Appalachian Today | March 14, 2024

On this episode of Appalachian Today, University Communications’ Dave Blanks provides a quick rundown of some of the latest news stories available at today.appstate.edu. 

Transcript

New Atlantic Contracting hosted representatives from Appalachian State University and distinguished guests, including North Carolina Sen. Ralph Hise and state Rep. Ray Pickett, at a Feb. 22 topping out ceremony — a centuries-old tradition — for the Holmes Convocation Center Parking Deck, which is scheduled for completion this summer. The six-level parking deck will offer 600 stalls, increasing the number of parking spaces available for faculty, staff and students by 460. This additional parking will also support special events at the Holmes Convocation Center and the 30,000-seat Kidd Brewer Stadium. App State selected New Atlantic and Little Diversified Architectural Consulting to design and build the deck, breaking ground on the project the week of June 12, 2023. The deck replaces the former Holmes surface parking lot and is located adjacent to the Holmes Center’s Northwest and Southwest entrances. One of the planned features of the project is a covered pedestrian bridge that will be available from the deck’s second level and connect to the paved concourse area outside the Holmes center’s Southwest entrance.

Appalachian State University has been recognized by Fortune in its list of “Best Master’s in Data Science Programs for 2024.” App was ranked 11th in the nation for its Master of Science in applied data analytics program. The 36-hour degree program, offered by App State’s Walker College of Business, was created in 2016 and provides students with the technical skills to work with data — and to do so within a business context. Graduates of the program understand and can apply data analytics concepts, techniques and tools to promote effective organizational decision-making and problem-solving. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, data science is the third-fastest growing occupation in the country, and many companies are willing to pay competitive salaries even for entry-level candidates. The bureau reports that the current mean salary for data scientists is $115,240.

App State’s Office of Community-Engaged Leadership (CEL) held its second annual Mobilize the Mountains Day of Service on Feb. 24. Dozens of student and faculty volunteers contributed over 111 hours of community service to two local nonprofit organizations: Volunteers assisted the Volunteers-in-Parks program with work at Sims Pond on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The work included trail maintenance along the overlook trail. Also, at Grace Builders Woodlots, volunteers collected, cut and split wood and distributed firewood to community members — identified and vetted by the Hunger and Health Coalition — to heat their homes during the winter months. During the 2022–23 academic year, six Days of Service provided 699 volunteer hours to 16 local organizations whose missions directly impacted Watauga County. According to a recent economic impact study, App State student and employee volunteers generated an annual impact of $3.4 million in added income to the local five-county region of Watauga, Ashe, Avery, Caldwell and Wilkes counties — and $5.2 million statewide — in fiscal year 2021–22.

The Mebane Charitable Foundation has donated $100,000 to Appalachian State University to fund the expansion of reading assistance services for K–3 students in Watauga and Catawba counties. These services will provide critical literacy resources to local families, building on the model established at the Anderson Reading Clinic — which is located in the Reich College of Education (RCOE) on the university’s Boone campus and is the oldest university-based reading clinic in North Carolina. RCOE Dean Melba Spooner said the gift will allow the college to improve literacy outcomes for greater numbers of children across North Carolina. The funding is being used to purchase technology and reading materials, as well as to provide professional development opportunities for staff. In addition, this donation will support the development of a digital learning channel, which will be a repository of literacy education materials. The content will be designed for education students at App State but will also be made available to the more than 10,000 App State alumni working in education across the state.

Former North Carolina Poet Laureate and Appalachian State University Professor Joseph Bathanti has been named to this year’s class of the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame, an honor reserved for five of the state's most beloved and accomplished writers. Established in 1996 under the leadership of Poet Laureate Sam Ragan, the NCLHOF is a program of the North Carolina Writers’ Network. The program celebrates and promotes the state’s rich literary heritage by commemorating its leading authors and encouraging the continued flourishing of great literature. The Hall of Fame is located at the Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities in Southern Pines. Professor Bathanti—along with groundbreaking essayist and educator Anna Julia Cooper, bestselling novelist Kaye Gibbons, poet and professor Lenard Moore, and Appalachian bard Ron Rash—will be inducted into the hall during a special ceremony on Oct. 6 at the Weymouth Center.

Keith Werner has been named chief information officer at Appalachian State University, effective March 18. Werner currently holds the position of vice president of information technology strategy and cybersecurity at the University of North Carolina System Office, a position he has held since 2022. From 2018 to 2022, he was vice president for IT and chief information officer for the UNC System Office. In his role as CIO at App State, Werner will lead a team of more than 100 information technology professionals in the areas of academic technologies, enterprise applications, IT support services, information security, infrastructure and systems, and project management. 

For a video of the parking deck topping off ceremony and the complete details on these and other App State stories, go online to today.appstate.edu. For Appalachian Today, I’m Dave Blanks