Appalachian State University / Commencement

Ceremony Schedule

Presiding, Dr. Heather Norris, Chancellor

Processional

"Pomp and Circumstance"

Edward Elgar, Composer
Roger Harvey, Arranger

Presentation of Colors

App State ROTC’s Pershing Rifles

"The Star-Spangled Banner"

Words by Francis Scott Key
John Higgins, Arranger
Vocalist Lily Bailey, mezzo-soprano and choral music education major

Welcome

Dr. Neva J. Specht, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

Commencement Address

Dr. Heather Norris, Chancellor

Greetings from the Appalachian State University Board of Trustees

Mr. Mark E. Ricks, Board of Trustees chair

Greetings from the UNC System Board of Governors

Mr. C. Philip Byers, UNC System Board of Governors member

Presentation of Candidates

Provost Specht

Conferring of Degrees

Chancellor Norris

Alma Mater

Recessional

“Procession of the Scholars”

Dr. William G. Harbinson, Composer

“Hi Hi Yikas”

Dr. William Gilbert Spencer, Composer and Arranger

Musical selections performed by Appalachian Brass Ensemble
Hayes School of Music

Drs. Joseph Brown and Dakota Corbliss, Conductors

About Commencement

Tickets are not needed for commencement ceremonies.

Graduates do not need to register, and they may invite an unlimited number of guests.

During each ceremony, graduates will have their names announced, walk across the stage (from right to left) and be professionally photographed receiving their diploma covers. Chancellor Heather Norris will confer degrees upon graduates at each ceremony.

Each ceremony will last approximately two hours.
Accessibility and disability accommodations are available.
Review the Holmes Center's Bag and Admission Policy — small, clear plastic bags, small clutch purses, individual seat cushions and medically necessary items are permitted.
App State, media outlets, and family and friends film commencement ceremonies. Attendees may be included in photography or videos used to promote Appalachian State University.

Ceremony Information for Graduates, Faculty and Guests

Info for Graduates

Regalia and Attire

Info for Faculty

Info for Guests

Parking

Accessibility

Diplomas

Macebearer Recognition

Thursday, May 7

Dr. Cathy McKinney

Hayes School of Music

6 p.m. ceremony

Dr. Cathy McKinney, professor emerita of music therapy in the Hayes School of Music at App State, was the founding program director of both the graduate and undergraduate music therapy programs, the latter of which has consistently had one of the highest first-time pass rates on the national exam administered by the Certification Board for Music Therapists. McKinney is a past recipient of the Award of Merit from the American Music Therapy Association (2003) and the University of North Carolina System Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Award (2009). McKinney co-edits the Journal of the Association for Music and Imagery (AMI) and has held several leadership positions in her field, including serving as past president of the Southeastern Region of the National Association for Music Therapy, the Music Therapy Association of North Carolina and AMI.

Friday, May 8

Dr. Mark Lewis

Walker College of Business

9 a.m. ceremony

Dr. Mark Lewis joined App State’s faculty in 2011 and serves as an associate professor in and chair of the Department of Management. As chair, Lewis has expanded industry engagement, driven growth in the department’s internship program, innovated to align the undergraduate curriculum more closely with evolving workforce needs and partnered with University Advancement to secure external support for key strategic initiatives. His broader work centers on strategy, design thinking and systems approaches to organizational transformation. In addition to an active stream of research and publication, Lewis collaborates with corporate partners to design and deliver training programs that develop innovators and leaders capable of driving change within their organizations. His work has appeared in MIS Quarterly Executive and MIT Supply Chain Strategy, and his case study on innovation in a long-term outsourcing relationship has been used by over 10,000 students in 29 countries.

Dr. David Dickinson

Walker College of Business

1 p.m. ceremony

Dr. David Dickinson, professor of economics, joined App State’s faculty in 2004 and currently holds the Walker College of Business Research Excellence Professorship. His research, which focuses on experimental, behavioral and labor economics, has brought over $1 million in National Science Foundation grant funding to App State, and he has co-authored several published papers with App State students via faculty-mentored research engagement. Dickinson is a faculty partner in App State’s Center for Economic Research and Policy Analysis, a research fellow at the IZA Institute of Labor Economics in Luxembourg and a research affiliate with Chapman University's Economic Science Institute. He won the Walker College of Business Dean’s Club Research Prize in 2019 and 2023.

Dr. Melissa Gutschall

Beaver College of Health Sciences

5 p.m. ceremony

Dr. Melissa Gutschall is a professor in App State’s Department of Nutrition and Healthcare Management. Her 17-year career at the university has included serving as director of the department’s undergraduate and graduate programs in nutrition and foods, as well as launching a new public health nutrition and dietetics concentration for App State’s graduate nutrition program. A registered dietitian for 25 years, Gutschall continues clinical practice with rural special needs children and has partnered on a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation collaborative grant to support the development of a Food is Medicine program that serves food insecure communities in rural Appalachia. An Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Fellow, Gutschall has served the academy’s Evidence Analysis Library and Simulation Task Force and is a member of the North Carolina Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Board. She is a recipient of several App State honors, including the inaugural Beaver College of Health Sciences (BCHS) Outstanding Teaching Award (2012), BCHS Research and Scholarly Endeavors Award (2016) and Williams Graduate School 100 Scholars Award (2020).

Saturday, May 9

Dr. Steven J. Hageman

College of Arts and Sciences

9 a.m. ceremony

Dr. Steven J. Hageman, professor of geology, is completing his 29th year on the faculty at App State. Over his tenure, he has served the university through several leadership roles, including as a member of the University Research Council, Faculty Senate and General Education Council, and as co-founder and longtime Advisory Committee Chair of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Microscopy Facility. He is a two-time Fulbright Research Scholar and the past recipient of the CAS William C. Strickland Outstanding Junior Faculty Award, Board of Governors Appalachian State University Excellence in Teaching Award and General Education Transfer Student Champion Award. Hageman has also served as co-editor of the Journal of Paleontology and is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America. He is currently in phased retirement and will fully retire from App State in May 2028.

Dr. James Goff

College of Arts and Sciences

1 p.m. ceremony

Dr. James Goff joined the faculty in App State’s Department of History in 1986 and has taught courses in American history, including specialty courses in American religious history, the cultural history of the American South and the history of country and gospel music. In addition to numerous academic and popular articles, he is the author of “Close Harmony: A History of Southern Gospel” and “Fields White Unto Harvest: Charles F. Parham and the Missionary Origins of Pentecostalism” and co-editor of “Portraits of a Generation: Early Pentecostal Leaders.” His 40-year tenure at the university has included serving as the I.G. Greer Distinguished Professor of History (2007–09) and chair of the history department (2014–24). Goff will retire from App State in June.

Dr. Marie Hoepfl

College of Fine and Applied Arts

5 p.m. ceremony

Dr. Marie Hoepfl, professor in the Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment (STBE), joined the App State faculty in 1997. Over her nearly 30-year tenure at the university, Hoepfl has served in a variety of leadership roles, including as the inaugural chairperson of the Graduate Academic Policies and Procedures Committee, a role she fulfilled for four years, and associate dean and then interim dean of the Williams School of Graduate Studies (2019–23), entering phased retirement in July 2023. She has also served as assistant and interim chair of the STBE department and as graduate program director, a position she held for 16 years. Hoepfl is the recipient of several App State honors, including the School of Graduate Studies’ Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award (2019), an Appalachian State University School/College Award for Excellence in Teaching (2017), the College of Fine and Applied Arts Outstanding Teaching Award (2015 and 2004) and induction into the Academy of Outstanding Graduate Mentors (2011). She will retire from App State in May.

About the Mace

The Appalachian State University mace is carried by a senior faculty member in all academic processions. Traditionally, the macebearer precedes the chancellor of an institution, both upon entering and leaving a ceremony. The mace serves as a symbol of authority just as it did during the Middle Ages, when a macebearer accompanied an official taking office or opening court.

The App State mace symbolizes the university’s mountain heritage, the rustic location and the sophistication of an emerging, national leader in higher education. Its design, as a walking stick with a base constructed of rough-hewn log and finished molding, is appropriate to the natural environment of the area. At the top of the mace is a soaring, red-tailed hawk native to the area. The hawk symbolizes power and authority, as well as the empowerment of education. The talons are grasping a sphere containing two quartz crystals. The first crystal represents the global nature of the university, its educational programs and its alumni and students. The second crystal is a reproduction of Grandfather Mountain.

The relief of the letters ASU within the pine cone are crafted in black enamel and are gold plated. The various bands represent the flora and fauna native to the area. The black walnut, one of the strongest of woods, was used to symbolize the staying power of the university.

Dr. Heather Waldroup

Honors College

Name Readers

Saturday, May 9

Dr. Chris Moody

College of Fine and Applied Arts

5 p.m. ceremony

Save the Date

Fall 2026 Commencement Ceremonies

Holmes Convocation Center
111 Rivers Street, Boone, NC 28608
Boone Campus

Friday, Dec. 11

                  9 a.m. ceremony
                
                  College of Arts and Sciences
                
                  1 p.m. ceremony
                
                  Beaver College of Health Sciences
College of Fine and Applied Arts
Hayes School of Music
                
                  5 p.m. ceremony
                
                  Reich College of Education
University College
Walker College of Business

Graduates will attend the commencement ceremony of the college/program that administers/houses their academic program.

Spring 2026 Commencement

Thursday, May 7, Friday, May 8, and Saturday, May 9, 2026

Congratulations on your graduation from Appalachian State University!

Apply to Graduate