Appalachian State University
Congratulations on your graduation from Appalachian State University!
Commencement is the ultimate celebration of one of the most significant accomplishments of our students' lifetimes. We are proud to honor your achievement.
Apply to Graduate
Commencement Ceremonies
Holmes Convocation
Center
111 Rivers Street, Boone, NC 28608
Boone Campus
Friday, May 9
9 a.m. ceremony
College of Fine and Applied Arts
Hayes School of Music
1 p.m. ceremony
College of Arts and Sciences
English • History • Interdisciplinary Studies • Languages, Literatures and Cultures • Philosophy and Religion • Psychology • Sociology
5 p.m. ceremony
College of Arts and Sciences
Anthropology • Biology • Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences • Computer Science • Geography and Planning • Geological and Environmental Sciences • Government and Justice Studies • Mathematical Sciences • Physics and Astronomy • Rural Resilience and Innovation
Saturday, May 10
9 a.m. ceremony
Beaver College of Health Sciences
1 p.m. ceremony
Reich College of Education
University College
5 p.m. ceremony
Walker College of Business
Graduates will attend the commencement ceremony of the college that administers/houses their academic program.
Livestream
Watch a livestream of each ceremony here on May 9 and 10 at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
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 Kathryn Haycraft, soprano, double major in music performance and communication sciences and disorders
Welcome
Dr. Neva J. Specht, Acting 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 Board of Governors member
Presentation of Candidates
Acting Provost Specht
Conferring of Degrees
Chancellor Norris
Alma Mater
Recording by Luke Combs
Singer/Songwriter
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. Sam Ambrose and Joseph Brown, Conductors
About Commencement
Tickets are not needed for the commencement ceremonies.
Graduates do not need to register, and they may invite an unlimited number of guests.
During each ceremony, graduates will walk across the stage in Holmes Convocation Center, have their names announced and be professionally photographed receiving their diploma covers. Chancellor Heather Norris will confer degrees upon graduates at each ceremony.
- Each ceremony will last approximately 90 minutes.
- 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.
See below for information for graduates and faculty participants, as well as information for guests.
Ceremony Information for Graduates, Faculty and Guests
Macebearer Recognition
Kim Wangler
Hayes School of Music
Friday, May 9
9 a.m. ceremony
Kim Wangler joined App State’s Hayes School of Music in 2005 and has served as director of the music industry degree program for the past 20 years. Under her leadership, the program has undergone significant curriculum advancements, including an emphasis on experiential learning and entrepreneurship, as well as creating strong connections between students and industry professionals. Wangler has played a significant role in the development of music industry studies as an academic field by serving as the inaugural board member representing this area with the College Music Society. She is also a long-standing member of the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association Board of Directors.
Dr. Clark Maddux
College of Arts and Sciences
Friday, May 9
1 p.m. ceremony
Dr. Clark Maddux, a veteran of the U.S. Army, taught at Michigan State University, Tennessee State University and Austin Peay State University before joining App State in 2012, as director of academic service-learning. In 2014, he accepted a faculty position in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies. Maddux has been awarded numerous research fellowships, including a National Endowment for the Humanities educational program grant with colleagues from App State’s communication and English departments, and he is volume editor of the “Biblia Americana” series. The greatest joy of his professional life, he shared, has been teaching and working with the students of App State’s Watauga Residential College, a student and faculty community that fosters creativity, thoughtfulness and civic engagement through experiential, inquiry-based learning. Maddux served as director of the college from 2014 to 2021. He will be retiring from App State at the end of the spring 2026 semester.
Dr. Carol Babyak
College of Arts and Sciences
Friday, May 9
5 p.m. ceremony
Dr. Carol Babyak, an analytical chemist, joined App State’s Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences in 2004. She has received grant funding from the National Science Foundation, NC Biotechnology Center and The Nature Conservancy, and, with her students, has published original research in various journals, including Chemosphere, the International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, Spectroscopy Letters, and Forensic Chemistry. Babyak was inducted into the College of Arts and Sciences’ Academy of Outstanding Teachers in 2008 and received the college’s Outstanding Advisor Award in 2007-08 and 2015-16 and its Inclusion Award in 2020-21. Her favorite part of the job is teaching students in the classroom and mentoring them in research, as well as following their careers as physicians, engineers, professors and chemists, she shared.
Dr. Heather Thorp
Beaver College of Health Sciences
Saturday, May 10
9 a.m. ceremony
Dr. Heather Thorp began her career at App State in 2006 as a project manager focused on methamphetamine treatment at the Institute for Health and Human Services (now known as the Appalachian Institute for Health and Wellness) in the Beaver College of Health Sciences. She currently serves as field practicum director in the college’s Department of Social Work, a role she founded in 2009. Thorp received her doctorate in educational leadership with a concentration in expressive arts education, inquiry and leadership from App State in 2022, having previously earned a graduate certificate in expressive arts from the university in 2014. In addition, she is a licensed clinical social worker and registered expressive arts therapist and has taught social work and expressive arts therapy courses at App State. Thorp holds multiple professional memberships and has presented at numerous local, national and international conferences.
Dr. Cheryl Lee
Reich College of Education
Saturday, May 10
1 p.m. ceremony
Dr. Cheryl Lee, a former middle and high school family and consumer sciences teacher, joined App State’s Department of Family and Consumer Sciences in 1994. She is currently a professor in the Department of Media, Career Studies and Leadership Development. Lee teaches courses in adolescent development and career and technical education and her research focuses on curriculum, teaching methods and service-learning. For the past 31 years, Lee has served as a teacher educator, preparing students to enter the field of education. She will retire from App State on June 30, 2025.
Richard Sparks
Walker College of Business
Saturday, May 10
5 p.m. ceremony
Richard Sparks is a two-time graduate of App State, earning a bachelor’s degree in health care management in 1976 and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 1978. Over the years, he remained actively engaged with the university and was awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2001, an Outstanding Service Award in 2010 and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in 2016. After retiring from a 40-year career in health care administration, Sparks joined the Walker College of Business faculty in 2017 to teach graduate courses in leadership, ethics and executive skills — an experience he finds rewarding, he shared. The spring 2025 semester is his final semester teaching at App State.
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.
The mace was constructed by Carolina Bronze, of Asheville. Fittingly, two App State students and an App State graduate were involved in the production. It was commissioned by the Appalachian State University Alumni Association in 1994.
