Appalachian State chancellor meets with McDowell County leaders
Norris
The welcome reception for Appalachian State University Chancellor Heather Norris took place Thursday afternoon at the Universal Advanced Manufacturing Center, which is a part of McDowell Technical Community College. Following her remarks, Norris (center in white and black jacket) posed for a photograph with a gathering of Appalachian State University alumni who were present for her reception.
On Thursday, Heather Norris, the chancellor of Appalachian State University, visited with McDowell County's leaders in local government, the public schools and the community college and talked about the university's impact on the region.
A welcome reception for the Appalachian State chancellor took place at the Universal Advanced Manufacturing Center, part of McDowell Technical Community College. The reception for Norris included School Superintendent Tracy Grit, Commission Chairman Tony Brown, the McDowell County Board of Education, MTCC Vice President Valerie Dobson, County Manager Ashley Wooten, Marion Mayor Steve Little, Emergency Services Director Will Kehler and numerous other local leaders in government and education. It also included Steve Wyatt, who is a member of the ASU board of trustees, a McDowell native and a McDowell High graduate. There were also numerous McDowell residents who are ASU alumni.
In her remarks, Norris talked about the impact Appalachian State has had on the surrounding region.
Appalachian State University is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at both its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online, according to Norris.
Norris talked about her background in education and how she became the App State chancellor. She became chancellor on March 1, 2025, after having served as interim chancellor of App State since April 19, 2024.
Norris described how a $1.82 million NCInnovation grant supported a new project at the university using sweet potatoes. This project turns surplus crops into plant-based foods and opens a new market for North Carolina farmers.
She talked about how Appalachian State and a $2 million grant from Vaya Health expanded access to specialized pediatric care in northwestern North Carolina.
Norris also described how the university helped the surrounding region with recovery from Hurricane Helene. She also talked about the Gear Up program that empowers students and educators within communities like McDowell.
"Through our Gear Up program, we're improving college-going mindsets, high school graduation rates and post-secondary enrollment rates by preparing more than 11,000 middle and high school students in 17 rural school districts to enter and succeed in college," she said. "We're proud to partner with both McDowell County Schools and McDowell Tech on this program, which offers a wide range of long-term services to rural students, families and teachers, and we can measure the positive outcomes through their achievements. We're seeing higher math test scores and higher high school graduation rates and enrollment in college at higher rates than those students who do not participate in this program."
