There’s nothing like a beautiful autumn day in the High Country! We’re looking forward to a stunning Homecoming weekend on our Boone campus.

Message from Chancellor Heather Norris: October 17, 2025

Friday, October 17, 2025

Incredible fall weather — with a little chill in the air, colorful leaves, corn mazes and pumpkin patches throughout the High Country are creating the perfect setting for Homecoming at App State and Mountaineer Football at The Rock!

This year brings even more anticipation, after having to postpone last year’s festivities and game due to Hurricane Helene, and I am so excited to welcome alumni, family and friends home.

I hope you will join your fellow Mountaineers in supporting High Country and alumni-owned businesses as you continue to enjoy all of the activities planned in Boone — and beyond — this week, and in cheering on our Mountaineers against Sun Belt Conference rival Coastal Carolina on Saturday.

As part of Homecoming weekend, App State's Former Athletes Association will induct five new members into its 2025 App State Athletics Hall of Fame class, all of whom will be honored on the field during Saturday’s football game:

  • Ryan Arrowood — Baseball (2008–12)
  • Pete Camelo — Baseball/Football (1978–1982)
  • Dr. Sabrina Hill-Johnson — Women's Track and Field/Volleyball (1988–92)
  • Dexter Jackson — Football/Men's Track and Field (2004–07)
  • D.J. Smith — Football (2007–10)

The Former Athletes Association will also recognize four Special Service Award winners — Earl “Junie” Bradshaw ’68 ’77, C. Philip Byers ’85, the Honorable Joseph Gibbons ’74 and Jerry Harmon ’74 — for their loyalty and commitment to App State Athletics programs.

We’re also celebrating several Sun Belt Conference honors for App State that were recognized at the conference’s Honors Banquet, held yesterday in Atlanta:

  • App State was recognized with a Student-Athlete Graduation Success Rate Award, which honors any Sun Belt member institution that has a single-year graduation success rate of 90% or above for its student-athletes.
  • The university also received the 2024–25 Community Impact Award from the conference’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. This award recognizes the impact student-athletes have within their communities — on a local and global scale — and encourages them to actively participate in community service. Within the first month of recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene, App State student-athletes logged 1,648 hours of community service with an economic impact of $58,000, assisting with approximately 905 different service commitments and supporting 50 organizations.
  • And a big congratulations to Jennifer Schroeder Tyson, a research assistant professor in the Department of Public Health, who has been named the Sun Belt Conference’s 2025 Faculty Member of the Year. The annual award recognizes one faculty member among the Sun Belt institutions for teaching, engaging and inspiring students and displaying enthusiasm for student-athletes and athletics.

    Over the last year, Jennifer coordinated internship opportunities for students that focused on the Hurricane Helene response and recovery initiative in Western North Carolina. As part of these efforts, student-athletes joined with their classmates to conduct emergency preparedness assessments, deliver community health education and support recovery planning. As the faculty leader of the Appalachian Medical Reserve Corps, during the immediate aftermath of the storm, Jennifer trained students and other volunteers to operate a 24-hour nonemergency call center, easing the pressure on 911 call centers and allowing students to gain firsthand experiences related to rural health care infrastructure during a major crisis.

    Most recently, Jennifer and her students have been concentrating efforts on improving preparedness for families with children and youth with special care needs. These achievements and her continued research demonstrate Jennifer’s excellence in teaching, research and service, which merits this conference-wide recognition by the Sun Belt. I encourage you to learn more by watching this video.

Homecoming is a time to celebrate the past while also looking ahead to the future. Recently, I had the privilege of meeting with Lenoir-Rhyne University President Summer McGee, Catawba Valley Community College President Garrett Hinshaw and North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics – Morganton Vice Chancellor and Chief Campus Officer Kevin Baxter to discuss our combined roles in meeting the education needs of the Hickory metropolitan communities. Together, we are working to develop new opportunities that are in demand in the area — including a research mentorship program for students at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, seamless transfer options with community college partners, and professional development and evening and weekend programs for working students.

And, I’m pleased to share that during its special meeting yesterday, the University of North Carolina System Board of Governors Committee on Budget and Finance approved our proposal to use available Dining Trust Funds to begin design and construction of renovations on the second floor of the Plemmons Student Union, to add a dining facility, as well as to add a market in Thunder Hill residence hall. We’re excited to be able to add to our campus dining selections and continue offering spaces that support well-being, academic success and community building for our students. We’ll add information about these plans and a timeline for completion to the App State’s Future website in the coming days.

As we wrap up a week that began with Fall Break and will conclude with Homecoming events, I hope everyone has an opportunity to enjoy the magic of autumn in the High Country. Wherever you may be, it’s always great to be a Mountaineer!


Heather Norris
Chancellor