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 pro

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
This is Appalachian today.
A quick rundown of some of the storiesyou'll find online at today.appstate.edu.
From Anne Belkhall on an upstate Boone campus.
I'm Dave Blanks.
New Atlantic Contracting hostedrepresentatives from Appalachian State
University and distinguished guests,including North Carolina Senator Ralph
Heise and State RepresentativeRay Pickett at a February 22nd

(00:23):
topping out ceremony for the HolmesConvocation Center Parking Deck,
which is scheduled for completionthis summer.
The six level parking deck will offer600 stalls, increasing the number
of parking spaces available for faculty,staff and students by 460.
This additional parking will also supportspecial events
at the Holmes Convocation Centerand the 30,000 seat Kid Brewer Stadium,

(00:46):
AB State, selected New Atlanticand little diversified architectural
consulting to design and build the deckbreaking ground on the project.
The week of June 12, 2023.
The deck replaces the former homesurface parking lot and is located
adjacent to the home center'snorthwest and southwest entrances.
One of the planned features of the projectis a covered pedestrian bridge

(01:08):
that runs from the deck.
Second level and is connected to the pavedconcourse area
outside the home center'ssouthwest entrance.
Appalachian State Universityhas been recognized by Fortune
in its list of best mastersin data science programs.
For 2024.
Apple is ranked 11th in the nation
for its Master of Science in Applied DataAnalytics program.

(01:29):
The 36 hour degree program offered by AppState's Walker College of Business
was created in 2016 and provide studentswith the technical skills
to work with dataand to do so within a business context.
Graduates of the program understandand can apply data analytics, concepts,
techniques and tools
to promote effective organization,decision making and problem solving.

(01:51):
According to the U.S.
Bureau of LaborStatistics, data science is the third
fastest growing occupation in the U.S.,and many companies
are willing to pay competitive salarieseven for entry level candidates.
The bureau reports that the current meansalary for data scientists
is $115,240.
App State's Office of CommunityEngaged Leadership

(02:15):
held its second annual Mobilizethe Mountains Day of Service.
On February 24th.
Dozens of students and faculty volunteerscontributed over
111 hours of community serviceto two local nonprofit organizations.
Volunteers assisted the Volunteersin the Parks program
with work at SimsPond on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

(02:35):
That work included trail maintenancealong the Overlook Trail,
also at Grace Builders Wood lotsvolunteers collected cut and split wood
and distributed firewoodto community members identified
and vetted by the Hungerand Health Coalition
to heat their homesduring the winter months.
During the 2022 23 academic year,
six days of service provided699 volunteer hours

(02:58):
to 16 local organizations whose missionsdirectly impacted Watauga County.
Also, according to a recentEconomic Impact Study app, state students
and employee volunteersgenerated an annual impact of $3.4
million in addedincome to the local five county region.
That's Watauga Ashe, Avery, Caldwelland Wilkes Counties and $5.2 million

(03:20):
in statewide impactin the fiscal year 2021 2022.
The Mebane
Charitable Foundation has donated $100,000to Appalachian State University
to fund the expansion of readingassistance services for kindergarten
through third grade students in Wataugaand Catawba counties.
These services will providecritical literacy resources

(03:42):
to local families, buildingon the model established at the Anderson
Reading Clinic, which is locatedin the right College of Education
on the university's Boone campus
and is the oldest universitybased reading clinic in North Carolina.
RCOE Dean Melba Spooner saidthe gift will allow the college to improve
literacy outcomes for greater numbersof children across North Carolina.

(04:04):
The funding is being used to purchasetechnology and reading materials,
as well as to provide professionaldevelopment opportunities for staff.
In addition, this donation will supportthe development of a digital learning
channel, which will be a repositoryof literacy education materials.
That content will be designed foreducation students at Appalachian State
and will also be made availableto the more than 10,000 App State

(04:27):
alumni working in educationacross North Carolina.
Former North Carolina PoetLaureate and Appalachian State University
Professor Joseph Bathanti has been namedto this year’s
class of the NorthCarolina Literary Hall of Fame,
an honor reserved for five of the state’smost beloved and accomplished writers.
Established in 1996
under the leadership of PoetLaureate Sam Ragan, the NCLHOF

(04:48):
is a program of the North CarolinaWriters’ Network. The program celebrates
and promotes the state’s rich literaryheritage by commemorating its leading
authors and encouraging the continuedflourishing 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 educatorAnna Julia Cooper, bestselling

(05:10):
novelist Kaye Gibbons, poet and professorLenard Moore, and Appalachian bard
Ron Rash—will be inducted into the hallduring a special ceremony on Oct.
6 at the Weymouth Center.
Keith Werner has been named chiefinformation officer
at Appalachian State University,effective March 18.
Werner currently holds the positionof vice president of information

(05:33):
technology strategy and cybersecurityat the University of North
Carolina System Office, a positionhe has held since 2022.
From 2018 to 2022,he was vice president for IT
and chief information officerfor the UNC System Office. In his role
as CIO at App State,
Werner will lead a team of more than 100information technology professionals

(05:56):
in the areas of academic technologies,enterprise applications, I.T.
support services, informationsecurity, infrastructure
and systems, and project management.
For a video of the parking decktopping off ceremony,
as well as complete details on theseand many other
Appalachian State stories,go online to today.

(06:18):
Dot App Statedot edu for Appalachian today.
I'm Dave Blanks.