Message from Interim Chancellor Heather Norris

Friday, October 25, 2024

Today, Appalachian State University lifted remaining nonemergency limited condition operations and returned to normal operations. Our return to classes on Oct. 16 has been instrumental in restoring a sense of routine for students, faculty and staff. The beautiful weather the High Country has experienced recently is aiding in recovery efforts for many of our neighbors, and yet, we all understand that there is still more to be done, and for many, the months ahead — especially as the days grow colder — will hold significant, continued challenges.

Prior to the storm, tomorrow’s Mountaineers vs. Georgia State football game would have been our Homecoming game. We are looking forward to celebrating Homecoming next month, and tomorrow we will focus on Home Giving.

  • We are encouraging those visiting the area for the football game to support local businesses, and two local nonprofit organizations in particular that are working to support the continued recovery of the High Country.
  • At tomorrow’s Home Giving game, there will be opportunities to donate to:
    • Quiet Givers — a local nonprofit organization serving Watauga, Avery and Ashe counties that operates as a hub to connect individuals with appropriate agencies, funds or grants; and
    • the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation — a nonprofit organization that manages and distributes funds and resources to further the development and welfare of Boone and Watauga County.

This afternoon, App State’s leadership, including members of our Board of Trustees, were joined by UNC System President Peter Hans, members of the UNC Board of Governors and community leaders to recognize and celebrate the countless workers who have been at the forefront of the Helene recovery efforts. Many of you continued to serve our campus and community through the height of the storm and recovery efforts, then returned to regular duties, while also facing your own personal hardships and journeys to recovery.

  • You restored power to the university and our town, pushed water and mud out of buildings as it was rushing back in, provided critical information as events unfolded, kept our infrastructure intact, provided nearly 80,000 meals to anyone who needed them, kept our students safe and secure in their residence halls, provided space and support for an emergency Red Cross shelter, provided vital internet and phone connections, opened laundry and shower facilities to campus and community members and raised and distributed more than $3.8 million, which provided critical bridge funding to more than 5,000 students, faculty and staff.
  • You also developed ways to help our students and faculty return to classrooms as quickly as possible, adjusting coursework and developing broad guidance as well as individualized plans so they could regain some sense of normalcy — and still meet the learning outcomes for their courses, keeping our students on track for graduation.
  • Our partners at the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Boone and Watauga County have been true partners, working with us to make sure we responded together to the needs of our community. The incredible search and rescue acts you performed saved countless lives in our community, and the thousands and thousands of donated items you took in and distributed ensured people could take care of their families in times of incredible need.

Many of you did this under extreme circumstances, not seeing your families for days. Some didn’t have homes to return to. 

While the university was deep in response mode, our Trustees, members of our Board of Governors and President Hans were just a few of the many who checked in with us constantly, bringing incredible support and substantial resources. President Hans and the UNC System Office brought the power of the entire UNC System to help us in our time of need:

  • supporting our request to move our operational status to Condition 3, allowing us the flexibility to bring in employees and students as needed to provide critical services to our university and community;
  • ensuring no employees — including hourly and student employees — would have to worry about lost wages while they were managing the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene;
  • ensuring our students who were not in the Boone area would have access to student health and counseling services, libraries and recreation centers at our sister institutions across the state; and
  • providing a lifeline to the vast resources powered by the UNC System as we needed it.

So many of our students volunteered in the community during the immediate days after the storm and have been contributing their time in countless ways since. Last Saturday, in one day, our students worked with 15 local agencies, contributing more than 500 service hours toward local recovery efforts. I’ve been inspired by our students, who began helping one another, our university and our greater community immediately during the storm and have continued to do so.

At tonight’s App State vs. Coastal Carolina volleyball game, we will premiere a thank-you video in the Holmes Center, which we’ll share in many ways in the coming days and weeks, celebrating the efforts of those who responded to the needs of our university and community. You can watch a sneak preview here.

We are Mountaineers. Together, we navigate the peaks and valleys, supporting one another all along the way. And for that, I thank you most of all.


Heather Norris
Interim Chancellor