appalachian state university

Organization

A Board of Directors elected by the University of North Carolina's Board of Governors establishes broad, university policy but delegates daily operation of Appalchian State to a chancellor. The Chancellor likewise delegates some duties to several vice-chancellors, as approved by the Directors, in a cabinet-like organization, or other administrative offices of the Chancellor. These administrative offices are advised by several university committees on the needs of campus constituents, as represented by a Faculty Senate, Staff Council and Student Government Association.

Academic

The University is comprised of five colleges: Arts & Sciences, Fine Arts & Applied Sciences, Business, Music, and Education. These colleges offer 91 undergraduate and 81 graduate courses of study. The Goodnight Family Sustainable Development Program (SD) is an interdisciplinary course of study unique to Appalachian State.

• College of Arts and Sciences
  • Anthropology
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Computer Science
  • English
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Geography and Planning
  • Geology
  • History
  • Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Mathematical Sciences
  • Philosophy and Religion
  • Physics and Astronomy
  • Political Science/Criminal Justice
  • Psychology
  • Sociology and Social Work

• College of Fine and Applied Arts
  • Art
  • Communication
  • Family and Consumer Sciences
  • Health, Leisure, and Exercise Science
  • Military Science and Leadership
  • Nursing (Fall 2006)
  • Technology
  • Theatre and Dance

• Mariam Cannon Hayes School of Music
  • Music

• Reich College of Education
  • Curriculum and Instruction
  • Human Development and Psychological Counseling
  • Language, Readings, and Exceptionalities
  • Leadership and Educational Studies
  • Doctoral Program in Education Leadership

• Walker College of Business
  • Accounting
  • Computer Information Systems
  • Economics
  • Finance, Banking, and Insurance
  • International Business
  • Management
  • Marketing

• Cratis D. Williams Graduate School

Publications

The University publishes or holds copyrights to several periodicals, including:

• Appalachian Business Review, Bureau of Business and Economic Research, Walker College of Business
• Appalachian Journal, Center for Appalachian Studies, College of Arts and Sciences
• Cold Mountain Review, Department of English
• Journal of Developmental Education, Center for Developmental Education, Reich College of Education
• The International Comet Quarterly, Department of Physics and Astronomy (ceded to the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in 1990)
• Journal of Health Care Marketing, Center for Management Development, Walker College of Business

The University's faculty contribute to a variety of peer reviewed journals as listed by the Belk Library's faculty publications database, and members of its Department of Physics and Astronomy serve as editors for the nationally distinguished journal The Physics Teacher.

Centers and Institutes

The University houses several academic centers and institutes related to its mission. These include:

• Appalachian Regional Development Institute - outreach and economic development for the Appalachians; includes the ASU Energy Center
• Center for Appalachian Studies - includes the Appalachian Collection held by Belk Library, the Appalachian Cultural Museum, and publishing editor of the Appalachian Journal
• National Center for Developmental Education and the Kellogg Institute
• Center for Management Development
• North Carolina Mathemathics and Science Education Center (NC-MSEC)
• North Carolina Wind Energy

Campus

Located in the mountains of northwestern North Carolina, Appalachian State University has the highest elevation of any university in the United States east of the Mississippi River, at an elevation of 3333 feet above sea level. The University's main campus is in downtown Boone, a town that supports a population of 14,900, compared to a total ASU enrollment of 14,653 students (2005-2006). The campus encompasses 340 acres (1.4 km²), including a main campus of 250 acres (1 km²) with 17 residence halls, 3 dining facilities, and 15 academic buildings.

The center of campus is generally considered to be Sanford Mall, an open grass area between the student union, dining halls, and library; students play amateur sports on the Mall, read on benches on its edges, or use the area for free speech. Rivers Street, a thoroughfare for town and university traffic, essentially divides the campus into east and west sections. The eastern side of campus includes Sanford Mall, Plemmons Student Union, Welborn Dining Hall (soon to be replaced by a new facility), and Belk Library, along with two communities of residence halls, Eastridge and Pinnacle. The campus on the west side has Trivette Dining Hall, the Quinn Recreation Center, Kidd-Brewer Stadium, and Stadium Heights and Yosef Hollow, the two remaining residence hall communities. The east and west sides of campus are connected by two underground tunnels that travel under River Street and several crosswalks through campus. At the north end of campus, Bodenheimer Drive crosses over River Street and leads to the Appalachian Heights (an apartment-style residence hall open only to upperclassmen), Mountaineer Apartments (housing for non-traditional students), the Chancellor's House, and the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center.

New to campus is the Carol Grotnes Belk Library & Information Commons, commonly referred to as Belk Library, which opened in a newly-constructed five story building September 2005 in the former parking lot of Whitner Hall. The Belk Library features computer stations and study tables on every floor, wireless computer access on all floors, group study rooms, conference and viewing rooms, and lockers available for checkout. The Library holds varying collections, including the University's archives, an Instructional Materials Center for teachers, and the W.L Eury Appalachian Collection for regional studies. Besides serving University patrons, the Library also serves as a public library for the local community, although circulation is available only to registered patrons.

The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, located on the edge of main campus and expanded in the spring of 2005, is the University's visual art center. The Turchin Center is largest visual arts center in northwestern North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and southwestern Virginia; it displays rotating exhibits indoors and outdoors, some exhibits being culturally specific to the Appalachians, and offers community outreach programs through art courses.

Student Life

The hub of student life, especially for on-campus students, is the Plemmons Student Union, located near the center of campus. The student union features a solarium with tables for studying or eating, two coffee shops, a small but well appointed movie theatre, a cafe adjacent to an atrium with study spaces, a computer lab with study rooms, and several rooms reserved for conferences and meetings. Offices of several student affair programs are housed in the Union, such as the Student Government Association, The Appalachian -- the student edited newspaper, Judicial Affairs, and outreach programs. The Applachian Popular Programming Society (A.P.P.S.), a student-run organization that selects and runs almost all of the on-campus entertainment, is also headquartered there. The Union also includes amenities such as a game room and fitness center. Appalachian also has an on-campus nightclub, Legends, located on the east campus.

Total enrollment as of 2006 is 14,653, including distance-learning programs. Freshman enrollment is 2,543 with an average SAT of 1130. The student-to-faculty ratio is on average 19-to-1.

Athletics

Appalachian's sports teams are nicknamed the Mountaineers. The university operates 18 intercollegiate athletics programs which compete in the NCAA Division I (I-AA football) Southern Conference.

• Men's Sports
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Cross Country
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Track and Field
  • Soccer
  • Tennis
  • Wrestling

• Women's Sports
  • Basketball
  • Cross Country
  • Field Hockey
  • Golf
  • Track and Field
  • Soccer
  • Softball
  • Tennis
  • Volleyball

Appalachian State's primary football rival is Western Carolina University, whom they play annually for the Old Mountain Jug. ASU has also developed an intense rivalry with Furman University due to the two teams' recent successes.

Appalachian State won the NCAA Division I-AA national football championship over the University of Northern Iowa 21-16 on December 16, 2005. It is the first National Championship for Appalachian State in any team sport. It was also the first NCAA Football Championship by any college in North Carolina. The Moutaineers have also claimed six Southern Conference football titles in 1986, 1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, and 2005.

The Mountaineer football team calls Kidd Brewer Stadium home. Affectionately known as The Rock, and located at an elevation of 3,333 feet, the Mountaineers have a current winning streak of 21 games.

Events & News

An Appalachian Summer Festival, hosted by Appalachian State University, has been named one of the "Top 20 Events in the Southeast" by the Southeast Tourism Society for more than a decade.

In 2004, a committee for the Appalachian Family Caravan tour created a promotional video titled "Hot Hot Hot," shown throughout the area by Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock. The video became an inadvertent internet phenomenon and was featured on VH1’s Web Junk 20 program in early 2006. [1] The video is no longer used by the University, due to student and alumni protests. Lesser known is that the University created this video as an inside joke for alumni on the Appalachian Family Caravan tour, where the food served the previous year was so spicy that nobody cared to eat it. [2]

In 2001, MTV's program Road Rules visited ASU to produce an episode called Campus Crawl, aired on-campus during an annual, winter student swimming event called the "Polar Plunge". The show's participants also crossed a high-wire strung between Coltrane and Gardner Halls.

History

Appalachian State University began in the summer of 1899 when a group of citizens of Watauga County, NC, under the leadership of D.D. Dougherty and B.B. Dougherty, began a movement to establish a good school in Boone, NC. Land was donated by D.B. Dougherty, father of the leaders in the enterprise, and by Mr. J.F. Hardin. On this site a wood frame building was erected by contributions from other citizens of Boone and Watauga County.

In the fall of 1899 Mr. Dauphin D. Dougherty and Blanford B. Dougherty, acting as co-principals, began the school which was named Watauga Academy. These co-principals operated for four years until the school was made a state institution.

In 1903, after interest in the school had spread to the adjoining counties, Hon. W.C. Newland of Caldwell County introduced a bill in the North Carolina House of the General Assembly to make this a state school, with an appropriation for maintenance and for building. The measure was adopted and passed to the Senate. Captain E.F. Lovill of Watauga, R.B. White of Franklin County, Clyde Hoey of Cleveland County, E. J. Justice of McDowell County spoke in favor of the measure. On March 9th, 1903, the bill became law, and the Appalachian Training School for Teachers was established.

The new trustees met in June 1903 and elected Mr. B.B. Dougherty, Superintendent and D.D. Dougherty, Principal. For twenty-two years there was a period of steady growth, academic development, and valuable 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. Superintendent B.B. Dougherty was elected President, and Principal D.D. Dougherty was elected Business Manager and Treasurer. Four years later, in 1929, the Legislature again changed the name to Appalachian State Teachers College, increased the appropriation for the maintenance and authorized the College to confer “such degrees as are usually conferred by American Colleges.”

Following the accession the college property had reached a value of more than $2,000,000. Dr. B.B. Dougherty was continued as President. Professor D.D. Dougherty was continued as Business Manager and Treasurer, but he did not enjoy the larger institution for long. He died June 10th, 1929, the very first day of registration for the new college.

In 1930, the first four year class was graduated. That year 158 young men and young women were graduated in June and approximately 80 more graduated at the August Commencement. (Appalachian State Teachers College (1940). "1940-1941". Student Handbook: 19–20.)

In 1948 a Graduate School was formed. Enrollment was up to 1,100 students, including 23 graduate students, with 65 faculty. President B.B Dougherty retired after 56 years of serving the school in 1955. Dr. J.D. Rankin became interim president until Dr. William H. Plemmons was installed.

Appalachian offered programs in areas other than teaching in 1965. This change led to a more appropriate name for the school in 1967, Appalachian State University. Afterwards, three degree granting undergraduate colleges were created: Arts and Sciences, Fine and Applied Arts, and Education. In 1972 ASU became part of UNC system.

Notable Alumni

• Jennifer E. Alley - former head coach and first female women’s basketball coach, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill women's basketball team [3]
• Eric Church - country music singer [4]
• Dexter Coakley - NFL (St. Louis Rams - Linebacker)
• Howard Coble - longtime Republican 6th District US Congressman from Greensboro, NC
• Linda M. Combs - controller, Office of Management and Budget
• Shannon Devine - Mrs. United States 2006
• Darren Dailey - artistic director, Treble Chorus of New England
• Stephen J. Dubner - writer, co-author of Freakonomics
• Brian Easter - CEO/founder of Interactive Marketing Company - NeboWeb [5]
• Brian Estridge - play-by-play announcer for Texas Christian University and former play-by-play announcer for ASU.
• Charles Frazier - novelist, author of Cold Mountain
• Franklin Graham - evangelist and missionary, son of Billy Graham
• Mary Jayne Harrelson - track athlete, two-time NCAA Outdoors 1500m Champion, [6]
• Adam Harrell - founder of Interactive Marketing Company - NeboWeb [7]
• Gloria Houston - author, The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree [8]
• Jason Hunter (athlete) - NFL (Green Bay Packers - Defensive End)
• Steven Lockyer-notable International Honors Society graduate student
• Lucas Meachem - opera singer (baritone) [9]
• Melissa Morrison-Howard - Two-time Olympic hurdler bronze medalist (’00 & ’04)
• Amber Opheim - opera singer (soprano) [10]
• John Settle - NFL (Atlanta Falcons - Running Back)
• Mary Ellen Snodgrass - author
• Chris Swecker - assistant director, FBI [11]
• Daniel Wilcox - NFL (Baltimore Ravens - Tight End)
• J. Bradley Wilson - chairman, University of North Carolina Board of Governors [12]

Trivia

The ASU fight song, Hi Hi Yikas, is sung to the tune of the German folk song Bergvagabunden (Mountain Vagabond).

Hi Hi Yikas

Rerfrain

Hi-Hi-y-ike-us
Nobody like us,
We are the
mountaineers,
mountaineers,
mountaineers,
Always a-winning
Always a-grinning
Always a-feeling fine
You bet, hey

Interlude

Go Apps!
Fight Apps!
Go, fight, win Apps! ('win Apps!' is usually changed to 'kick ass!')

Audio Link

The song, Cherished Vision, is the Appalachian Alma Mater.

Cherished Vision

Cherished Vision of the Southland
Alma Mater in the Hills
Let us point our minds to wisdom
Til the truth our spirit thrills
Appalachian Alma Mater, through our heart the joy and pride
Lead us ever, lead us onward
Vanguard of the heroes' side

Audio Link

External links

• Official site of Appalachian State University
• Official site of ASU athletics
• Appalachian Student Ambassadors
• University Admissions
• Appalachian Alumni Association
• Interview with Dr. Kenneth Peacock, Chancellor, Appalachian State University
• What's hAPPening, The Appalachian Alumni Blog
• MySpace page for Appalachian State University
• Appalachian Linux Users Group page
• Appalachian Gaming Club