Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University, or App State, is a public research university in Boone, North Carolina, United States. It was founded as a teachers' college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and the latter's wife, Lillie Shull Dougherty. The university expanded to include other programs in 1967 and joined the University of North Carolina System in 1971.
The university enrolls more than 21,500 students. It offers more than 150 bachelor's degrees and 70 graduate degree programs, including two doctoral programs. The university has eight colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences, the Walker College of Business, the Reich College of Education, the College of Fine and Applied Arts, the Beaver College of Health Sciences, the Honors College, the Hayes School of Music, and University College. It opened an additional campus in Hickory in 2023.
The Athletic Teams compete in the Sun Belt Conference, except for a few sports that compete in the Southern Conference, such as wrestling. The university's team name is the Mountaineers.
History
Appalachian State University began in 1899 when a group of residents in Watauga County, under the leadership of Blanford B. Dougherty and his brother Dauphin D. Dougherty, began a movement to educate teachers in northwestern North Carolina. Land was donated by Daniel B. Dougherty, father of the leaders in the enterprise, and J. F. Hardin. On this site a wood-frame building, costing $1,000, was erected by contributions from citizens of the town and county. In the fall of 1899, the Dougherty brothers, acting as co-principals, began the school, which was then called "Watauga Academy". The first year saw 53 students enrolled in three grades. D. D. Dougherty's wife, Lillie Shull Dougherty, taught classes and contributed to administrative decisions.In 1903, after interest in the school had spread to adjoining counties, D. D. Dougherty was convinced the state would fund institutions established to train teachers. He traveled to Raleigh after drafting a bill. W. C. Newland of Caldwell County introduced the bill in the North Carolina Legislature to make this a state school, with an appropriation for maintenance and for building. E. F. Lovill of Watauga County, R. B. White of Franklin County, Clyde Hoey of Cleveland County, and E. J. Justice of McDowell County spoke in favor of the measure. On March 9, 1903, the bill became law, and the "Appalachian Training School for Teachers" was established. The school opened on October 5, 1903, with $2,000 from the state and 325 students.
For 22 years, there was a period of steady growth, academic development, and service to the state. In 1925, the legislature changed the name to the "Appalachian State Normal School" and appropriated additional funding for maintenance and permanent improvement. In 1929, the school became a four-year degree granting institution and was renamed "Appalachian State Teachers College". Over 1,300 students were enrolled in degree programs offered for primary grades education, physical education, math, English, science, and history.
Appalachian attained national standards by becoming accredited by the American Association for Teacher Education in 1939, and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1942. In 1948 a graduate school was formed. Dr. Dougherty retired in 1955 after 56 years of serving the school. J. D. Rankin became interim president until William H. Plemmons was installed. Plemmons led from 1955 to 1969, and his administration oversaw the addition of new buildings as the campus expanded and enrollment grew to nearly 5,000 students.
Appalachian was transformed from a single-purpose teachers' college into a multipurpose regional university and Appalachian State Teacher's College became Appalachian State University in 1967. Growth continued in the 1970s to around 9,500 students and 550 faculty. Afterward, four degree-granting undergraduate colleges were created: Arts and Sciences, Business, Fine and Applied Arts, and Education. Herbert Wey succeeded Plemmons as president in 1969 and was named chancellor in 1971. In 1972, Appalachian State became part of the University of North Carolina system.
Campus
Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of northwestern North Carolina, Appalachian State University has one of the highest elevations of any U.S. university east of the Mississippi River, at. Its main campus is in downtown Boone, a town of 19,092 compared to an ASU enrollment of 21,253 students. The campus encompasses, including a main campus of with 20 residence halls, 3 main dining facilities, 30 academic buildings, and 11 recreation/athletic facilities.The center of campus is nicknamed Sanford Mall, an open grassy quad between the student union, dining halls, and library. Sanford Hall, on the mall's edge, is named for Terry Sanford, a former governor of the state. Rivers Street, a thoroughfare for town and university traffic, essentially divides the campus into east and west sections with tunnels and a pedestrian bridge connecting the two halves. The eastern half includes Sanford Mall, Plemmons Student Union, Central Dining Hall, and Carol Grotnes Belk Library and Information Commons, along with two residence hall neighborhoods, East Everest, and Durham Neighborhood. The west side has Trivette Dining Hall, the Student Recreation Center, the Quinn Recreation Center, Kidd Brewer Stadium, and Stadium Side, Mountain Side and Pond Side residence hall neighborhoods. At the north end, Bodenheimer Drive crosses over Rivers Street and leads to Appalachian Heights, Mountaineer Hall, the Chancellor's House, the Living Learning Center, and Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium. The George M. Holmes Convocation Center at Rivers Street's south end is the gateway and entrance to campus.
Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts on the edge of main campus is the university's visual art center. It is the largest visual arts center in northwestern North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and southwestern Virginia. It displays rotating exhibits indoors and outdoors, some culturally specific to the Appalachians, and offers community outreach programs through art courses. It opened in 2003. The newly renovated Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts, a 1,635-seat performance venue, hosts artists from around the world.Appalachian State University Preserve
The Appalachian State University Nature Preserve consists of 67 acres of protected woodlands near the heart of campus. The land was dedicated as a State Natural Area in 1999 through the North Carolina Nature Preserves Act, and serves as an outdoor classroom for students and faculty. The preserve's primary purpose is to enable conservation, education, and recreation for students, staff, and faculty.Administration
The University of North Carolina's Board of Governors plans and develops the coordinated system of higher education in the state. It sets university policy but delegate Appalachian State's daily operations to a chancellor. The chancellor likewise delegates some duties to the provost, several vice-chancellors, and other administrative offices. These administrative offices are advised by several university committees on the needs of campus constituents, as represented by a Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, Graduate Student Association Senate, and the Student Government Association.Presidents
- Blanford B. Dougherty
- James D. Rankin
- William H. Plemmons
- Herbert W. Wey
Chancellors
- Herbert W. Wey
- Cratis D. Williams
- John E. Thomas
- Francis T. Borkowski
- Provost Harvey R. Durham
- Kenneth E. Peacock
- Sheri Everts
- Heather Hulburt Norris
Campus police
Police vehicles used by the Appalachian Police Department primarily consist of Ford vehicles, although it has begun a shift towards electric vehicles. Notably, a new fleet of electric patrol vehicles partially include golden-colored Tesla sedans.
Academics
Appalachian State offers 176 undergraduate and 42 graduate majors. The average GPA for incoming freshmen in 2017 was 4.20. Courses at Appalachian are organized into eight colleges and one graduate school:- Beaver College of Health Sciences
- College of Arts and Sciences
- College of Fine and Applied Arts
- Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies
- Hayes School of Music
- Reich College of Education
- The Honors College
- University College
- Walker College of Business
Library
Watauga Residential College
Watauga Residential College is a residential college founded in 1972. Watauga College was founded to be an "interdisciplinary, experimental, residential, coed alternative for social science and humanities general education requirements." Watauga Residential College was developed as "response to rising criticism of American education during the sixties and to the artificial fragmentation of knowledge in the academy; it was seen as a return to the world, where problems and themes do not recognize disciplinary boundaries and education is reconnected with individual learners."Although it has changed names over the years, Watauga College in 1972, Watauga Global Community in 2008, and Watauga Residential College in 2014, its mission has remained relatively the same. "Watauga Residential College pursues its mission through a sequenced, interdisciplinary, experiential curriculum that requires students to integrate class content, community-based research, and multicultural immersion. This innovative curriculum, in conjunction with the academic and residential community, creates an atmosphere for the emergence of dynamic learning experiences through unique interactions among students and faculty." A key focus of Watauga is on the residential community, so for the first year students are required to live in the living learning center.
Watauga College was first based in Watauga Hall, then for decades was based in East Hall, a large U-shaped dormitory on the east end of campus. The dorm was known campus-wide as having the largest rooms of any dorm on campus, yet it was one of the oldest dorms on campus. Upon the completion of the Living Learning Center in 2003, Watauga College relocated and East Hall will either be renovated or destroyed because of the high cost of renovating such an old building.