Appalachian’s focus on students has been recognized by Time magazine, which named the university a “College of the Year” in 2001 for its focus on freshman learning. The university has been included in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges issue since the magazine began its rankings in 1986. Appalachian has been listed consistently among the top 15 “Southern Regional Universities.” Appalachian’s Office of Admissions received 11,212 applications for the fall 2006 freshman class – a 7 percent increase over last year. The university expects to enroll 2,675 freshmen, which would make the 2006 class the largest freshman class on record. The average SAT score for students who have paid deposits is 1130, a 29-point increase over 2001 and a 55-point increase over 1998. In addition, the university has been included in Consumers Digest’s “Top 50 Best Values for Public Colleges and Universities” and Kiplinger’s top 100 public colleges and universities “noteworthy for their combination of top-flight academics and affordable costs.”

The university has received honors for the success of its student-athletes as well. The 2005 football team won the NCAA I-AA National Championship in December 2005 when it defeated the University of Northern Iowa.

The men’s cross country team won the Southern Conference championship title for the 2005-06. The women’s outdoor track and field team captured its fifth-straight outdoor championship title in April 2006. The athletics program has been recognized by the Southern Conference for its overall excellence, winning both the Commissioner’s Cup and the Germann Cup in 2006, the sixth time in league history that the Mountaineers received both awards in the same year. The awards recognize the best all-around men’s and women’s sports program.

Research and outreach are cornerstones of Appalachian State University

The university is providing much-needed quality control analysis to the region’s wine industry thanks to $1 million from the U.S. government to establish the Appalachian Wine Services Laboratory on campus and nearly $300,000 from the state’s Golden Leaf Foundation to set up a mobile laboratory for on-site analyses of wine – from the pre-harvest fruit to finished product. Another $987,000 award from the U.S. Business Administration will provide additional support to the growing program. Grape growers and winemakers have said that a reliable, independent analysis of their product is a top priority. Research on campus will address quality monitoring, data collection and analysis, evaluation of the important sensory qualities of aroma, flavor and color, precision viticulture methods for optimum site selection, secondary products, and methods to add value to grape production. The mobile lab will provide reliable analytical data about the condition of pre-harvest fruit, juice after crushing, fermentation must, and developing and finished wine. This information, in conjunction with human expertise, will help identify quality control problems in both the vineyard and winery as they arise. A Leader in Alternative Energy Research An interdisciplinary team of students from across campus and a professor from the Department of Technology have won a $75,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to perfect a system that converts local waste vegetable oil into biodiesel through a “closed-loop” environmentally friendly process. The team used an initial $10,000 grant from the EPA to develop a self-sustaining 80-gallon biodiesel processor that incorporates solar thermal technologies and vegetable oil-based heating systems, enabling it to run with very little fossil fuel use. The team has developed a natural water filtration system to enable safe reuse of biodiesel production wastewater and a still to recover excess methanol and purify glycerol for use in making soap. They also explore the feasibility of using the biofuels produced to provide heating for student and low-income families and fuel equipment for local farmers. Members of the university’s Energy Center are working with community leaders across the state to explore ways to capture and use methane gas being created at county landfills. Only 14 of the state’s 120 landfills have a system in place to capture and use this resource. Methane gas produced by landfills is similar to natural gas or propane, and can be used for heat or to generate electricity. The workshops are funded by almost $500,000 in support from the N.C. Energy Center. The university’s Small Wind Research and Demonstration Site on Beech Mountain is proving that the region’s winds are a valuable energy source. Six windmills of varying sizes are being tested at the site. The largest windmill could power six houses, and the smallest can power about half of the needs of a typical residence. Western North Carolina has some of the highest average annual wind speeds in the United States. The Institute for Health and Human Research The Institute provides research, clinical services, and training programs in the health and human services disciplines to meet the needs of students, faculty and the region. When renovations to University Hall are complete in 2007, the institute will house offices, classrooms, the Be Active North Carolina-Appalachian Partnership, and the Communication Disorders Clinic. Research conducted in the university’s Human Performance and Immunology laboratories are helping improve the lives of countless citizens. Researchers were awarded $1.1 million by the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, for a two-year study on the effects of quercetin in helping maintain the immune systems of troops under intense stress. The Human Performance Lab provides low-cost, high-level fitness testing to the community, including EKG-treadmill test, resting metabolic rate and bioelectrical impedance body fat test.   Next: Scenes & Sites