App State’s Honors College is a small college within our larger university located at the center of campus. Our community supports approximately 550 students from all majors. The hallmarks of App State’s Honors College include:
- Small, discussion-based, interdisciplinary courses;
- Personalized and holistic mentoring and advising;
- The Honors College residential learning community;
- Study abroad or other international education opportunities;
- A closely mentored research or creative project (Honors thesis).
Our Mission
In the Honors college at Appalachian State University students, faculty, and staff from across campus explore, discover, create, innovate, learn and grow together. We support students’ individual holistic development and engagement beyond themselves, across disciplinary boundaries, and in collaboration with others.
Our Values and Vision
The Appalachian State Honors college values and embraces difference. We make it our shared responsibility to build a community and a world where everyone feels safe, heard, welcomed, and supported. We empower students to collaborate across differences, lead with humility, and collectively and creatively address complex challenges.
Weekly Message
December 4, 2024
Dear Honors community,
It seems like yesterday that I was writing my very first top text as editor. It feels so recent, yet so long ago at the same time. Having been in this role since the Spring semester 2022, the Memo has taken up a considerable portion of my academic career, literally from my freshman to senior year. I am grateful that it has been such an integral part of my time at App State. A quote from the children’s TV show “Winnie the Pooh” rings true: “How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard?”
When Lakin Stevens, our previous Honors Wednesday Memo editor, passed the torch to me, she answered the question: What does Honors mean to you? I think it is only fitting that I do the same.
To me, Honors education is the relentless pursuit of knowledge and betterment, both for yourself and others. To those who will be here long after me, I hope you never stop pursuing the passions and activities that align with your values and goals. I walk away from this experience fulfilled and enriched — a better student and person. I have been fortunate to participate in this relentless pursuit during my time in Honors, and it has certainly served me well. I wish the same for all of you.
With great enthusiasm, I am passing the torch to Kaylie Morales, our next editor of the Honors Wednesday Memo. Kaylie exudes a passion for the Memo like no other — eager and ready to jump to the next challenge. Please continue to share your opportunities and experiences with her and continue to let the Memo guide your Honors journey. I have no doubt that Kaylie will continue the legacy of making the Memo and our Honors College remarkable, just as the editors before me have done. I look forward to seeing it evolve.
All the best,
Kistler Hunt
Strengthening connections
The Ask a Mountaineer Honors College Circle offers expert guidance and insights for App State Honors alumni and students. To get professional support, feedback, and advice from Mountaineer alumni near and far, simply submit your question and receive a response in your email inbox.
Meet the Interim Dean
Welcome to our Honors College webpages. Please explore to learn more about how our college nurtures community through collaborative classrooms, integrated advising and mentoring, and an embrace of experiential learning. In the Honors community, students, faculty, and staff learn from and grow with each other. App State’s Honors College and departmental Honors Programs across campus connect great students to great opportunities. You can learn about many of those connections here and, when you are ready, I invite you to get to know us better by chatting with our current students during an on-campus Honors College tour or scheduling a conversation with me.