projects underway, we also have a construction update you can listen to (or read), that shares information about the newly opened Holmes Drive Parking Deck, the bus loop in the Peacock Parking Lot, renovations to Wey, Edwin Duncan and Peacock halls, and the Hickory campus, the University Post Office upgrade and the App 105 sports complex.
- You can find additional information about major ongoing construction projects, including current photos and future renderings, on our App State’s Future website.
This week, students have been moving into residence halls, adding to a vibrant and spirited atmosphere. Students and their families have been busily unloading, unpacking and settling into residence halls, helped along by a cadre of university staff and volunteers — and Boone weather that was about as close to perfect as we could have hoped for. A huge thank you to the many staff members and volunteers for making this year’s move-in week a smooth, efficient and friendly beginning to the academic year.
Student orientation leaders at both the Boone and Hickory campuses have been actively engaging their assigned student groups in meetings, meals and a full slate of activities designed to build community and help new students find their way around before classes begin.
Our student-athletes moved in several days ago and have been practicing for upcoming seasons while building team dynamics. Members of my leadership team and I had the privilege of visiting with several teams this week. While it was our goal to help welcome them, they did a great job welcoming us! It was really great to get to know them a bit and watch some of them in action. Good luck athletes, coaches and staff on the seasons ahead!
I also had the pleasure of speaking with our newest faculty members during their orientation earlier in the week. This dynamic group of faculty brings a variety of perspectives and buoyant energy to our university, and I look forward to continued conversations throughout the upcoming year.
On Saturday, Provost Specht and I will join the members of Faculty Senate for their annual retreat prior to the start of the academic year. Afterward, many members of my leadership team and I will attend the third annual Women in Motion, App State’s signature fundraising event in support of women’s athletics.
Throughout the coming year, I’ll be visiting each college to check in, and this week, I had the pleasure of joining the Beaver College of Health Sciences faculty and staff as they finished preparations for the upcoming academic year. Yesterday I visited with members of the College of Fine and Applied Arts at a college reception, and today I'll visit with faculty and staff at the opening meeting for the Williams School of Graduate Studies. It’s important for my leadership team and me to see the significant work our faculty and staff are doing to support the success of our students, and the incredible impact this has on the communities, state and region we all serve.
I look forward to even more excitement and enthusiasm as the academic year gets underway officially next week — and we’re going to kick it off with some sweet treats!
On Monday in Boone and Tuesday in Hickory, we’ll have ice cream socials to officially celebrate the first week of classes. I hope to see many students, faculty and staff there!
Heather Norris
Interim Chancellor
Move-in week 2024 arrived on Tuesday, Aug. 13, and students are settling into their Mountaineer homes. Resident directors, resident assistants, University Housing staff and numerous volunteers continue to support and assist students and their families, as move-in continues through the weekend. Roommates Kylee Nichols and Nari Stanley took a moment from the action to pause for a quick photo, taken by Chase Reynolds in University Communications.
Four of the varsity App State teams are preparing for their fall seasons — field hockey, football, soccer and volleyball (shown clockwise from top left) — and the players took some time to visit with members of my leadership team and me this week. Our student-athletes are driven to success, both in their sports and in the classroom. For 24 consecutive semesters, App State student-athletes have carried a 3.0 GPA or higher. Thank you to our student-athletes and their coaches, Emily Dinsmore, Shawn Clark, Aimee Haywood and Sarah Rumely Noble, for taking time from your training to spend a few moments with the App State leadership team. Chase Reynolds and Kyla Willoughby in University Communications captured some of the fun with these photos.
