Appalachian State University

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Appalachian State University

Motto: Esse Quam Videri
(Latin for "To Be, Rather Than To Seem")
Established 1899
Type: Public
Endowment: US $53.1 million (FY 2006)[1]
Chancellor: Dr. Kenneth E. Peacock
Faculty: 998[2]
Undergraduates: 13,447
Postgraduates: 1,670
Location Boone, NC, USA
Campus: Rural
1,300 acres (5.3 km²)
Athletics: NCAA Division I SoCon
18 varsity teams
Colors: Black and Gold            
Nickname: Mountaineers
Mascot: Yosef
Affiliations: University of North Carolina
Website: www.appstate.edu

Appalachian State University is a public university located in Boone, North Carolina and the sixth largest institution in the University of North Carolina system. Appalachian (IPA: /ˌæpəˈlætʃən/[3]) State is sometimes referred to as AppState, ASU, or simply App. The university has been ranked among the top 15 Southern Master's Universities since the U.S. News and World Report's America's Best Colleges Guide began publication in 1986. In 2001, Appalachian was recognized by TIME Magazine as a College of the Year.[4]

Contents

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 Representatives 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.

B.B. and D.D. Dougherty
B.B. and D.D. Dougherty

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.”

Appalachian State Teachers College Seal
Appalachian State Teachers College Seal

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. [5]

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 Appalachian State became part of the University of North Carolina system.

Located in the Blue Ridge 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 3,333 feet (1,106 m) 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 15,117 students (Fall 2006).[6] The campus encompasses 1,320 acres (5.3 km²), including a main campus of 250 acres (1 km²) with 19 residence halls, 4 dining facilities, 20 academic buildings, and 8 recreation/athletic facilities.

The center of campus is 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 at 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, 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 Rivers 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, The Living Learning Center, 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 Whitener 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, is the university's visual art center. The Turchin Center is the 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.

Additionally, the university provides two off-campus living facilities for use by students, faculty, and alumni. They are the Appalachian Loft located in midtown Manhattan, New York City and the Appalachian House located in Washington, D.C.

A Board of Directors elected by the University of North Carolina's Board of Governors establishes broad, university policy but delegates daily operation of Appalachian 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.

  • Dr. B.B. Dougherty 1899-1955
  • Dr. J.D. Rankin (Interim) 1955
  • Dr. William H. Plemmons 1955-1969
  • Dr. Herbert Wey 1969-1971

  • Dr. Herbert Wey 1971-1979
  • Dr. Cratis Williams (Acting) 1975 [7]
  • Dr. John E. Thomas 1979-1993
  • Dr. Francis T. Borkowski 1993-2003
  • Provost Harvey Durham (Interim) 2003-2004 [8]
  • Dr. Kenneth E. Peacock 2004-Present

The University is comprised of five colleges: Arts and Sciences, Fine and Applied Arts, 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. The average GPA for incoming freshman in 2006 was 3.73 and the average SAT score was 1131. The average ACT score was 21.

  • College of Arts and Sciences
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Computer Science
    • Economics (BA)
    • 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




  • 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


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

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.

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

Appalachian State Mountaineers logo
Appalachian State Mountaineers logo

Appalachian's sports teams are nicknamed the Mountaineers. The university currently operates 18 intercollegiate athletic programs which compete in the NCAA Division I Southern Conference. The football team competes in the Division IFootball Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA).

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


Appalachian State's primary football rival is Western Carolina University, whom they play annually for the Old Mountain Jug. ASU has also developed intense rivalries with Furman University and Georgia Southern University.

Appalachian State won the Division I-AA National Football Championship over the University of Northern Iowa 21-16 on December 16, 2005. It is the first NCAA Football Championship by any college in North Carolina. On December 15, 2006 Appalachian defeated the University of Massachusetts 28-17 to claim the Division I FCS National Championship, their second consecutive NCAA national title. Appalachian won their third consecutive FCS National Championship on December 14, 2007 over the University of Delaware. The Mountaineers are the first FCS team to win three straight national championships since the playoffs began in 1978. They are also the first Division I program to win three consecutive national championships since Army accomplished the feat in 1944, 1945, and 1946.[9] The Mountaineers have also claimed eight Southern Conference football titles in 1986, 1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2005, 2006, and 2007.

In a milestone for ASU athletics, the Appalachian State football team played their season opener at the University of Michigan in front of the largest crowd to ever witness an ASU football game on September 1, 2007. Appalachian State beat Michigan 34-32 and became the first Division I FCS (I-AA) football team to defeat a Division I FBS (I-A) team ranked in the AP poll.[10] The Mountaineers also posted a home winning streak of thirty games from 2003 to 2007.

Kidd Brewer Stadium is the home of Appalachian football. Affectionately nicknamed "The Rock", the stadium is located at an elevation of 3,333 feet (1,016 m).

The Holmes Center, seating 8,576, is the homecourt for Appalachian's basketball teams. It is also the home for volleyball and indoor track and field. The 200,840-square-foot (18,659 m²) arena, located on the corner of Rivers Street and Blowing Rock Road, opened on November 17, 2000.

The university also offers 19 club sports that compete with other regional institutions on a non-varsity level. They are: Lacrosse (men's and women's), rugby (men's and women's), soccer (men's and women's), ultimate frisbee (men's and women's), volleyball (men's and women's), cycling, equestrian, ABS Style Rock Climbing(men's and women's), fencing, ice hockey, skiing, racquetball, snowboarding, swimming, and triathlon.

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

Hi Hi Yikas

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
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

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

Appalachian is included in the 2008 edition of The Princeton Review's "America's Best Value Colleges".[1]

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.[2] The video was never intended to promote Appalachian State to anyone but the Family Caravan, much less as a recruiting tool for prospective students.[3] The video is no longer used by the university, due to student and alumni protests.

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.

  1. ^ Institutions Listed by FY 2006 Market Value of Endowment Assets With Percent Change Between 2005 and 2006 Endowment Assets. National Association of College and University Business Officers, 2006. Retrieved on 6-6-2007.
  2. ^ Instructional Faculty and Size. Appalachian State University, 2001. Retrieved on 6-6-2007.
  3. ^ The pronunciation of Appalachian in a Southern U.S. dialect is provided. For further information on pronunciation, please view the Appalachian Mountains article.
  4. ^ Colleges of the Year Masters College: Appalachian State. Time.com, 2001. Retrieved on 6-6-2007.
  5. ^ Appalachian State Teachers College (1940). "1940-1941". Student Handbook: 19–20. 
  6. ^ Enrollment Statistics, Fall 2006. Appalachian State University, 2007. Retrieved on 6-6-2007.
  7. ^ Poovey, Barbara, et al (1986). Appalachian State University 1986 Alumni Directory. Bernard C. Harris Publishing, vi - ix. 
  8. ^ ASU Chancellor to Take Medical Leave of Absence. Retrieved on 2006-12-02.
  9. ^ ASU Sports Information. "Thrice is Nice: Apps Rout Delaware For Third-Straight National Title", GoASU, 2007-12-15. 
  10. ^ Blocked field goal secures Appalachian State's upset of Michigan. ESPN.com, 2007. Retrieved on 9-2-2007.

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