Welcome. Spring Break is just a few weeks away. It will start after classes on Friday, March 6th and end with the beginning of classes on Monday, March 16th. Where does your student plan to spend these nine days? If he/she is coming home, plan on buying lots of extra food and plan to have lots of clothes to wash. I think this will be a nice respite for all—faculty, staff, and students!

Best,
Susie

What's Been Going On

Summer Reading Selection Announced

Three Cups of Tea has been selected for the 2009 Summer Reading Program at Appalachian. Three Cups of Tea, coauthored by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, follows Mortenson's evolution from mountain climber to humanitarian. Learn more about the book at http://www.news.appstate.edu/2009/01/20/summer-reading-program/.

UNC in Washington, D.C.—Semester Internship Program

Is your child eager to work in our nation's capital? If so, then encourage them to apply to spend a semester in Washington, D.C. interning and earning a full semester worth of academic credit while enrolled at ASU! The UNC in D.C. Internship Program provides outstanding internship opportunities for all majors while providing a safe living and learning community with students from other North Carolina schools. Visit the program on the web at http://www.uncinwashington.appstate.edu. Specific questions can be directed to Sharon Jensen, jensensc@appstate.edu; 828-262-2180. All majors welcome to apply!

2009-2010 FAFSA Application Reminder

* March 15, 2009: the ASU priority deadline to complete the 2009-2010 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. It is suggested that you print and complete the 2009-2010 FAFSA on the Web worksheet prior to completing the FAFSA on the Web.

If you are the parent of a dependent student you and your son/daughter will need your Federal Student Aid PIN to access and complete your 2009-2010 FAFSA on the Web. Go to http://www.pin.ed.gov if you have forgotten your PIN, and request a duplicate by selecting the option "Request a Duplicate PIN."

To protect the confidentiality of your application data, you should never share your PIN with anyone, even if that person is helping you to complete your FAFSA.

If you have questions about your FAFSA, help is available online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov or by calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).

Being an Ambassador for ASU

Do you know young people in your neighborhood, your church, and/or your community, who have been accepted or who are thinking of coming to Appalachian? If so, share your student's experiences, as well as yours, regarding orientation, move-in, and life on campus. Encourage them to attend Open Houses (the next one is April 18th), New Student and Parent Orientation, and Parents and Family Weekend.

SAVE THE DATE: Parents and Family Weekend

Mark your calendars for September 25th - 27th. Plans are now being made for a brand new format including a convocation with the chancellor, service projects, informational programs, and much, much more.

Emergency Alerts

Appalachian held a test of the Emergency Alert System on February 17th. Currently, 7,000 names of faculty, staff and students are registered. Has your student registered? If not, please encourage them to do so at http://www.emergency.appstate.edu/appstate-alert/register.php.

University College and General Education Program at Appalachian

Appalachian's University College consists of the university's integrated general education curriculum, academic support services, residential learning communities, interdisciplinary degree programs and co-curricular programming—all designed to support the work of students both inside and outside of the classroom.

Our curricular programs—from general education and honors programs to undergraduate and graduate interdisciplinary degree programs—are designed to help students achieve the essential learning outcomes of a liberal education, emphasizing reflective, life-long learning and the transferable skills necessary for navigating today's ever-changing world. Through our co-curricular programs, students learn from distinguished authors and speakers, blend their classroom learning with community service, and pursue independent research with faculty mentors. All students begin their education in University College: both freshmen and transfer students are introduced to the university and given their initial academic guidance through our office of advising and orientation.

Throughout their time at Appalachian, students benefit from our other support services to improve their writing, work on other academic skills, and take the tests necessary to advance their careers at Appalachian and beyond. We provide faculty members with innovative teaching opportunities, and we support them in developing practices of engaged and successful learning, especially in the important area of writing.

Beginning, this fall - 2009, the basis of an Appalachian education will start with the General Education Program. Through its interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning, students learn to adapt to new environments, integrate knowledge from diverse sources and continue learning throughout their lives. The General Education Program draws on nationally identified best educational practices, as well as what employers say they want from today's graduates.

The General Education Program has four goals: thinking critically and creatively, communicating effectively, making local to global connections, and understanding responsibilities of community membership.

Beginning with the First Year Seminar, the General Education Program accounts for 44 semester hours of a student's degree program. A total of 29 hours come from the program's four integrated units called Perspectives—Aesthetic, Historical and Social, Local to Global, and Science Inquiry—with rotating themes from which students select their courses.

The program also includes writing courses at the freshman, sophomore and junior level; quantitative literacy courses to develop reasoning and numerical skills; and a wellness literacy requirement to enhance students' knowledge and management of their personal health in all its dimensions. The General Education Program also incorporates an information communication technology literacy requirement as well as a Senior Capstone Experience in a student's major.

University College at a glance...

• Meets a broad range of career and academic needs as students prepare to study, learn and work in the 21st Century , Global Market Economy; most attractive to employers.
• Committed to supporting all incoming and current undergraduates, freshmen and upperclassmen, through academic and student support services (orientation, academic advising, the learning assistance program, university writing center, office of testing services and writing across the curriculum, university documentary services), co-curricular programming and support (service learning, office of student research, the summer reading program and the forum lecture series), Interdisciplinary Degree Programs (BA and MA in Appalachian Studies, BA in Global Studies, BA Interdisciplinary Studies, BA and BS in Sustainable Development and an MA and graduate certificate in Women's Studies) and Residential Learning Communities (the Heltzer Honors Program and Watauga Global Community.
• Houses the new interdisciplinary (explores several disciplines in each course) undergraduate curriculum and the First Year Seminar.

Please visit us on the web at: http://www.universitycollege.appstate.edu and at http://www.news.appstate.edu/2008/12/12/university-college-2/.

Interested in making a gift to University College, visit http://www.give.appstate.edu and list University College in the gift designation field.

General Education at a glance...

• New curriculum focuses on interdisciplinary teaching (each course explores more than one discipline); student begins with a First Year Seminar, taught by a faculty member with a Ph.D. in an academic discipline or a Master's Level faculty member with credentials in an academic discipline.
• Curriculum is writing intensive; writing a priority at every level of the student's undergraduate academic experience into the Senior Seminar or Capstone course in the major.
• Curriculum includes understanding the social responsibility of community membership, through engagement with major issues, outreach efforts and practical application.
• Priorities in teaching students to think critically and creatively; employers report back, year after year, that these students are the most attractive new professional hires.

Visit us on the web at: http://www.generaleducation.appstate.edu and at http://www.firstyearseminar.appstate.edu.

Goodbye April

April Horton, Director of the Appalachian Fund, has taken a new position as the Leadership Annual Giving Officer in the Advancement Office at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. April worked tirelessly for both students and parents at Appalachian. She will surely be missed! Good luck April!

Club Sports

The Club Sports Program is designed to meet the competitive athletic desires of students, faculty and staff of Appalachian State University. Many student athletes choose Club Sports because their sport is not offered through the varsity or intramural sports programs, or they do not wish to make the time commitment necessary for a varsity sport. For information about University Recreation Programs & Facilities please call 262-2100 or visit our website: http://www.urec.appstate.edu To view our Bi-Weekly Newsletter, The Club Sports Chronicle, go to http://studentdev.appstate.edu/pagesmith/14.

Free Online Music Service RUCKUS Closes Down

As you may be aware, the free online music service, Ruckus, abruptly shutdown service last Friday evening. Unfortunately, the university was not given any notice regarding this shutdown. Calls to Ruckus have gone unanswered and it appears they are simply no longer in business.

We regret this service is no longer available to our students as it provided a free and legal alternative to illegal file sharing. We are currently exploring alternatives so we can continue to provide a legal avenue for students to get music online.

For additional information, please go to http://parentsassociation.appstate.edu/pagesmith/214.

Contact for Future Information/Ideas

Susie L. Greene
Dean of Students
(828) 262-2060
greenesl@appstate.edu

Rita K. Wells
Executive Assistant
(828) 262-2060
wellsrk@appstate.edu