Thank you, Jim. And good afternoon, everyone.
I hope everyone enjoyed a pleasant weekend.
Today, I am going to touch on these topics:
- App State’s process for making and communicating weather-related operations decisions; and
- highlights from Friday’s Spring Faculty and Staff Meeting.
Before I begin, I want to thank:
- Dr. Tina Hogan, director of Institutional Effectiveness in the Office of Institutional Research, Assessment and Planning, for coming today to speak about the university’s accreditation process; as well as
- University Libraries Dean Sue Polanka and Associate Dean for Collections Molly Keener for joining us today to provide a University Libraries update.
With all the weather disruptions we have experienced so far this semester, Jim asked if I would provide a brief overview about App State’s process for making operations decisions related to adverse weather conditions.
When adverse weather is in the forecast that will affect our campus community, the Adverse Weather Team, which is a subset of the university’s Emergency Management Task Force, meets to make recommendations about classes and campus operations.
The Adverse Weather Team includes representatives from:
- Environmental Health, Safety and Emergency Management
- Chancellor’s Office
- University Operations
- Academic Affairs Division
- Human Resources
- Facilities Operations
- App State Police, and
- University Communications
The team considers weather forecasts, road and infrastructure conditions — including the potential for power outages — AppalCART schedules, campus operations, and the safety of the campus community.
At the end of those meetings, two key decisions are made and communicated to campus: 1) whether to cancel in-person class meetings, and if so, for how long, and 2) whether to require employees to come to work, and if so, which ones.
Based on those considerations, the team makes a recommendation about campus operational status to the chancellor — who makes the final decision. This is a quick overview of how weather decisions are made and who is involved. You can find an article with more information about this process at today.appstate.edu, and we will also link to it when my remarks from this meeting are posted to the Academic Affairs website.
I felt Friday’s Spring Faculty and Staff Meeting went very well, and I thank all of you who attended or watched the livestream. I am incredibly encouraged by the unity and momentum within Academic Affairs as we align our goals — please know that our progress is a reflection of your hard work and a shared achievement that would be impossible without your partnership. While we continue to work on and refine our alignment, our collaborative culture is driving student and institutional success.
For those who were unable to attend the meeting on Friday, I do want to repeat a few key updates:
- As of January, the work of Dr. Mike McKenzie, Vice Provost of Academic Program Development and Strategic Initiatives, now includes oversight of Enrollment Management, which includes the Office of the Registrar, Financial Aid and Scholarships, Enrollment Communications, and Admissions.
- On the heels of record enrollment last fall — driven primarily by growth in our online programs — we’ve just learned that App State set a new record for spring enrollment this semester, with 20,461 students as of census day.
- Speaking of our online programs, U.S. News and World Report recently recognized the quality of our online programs, ranking App State among the top 18% of U.S. colleges and universities for best online bachelor’s programs in 2026 — while also recognizing our online bachelor’s programs in business, master’s programs in education and nursing, and MBA.
- Last week, App State was once again recognized as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Students and Scholars by the U.S. Department of State and Institute of International Education. App State is one of seven schools across the nation to receive this honor for the 2025–26 academic year and the ONLY master’s institution to earn this distinction.
- Work across many units contributed to App State’s recent Community Engagement Classification from the American Council on Education and Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, which recognizes institutions that enrich scholarship, strengthen civic responsibility and contribute to the public good.
- In fall 2026, App State Online will add programs in undergraduate elementary education and special education. In addition, we are seeing strong interest in our new Doctor of Nursing Practice program, a hybrid program combining online coursework with in-person instruction at the Hickory campus. With the addition of these new programs, App State will offer more than fifty-five degree and certificate programs online.
- Dr. Amy Wood is leading efforts to develop a five-year strategic plan for App State Hickory — shaped by input from faculty, staff, and stakeholders from both campuses and the community. A draft plan will be ready for review in the coming months.
Also, Chancellor Norris and Chief Operating Officer J.J. Brown shared updates about the discovery and engagement processes that are underway for the university’s new Strategic and Master Plans. I will keep you informed about the development of these plans. Full remarks from Friday’s meeting are available on the Academic Affairs website.
Thank you for your time today.
Chair Westerman, this concludes my remarks.