Appalachian State University
Mission Statement

Appalachian's Mission

Appalachian State University is a public comprehensive university, offering a wide variety of degree programs at the baccalaureate, master's, and intermediate levels as well as the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership. With a distinctively residential campus and a faculty and staff characterized by high quality and broad diversity of professional skills, Appalachian takes as its mission the practice and propagation of scholarship. This is accomplished particularly through instruction, but also through the research, creative, and service activities of the university community. Appalachian is committed to excellence in its undergraduate and graduate educational programs, while continuing to serve as a center of cultural and professional activity within its state and region.

-- The University of North Carolina Board of Governors (1998).

Expansion of the Mission Statement

Founded in 1899 as Watauga Academy, Appalachian State University evolved into a state teachers' college, later broadened its mission to include the liberal arts, gained regional university status, and in 1971 became a part of The University of North Carolina. From its beginning as a small local institution, Appalachian has developed into a university with students from every section of North Carolina, as well as from other states and nations. Throughout its growth, the university has maintained a strong sense of community. It continues to provide educational leadership and service to the state and region. The university is committed to fostering an understanding of Appalachian regional culture and the protection of the natural environment.

Appalachian State University is a comprehensive university, offering a broad range of undergraduate programs and select graduate programs. Undergraduates receive a well-rounded liberal education and the opportunity to pursue a special field of inquiry in preparation for advanced study or a specific career. Graduate students engage in advanced study and research while developing and extending their academic or professional specializations. Although the campus is largely residential in character and its students are predominantly of traditional college age, the university seeks to serve a diverse student body.

With instruction as its primary mission, the university is committed to excellence in teaching and the fostering of scholarship. As an academic community, it takes pride in its tradition of faculty commitment to students both inside and outside the classroom. Mindful of the relationship between the curricular and extracurricular, Appalachian seeks to promote the intellectual, cultural and personal development of its students.

At Appalachian, scholarship and service are complementary to the instructional mission. The major purposes of scholarship, including research, writing and other creative activities, are threefold: to serve as a basis for instruction, to ensure a vital and intellectually engaged faculty, and to contribute to the advancement of knowledge. Service is provided through effective engagement in appropriate professional activities, active participation in the concerns of the university community, consultation services, the extension into the community of the professional knowledge and skills of the faculty, staff and students, and the sharing of the university's cultural and recreational activities