Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Neva Specht welcomed faculty and staff at our annual Spring Faculty and Staff Meeting, which was held today on the Boone campus and included updates from faculty, staff and student leaders. Thanks to Chase Reynolds in University Communications for this photo.
Message from Chancellor Heather Norris: February 6, 2026
Today, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Neva Specht hosted faculty and staff for the Spring Faculty and Staff Meeting, which included updates from Provost Specht, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice Chancellor J.J. Brown and me, as well as remarks from Faculty Senate Chair Jim Westerman, Staff Senate Co-Chair Katie Leslie and Student Body President Nicole Tran.
I enjoyed hearing updates from across the university, and I echo the remarks that Provost Specht shared about the importance of a collaborative university community, as exemplified in the participation from our Faculty Senate, Staff Senate and Student Government Association. We have many important initiatives on the horizon, and it’s this collaboration — both internally and with the communities we serve — that will ensure success.
As I shared at the beginning of the academic year and again in today's meeting, the vision for App State’s future — who we will become as a university in the next two, five, 10 years and beyond — will be shaped by input from you. We look forward to your participation in the development of the university’s next Strategic Plan. Our two Executive Vice Chancellors, Provost Specht and COO Brown, are helping lead this effort, which will be collaborative, collective and iterative. We’re currently collecting information through interviews, focus group sessions, workshops and surveys. Later this month, faculty and staff will receive an invitation to engage in this process, and we will also be including students, alumni, parents and community leaders from the High Country and Catawba Valley in the conversations later this spring. I look forward to a process that develops a strong and bold vision for the future of our institution — and thank you in advance for your contributions.
And we heard from COO Brown about the university’s Master Plan, which is also underway. This plan will help guide the university’s long-term physical infrastructure development in ways that support the strategic goals of the institution and the communities we serve.
Also on the horizon for our university is a comprehensive fundraising campaign, which is in the early planning stages. Vice Chancellor of University Advancement Will Sears and his team are engaging university leaders about their strategic fundraising priorities, while at the same time engaging donors in conversations about their priorities for supporting the university. In addition, wider conversations about strategic priorities within our university departments, colleges, offices, units and divisions will inform our annual budget process, which includes the open Budget Briefings and Strategic Initiatives presentations, to be held later this semester. As we progress in our campaign planning, I’ll be sure to share updates with you.
You can read the full remarks shared at the meeting here.
Last week, the university hosted an interactive Behavioral Health Education Forum facilitated by the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response and U.S. Department of Education. The event, designed to support school-based professionals from K–12 and postsecondary education institutions, addressed behavioral health and recovery needs, with a goal to strengthen collaboration within school systems and provide tools and resources for use in classrooms, homes and college campuses. We were pleased to be the venue for this event and are proud to be an ongoing partner in the recovery and resilience-building efforts for our region.
Last week also brought recognition from U.S. News & World Report, which ranked App State among the top U.S. colleges and universities for best online bachelor’s programs in its 2026 “Best Online Programs” list. As part of these rankings, U.S. News recognized App State among the top schools in the nation for best online bachelor’s programs in business — an honor the university has held for six consecutive years. App State was named to the top 50 schools in the “Best Online Bachelor’s in Business Programs” list. The publication also prominently ranked several of our online master’s programs, including the university’s internationally recognized Master of Business Administration program, our master’s nursing program and our master’s education programs.
All of our online undergraduate and graduate programs are designed to be flexible, are regionally accredited and are taught by faculty who are experts in their fields. Students choose App State for online education because they recognize our institution’s long-standing reputation for academic rigor, innovation and graduates who make meaningful contributions to their fields.
Our university’s significant growth in online student enrollment — which has steadily climbed for six years in a row — is a clear reflection of the quality that distinguishes our online programs in an increasingly competitive marketplace. These rankings affirm the commitment of our faculty and staff to student success, and I extend my sincere thanks to these dedicated professionals for their daily work to ensure an outstanding App State education for our students.
The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts opened two new exhibitions today, including the very popular Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition, which includes amateur and professional photographers and showcases the unique character of our Southern Appalachian Mountains. The Turchin Center is a jewel of the university’s arts programming and a tremendous resource for our region, offering engaging discussions, dynamic tours, fun, community-building exhibition celebrations, enlightening art talks and creative art workshops — and admission is always free of charge!
After Wednesday’s win over South Alabama, our Men’s Basketball team moved into second place in the Sun Belt Conference standings, having won each of their last five games. I encourage Mountaineers fans to come out to the Holmes Center tomorrow afternoon to support the team in their game against Eastern Michigan. With three more home games in the regular season, it will be fun to join the crowd and cheer on our team as they pursue a sixth straight win!
And, if you’re looking for something fun to do for Valentine’s Day weekend, Mountaineer Baseball opens with a home series next weekend in Hickory at L.P. Frans Stadium, with games Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 13–15. Mountaineer Baseball, combined with moderating temperatures, will certainly feel like springtime is on the way.
For now, snow is still in the air, and despite the logistical challenges the winter weather has presented, our students have made the best of it, as captured in this fun video created by our University Communications team.
Whether your weekend includes athletics, the arts, outdoor fun, indoor studies or a bit of all, enjoy your Mountaineer experience!
Heather Norris
Chancellor
Vice Provost of Academic Program Development and Strategic Initiatives Mike McKenzie welcomes attendees to the Behavioral Health Education Forum held last week on App State’s Boone campus; senior computer science major Zach Shotwell and his family made the news this week with an incredible snow sculpture of Yosef (Snowsef?); and faculty and staff enjoyed some camaraderie at a reception this afternoon, after the Spring Faculty and Staff Meeting. Thank you to Christine Nappa of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Michelle Shotwell and Chase Reynolds in University Communications for these photos.
