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Dr. Zackary Vernon

App State professor's new book asks: Can you eat outside the industrial food system? [faculty featured]
Sep 28, 2026

BOONE — Zackary Vernon spent years asking whether a normal small town could feed him without the industrial food system. Boone became his test case ...

Dr. Jessica Cory

Appalachian floods force hard choices about home [faculty featured]
Sep 21, 2026

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The animals needed fire, but the water stood between them and the warmth that could change their world....

A man with short hair and a beard, wearing bright yellow glasses and a collared shirt patterned with large orange flowers and green leaves, smiles against a solid black background.

App State's Leonardo Flores leads MLA framework on AI and the humanities
Sep 18, 2026

BOONE, N.C. — Dr. Leonardo Flores, chair of Appalachian State University's Department of English, led a national effort resulting in the publication...

Four smiling adults in a 2x2 portrait collage: one man and three women, dressed professionally against black, purple, and textured backgrounds.

CAS faculty share 2026 summer grant outcomes
Sep 16, 2026

BOONE, N.C. — Each summer, Appalachian State University's College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) awards $5,000 grants to untenured, tenure-track faculty...

Two people stand outdoors in front of a brick academic building. The man on the left wears glasses, a brown blazer, light blue shirt, tan pants, and a cream-colored scarf with fringe. The woman on the right wears glasses, a gray blazer, dark jeans, and a multicolored scarf in shades of red, purple, and orange. Both are smiling, and the background shows a tree, grass, and a walkway.

Edited collection by Drs. Melissa Birkhofer and Paul Worley receives ASAIL Honorable Mention
Sep 9, 2026

BOONE, N.C. — Two Appalachian State University faculty members — Dr. Melissa Birkhofer, assistant professor in the Department of English, and Dr. ...

TEDx Johnson City Logo

Dr. Sarah‑Beth Long delivers TEDx talk on writing and healing
Aug 14, 2026

Dr. Sarah‑Beth Long, professor in the Department of English, recently delivered a TEDx Johnson City talk titled “Can writing be medicine?” at th...

A person wearing a grey suit, white shirt, purple tie, and glasses smiles against a black background.

App State professor's new book highlights Boone's role in ethical eating
Jun 29, 2026

BOONE, N.C. — A new book by Appalachian State University professor Zackary Vernon places Watauga County at the heart of a national conversation abou...

Dr. Zackary Vernon

Book Feature: Eating on a Mountain at the End of the World: How I Found Love, Humor, and Beauty in My Quest for Ethical Food [faculty featured]
Jun 1, 2026

When Zackary Vernon moved to Boone to begin teaching at Appalachian State University, he took on the personal challenge of trying to make ethical food...

Dr. Savannah Paige Murray, assistant professor in App State’s Department of English, center, with her parents, Gerald Murray, left, and Holly Murray at App State’s 2026 Awards of Distinction ceremony, held April 28 on the Boone campus. Murray is a recipient of the 2026 Appalachian State University School/College Award, conferred as part of the UNC Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Awards. Photo by Chase Reynolds

Dr. Savannah Paige Murray honored with 2026 App State Award of Distinction
May 4, 2026

BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University honored 29 students, faculty and staff during its fourth annual Awards of Distinction ceremony,...

Taylor Dills

Former students turned professors: App State alums reflect on their return to the High Country [faculty feaured]
May 1, 2026

During fall break of 1999, Ralph Lentz was a new professor at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute. One Saturday night, he received a ca...

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